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Oct 01 2019

The International Trip that Isn’t Europe: 6 Places to Consider

Interesting places to visit around the world.

As a travel destination, Europe as a whole has some incredible locations on offer. Think about it: this is the continent that has Paris, the city of love; Prague, the Golden City and Amsterdam, the Venice of the North. Speaking of Venice, it’s in Europe too. Yes, there are a lot of wonderful places there you could visit from the cities to the vast and lusciously green countryside. Simply taking a trip there will have your itinerary full of excitement and incredible sightseeing.

However, if you feel as if you have “been there, done that” as far as Europe is concerned or you feel as though you just want to try something different, there is an entire planet outside of Europe that is just as beautiful, exciting and full of unbelievable scenery. Here are six other places you can consider for an international trip that isn’t taking you to Europe.

6 Places to Visit Outside of Europe

1. Go for an Adventure in Laos

This beautiful little piece of heaven is located between Thailand and Vietnam. As a landlocked country, Laos is often wrongly overlooked by travelers seeking the sandy beaches of the neighboring countries. For those who do happen to head out to Laos, they find a pleasant surprise. The country was once known as the “party central for backpackers” mostly because of the vibrant town that is Vang Veng. Recently, however, that image has changed and while the country still has a wonderful nightlife, it’s now more of a destination for people looking for an adventure.

The country is sparsely populated, has a lot of forest cover (about 70%) and a mountainous terrain which makes it perfect for people who love the great outdoors. A few of the activities you will enjoy here include hiking, zip-lining, mountain climbing, kayaking and even hot air ballooning.

2. Go to the Roof of the Earth in Nepal

The very first thing that probably comes to your mind when you think of Nepal is Mt. Everest. That, however, isn’t the only reason why you should make it a point to visit this laid back gem in Asia. The Nepalese people are generally very kind hearted and warm. Kathmandu is a very vibrant city and is every bit as exciting as the cities in India without the associated hassle. If you are looking for an affordable destination where you can get in touch with your inner peace, do a bit of mountain climbing and interact with some of the nicest people on the planet then Nepal should be first on your list.

3. Live the Island Life in Antigua

Who doesn’t love to just lay back, let the golden sun warms your body and the soothing breeze from the sea kiss your skin as you get a righteous tan and spend your days being served by well-mannered and highly professional staff? This is the kind of treatment you would get if you booked an all-inclusive getaway in Antigua. As an Island nation, Antigua is the perfect location for those who want to enjoy activities such as:

Snorkeling through gorgeous coral reefs.
Swimming with underwater giants like Stingrays.
Sail a yacht on the high seas.

4. Marvel at the Sahara in Morocco

It is said that the Sahara Desert has more grains of sand than there are stars in the sky. Whether that is true or not remains to be determined but one thing is for sure, Morocco is one of the best places to visit if you want to witness the majesty of the Sahara Desert firsthand. The country, however, is not all about the desert, there is so much more to do in Morocco including shop at the traditional spice markets, sample some of their amazing food and interact with a wonderful desert people who have found a home in this gorgeous country that is just a stone throw away from Europe.

5. Live Like a Royal in Thailand

Yes, Thailand is one of the most popular destinations in the world. It probably has something to do with the fact that it has some of the most beautiful beaches known to man, an impossible eccentric nightlife and an absolutely gorgeous countryside to boot. While it’s also true that Thailand has been over-commercialized as a tourist destination (with good reason), there are still places you can go that are not as heavily populated. If you want to see some of the most pristine beaches, almost unexplored jungles and turquoise blue waters, head out to the Chiang Mai region in Northern Thailand. This is the budget-friendly haven.

6. Experience the “Wow” Factor of Guatemala

In this region, Costa Rica is King. However, there is another alternative that is half as affordable, just as beautiful and full of exciting locations for your touristic curiosity: Guatemala.

Imagine getting a glimpse of the Mayan Temples of Tikal in the northern jungles at sunrise? Or getting your breath taken away by the beauty of Atitlan, the highland lake in the south? Or maybe you are a little more into adventure. Semuc Champey is a wonderful place to explore river caves. This country has it all including white sandy beaches to boot.

These are some of the most exciting destinations outside of Europe. Adding any one of them, or even all of them to your bucket list is well worth it.

