Are you looking for your next adventure away from the usual tourist crowds? Let us guide you to 2025's emerging travel destinations as you plan your next trip. In today's episode, we will cover five destinations that you should consider if you're looking for a destination that's a little off the beaten path, but currently trending among travel enthusiasts. We'll cover everything from tropical escapes to icy adventures. that are gaining attention as trending locations according to Condé Nast and Travel and Leisure magazines. Join us as we discover these unique experiences that will help you travel more and better.
I'm Scott. And I'm Melissa.
I'm Melissa. And we're the Sunshine Travelers.
we're the Sunshine Travelers. Our passion is travel and sharing our experiences with those who enjoy it as much as we do. For those who want to learn more about travel, or even those who just want to live vicariously through our travel stories. No matter where you follow along that journey, get ready to hear about our first -hand experiences as we visit some of the most interesting and amazing places on Earth.
Welcome back to all of our sunshine travelers out there. Last week's been kind of crazy where we live from a weather perspective. We actually got snow on Amelia Island.
So crazy. I never dreamed that we would see that. And thankfully, the sunshine was back this weekend.
Yeah, we were really lucky. Parts of Florida Panhandle in those areas actually got several inches of snow. For us, it was just cold. And we got a little dusting of snow here on Amelia Island. But it's caused us to think about some warmer places to actually get away from the cold.
For sure. So in this week's episode, we have a mix of cold and warm weather locations that may pique your interest. But in honor of the season that we're currently in,
in, let's start with a cold one, Greenland.
So Melissa, Greenland is one travel destination that's been on our list for a while. And we were even looking to go there on our upcoming trip. So when we're going to London that I've got to go to for work, we were going to tack on Greenland to the end of that. It just didn't work out from a travel perspective.
Yeah. So logistically, that it needs to be its own trip because of the time required to go to and from Greenland. If you're going to do it like a land based is just like the flights were quite long and then just the availability and stuff like that. So whereas in Iceland, you can do some stopovers and it kind of can be, you know, on the way back and that kind of thing.
Well, I think Greenland's going to get to that point at some point in time. They're opening up a lot more flights to Greenland this year from the U .S. And so I think we're going to see Greenland become one of those destinations like Iceland in the future.
Yeah, I think so.
Well, let's talk a little bit about why Greenland is rising in popularity. Why is it starting to trend out there? with these travel magazines and travel enthusiasts.
Yeah. So like you mentioned, and I'm not sure how you say it, Nuke Airport, maybe. And I can't wait. When we talk about Iceland, we're going to be in serious trouble. But anyway, it has expanded. And you may have seen that they have some new flights to new places and things like that. But the number of flights will be increasing throughout the year. So and then also cruise landings are up almost 74 percent in the last couple of years where people are looking to, you know, like we are going to some of those Antarctica, Arctic destinations, those kind of things, getting to new places.
I'm pretty excited because I went out and looked for a few of those this evening. And the number of stops that those cruises make in Greenland. It's going to give you a really good view of that southern tip of Greenland. And I think that's where most everything is inhabited anyway. You go up into the north of Greenland, it's just frozen tundra.
So that would make it easy to get to those places. You would have the advantage of being in the same place, not having to move around, unpack once, and then have that luxury and familiarity on some of these ships. I'm sure there's a number of providers that provide that.
Yeah. And I think if you're interested in like Alaska or Antarctica, this is another one of those tour experiences where you're going to get to see some just absolute beautiful scenery, you know, stunning ice fjords. And here you'll also have a chance to see the Northern Lights. So great place to go and see the Northern Lights as well.
Why Greenland? Like what else could you expect from Greenland?
Well, this is a destination for people who crave something a little bit different. Kind of the same reason that we chose to go and do a group trip to Antarctica. And if you haven't signed up to go with us on that group trip to Antarctica, you can still do so. Just remember that these cabins are filling up quickly and you need to get signed up. But, you know, as far as Greenland is concerned, I think that's what you're going to see is something similar to that. People can go and explore, you know, the ice forts. They can take a boat through the icy waters and you really just kind of get a chance to immerse yourself into the Intuit culture, the people who live there in Greenland.
