History isn’t only about reading history books or strolling through museums, separated from the exhibitions by a sheet of glass. These activities will get you up close and personal with remnants of the past.

Inca Trail
A great way to immerse yourself in South American history is to walk the Inca Trail in Peru. This trek follows the path of one of the ancient Inca highways which existed before Spanish explorers reached the continent. Now people take two- or four-day hikes up to Machu Picchu, a World Heritage site once called ”the lost city of the Incas”, which remained undiscovered by the Spanish. Here you can see the city’s picturesque ruins and the beautiful views over the valley below.
www.andeantravelweb.com/peru

The Pyramids of Giza
At over 4500 years old they’re the last survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. That’s a lot of history, and luckily, these great monuments live up to their star billing. Now on the western edge of ever-growing Cairo, the former pharaonic tombs dominate the landscape, still breathtakingly huge. The three major pyramids are those of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, but there are also smaller ones scattered around the vicinity. As an added bonus, the Sphinx sits nearby, looking mysterious and evocative. An attractive way to see the area is on horseback at sunset, with a steed hired from nearby stables.
egyptphoto.ncf.ca

Siege of Malbork Castle
There were few scarier fighters in the Middle Ages than the Teutonic Knights, legendary warrior monks who carved out an empire along the Baltic Sea. They left behind their magnificent headquarters, the vast red-brick castle of Marienburg, now known as Malbork Castle after the Polish town it overlooks. Not only can you tour through the intact remains of one of largest castles in the world, but in July you can experience the annual recreation of the 15th century siege of the fortress by a Polish army. It’s a noisy night-time spectacular full of costumed soldiers, horses, light effects, fireworks and medieval weaponry.
www.zamek.malbork.pl

The Forbidden City
The name says it all: in the days when the Emperor of China was all-powerful, only subjects who had his permission could enter this palace complex in the centre of Beijing. Behind its walls, the rectangular area of 720,000 square metres operated like a small city. The emperor was deposed in 1912, and evicted from the palace in 1924, when the Palace Museum was established to hold and exhibit the Forbidden City’s treasures. Within its walls are extensive displays of beautiful ceramics, paintings, clothing, furniture, and precious items made from gold, silver and jade. On a quirkier note, there’s an enormous collection of 18th and 19th century clocks and watches. www.dpm.org.cn

United States Space and Rocket Centre
One of the greatest events of 20th century history was the moon landing in 1969, the first time humans had ever set foot on another world. At the US Space and Rocket Centre in Huntsville, Indiana, you can relive the excitement and wonder of the space race, checking out the various exhibits of space gear, including a gigantic model of the Saturn V rocket that lifted the astronauts into the sky. Better still, there are loads of hands-on attractions including a G-force accelerator, a space shot simulator and a Mars climbing wall that approximates the surface of the red planet.
www.spacecamp.com

Easter Island
You wouldn’t think that an island first settled by humans only 1500 years ago would make this list; but Easter Island is special. Everyone has seen images of its famous statues, featuring long, sombre faces with elongated earlobes and noses. But what makes the place really exciting is the air of mystery that hangs over it. The turbulent events of its short history have left this rocky Pacific outcrop with a lot of gaps in its back story, leading to endless speculation about fascinating questions: for example, how did the islanders actually move the huge statues about the place?
www.islandheritage.org

Petra
Imagine an ancient city entirely carved out of stone, hidden away from the world at the end of a long narrow canyon. It’s like something out of an Indiana Jones movie — and in fact, Petra appeared in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Around the 6th century BC, a tribe of Arabs known as Nabateans settled the site, and carved amazing, elegant buildings out of its rocky hills. Nowadays visitors to the archaeological site in Jordan marvel at Petra’s prominent Treasury building, and if energetic, climb to the highest monuments such as the aptly-named High Place, an ancient site of worship.
www.nabataea.net/petra.html

Taj Mahal
Most people would hope they’d be remembered when they’ve departed this world, with maybe a smile or a teary eye. But Mumtaz Mahal, the late wife of the Indian emperor Shah Jehan, received something far more spectacular: the Taj Mahal, said by many to be the world’s most beautiful building. Built in her memory, the white mausoleum was completed in 1648. Not only is the main building impressive, but it’s surrounded by attractive gardens and other historic structures. The Taj is a monument to die for. www.asi.nic.in

The Parthenon
Before the Roman Empire conquered all the territories around the Mediterranean, ancient Greece was the centre of the civilised world. One of the most beautiful symbols of its cultural supremacy was the Parthenon, a temple built on a hilltop of Athens and completed in 438 BC. Although the building later became a church, then a mosque, and was heavily damaged during a battle in 1687, it’s survived to this day as a symbol of the city’s glory days. Every year, visitors from around the world soak up its ancient vibes. odysseus.culture.gr

York museums
Delving into history often involves visiting a museum. In the British city of York, however, the visitor can choose from a range of museums, according to taste and mood. To start, York Castle Museum showcases objects from everyday life, and includes an recreation of an entire Victorian-era street. The Yorkshire Museum specialises in local archaeology, while the National Railway Museum is the largest of its type in the world. The star museum in the city, however, must be the Jorvik Viking Centre, which tells the story of York’s past life as a Viking settlement.
www.visityork.org

[via: http://things.ninemsn.com.au]

It’s a big country, and there are so many amazing things to experience in Australia, but here is a list (in no specific order) of what we believe to be 10 of the best.

