Poky Little Wanderer

Slowly wandering my way everywhere

Tag: Museums

Sunset over Phnom Penh during a sunset cruise on the Mekong river

15 Free Things to do Anywhere You Travel

Published March 24, 2023 / / 17 Comments

*This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links (at no additional cost to you) I will earn a small commission. Click here for the full disclosure*

Accurate or not, travel has a reputation for being expensive. Whether you’re splashing out on the trip of a lifetime or sticking to a shoestring budget, it can be nice to enjoy some free activities wherever you are. Many places can boast a list of unique things to do that are free of charge, but there are also many free things to do anywhere you travel.

Continue reading
Colorado State Capitol in Denver, Colorado

Visiting All 50 US State Capitols

Published August 31, 2020 / / 8 Comments

*This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links (at no additional cost to you) I will earn a small commission. Click here for the full disclosure*

I’ve recently (ok, just days before I wrote this) decided to make visiting all 50 state capitals and their respective state capitol buildings a bucket list goal of mine. It’s not too much of a stretch since I already want to visit all 50 states. Although perhaps it’s a little ambitious when you consider at the time of writing this I had already visited 30 of the states, but only one of the state capitol buildings… (I’m up to four now!)

The great thing about visiting the state capitols is that they not only have a lot information and exhibits about the state, but best of all they are often free to visit and many offer free guided tours!

Continue reading
Cambodia's temples

Semester at Sea: Cambodia’s Temples and Beyond

Published November 13, 2019 / / 0 Comments

*This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links (at no additional cost to you) I will earn a small commission. Click here for the full disclosure*

It was a tough choice to sacrifice some of the time the ship was docked in Vietnam to visit Cambodia’s temples, but the lure of Angkor Wat was too much to resist. Especially after visiting my first of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Wall while in China I was eager to see another iconic site.

Continue reading
In Vietnam motorbikes dominate the roads

Semester at Sea: Visiting Vietnam

Published October 30, 2019 / / 7 Comments

*This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links (at no additional cost to you) I will earn a small commission. Click here for the full disclosure*

For the MV Explorer’s next port of call we were visiting Vietnam. The ship docked in Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon without any customs delays. Unlike previous ports though, we were given landing cards that we were required to carry with us at all times in order to get through the security between the ship and the port. While the official name of the city is Ho Chi Minh on all official documentation, many of its citizens still use Saigon interchangeably.

Continue reading
Kelly the Poky Little Wanderer at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China

Semester at Sea: Beijing and the Great Wall of China (Part 2)

Published March 27, 2019 / / 12 Comments
Flying from Shanghai to Beijing
Fellow flying friends in the skies

My adventures in China during my Semester at Sea voyage continued as I traveled from Shanghai to Beijing.

Having successfully navigated the minor roadblock on our way to Shanghai’s airport when our taxi driver misunderstood us and took us to the zoo first, my friends and I got checked in and waited for our flight. We hung out with a large group of other Semester at Sea students who were going on the same trip. Our tour was organized by The China Guide tour company to show us the sights in Beijing and explore the Great Wall. The flight from Shanghai to Beijing was pretty uneventful, only two hours, but they did feed us dinner. This was a change for me from flights within the USA these days where they barely give you a drink and snack for much longer flights! 

Continue reading
Bazaar in Shanghai, China celebrating the Year of the Tiger for the Chinese New Year

Semester at Sea: Shanghai, China (Part 1)

Published March 8, 2019 / / 10 Comments

*This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links (at no additional cost to you) I will earn a small commission. Click here for the full disclosure*

“China Tomorrow, China Tomorrow, China Tomorrow”

One of the deans on a previous Semester at Sea voyage used to say this to students when they had complaints during the voyage. It was his way to remind students that they were doing something incredible. The ship would be docked in China for 8 days, landing in Shanghai before moving to Hong Kong. Eight amazing days exploring the world’s most populous country as well as its 3rd largest. Warning, this is going to be a series so stay tuned for my continued adventures through this amazing country. 

Continue reading
Peace Park

Semester at Sea: Japanese History in Hiroshima & Nara (Part 3)

Published January 30, 2019 / / 4 Comments

*This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links (at no additional cost to you) I will earn a small commission. Click here for the full disclosure*

Continuing on our journey west across Japan, our plan was to visit Hiroshima and Nara to learn more about ancient and modern Japanese history before heading back to meet the MV Explorer in Kobe. I began my trip through Japan in Yokohama and Tokyo (which you can read about in part 1 of my Japan posts) with stops in Hakone and briefly in Kyoto (which I wrote more about in part 2 of my Japan posts).

Continue reading

© 2024 Poky Little Wanderer

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