Yeah, for sure. And I think that's the other thing is I think people are looking for places that are kind of more off the beaten path, right? Especially, I mean, either because lots of people go to Iceland. And then people have been to Iceland. They're like, OK, let's do something different. Or people are really looking for, OK, everybody goes to Iceland, which is kind of like we wanted to see, can we do something different? But of course, we want to see Iceland, too. So I think that's why it's going to become super popular.
Yeah, well, this whole list that we're going to talk about today, these are the places that are trending among the travel enthusiasts. So you're not going to hear a lot about them or see a lot about them yet on social media. But I think it's going to start blowing up and exploding throughout this year and into next year.
Yeah, as people visit these destinations. So I guess that would be a true statement about all of these. So it's worth mentioning that then the same cruise line, and this is what you were saying, you got excited and were like, oh, I really want to do this. That same cruise line, Atlas Ocean Voyages, that we're going to do that group trip to Antarctica in 2026 also goes to Greenland. So it goes from Rickovic. It has like seven places in Greenland that it stops, right? So that you can kind of have that diversity.
kind of have that diversity. And the really neat thing about that trip that I liked is you'd have a private charter from the last stop in Greenland to New York, JFK Airport.
Oh, okay. Very cool. So then get you back conveniently, you know, to the U .S. And that was logistically, that's what we kind of ran into. That's interesting. So that sounds good.
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Well, let's talk about somewhere just a little bit warmer. And so Nicaragua. I don't know that a lot. I've heard anyone talk recently about traveling to Nicaragua for pleasure or for vacation.
Yeah, I think I've seen people do it maybe for like surfing, like a surfing destination.
Yeah. Well, I mean, that's definitely one of the crowds that it draws in are the surfers looking for that next great place somewhere that's not quite as busy as Costa Rica, where they can go and. go surfing and stuff like that. But, you know, there's so much more that Nicaragua actually has to offer that we're just not familiar with. So, you know, it's got the tropical jungles, they have active volcanoes, they've got coffee farms, cloud forest, and of course, those world -class waves. This is a great destination for adventurists, as well as those who just really want to go to a resort and kind of dwell there and soak up everything that that... A resort has to offer the beautiful views and things like that.
So because it borders Costa Rica to the north, you're going to have, I guess, a lot of that similar climate.
That's right. Yeah, it's going to be very similar to Costa Rica. But I think right now is, you know, Costa Rica is having a moment and there's a lot of people traveling there. And so if you're looking for somewhere that's, you know, a little less traveled and a little less busy, now Nicaragua. is showing up as one of those places.
And so resorts and nice hotels and things like that too, which I don't think that a lot of people might think of. So that's really good to know.
Yeah, they've been investing heavily in their infrastructure. And so I think that's one of the things that's opening Nicaragua up for tourism is along that infrastructure, they can build out the resorts, the hotels, the places for people. And have that highway system to allow you to get to all these different places.
So you mentioned some of the surfing. So some of the highlights then. Surfing in San Juan del Sur is one of the places that you kind of looked at when researching these. Exploring Granada's colorful streets. And so that's something that we always like. We like to do, you know, when we travel is see the juxtaposition, right? So a trip like this would give you a chance to see some cities. indulge in some local food, local culture, book some tours. And then also, like you said, resort, relax. If you're into surfing, you'd like to do the beaches, the jungle. So it gives you a good mix of those things. And then the volcanoes. A lot of people go to Costa Rica for the volcanoes. And so you have that here too.