1. Uluru (Ayers Rock)

See this massive sandstone monolith glow when the sun sinks in Australia’s desolate heart. Close up, Uluru is powerful, awe-inspiring and intimidating. From a distance, Uluru famously changes colour, anything from blue or violet to glowing red. Soaking yourself in the aboriginal culture and history of the Red Centre and witnessing Uluru at either sunrise or sunset is a spiritual experience.

2. Sail the Whitsundays

The Whitsundays in far north Queensland offers dazzling sapphire waters, colourful coral cays, bright, white inviting beaches, safe anchorages and coves, and hundreds of inhabited and uninhabited islands to explore. Cruising this spectacular region by yacht and catamaran is perfect for a soothing helping of peace and tranquillity. If you go from July to September you even have a good chance of spotting a whale.

3. Sydney Harbour on a Sunny Day

When the sun in shining, Sydney Harbour is spectacular. Either cruising on the harbour itself or walking around the foreshores, taking in the blue sky and water, the Harbour Bridge and postcard-perfect Sydney Opera House is stunning.

4. Kakadu National Park

With its rugged escarpments, lush wetlands, plunging gorges and cascading waterfalls, Kakadu National Park offers visitors a new world of sights, sounds and experiences. Renowned for its extraordinary natural wonders and rich cultural traditions, World Heritage listed Kakadu has a reputation for overloading the senses.

5. Cable Beach, Broome

The pristine white sand of Cable Beach on WA’s north coast has vast, red desert to the east and an azure blue sea to the west. Taking a camel ride along Cable Beach is an iconic Broome experience. Atop these gentle giants, you journey along one of the most stunning beaches in the world, taking in the dramatic sunsets over the Indian Ocean.

6. Drive the Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is without doubt one of Australia’s most spectacular drives, built into the steep seaside cliffs of southwest Victoria. The Southern Ocean and views of the dramatically eroded coastline, including the famed Twelve Apostles, are on one side, the sheer cliffs are on the other. Driving along the great road beside a great big ocean is great fun.

7. Kayaking at Freycinet National Park

Paddle a kayak across the gentle waters of Freycinet National Park. Freycinet located on Tasmania’s east coast with its pristine white sand beaches, pink granite mountains and glorious crystal blue water is simply stunning.

8. Swim at Bondi Beach

Bondi beach in Sydney’s east is one of the worlds most famous beaches an Aussie icon, so taking a dip is a must.

9. The Kimberly and Bungle Bungles

The Kimberley is one of the world’s last great wilderness areas. The Kimberley offers visitors one of the most spectacularly rugged landscapes in the world. Its home to spectacular wildlife, tidal rivers lined with dense rainforest and sprawling mangroves, soaring red cliffs, stunning gorges, cascading waterfalls and natural icons such as the Bungle Bungle Ranges in the World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park. The Bungle Bungles is one of the most fascinating geological landmarks in Western Australia. From an aircraft, the Bungle Bungle Range is an imposing sight, the orange and black stripes across the beehive-like mounds, rising 300 metres above the ground. The Kimberly one of the most dramatic, unspoilt places on the planet, and for a very simple reason: it is remote.

10. The Great Barrier Reef

Submerge yourself in the spectacular coral cays and life teaming aqua waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

Are these in your top 10 list of things to experience in Australia? Or are there some other experiences you think should be listed here? Let us know what you think.

Ever watched a movie or television program and wonder what goes on behind the scenes? Well why not live the LA. dream and go behind the scenes of Hollywood with a Warner Bros. Studio Tour. Hollywood has had such a huge impact on pop culture all around the world. So experience the glitz and glamor of Hollywood and the rags to riches stories with a Warner Bros. Lot VIP Tour.

The Warner Bros Studio is a real, working film production area, not a theme park. Every tour is different, depending on film and television production schedules, but they generally include a visit to a set or two and a peek at some of Hollywood behind the scenes. Once you’ve been on the studio tour, you’ll never think of a movie or television program in quite the same way again.

Website: http://www2.warnerbros.com/vipstudiotour/

Rising from the broad desert plain in the deep centre of Australia, Uluru / Ayers Rock is Australia’s most recognisable natural icon and one of one of the world’s most beautiful natural wonders.

There are many remarkable things about Uluru (Ayers Rock), the huge monolith 465km southwest of Alice Springs in Australia’s Red Centre.

