Search
Instagram Pinterest Facebook
Instagram Pinterest
Instagram Pinterest

Author: Education Edventures / Mandy Travels the World

I am a Military Spouse that loves to travel! I am a former 4th grade teacher and now have my own business creating resources for teachers around the world. I take every opportunity to explore the wonderful world we live in. Join the Edventure!

IVHQ Zambia Teaching Program Travel Blog

International Volunteer HeadQuarters When researching volunteer abroad programs, I found IVHQ to be the best. Of course you can volunteer in countries at a lower cost, but I wanted to go through an organization to feel more safe traveling on my own, meet and live with other volunteers, and have the convenience of mostly everything being planned out for me. IVHQ is committed to providing amazing volunteer abroad programs so you can travel overseas with confidence. If you’re searching for meaningful volunteer work and the opportunity to experience a life-changing volunteer vacation, gap year or alternative break, you can trust IVHQ to make it happen. They offer a range of projects in over 40 destinations around the world. IVHQ Website Facebook Pages: IVHQ Facebook Page IVHQ Facebook Group IVHQ Zambia Facebook Group Zambia I chose to volunteer in Zambia because I knew I wanted to volunteer in Africa. When looking at the various African country options on the IVHQ website, I compared the prices, projects, and traveling opportunities. I also looked at the facebook pages for a couple different countries and also watched videos on youtube of people who have volunteered before. I decided that Zambia had everything that I was looking for. One of the big draws for me was the fact that Livingstone is so close to Victoria Falls and Chobe Desert. I knew that I would enjoy all the activities on the weekends. If you are wanting to do the teaching, kindergarten, or construction project, then you will love your placement. I will mention that volunteers placed in medical and elderly programs did not seem totally satisfied. Process After you have decided that you want to volunteer in Zambia, you will need to submit an application. The application is free and you can apply for multiple countries at one time if you aren’t totally sure yet. On the application you will select when you would like to start and what project you are interested in doing. You will hear back within 48 hours of whether or not you have been approved. You can also set up an account on the IVHQ website in order to track the status of your application. You will use this account to complete all the necessary steps before you arrive. Your acceptance email will tell you who your program manager will be. You can e-mail him/her at anytime with any questions. Currently, Will McBride is the Program Manager for Zambia. He was very fast and detailed at clearing up some of my confusion. After being approved, your next step is to pay the registration fee in order to secure your spot. If you use my invitation code (F294F) you will get a 10% discount. Once you have paid the registration fee, you will be given access to a checklist on your account of which you will need to complete before you go. This includes paying your program fee (can hold off on paying up to 30 days before your start date), completing the online training (walks you through country information, safety precautions, and volunteer requirements), as well as submitting a background check, flight details, emergency contact details,and insurance details. You will also be contacted by the in-country coordinator after you have registered. Rebecca Mukumbo is currently the Zambia coordinator and will be able to answer all of your questions beforehand, as well as when you arrive. She is the main person that gives orientation. She will notify you of your placement the week before you arrive. You can email her if you have any special requests. Before You Go Fundraising To help cover the costs, I decided to create a fundraiser page on Fund and Seek. This website is actually better than GoFundMe because a smaller percentage of funds are taken out. I also mailed letters to close family to gain support. Here is a link to my page: https://www.fundandseek.com/mandyvolunteersinzambia Flights When I knew which dates I wanted to fly in and out on, I compared prices on Skyscanner, Google Flights, CheapFlights, and STA Travel. I ended up booking through STA Travel. They will Price Match other companies. You just need to call them or email them to tell them the details of the cheaper flight and they will match it. I went through them because I have booked with them before and they have good customer service. I flew out of London Heathrow (LHR) on British Airways and had a layover in Nairobi, Kenya before getting on my Kenya Airways flight to Livingstone (LVI). You should know that some airlines have a humanitarian baggage allowance. Most airlines only let you check one bag for free, but British Airways and some other airlines allow a second bag for free on volunteer trips. I emailed community.branch@ba.com letting them know that I was going on a humanitarian trip and they responded to let me know that my second bag fee would be waived. However, Kenya Airways did not have this clause so I had to request at the Nairobi Airport that they not charge me for my second bag. After some convincing, I was able to manage getting both bags through to Livingstone for free. This usually only applies on the way there so I just brought an old suitcase that I left with the school I taught at. They ended up using it as a supply trunk. Vaccinations Zambia does not require any vaccinations. However, there are definitely recommended immunizations for the country. The three most common immunizations are Hepatitis A, Malaria, and Typhoid. I got these just as a precaution. However, the malaria pills made me feel nauseous so I stopped taking them after a few days in Zambia. There were few mosquitos when I was in Zambia so I did not think it was super necessary. It is best to ask your doctor before you go. You can get more information on this website: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/zambia Insurance IVHQ requires you to get travel insurance. I purchased mine through USAA Travel Insured International. My benefits included trip cancellation, travel delays, missed connections, accident and sickness