Yeah, I believe Nicaragua was the place that I went to for work one time. And I was visiting a call center. And when my plane landed, got off the plane and right outside the airport, we ran into this, I don't know, group of kids and they were stopping the traffic. And I was like, oh, my God, get us out of here. Whatever you have to do. I told the driver, come on, let's go. After a few minutes, he rolled down the window. He talked to one of the kids and he said, you know, what's going on? And about that time, they all just scattered like they just disappeared. And so I told him, I said, go, go, go, go. And we took off. And the next day I was telling the people that we were visiting, I was like, I'm not sure, you know, is this a safe place for us to have people travel to and things like that? And they were like, I have no idea what you're talking about. Never heard about anything like this before. And when they investigated, they found out that Nicaragua had been beaten by Mexico the night before in a World Cup game.
Oh, and so they were. Frustrated. Yeah, they were frustrated because they had just lost.
Yeah, they were frustrated because they had just lost. And so, you know, I didn't get to see a lot from a tourism perspective in Nicaragua, but I can tell you the people there were extremely friendly that we talked to other than the kids who were mad that they had just lost, you know, in the soccer match. But, you know, it's one of those places looking at some pictures, you know, active volcanoes, those picturesque, you know, cone -shaped volcanoes. the coffee fields. There's going to be some absolutely stunning landscapes that you get to see in visiting this location.
Well, that's super interesting. Yeah. I think that we need to add this to the bucket list. So I saw some pictures and looked at that. I mean, it just looks absolutely gorgeous. And that's the other thing too. So I have been to Guatemala. And so a lot of people don't think of going to Guatemala for, you know, some of those things that we talked about, but going to the lake there and staying by the mountain. And, you know, there's the resorts and different, you know, accommodations that are just absolutely beautiful and absolutely relaxing. And the people are fantastic. And so it sounds like Nicaragua is very similar.
Yeah. For those that are wondering how in the world do you get there? How do you travel there? One of the recommendations is actually to fly into Liberia, Costa Rica, and then drive across into Nicaragua. And so, you know, that's, That's one way to travel there. And I think that'll get you to the area where most people are going to go for the surfing and stuff like that.
And so that's interesting because Liberia, Costa Rica is actually where Mille that we had talked to in our episode about Costa Rica in episode 50, she had actually taken us from San Jose doing the road trip and then flying out of Liberia. So you could, I mean, if you wanted to, you could keep going. Right. Or, you know, fly in and out of Liberia and do a little bit of both so that you could kind of compare. Because that was the place where she had talked about, you know, experience in the beaches and stuff like that. And so then you could, you know, go up into Nicaragua and do that as well. So when is the best time of the year to visit?
Well, I was just going to say, you know, if you've got a couple of weeks that you can do on this trip, do the Costa Rica part up front and just continue across. Don't stop in Liberia. just going on across into Nicaragua, visit there, and then go back and fly out of Liberia.
Oh, yeah, that's a good point.
So the best time to visit Nicaragua is during their dry season, which is from November to April. You're going to have the best weather for visiting them.
All right, so let's go back to somewhere that's cold pretty much all of the year, although I guess you have a little bit of sun and a little bit of warm, but still pretty cold. the state of Alaska.
Well, you know, I will say that when we were in Alaska, we did have some really warm temperatures. Now we were in the interior part of Alaska, but you know, they do have warmer days.
Yeah, we had some cold weather at the beginning, but that's true. And then it did get warmer. We didn't have like huge coats or anything like that. Matter of fact, we had to buy rain jackets for that trip. But we are super excited to talk about Alaska. Because we are headed there again later this year. But this time that we're going to go on a cruise with your family. And last time we did just a road trip.
Yeah, we saw the interior parts of Alaska. Now we're going to be able to see it from the ocean and go through, you know, like the Glacier National Park and go into the fjords and go through that inner channel and see some of those sites that we didn't get to do when we did the road trip. on the interior piece.
Yeah. And because we just really had did Sioux Word and the Kenai Peninsula and things like that. So this is going to be different for us. And this is also a trip that was on our original chalkboard wall bucket list that I know that we've mentioned several times, even though we made it to Alaska, not on a cruise. So we're excited to see something different. And we're going to do that in August. And last time it was June. So the weather might be a little bit different too.
