Jeremy

Jeremy founded Living the Dream in 2008 to chronicle his long-term trip around Asia. Since then he has been on two long-term trips, visited 69 countries, and is just getting started. He is now on a Lifestyle Design quest to build businesses to pursue a life of travel.

Serengeti Balloon Safaris Review – Worthy of the Splurge

When we booked our safari in Tanzania, we had the opportunity to take a hot air balloon ride in the Serengeti. We are no strangers to hot air balloon trips (having taken a hot air balloon in Cappadocia many years ago) and knew we would have to take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see animals from above.

But then we got to the price tag- $599 per person during our visit in 2022.

Not only was this price tag a shock, but it was also more than double just about any other hot air balloon ride we’ve ever taken or considered booking anywhere in the world.

We booked it anyway.

Ultimately, we enjoyed our hot air balloon ride and had a pretty incredible experience- so much so that we would book a trip again without hesitation. But looking back on it the question of whether it is worth that price remains, and it is all based on one big caveat that comes down to a bit of luck- actually seeing animals.

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Stonehenge, Salisbury, & Windsor is a Great London Day Trip

London, England was the very first destination that I visited overseas.  Three and a half years later and dozens of countries visited, London is still one of my favorites. 

With limited time in the city, I decided to take a day trip to visit Stonehenge, one of the many things to do in London that I had to cram in such a small period of time. For the itinerary to work out to be within my budget, I had to book a package tour that also visited Salisbury Cathedral and Windsor Castle, and turned out to be a fantastic decision.

Although my primary reason for heading out for the day was to visit Stonehenge, the sight ended up being the last destination out of all the places I checked out.  

In not knowing much about the other two destinations I went to, the day turned out to be quite the experience!

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A Day Trip to Saqqara, Dahshur, and Memphis in Egypt

For most visitors, the highlight of a trip to Cairo is almost always the majestic pyramids on the Giza plateau and the Sphinx.  As this spot is always on the top of must-see lists, it is not uncommon for it to be the very first place all travelers in Egypt visit. 

As I was visiting Egypt on a guided tour, I already had my stop at the pyramids scheduled for a few days later. Instead, I took the less traveled route and took a day trip even further back in time to the first pyramids Saqarra, Dahshur, and Memphis, Egypt.

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Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point State Park Are a Worthy Duo

When we visited Moab, Utah, we have to admit that our primary goal was to explore Arches National Park and all its brilliant trails.

But since we had an America the Beautiful National Park pass and wanted to see as much beautiful nature as possible, it made sense for us to add on a drive through Canyonlands National Park just about 35 minutes away by car. It wasn’t until we arrived that we realized there was yet-another park worth checking out nearby, the much lesser visited Dead Horse Point State Park. 

Since we did not time our visit correctly to add in a visit to Dead Horse on our Canyonlands outing, we returned on a separate day to check this one out (with another 70+ minute round trip drive- whoops). After visiting both, we realized that these two parks would be completely doable on a single visit for those who plan better than we did.

So in this one, we thought we’d share a bit more about what you can see in both parks plus highlight why these two parks make a perfect duo for a day trip from Moab.

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