2 . A Portland, Oregon man has become the first person to travel across Antarctica by himself without receiving any assistance.

Colin O’Brady has completed the 1,500-kilometer trip. He crossed the continent in 54 days. Friends, family and other people followed his progress through messages and pictures he left on social media.

O’Brady spoke with his wife Jenna Besaw by telephone soon after he completed the journey. “It was an emotional call,” she said. “He seemed overwhelmed by love and appreciation, and he really wanted to say ‘thank you’ to all of us.”

The 33-year-old O’Brady documented the trip on the social networking services Instagram. He called his journey “The Impossible First”. He wrote that he traveled the last 129 kilometers in one big, final push to the finish line. The distance took over one day to complete. O’Brady wrote, “While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced.”

The day before, he wrote that he was “in the zone” and thought he could make it to the end without stopping. “I was listening to my body and taking care of the details to keep myself safe,” he wrote. “I called home and talked to my mom, sister and wife. I promised them I would stop when I need to.”

Other people have traveled across Antarctica, but they all had some form of assistance. They either had better, more plentiful supplies or devices that helped move them forward.

In 2016, British explorer Henry Worsley died in his attempt to travel alone across Antarctica unassisted. Worsley’s friend Louis Rudd, also from Britain, is attempting an unaided solo journey in Worsley’s honor. He was competing against O’Brady to be the first to do it. Besaw told the Associated Press that her husband plans to stay in Antarctica until Rudd finishes his trip.

3 . You should see the photo. I’m sitting in red dirt, wearing an ugly purple T-shirt. My face is pink and my hair is wet with sweat. Flies buzz around my head. I’m on a school trip with 20 parents and 20 kids.

It was an odd choice for a holiday. I like sitting by the pool with a cola, not flies and frogs. I like being alone and quiet, not a busload of kids. I like freshly washed sheets, not dirty-looking blankets.

But here’s the thing about that photo: I am smiling！

The trip sounded good when I signed up. Guides would take us into the heart of the place, and I would see a new part of Australia, learn about local culture and bond with my youngest daughter. I would also bond with 40 strangers. I just hoped there would be good coffee.

In Darwin, we got onto a bus. It quickly became tiresome. The kids were loud and I hate making small talk. But later, when I looked out at the vast, empty land, I was surprised at and moved by its beauty. Our guide told us about the land and his culture. I felt far from home. At a national park, we enjoyed a natural swimming hole. Kids and parents had a great time. Then we got to the outback. The cabin I shared with my daughter was a brick cell, full of geckos(壁虎) and crickets(蟋蟀), but too dark to see them.

It didn’t matter. The next nine days were packed: waterfalls, lakes, community visits and a trip around Katharine Gorge. We even saw giant crocodiles(鳄鱼) and baby wallabies(沙袋鼠).

On our last night, a water pipe broke. We awoke to a mess. Usually, I would have complained and asked for a refund(退款), but it just seemed normal to be dirty. Indeed, it was impossible to stay clean. We were hiking in red dirt with temperatures of 35 degrees. Still, I felt a kind of energy I hadn’t experienced in years.

Yes, the coffee was bad, but I was too focused on keeping crickets off my face.

I love that photo of me in the dirt. I look messy, but also happy. Sometimes, it’s another way of traveling. There is beautiful scenery, there is dirt. There was always someone to talk to, someone to laugh with.

4 . Many wealthy and well­traveled people want a completely new experience, but they don't necessarily want to give up luxury (奢华的) accommodations and service. The following vacations could be best choices.

Cruise down the Amazon River

Aqua Expeditions takes up to 32 passengers at a time on guided journeys of three, four, or seven days down the Amazon River. Those adventurers see forests and waterfalls, visit local fish markets, and take canoe trips. They also take in wildlife such as capuchin monkeys and river dolphins.

Go Glamping in Montana

The Resort at Paws Up located on a cattle ranch(牧场) is a standout in the type. The ranch rents homes with up to four bedrooms, but it's the luxury tents that offer closer communion with the outdoors. Tents are arranged into camps, each of which has a private chef and butler, the latter of whom helps build campfires and arrange daytime activities. Guests can participate in a cattle drive, go clay shooting, take a hot air balloon trip, or ride horses.