Yeah. And I mean, a cruise is One of those things where you have a little bit of downtime and then you have lots of activity. And so it's a good mixture. So we're looking forward to some of the stops that we'll make along the way. And we're also looking forward to the days where we'll just get to enjoy the beautiful scenery and wildlife that we'll experience along the way while we're sailing.
So it's interesting to me that this ends up on a list of things that are rising and trending, I guess a little bit. But then actually when we started booking it, It was like, wow, lots of stuff has already filled up. I mean, granted, we're going this year. It's not like we're going next year. But, you know, looking out to, okay, July is like veranda staterooms were booked up and looking into, you know, August instead. So I can really kind of see that. And also, you know, just like some of the cruises that we looked at. You know, you look at the you look at their websites and stuff like that, and it's like general areas of the world that they go. But like Alaska is highlighted, you know, and there's lots of options. So I can kind of see that. Yeah.
And there's a couple of reasons why it's trending this year as well. The popularity of Alaska cruise has just continued to grow. I don't think we're going to see an end to Alaska's moment anytime soon. So I think it's just going to continue to get more and more popular. But also in 2025, they're celebrating the 100th anniversary of Glacier Bay National Park. So that's something that opened up in 1925 and has been a national park since then. And so those are some activities that are drawing popularity and drawing attention. As well as this year is going to be the 100th anniversary of the Iditarod dog race. So the famous dog race that you know about.
Oh, wow. That's super interesting. The good thing about Alaska, too, is that a lot of times when you book these cruises, you can also do extensions where you get a little bit of land as well. So like if you haven't been, you know, we've been to Denali on that road trip. But if you haven't been there, you can take the train and then they've got some lodges even that you can stay in or you can see other parts. Like if you leave out of Seattle or Vancouver and you can experience some other places, too, as you as you take that trip.
Yeah, I mean, we're going to. hop off at the end of the cruise part and then come back home. But the rest of our family is going to stay and do a little bit more of that interior because they haven't done that before. Well, let's talk a little bit about, you know, what are some of the must do activities when you visit Alaska?
So I think for us, seeing maybe more of the glaciers. So because we were doing the road trip, it wasn't like we had that experience. I think that's the big part of doing the cruise, right? Well, there was a couple of places that we went to, but seeing, you know, seeing the glaciers and I think just seeing the wildlife that's there. And then, of course, just a landscape that's unlike anything else that you see in the U .S.
Yeah, we've never been on a cruise or anything like that before where we had the opportunity to see whales. We did go swimming with whale sharks in Cancun because we happened to be down there at the time. that those whale sharks were feeding in that area. And so, you know, we had that opportunity, but we've never been anywhere else where we got to see like, you know, humpbacks or orcas or anything like that in the wild. And so I'm kind of looking forward to maybe having the opportunity to do that on this trip.
I think that the Alaska... And especially on a cruise, like makes this a great trip for families and multi -generational too, because then people can pick and choose, like if somebody wants to go kayaking or, you know, one of the myriad of, you know, adventure activities that you can do, like different people can pick from their different interest levels while in the port, for example. And then also, like I mentioned, you can then go inland and see, you know, they have the luxury lodges. You have that, those accommodations on board where you're not having to you know, pack up and go and still get to visit all these different places. I think finally, the other thing about Alaska in the summertime is the fact that it never gets like super, super dark. And then that that nighttime is a lot shorter. And I think that's something interesting to experience. When we were there last time, we happened to be there on the summer solstice and we were. staying in a place that had the huge windows. It had been a little bit rainy. And so we have a picture. It's actually like midnight, which Alaska is known as the land of the midnight sun. And there is that, you know, the rainbow in that picture. And so I think that's another very unique experience. And if you are leaving from somewhere like Seattle and not going to, you know, anywhere in Canada, you can just, you don't need a passport.
destination. I should say it should be warmer, but this year it's actually been a little bit cooler, which is Florida Space Coast. And I was really surprised when I saw this pop up on Conde Nast and Travel and Leisure with all of these wild international locations, Florida Space Coast pops up.
