I created the “Travellers’ Tales” section to give other travellers an opportunity to talk about their travels. Today I would like to introduce you to Sarah , a travel blogger based in Hawaii . She blogs at Borders and Bucket Lists.
I would love to hear about your travels too. Go to “Travellers’ Tales” , fill in the quick questionnaire and email it to me with your blog links.
Hello! My name is Sarah, and I am the writer behind the blog, Borders & Bucket Lists . I was born, raised, and currently live on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii. While I absolutely love to travel around the world, I also love sharing some of the local sights and adventures in the islands. I hope to try to encourage visitors to the islands to actually take part in some aspects of the beautiful local culture, rather than living in the artificial tourist bubble that can sometimes seem so tempting.
When I was very little – maybe three or four years old – my parents and I went to Colorado to visit family. One day, we all went up to the mountains, even though it was a colder time of the year. I just remember shivering on the back porch of a cabin with a bunch of my family members, because I, being a little girl from Hawaii, was not prepared for below-freezing temperatures.
Colorado
I recently returned home from a trip to the American South. I stopped by Atlanta, Orlando, and New Orleans.
I’m a foodie, so I would have to say that the best thing I did on this most recent trip was food-related. While I was in Atlanta, I grabbed brunch with a couple of my cousins there, and I had a delicious fried chicken benedict! I’d never thought about that combination of foods before, but I have to say, Southern cuisine combined with brunch is pretty darn good – especially when there’s also good conversation with family.
While it could be debated whether or not this would count as a “holiday,” I was able to study abroad in Switzerland for a full academic year. During these eight months, I explored so many little towns in Switzerland, as well as the nearby countries. I was also able to delve into the francophone Swiss culture on a level that I was unable to do during my much shorter trips.
I’m definitely biased when I say this, but Hawaii is my favorite travel destination. Within such a limited section of land, there are so many amazing activities to do – especially nature-centric ones! I’ve lived on the island of Oahu my entire life, and I still have hikes I want to tackle, beaches I want to find, and restaurants I want to visit!
You must go on a hike while you’re in Hawaii. Even it's a short, five-minute hike, the view will be worth it! Maybe it’ll be a waterfall or a section of coastline that you can’t see from anywhere else. And, I mean, if you’re up for a slightly longer hike, you’ll be able to see even more.
I think each person that I have travelled with brings their own amazing qualities to a trip. However, my favorite person to travel with is my best friend from college. We have similar tastes in what to see and do, so there is rarely a moment when one of us is doing something we don’t enjoy doing.
Earbuds. If I’m on any type of transportation, that can be some valuable sleeping time, especially since I use every second I can to explore the new area that I’m in. But in order for me to fall asleep faster, I need to have some earbuds to drown out the excess noise with my favorite jams.
Don’t be afraid to see what happens. Many travelers like to meticulously plan out each of their days of travel. This, in a way, removes all options for spontaneity – and sometimes spontaneity takes you to the coolest of places.
I am a huge fan of waterfalls, so I have to say Victoria Falls. The largest waterfall in Africa, Victoria Falls is on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. For some reason, in my head, I have this belief that Victoria Falls will be in a near-natural state without much built around it, which I think would be so stunning. If it’s more tourist-focused than I realized, well, I’m sure it’ll still be amazing.
People can connect with me through my blog, Borders & Bucket Lists. I am also on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
Thank you, Sarah , for sharing your adventures with us!
I would love to hear about your travels too. Go to “Travellers’ Tales”, fill in the quick questionnaire and email it to me with your blog links.
Who will I feature next? I’ve got an exciting line-up ahead. Make sure you subscribe to the free newsletter so you don’t miss out on some exciting travel tales.
Sara Essop is a travel blogger and writer based in South Africa. She writes about family travel and experiences around the world. Although she has been to 50 countries thus far, she especially loves showcasing her beautiful country and is a certified South Africa Specialist.
