Travel notes

  Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam island are unincorporated territories of the United States in the Pacific. Anyone who has watched “Moana” will understand why this destination is worth the logistics. Russians no longer need a “standard” American visa to visit the islands – a declaration is filled in upon arrival at the airport , and the passport control officer stamps the passport. Saipan is the most developed island when it comes to tourism, and we stayed under a special offer in hotel Hayatt and it had its own beach , sunbeds and a beach bar. Everything you need for a quiet seaside (or oceanside?) holiday. And we got what we expected. There was a beautiful sandy beach and a wide turqoise lagoon, followed by deep waters. Mariana Islands are named after the eponymous Mariana Trench (it is about 11 kilometers deep). Swimming there gave me pleasure, mixed with some reverence, as the depth of 11 kilometers is not a joke, and vague thoughts about sea monsters getting out of the dept

After flying for 40 minutes to an island next to Saipan, we found ourselves in a buzzing and lively place – after all, the rhythm of life on these two islands is very different. Guam is clearly more active and developed. Well, for a tropical island. Perhaps the reason for this is the presence of the largest Pacific naval base of the United States. Perhaps, more entertainment for the military? Amazing local flavor – lying on the beach under the palm trees, looking up at the sky, and suddenly you see a giant gray B-52 slowly flying low. And the local bars are filled with strong young men in civilian clothes with short hair and the same iron medallions on the neck. In general, this was a strange feeling. We chose the hotel via HotelHunter from the point of view of location – to be on the first line, and preferably at the end of the beach to be less crowded. There were more cafes, bars, shops than on Saipan, even a Hard Rock Cafe. There is a big choice of activities after a long day o

The idea of this trip came long ago – to see the Alps in the summer, visiting the Mont Blanc and the surrounding regions. This was not the first trip without a clear plan, when in the process of travelling we decided where we go further on the spot, taking into account the weather, mood and actual circumstances – that will get along the way and give ideas to visit. Such travels may seem reckless at first sight, but in fact it is the best way to travel effectively, receiving the desired impressions “here and now”, and not a compromise of “that’s fine, but it is a pity that did not think in advance.” This was made possible thanks to a skilful use of the offers of an aggregator website HotelHunter reflecting special deals in real-time (availability, accommodation discounts, high ratings, etc.). Well, and the opportunity to rent a car via the corresponding aggregator site Carscombined , when you take it in one country, use in another, and give it back in the third, providing in advance t

 Having left French territory (making sure that the terms of the car rental allow it), we went to Bern. On the way there, we stopped in the area of Interlaken to visit the unusual attraction – riding on the railway track on the small wheeled trolley (a kind of a “summer Bob”). I was overwhelmed, I was scared to go fast on the highway, located on the edge of a precipice, and my husband managed to accelerate so much that he fell from the cart. Taking a walk through the mountain area was also impressive, so a small detour was worthwhile.   By the way, getting to the area, we set the shortest route on the navigator, and given the mountainous terrain, the shortest distance may require a very long path, because almost all the mountain roads were curvy. So, we were driving the car following the navigator, and it kept confidently leading us into a railway tunnel. Several times we slipped on the car track next to it, but the navigator turned us back to the tunnel, with a recommendation t

  It is not the first time we choose Sicily from the whole variety of summer destinations. There are clear prerequisites for this: clean sea, great hotels, interesting places to visit and… Taormina. The very fact of its presence on the island makes it easier to take decisions about the trip – apart from all the delights of Sicily, visiting Taormina is an independent event, which you will remember [for the long winter evenings :)]. Like last time, we stayed at Naxos Beach Resort because it has a very comfortable equipped beach, water sports, and it is located a 10-minute drive from Taormina. Thus, in the afternoon you can spend time on the beach in the classical sense, and the evenings in Taormina with all its advantages. This time we decided to diversify our stay in Sicily a trip to the filming locations of The Godfather movie. The idea was interesting – visiting small local villages allowed us to travel 50 years back – everything is preserved that well. The feeling that the time