So it is actually, I mean, I don't think a lot of people know this, actually like 45 minutes from Orlando. So your theme parked out and you can take a quick trip there. And then also if you want to see the beach as well. So that's that's the other thing is the proximity.
Yeah. But what is actually driving it to be a trending location? I mean, because it's always been the beach. It's always been 45 minutes from Orlando. So what's driving the popularity now? Why is it becoming a trending location?
Well, you can plan your trip around a live. rocket launch so they actually have a website visit spacecoast .com slash launches and I think it's because before you know the shuttle launches and different things were seemed like they were few and far between and they would put them on tv and things like that but now there's a whole lot more activity as a matter of fact we even saw some re -entry stuff one time recently from you know where we are here on Amelia Island and Saw it in the night sky and were a little bit freaked out until we looked at what it was. So I think there's just a lot more activity, a lot more launches. And then, of course, they have that. So that's a neat opportunity that you can be there and see that. And I even remember my aunt lived close to Orlando when I was growing up and we would come visit her lot and we would do Latine Park Day and we would do a beach day. And I remember years ago before in Georgia, we even knew what Publix was. We were in the Publix parking lot and there happened to be a launch that day and we saw the space shuttle going up from. And I think it was interesting because for them, like it was like, oh, we see this all the time, you know, but that was just really neat for us. So getting to experience that. But then, of course, there's a whole lot of activities to do there as well.
Yeah, there's a whole lot more commercial space flight now than there was when, you know, we were younger. And so less manned flights maybe than when we were younger. but a whole lot more commercial flights that are going up. And so seeing when those rockets launch out of Cape Canaveral, that would just be absolutely amazing for anyone that's there to catch one of those. So I think one of our tips would be, don't miss this, plan your trip around one of those launches. And like Melissa said, go to that visit spacecoast .com slash launches, and you can actually see what is scheduled. Now we'll have to say that it's like going to see the... Northern Lights, you know, there may be reasons why it doesn't happen. And so make sure that you're not doing it just for a launch and enjoying some of the other activities as well. So you want to talk about some of those other activities real quick?
Yeah, well, I just wanted to say that this is something that we need to revisit. So my sister Stephanie, who we have had on the podcast talking about the Alaska road trip, which I forgot to mention, by the way, if you want to know more about that Alaska road trip. And not on a cruise. That was episode 11. And then Stephanie also was on our episode 81 talking about planning a trip to Japan. But anyway, she actually did an internship with NASA there. And so we would go visit her and do some of the activities there. So they have the whole exhibits around the space and activities that you can do for adults and kids. And we would say our tip would be don't do the G -Force. thing more than a more than once but just lots of learning opportunities for kids there too yeah if you're motion if you have any motion sickness don't get on that g -force simulator because you will be sick yeah and then the other thing so people also might be familiar with this space coast cape canaveral port canaveral where a lot of those cruise ships go out of especially the disney cruise is going to the caribbean and then lots of other ones that are going to the caribbean so that you will find that there
if you're motion if you have any motion sickness don't get on that g -force simulator because you will be sick yeah
and then the other thing so people also might be familiar with this space coast cape canaveral port canaveral where a lot of those cruise ships go out of especially the disney cruise is going to the caribbean and then lots of other ones that are going to the caribbean so that you will find that there So even if you aren't doing a cruise, it's fun to watch those ships go out several times a week. And when we would visit her, we would see that.
Or maybe you can plan both, right? Plan to take a trip out of Port Canaveral on a cruise and then be there for one of the launches. But there's also a number of festivals throughout the year. I was looking on their website of all their different festivals. And just in the springtime. I was amazed to see how many different festivals. It reminded me a lot of here on Amelia Island, how they've always got something going on. Well, that's how Cocoa Beach seems to be as well.
Yeah, that's one thing I love about Florida towns. You'll probably find some local markets and stuff, too, in addition to the festivals. So just being aware of that. And then, of course, in Florida, all the golf courses. So it's a great opportunity for families to do a lot of different things. Go play golf and stuff, too.
