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You are here: Home / Archives for animals

What Animals Can Teach Us about Traveling?

March 15, 2012 By Katherine

We humans love to give each other advice; advice on how to raise children, how to invest money, how to dress and how to travel. You know if I were you have become some of the most dreaded words to hear, especially when they’re coming from your boss or mother.  While it is a good idea to learn from others, it’s not just humans who have something to teach you. Animals know a thing or two about traveling, too. In fact some of the best travel advice you might ever get could come from your furry, feathered and scaly friends.

What Animals Teach Us about Traveling?

Travel Light – When was the last time you saw a bear in high heels? That’s right; you haven’t (although that would be pretty cool). That’s because animals understand better than us humans that if you can’t carry it on your back, you don’t need it to travel. Even the savviest human packers end a day of traveling with their lower back aching from an overstuffed bag. All those extra pairs of socks and spare set of sheets you brought “just in case” wind up taking up space without ever being used. Take notes from the animals you encounter. Instead of being weighted down by unnecessary baggage, animals are free to run, jump and squeeze into tiny caves.

A fish in the rocks

Listen to Your Instincts – There’s a reason your gut is telling you not to get into that cab. There’s a reason something doesn’t feel quite right about that dodgy hotel at the end of the road. If your instincts are telling you to run, then run. Animals trust their instincts. Maybe that’s why they seem to know tsunamis and forest fires are coming long before humans do. They understand that instincts are there for a reason and shouldn’t be ignored for the sake of being polite. Follow their lead – and follow your instincts to avoid sticky situations when traveling.

Be Yourself – It’s tempting to try and fit in, especially when you’re meeting new people and trying to get along with new travel companions. But compromising who you are means you compromise a piece of the whole traveling experience. The reason you are traveling is so you can experience new places and ways of life. Learn from your friends in the animal kingdom. A cheetah rarely worries what others think of him. He’s a cheetah whether he’s in Africa, Asia or Antarctica. An elephant is an elephant and a warthog is a warthog. No need for pretending to be interested in pottery when you’re not, or worrying about sounding witty at dinner. Animals are unapologetically themselves. No matter where you travel, remember to be you.

Pelicans at the beach

Adapt – Being yourself doesn’t mean you being difficult or overly stubborn. Traveling requires you to adapt to new ways of life and take the unknown in stride. You are bound to meet suspicious foods, beds and trains along your journey. As long as your instincts tell you everything’s ok, learn to adapt to these foreign encounters. Animals are great at this. Bears adapt to food shortages by hibernating when it’s cold and chowing down when it’s warm. Chameleons adapt to the surrounding palettes by changing color to blend in. Horses adapt to the seasons with thickened fur for winter and shedding like a mad thing when summer comes. Animals don’t compromise who they are fundamentally, but they do make allowances for the circumstances around them.

Have Fun – Traveling should be eye opening, memorable but mostly just plain fun. Yet sometimes in the flurry of following maps and hopping planes, we humans push fun aside. Animals know better. They find fun in the simple things around them and don’t need elaborate clubs or shows to keep them entertained. A dog is happy to dig a hole in the sand or play with a piece of seaweed. Cows are content with just a few blades of grass. Pigs find joy in a deliciously cool spot of mud and zebras savor the freedom of running uninhibitedly. Take a cue from animals and have fun when you travel.

What have you learned from animals?

Filed Under: Journey, Travel & Planning, Travel Reflections Tagged With: animal travel, animals, travel instincts, travel tips

Photo: Llama? Alpaca? Vicuna.

November 9, 2011 By Jillian

South America has several species of furry large animal: llamas, alpacas, vicunas and guanacos. Although the first to are rather commonly known, it’s the vicuna and it’s close relative the guanaco which were worshipped by the Incas.  The Vicuna, thinner and more delicate than both llamas or alpacas, has some of the softest and most sought after wool in the world.  Their wool is so rare (they can only be sheered every 3 years) and highly prized that in the ancient days only Incan Royalty could wear clothes made from Vicuna.

Today vicunas exist mostly in the wild.  A protected species, their numbers are increasing and they’ve been taken of the list of endangered in many Andean countries. We didn’t catch site of our first vicuna until we reached Torres del Paine National Park in Chile.  On the first day of our hike, we saw a family group of Vicunas in a meadow and snapped this picture.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

IF YOU GO: Hiking Torres del Paine is high on the list of things to do in Chile.  Two popular hiking trails wind their way through the national park, the shorter “W” trail and the longer “Circuit”.  Both are best hiked in the spring and summer when temperatures are milder.  Check out our popular guide to hiking the “W” trail before you go.

Filed Under: photos Tagged With: animals, hiking, parks

Photo:Watering Hole

October 28, 2011 By Danny

I’m not sure what it is that makes this photo.  Maybe the awkwardness of the giraffe but I think it’s the zebra.  He’s trying to say something to us…….maybe you can figure out what it is!

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

Filed Under: photos Tagged With: animals, ngorogoro crater, safari, tanzania

Photo: Why Zebras Have Stripes

October 17, 2011 By Danny

Each and every chance I had to take a photo of a bunch of Zebras congregating together I did.  The reason for this is simple; can you tell me how many zebras are in this photo?  I think there are 12.

Zebras are herd animals and that means that their safety from predators comes from sticking together.  We humans, just like the lions, are predators, and I have to admit that even with my 20/20 vision, having all those stripes so close together, it’s difficult for me make out each individual zebra.  If I were a lion going in for the kill, I’d be running fast, and so would the herd, so choosing one to go in and attack would be very difficult…maybe that’s why lions prefer wildebeests?

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

IF YOU GO: Any safari in Africa will feature lots of zebras.  We took this photo while on safari in the Ngorogoro Crater in Tanzania, near the Serengeti.

Filed Under: photos Tagged With: animals, east africa, ngorogoro crater, safari, tanzania, zebra

Photo: Tarantula

October 3, 2011 By Danny

In going to Costa Rica, the cloud forests of Monteverde became something of a goal for us.  The mountains and forests of the region were something that attracted us and we had initial planned on staying for a few weeks to volunteer and relax a bit.  When we got there we found a tourist town in the midst of rainy season and so we realized we’d need to readjust our plans a bit.
Since it wouldn’t be long before heading off for the monkeys of Manuel Antonio, we decided to give a night hike a try.  Really, it’s just what it sounds like and not much more.  Unfortunately, most of the wildlife we did see was shrouded in darkness and therefore not close enough for our cameras to see in the pitch dark of night.  Then we came across this tarantula…it was right next to trail so it was easy to take a photo, thankfully it stayed put and didn’t come after us!

IF YOU GO: Monteverde is a great place to visit and very close to the Volcan Arenal.  Driving between the two isn’t exactly easy but there is a transport service that combines with a boat ride for the one way journey.  Montverde may not be the site of luxury that Arenal is but it contains all the adventure from night hikes to canopy tours!

Filed Under: photos Tagged With: animals, jungle, spiders

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