Climb inside a Volcano in Iceland

Iceland is famous for its volcanoes and has plenty of luxury hotel options. Thrill­seekers can actually go down into the dormant (休眠的), 700­foot­deep Thrihnukagigur, by using an open elevator. Take a helicopter if you want to skip the 2­mile hike to the volcano, and arrange a private tour to avoid crowds. And visitors traveling there can enjoy the luxury hotel such as the ION Luxury Adventure Hotel and the Hotel Rangá.

5 . Make a Plan for Your Trip

Choose your location.

When people think to themselves "I want to take a trip", usually they have a place in mind. Where’s yours?    1    "London" is a lot easier to plan than "England". Research it online and discuss it with your fellow travelers. Websites are a great place to browse travel photos, journals and videos posted by real people sharing their experiences. For example, before going on a trip to Japan, do a quick search — you’ll get all kinds of stories and advice from people who recently visited Japan.

Choose when you want to go.

This will be determined by a number of things, but mostly your schedule. How much time can you feasibly take off work? Do you want to deal with winter or the rainy season? How about when it’s hot and muggy?     2    

Be cautious about going through a travel agent.

Travel agents simply must charge booking fees, or they could not stay in business. The largest immediate savings in planning your trip would be to use an online travel website to research, plan and book your travel adventures.     3    

Make your reservations for flights and accommodations.

Once you’re exactly sure of your destination, your travel schedule and the way you want to get around, make your reservations. For flights, book around two months ahead.     4    

    5    

No one has ever said to themselves while on vacation, "I’m so glad I practically packed my entire closet". Leave space for shopping and buying souvenirs. Moreover, traveling with lots of luggage restricts your movement and causes discomfort, so only pack the necessities.

6 . Reserve seats on any 2017 Rick Steves tour today, and you’ll save $ 100 per person! To receive your early booking discount, you must reserve a 2017 tour by midnight on November 30, 2016. Discounts are for new bookings only and must be secured with a $400 per person deposit(订金).

See our Conditions:

Tour price guarantee: our tour prices do not include air tickets, and may be adjusted without notice due to possible changes in currency rates and trip costs. However, your price for the tour you’ve selected will be guaranteed the moment we receive your deposit.

Included in the price of each tour: Sightseeing tours by a Rick Steves’ Europe (RSE) guide, and local guides when appropriate, including all admission to sights seen as a group; all breakfasts and half of your dinners; accommodation each night; all transportation from the first hotel to the last hotel of the tour; all RSE guide, local guide and driver tips.

The plans of the trip may be changed: Europe is full of surprise, and we need to be flexible enough to take advantage of whatever comes along so that we may provide you with the best possible tour.

Tour payments: Your final tour payment must be paid at least 60 days before the departure. Missing the final payment deadline may result in your being removed from the tour! If you sign up for a tour less than 60 days before its departure, the entire tour price must be paid.

Transferring(改签) to another tour: Up to 60 days before your departure, you can transfer to any other tour in the same calendar year with seats available, applying your existing deposit and with no transfer fee. If you transfer to a different tour, the price of that tour will be applied, effective on the date we confirm your transfer. Transfers less than 60 days before your tour’s departure may not be possible.

7 . How to keep a travel journal

Are you looking for fresh travel journal writing ideas? Read on these tips to get some ideas for creating a journal you will cherish.

Just do it. A travel journal is not scholarly (学文精深的).     1    There are no rules, and no one is grading what you are write. The best way to get going is to get started.

Pay attention. Your journal doesn’t have to only be about where you go each day.     2    Did you meet someone new? Where and when? What did you talk about? Recording observations will make your travel journal colorful?

Try to write something every day. Make a habit of writing something every day or at least every other day.     3    If you let more time pass, it can be different to remember what you did three or four days ago, especially the brief impressions of those experiences. Your journal will be richer if you keep up with it.

    4    If writing paragraphs doesn’t fit either you or your trip, try something else. You can make lists, such as your favorite restaurants for dinner or the best places to watch the sunset. Try sketching (素描) too and don’t be discouraged if you are not sure as an artist. Sometimes sketching is really the best way to record an experience that would be lost when described with text. As the saying goes, a picture is worth one thousand words.

Take the bad along with the good. For all the great travel experiences we enjoy, there are days when things go wrong.    5    Though they are not be highlight of a trip, they are part of your unique travel story and often are as much fun to tell about in the future as the ones that go as planned.