I want to say there was around four pages of golf courses that are right there in that area. Now, they may be a few miles away in different towns, but they're right there in that area around Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach.
Yeah. And then, of course, like we mentioned, visiting that Kennedy Space Center and then just all the activities that they have to explore there. Whether you're exploring new cities, relaxing on a beach or taking a cruise. You can avoid expensive data charges or unreliable Wi -Fi with a GigSky eSIM. Easily get affordable high -speed data in over 190 countries. No physical SIM card required. They even have cruise and land packages, so you're connected both on and off the ship without having to pay for two different plans. Download the GigSky app, activate your eSIM, and you're ready to explore. Use code SUNSHINE at checkout to get 10 % off any data plan. Stay connected and save on your next international adventure.
Well, this last location that is on our list, so number five, is a place called Karzikstan. Now, I couldn't tell you before where any of the stands are. Uzbekistan, Karzikstan, you know, any of those, until we talked to one of our guests from GigSky. And that's what he was saying is... One of the things that is on his bucket list is to visit all of the stand countries and go on that reverse Silk Road.
Yeah, and that was, he just really piqued our interest in that and was mentioning that. And so beginning to kind of look at some of those. And then also, we've really seen a rise in people saying you've got to go to what is kind of dubbed the stands, right? Any of those countries, the Indian stand. that they are hidden gems and really unrelated because they really just haven't been on maybe the mainstream travel people's list recently.
Yeah, I mean, a lot of these are former Soviet bloc countries, right? And so they weren't really tourist destinations and things like that. But now they're having, you know, once again, like other places, they're starting to have a moment that they're drawing tourism. You know, when I was digging in to Kyrgyzstan here to, you know, be like, okay, what are we going to do? Because I'm not going to go hike some and climb some mountain, right? That's just not our thing that we enjoy doing. But one of the things that I found was this off -road tour, a 4x4 tour, where they take you out, you're driving the 4x4 vehicle, and they take you to all these alpine lakes up in the higher elevations. So without having to do all of the hiking and mountain climbing, you can actually go up in those higher elevations and see those alpine lakes and get that scenic beauty in.
And you have a guide with you.
That's right.
Oh, wow. That's interesting.
Yeah. So, you know, that looked like a really cool trip. That's something I would definitely want to do sometime in the future. But, you know, if you're out there and you are an adventurer. And you love to mountain climb or you love to go hiking. And I'm not talking about just a, you know, two mile loop trail or something like that. But you really like to go hiking. This is your place because there are so many different hiking adventures that you can go on in Kyrgyzstan. And the vistas are amazing.
And I think you don't, since this isn't like on your list and if you haven't seen things and seen pictures. But when you go and start to look, it's like you said, speaking of like describing them, I guess, as Alpine and the vistas. It is amazing. Like the scenery is absolutely amazing. Now, the one thing I'd be curious about is, is everybody going to start getting or like when you listen to the podcast, do you start getting this content? Like, do you start seeing the stands? Do you start seeing the Space Coast? Because as we were planning this. And I'm scrolling through social media and I'm getting ads already for the Space Coast. So I'd be curious. Let us know if you, you know, when you listen to these, if you start getting ads. But back to, and how do you say it again? Tell me.
how do you say it again? Tell me. Cures Extend. Cures Extend.
Cures Extend. One other thing that I would add is if you like horseback riding and you want to do it through some absolute scenic beauty,
One other thing that I would add is if you like horseback riding and you want to do it through some absolute scenic beauty, this would be your place as well. Now, I think you probably would need to do that in the warmer months. If you go, I think there was a travel Kyrgyzstan type website or something like that. And if you go each of these tours, they tell you what months.
Oh, that's good to know. And so really, because like this is growing in popularity, and I guess they are investing in tourism too, right? And so they are having, I guess, the infrastructure to have these groups and have the tourism culture. You know, people coming now.
Yeah. I want to say there was like four main hubs that fly into Kyrgyzstan. But one of them being Dubai or, you know, one of those places there in the Middle East that you can fly to and go there. And, you know, just one thing to think about is this is in Asia. This would be considered Central Asia.