Bharat Bhise – Why You Should Never Believe in ‘Overnight Success’

Whenever someone gains some fame or enter into the public sphere all of a sudden, people love to call this an ‘overnight success’. The reality is however that beyond winning the lottery or the jackpot at a casino, there is no such thing as an overnight success. I mention this based on the experience of watching my friend Bharat Bhise try to put together his business and especially in reference to when he hit dizzying new heights last year and was branded as an overnight success, something which annoyed us both in truth. If you believe this then you may end up thinking that things will happen for you in an instant, and this just isn’t true.

Embryonic Phase

Back when we were at college Bharat already knew that he wanted to be a businessman of some type and so he began to try his hand at a number of different ideas, to see which he liked most. He decided even at that early stage that he wanted to combine his love of finance and technology, to put together a fintech start-up. It was at this age that he really began putting in the research into businesses which were already successful, how they did things and what challenges they faced.

Making the Plan

Following college Bharat began to formulate the plan for his business, he would design the software himself after spending 15 hours per day attached to his computer. Bharat also used this time to put together a business plan and in order to do that he would research customer trends, finance markets and business needs.

Hustling For Cash

Bharat saved as much money as he could but most of that went into the planning and development stage of his business idea. This meant that he had to go and look for investment or for business loans from the bank, which resulted in him traveling all over the country giving pitch after pitch to investors. Eventually he managed to get enough money to get off the ground and the business was born, some 3 years after leaving college.

Early Years

During those early years in business Bharat was running at a loss, he had a handful of staff who were committed and they would all work incredibly long hours trying to get things off the ground. What they did have at this stage was a great business idea and a fantastic product, the belief in this kept them all going.

The Magazine

Last year a technology magazine picked up on this product idea and wrote a raving review about it, this caused a huge upturn in the business and sales went through the roof. Bharat and his business were then touted as an overnight success because of this explosion of popularity and the media coverage which both the business and the product then received.

As you can see, this ‘overnight success’ was in fact a decade in the making, a decade of blood, sweat and tears, to assume that it happened in an instant is almost disrespectful, make sure that you put in the same level of work for any business idea which you may have.

Richard Soper MD – The Personal Challenges Which Doctors Face

Richard Soper MD is one of the finest doctors that I know and he has built a fantastic career in medicine. Richard is also a neighbor of mine and someone who I have had the great pleasure of conversing with about a huge range of subjects. Society views doctors like Ricard with a huge amount of respect, as well as certain levels of expectancy when it comes to our own medical issues. What most of us don’t see however is the personal struggles which every doctor goes through in order to make their career a success. I have spoken to Richard many times about his own experience and that of his colleagues, and here are some of the challenges which they face.

Sacrifice

Doctors work an extraordinary number of hours and that comes with a huge amount of personal sacrifice. Divorce rates amongst doctors are very high because they don’t spend time at home, they miss birthdays, weddings and parties, they miss important moments in their children’s lives and they miss out just about any personal time which they may have. They do this because of their passion for medicine and to care for their patients, a great sacrifice indeed.

Emotional Turmoil

Many of us believe that doctors don’t get attached to their patients and that they simply treat the human body in the same way that a mechanic would treat a car. To some extent this is true but the reality is that spending your days seeing gruesome sights and witnessing the heartbreak of death is not something which they can simply brush off. We have to remember that doctors are not robots, they do have feelings and often they will be emotionally damaged by something which has happened in their job. Imagine if you were a doctor with kids and you see a parent’s anguish watching their own child die, how would that make you feel? Doctors are human, they feel and they hurt and whilst they may have thicker skin than the rest of us, it is not made of teflon.

Pressure of Mistakes

Mistakes happen in almost every job, the difference with a doctor making a mistake is that it could potentially cost someone their life. The pressure of this is absolutely massive and doctors have to try their best to ignore the pressure of a potential mistake. Failure to be able to work under this pressure could lead to a higher chance of making mistakes, which is why staying cool and calm is something which doctors always focus on. Working well under this pressure is one thing but when they walk away from the job, they will still feel the effects of that pressure, which is why many doctors have stress issues. Doctors must find a way to relieve the stress which they are working under, which is not always easy.

These men and women do amazing work for us all, we must remember that they too are facing up to some serious personal challenges.