But perhaps the most remarkable is how few people have ever visited it. Maybe because it’s a long way to go from most population centres and people think there’s little to do once you get there. Think again. A trip to Uluru, and the neighbouring Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), represents one of the world’s most memorable walking holidays. Firstly, there’s the opportunity to walk around the rock (some 9.4km – our tip: start early in the day), which is possibly the oldest walking track on the planet. This walk showcases why Uluru has been given World Heritage status, for both ecological and cultural reasons.

Many also decide to ignore the wishes of the Anangu people and climb the rock, which rises 348m above the surrounding countryside. Guided tours enable visitors to grasp the ancestral creation theories offered by the traditional owners, and the scientific model or “erosion over millions of years” put forward by western science.

“To get the best out of this world icon, don’t just fly straight into nearby Yulara. The longer the drive to get there, the more remarkable it is.”
- David Whitley

Make no mistake: close up, Uluru is powerful, awe-inspiring and intimidating. From a distance, Uluru famously changes colour, anything from blue or violet to glowing red. There are numerous places to watch the sun rise or set over this remarkable pebble (a term coined by explorer Ernest Giles in 1872). You’ll typically be standing on a rise, surrounded by lush vegetation and the famous red earth of the Red Centre.

The Olgas provide further excellent walking opportunities, and the night sky at Uluru, undimmed by the lights of civilisation, is spectacular nearly every evening. Various “dinner in the desert” options are available, some with guided astronomy tours.
Quite apart from on foot, there are various options to see Uluru from the air, but the cheapest way to do this is to insist on a window seat when flying in to Alice.

Did you know?
Only a small portion of Uluru is on the surface. The rock, which is made of arkose (a course-grained sandstone) is at least 2.5km thick. Some report a light source emanating from it at various times of the year. Most likely this can be explained scientifically, but the ancestral owners believe there’s a hollow below ground which houses an energy source they call “Tjukurpa”, or the Dreamtime.

How to get there
You can fly direct to Ayers Rock Airport daily from Perth, Sydney, Cairns and Alice Springs, plus, four times a week from Melbourne. Or you can fly into Alice Springs and drive to Uluru, but plan to take your time to make this drive – it is a long way.
Best time to go
It is obviously very hot during the summer months. Check out the websites below for temperatures during the year.

Further information
Useful websites:

www.deh.gov.au/parks/uluru/
The Department of the Environment and Heritage site for Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park. Must-visit site before you visit!

www.ayersrockresort.com.au
Accommodation site for Yulara, the resort facing Uluru.

[Via - australiantraveller.com]

For an adventure ride that puts a whole new spin on things and is like nothing you’ve every experienced before, you have to give Zorbing a go.

Zorbing (also known as sphereing) is the sport of rolling down a hill at speed inside a giant inflatable ball. The Zorb is an 11 foot (3.5 metre) high inflatable sphere which you ride inside (a person zorbing is called a zorbonaut). Two feet of air protect you from the ground as you Zorb down the hill at speeds of up to 50 kilometres (31 miles) per hour.

There are two types of zorb rides: harness and hydro. In the harness ride you are securely harnessed inside the Zorb for a wild ride down the hill. Once you start rolling down the hill, you feel a strange sensation of weightlessness and watch the ground and sky go spinning past. The Hydro ride has no harness and water is thrown in so that you (and a friend or two) can slip, slide and spin inside the Zorb all the way down the hill. In winter, warm water is used for a lovely spa-type experience. Its like a cross between a waterside and a rollercoaster.

Zorbing was invented in New Zealand in the early 1990s and first set up in Rotorua on New Zealand’s North Island. Since then Zorb has rolled into England, the mountains of Norway, the middle of Sweden, the Gold Coast in Australia, the alpine hills of Switzerland, to China the USA (Smoky Mountains) and Argentina.

So if your after a crazy, adrenaline-filled adventure ride, try the Zorb experience.

For a truly exciting, spontaneous and liberating experience, hit the road for a road trip with no predetermined destination.

Pack a bag, grab your camera and favorite cd’s or Ipod, pick up your best friend(s) and hit the road to explore new places.

A road trip with no predetermined destination is a great example of that phrase: “It’s not where you’re going but who you’re going with, and how you get there.” Nothing feels better than getting in a car with no plan and just driving. You will learn new things and see new places. You learn amazing things about what is important to you. You learn how to let go. You learn how to be open to newness and strangeness. You learn to trust your instincts. And you will return home with some great stories and a warm little secret feeling about yourself and what you saw.

Tips

• Take plenty of different types of music. Everyone needs a soundtrack to their adventure.
• Stop at all the scenic spots along the way.
• Make sure you take a camera and make plenty of photos to document your adventure.
• You don’t need a lot of money. Sleep in your car, make phone calls to friends that live in the area, make friends in the area, or take a tent! Camping is free or very cheap.
• Stop along the way and talk to the locals.
• Get off the highways and take the back roads and detours.
• Pack your sense of adventure, be open to anything and have fun. You have no schedule, you have no obligations, you have no limitations. This is your chance to just wander.

Whether you go for just a weekend or a couple of a weeks, a road trip with no set destination is a fantastic experience which you wont forget. Get out there and start driving!