So you can. Another place to, like, you can check off Asia off your bus. Yeah, when everybody thinks about Asia, they think about Thailand,
Yeah, when everybody thinks about Asia, they think about Thailand, Vietnam, you know, those type of places. China, right? But here's a place to go to Central Asia and have some absolutely crazy views. And then, you know, also going somewhere that not everybody has been to.
And so you mentioned the four by four, you mentioned the hiking, but so I'm assuming then because you can do these treks, then you could book a trekking tour, right? That's right. To have a guide.
That's right. To have
And then as we were talking about that, you were also telling me too, like they have a lot of different, maybe not a ton of luxury accommodations, but some unique things like staying in a yurt and then a lot of festivals too, depending on when you're there.
Yeah. So the people who live there are nomadic people. They move around, they take their herds to where the herds can eat and have grass and stuff like that. And so it reminded me a lot, the yurts that they actually live in, reminded me of the type of home that the people in Kenya, in Samburu, that we visited, right? So it was that kind of dome -shaped roof with the siding. I think theirs are a little bit more substantial because of the cold weather, but it's that kind of same shape. But it's something that they can pick up and move to the next location as they take their livestock.
visited, right?
So then a lot of these places where you stay, they've kind of been modeled off of that. Yeah.
There was also a few things that they suggested that you try that I found to be interesting. One of them was fermented horse milk. It's an alcoholic drink. So if you go to Karzegstan, that's delicacy for you to try. And the other was a food they called beshpamak. I think that's the right way to say it, which is a hearty stew of boiled meats and potatoes. And this is what the people would eat. You know, we always advocate that when you're in a country and is to try the foods, because that's one of the quickest ways to make a connection to the people that live there.
It's always so interesting, too, is that every culture has some kind of like figured out how to ferment something, right? Back in the day, probably because so things wouldn't spoil, but that, you know, everybody came up with their own version of different types of alcoholic drinks, too.
Yeah, but I don't know who thought, hey, look at that horse. Let's go milk it. But what it is. So let's talk a little bit, Melissa, about why all of these destinations we think are perfect for our Sunshine Travelers family out there.
So I think whether you're looking for thrilling activities or just different landscapes, right? So these provide just a variety of different, you know, from frozen tundras to, you know, just scenic beauty. And then Space Coast, I mean, just very unique that you can have the beach and all those other activities, but then possibly see rocket launches and then just go to the Space Center and learn more about, you know, more about that. So just a lot of opportunity for Like a diverse trip and experiencing something new.
Yeah, and I think there's something in each of these locations that's for every type of traveler that's listening to this. You know, I talked about the example of the 4x4 in Kyrgyzstan. Well, that's something that most people can do. You may not be able to hike to the waterfall or down to the lake or something like that. But you're going to get some absolutely amazing views in that trip riding in that four by four along the way.
And that would be the same for Greenland, like picking how you do it, right? Some people would choose to go there and be on land the whole time. But for some people, it might be better to book a cruise and, you know, do some of the excursions or just experience that beauty from the ship or from the dinghies or whatever the experience ends up being.
Well, we do want to end with just a few general tips for your 2025 travel. And so, Melissa, do you want to go through some of these tips that we have and that we've come up with?
Yeah, so the first one, and we didn't give you an update about using this when we went on Safari, but that is to use an eSIM for your phone connection, for your data connection when you're traveling. We talked about the benefits of this back in Episode 76 before that trip. We got Scott's aunts, you know, hooked up to use that as well and walk them through that process that we talked about in that episode. And it was a great experience. We got to use it in Egypt and then in Kenya and then in South Africa. And it was just a seamless experience. So we definitely recommend that you look into that. I can save you a ton of money. And sometimes a ton of hassle. We've told a story before where you had signed up for, you know, one and gotten on the plan and we got to... It was in Slovakia.
was in Slovakia.
