5 Baecation Ideas for Adventure & Nature Lovers

Last time, I shared baecation/vacation destination ideas for those looking for a little beach and chill time and for those that love the buzz of big cities. In this second part, we’ll explore five options for the adventurous souls /nature lovers out there.

 

Philippines- Asia:

The national tourism slogan #itsmorefuninthephillippines is not a gimmick! My 10-day trip was one of my favorite trips of 2017. Home to some of the best diving sites in the world, and some of the most beautiful waters I’ve ever seen, Philippines should be on the list of any avid water sports lovers list (ok, tongue twister!). One problem though: you will have a hard time deciding which of the islands to visit! Whatever you do, please go beyond Boracay!

Best Time to Visit: Dry season, which is November to April. You’ll get good value for your money during the shoulder months.

Surprising Fact About Philippines: The locals explore their own country. For the first time in my travels, I encountered more local ‘tourists’ than I had on any previous trips.

Blog post on Philippines – See here for Philippines in pictures, here for random facts about the country and here for my experience!

 

Bolivia – South America:

Without a doubt, the time spent in Bolivia is one of the most adventurous trips I’ve taken to date. I saw images of Bolivia’s stunning salt flats and landscape and decided I needed to see it for myself. 2 friends said YES and the rest is history. Imagine three days spent in an SUV driving in the middle of nowhere on dirt roads without access to internet, GPS, or any cell service but with front row seats to some of the most unique yet stunning landscapes you’ll ever see.

If that sounds great to you then you NEED to go to Bolivia. One night was spent  in a hotel made out of salt, ate at a table made out of salt. We spoke terrible Spanish, battled high altitude, ate lots of quinoa, saw geysers, lakes, and went for hours at times (on dirt roads) without a single car in sight.

When To Visit Bolivia: Many prefer to visit Bolivia during the dry season (May to October) but keep in mind that while this brings less travel disruption, it is winter. I went in August.

Tips: Do a Tour From Uyuni (Bolivia) to San Pedro De Atacama (Chile) if you can (or vice versa). You can book your tour on arrival in Uyuni as there are daily departures but please be wary of cheaper (and therefore shady) operators. We booked in advance and had a private car and driver. Want to be a daredevil? Bike the death road n Bolivia (one of the most dangerous in the world).

Vietnam:

Another Southeast Asian country on the list! Vietnam has a little bit of everything – History (you get to learn the Vietnamese side of the war and its impact), food (literally the best!), beautiful beaches, stunning landscapes, beautiful culture and great coffee! Oh and did I mention that it is cheap? I met a couple that travelled north to south on motorbikes, which sounded amazing. In December 2015, I spent two weeks in Vietnam starting in Hanoi and ending in Saigon (Ho Chin Ming City)

Best Time To Visit: If you’re looking to visit the entire country then this is tricky. Saigon, Hanoi, and Dalat are great year-round destinations. Sapa & Halong Bay (March to June, September –October), Hue (January to August), Hoi An (February to July), Nha Trang (February to August), Phu Quoc (November to May). 

Surprising Fact: Vietnamese food just slightly beats out Thai food (which I love) in my opinion. I did a food tour in Hanoi and loved it so much I did another food tour (this time on motorcycle) in Saigon. A trip to Vietnam is not complete without a food tour!

Must-Dos: Food Tour, Halong Bay tour, a visit to Sapa for the terraces, and so much more. Vietnam deserves its own blog post, really!

 

Zimbabwe:

A great add-on to a trip to South Africa like I did here, Zimbabwe is home to Victoria Falls, one the world’s wonders. In addition to taking in the view of the falls, you can cross over to Zambia and swim on the edge of the falls at devil’s pool (I did not do this), go Gorge swinging/bungee jumping over the falls, or white water rafting!

Best Time to Visit: For greatest volume at the falls, go between February and May but know that you cannot swim in devils pool in that timeframe. The best time to combine a Victoria Falls visit with a Safari in next-door Botswana (Chobe national park) is between June and August.

Blog Post on My Time There: See here for my short visit to Zimbabwe and for tips and links on how to spend time there.

 

New Zealand – Oceania:

Queenstown, New Zealand is not the adventure capital of the world for nothing. While NZ gets shade from Australia for having more sheep than humans, this country has sooo much to offer.  Wineries, skiing, food, glaciers, lakes, bungee jumping, geysers, movie sets, beautiful hikes, and the most beautiful road trip I’ve ever taken! I recently wrote about it here , here, and here.

This is the second of the baecation series! In the very last post in this series, I will share some underrated destinations (got too long to keep to 1 post)! So, have you been to any of these places or are they on your radar? If you had to pick one, which would it be? Let me know in the comments below!

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A post shared by Dee | Travel & Career (@wellwornheels)

 

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Till Next Week (for real this time :))

Ms. Heels!