Slovakia. And you spent two days on the phone going back and forth. Why, you know, why wasn't this activated? And so definitely use an eSIM. Go back to episode 76 and you can learn more about that. But at sunshinetravelers .com slash gigsguy, that is the one that we used and that we recommend to check those out. And you can use the code sunshine. to get a discount off those. And then the second biggest one that just continues to be kind of make or break your travels is not overpacking when traveling. We just can't ever stress this enough. It makes travel so much easier and smoother when you limit yourself to what you're really going to use, right? So if you think, oh, I may wear this one time or I don't know if I really need this, just don't pack it, right? mixing and matching your outfits to maximize what you are traveling with. And so if you haven't grabbed it yet, we have a free ultimate packing guide for traveling smart and packing light. And you can grab that just about on any page at sunshinetravelers .com. I'll link it in the show notes as well. But there's places where you could grab that. And it's a several page free guide that just kind of goes through a lot of our tips and tricks. What are our must haves? And, you know, even if you are checking a bag. It's still sometimes the logistics of, you know, how many people are in the car and how much rugged luggage room do you have? And then what other, you know, you're having to drag it to these places in Arizona, for example, you know, you're still having to take the Sky train before you're checking your bags and just having so much stuff. So grab that if you haven't yet. We just can't stress that enough as a travel tip. And then finally, just a reminder to travel responsibly, trying to support local businesses. trying to reduce your environmental impact whenever possible. I think we are really bad about using, you know, plastic water bottles and a lot of places in the world, you know, really trying to reuse, fill up water bottles. That was something that we saw in Kenya. There's other places that are really trying to, you know, reduce those plastics. And also remember that where we vacation is where people often live. So being courteous to their home and. you know, in lots of different ways. Italy has actually had to implement some new laws to protect historical sites and just the quality of life with so many people visiting. We're actually posting a series over on Instagram right now highlighting some of the things that they've had to put laws into place and, you know, have these fines for violating them just because it, you know, makes a place messy and trashy and if we're not respectful of those places when we travel.
Yeah. And when we talk about traveling responsibly, remember, if you go to these places that we've talked about, maybe with the exception of the Space Coast, but definitely some of these lesser known countries like Kyrgyzstan, these are places that don't get a lot of tourism yet. And eventually they will. And that's something that they're going to have to deal with at some point in time is the... you know, what happens when everybody starts traveling there and they don't have enough maybe infrastructure to support that. And so, you know, just thinking about that, yes, we want to give you places that are off the beaten path. And in this episode, we're focusing on the, you know, those trending locations. But just keep that in mind is that when you're doing so, they may not be fully ready yet for all the tourism that's coming there. And so when you run into that and, you know, I've talked about this before, I hate when I travel and I hear people complaining about how something's not like it is at home. Well, duh, that's why you went to somewhere different, right? And so just keep that in mind and be patient and be understanding when things are different.
And so if any of these trips we've talked about in this episode or any of the episodes for that matter interest you and you want to get help. To start the planning process, we are excited to announce that we can now help you with your entire trip planning and booking process with our agency, Sunshine Travelers Experiences. Go to sunxtravel .com to learn more and get started.
That's really exciting.
There is so much information out there on travel destinations for 2025. We want to thank our listeners for your support and ask, where do you plan to travel in 2025? Send me an email, scott at sunshinetravelers .com, and let me know or tag us on your social media as you travel this year using hashtag sunshine travelers 2025. Melissa will put that in the show notes as well. You know, the world is full of sunshine and surprises. Make 2025 be the year that you explore beyond the familiar. We hope you enjoyed this episode and found some inspiration to help you with your travel journeys. If you could take a moment to leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, it would be greatly appreciated. Your five -star reviews help us get discovered by others and possibly featured on your favorite platform. Don't forget to follow or subscribe to our podcast to get notified of new episodes as they are released. You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook at sunshine travelers podcast. Remember that is travelers with one L. Most importantly, please share it with your friends to help them catch the travel bug. You never know, they may become your greatest travel companion.