Ring Road, Iceland in 9 Days Travel Blog

Day 1: Arrive at Keflavik International Airport Bridge between the Continents Blue Lagoon Church of Hallgrimur Sun Voyager Hotel: The Capital-Inn Day 2: Thingvallavatn Thingvellir Silfra Diving Location Bruarfoss Waterfall Stokkur Geysir Gullfoss Falls Bruarhloo Vatnsleysufoss Skalholt Cathedral Kerid Crater Hotel: Riverside Guesthouse Day 3: Seljalandsfoss Gljufurarfoss Seljavallalaug Skogafoss Wrecked DC-3 Plane Dyrholaey Lighthouse Welcome Hotel Lambafell Day 4: Reynisfjara Beach/Vikurfjara Black Sand Beach Fjaorarglijufur Skaftafell Black Waterfall Glacier Lagoon Hotel: Hafnarbraut Hofn Day 5: Glacier Lagoon – Glacier Ice Cave Tour Diamond Beach Stokksnes Bulandstindur Hengifoss Laufas Guesthouse Day 6: Dettifoss Selfoss Krafla Caldera Namaskaro Hverir – Boiling Mud Namafjall Myvatn Nature Baths Pseudo-craters Godafoss Waterfall Church of Akureyri Hotel: Hafnarstaeti Day 7: Godafoss Waterfall Hvitserkur Grabrokargigar Deildartunguhver Thermal Spring Hraunfossar Barnafoss Viogelmir Cave Surtshellir Cave Hotel: Fosshotel Reykholt Day 8: Glymur Lake Medalfellsvatn Botanical Garden of Reykjavik Day 9: Depart

7-Day Caribbean Cruise Travel Blog

Our first cruise was to the Greek Isles on Norwegian Cruise Line. On the ship, I played several games of Bingo and Deal or No Deal and collected tickets for playing. At the end of the cruise, there was a raffle drawing for a free cruise. My ticket was drawn so I won a free Caribbean Cruise for two! http://www.ncl.com We chose the 7-Day Wester Caribbean from Miami on the same ship (the Jade). The port stops included Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, Roatan, and Cozumel. We booked an excursion at each port except for Belize on Norwegian’s website. We swam with dolphins in Cozumel, rode on a glass bottom boat and snorkeled in Costa Maya, and went to Tabyana Beach & Gumbalimba preserve in Roatan. The total price of the excursions was $330 per person. Harvest Caye, Belize https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/12/11/harvest-caye-belize/ Costa Maya, Mexico https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/12/12/costa-maya-mexico/ Roatan, Honduras https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/12/12/roatan-honduras/ Cozumel, Mexico https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/12/13/cozumel-mexico/

Marrakesh and Sahara Desert in 5 Days Travel Blog

Camels Morocco

Day 1: Marrakesh We arrived at our riad (hotel) where we were greeted with tea and bread. We then started our day at the Majorelle Gardens. This garden was created over the course of forty years by French painter Jacques Majorelle (1886-1962). The park is one of the top attractions of Marrakesh; it has many shady paths meandering between tall trees and passed exotic plants. There are water features, streams and pools of water lilies and lotus flowers. At the entrance there is a beautiful fountain, other features of the garden include a cacti garden, a blue square fountain, the Café Bousafsaf, exotic plant garden, Yves Saint Laurent Memorial, a bamboo garden, pavilion and a collection of buildings including Boutique Majorelle, Galerie Love and the Berber Museum and bookshop. After the gardens, we headed to see Koutoubia Mosque. Marrakesh’s largest mosque is located near Djemaa el-Fna square. It is considered one of the most beautiful and proportioned mosques in existance. The mosque was named Koutoub which means “book” as a book market once stood not far from the mosque. We then walked around Djema el-Fna which is the central square and market place in Marrakesh’s Medina quarter. Back in 1050 it was the site of public executions (hence the name which means assembly of death) but today it is a hive of activity 24/7. This huge square is a bustle of activity with color, aromas, sounds and ever changing scenes. During the day the large square is frequented by snake charmers, men with Barbary apes, medicine men, water vendors, tooth pullers and vendors. But the square really comes to life when the sun goes down. Stalls are set up across the square with strings of lights adding to the atmosphere. In addition to the stalls there are storytellers, the Hoopla and halqa street theatre, water sellers, side-show attractions, fortune tellers, horse drawn carriages, henna tattoo painters, musicians, acrobats and entertainers. You will also find your fair share of pickpockets, scam artists and beggars. As the evening progresses the market turns into a large open-air restaurant with stalls serving up grilled meat and other delicacies. Impressive buildings surround the square including hotels, gardens, cafes and on one side by the souk, a traditional North African market. If you want to feel the heart beat of Marrakesh then visit one of the markets or souks especially those in the Old City (Medina). Just go to the central Square (el-Fnaa) and walk into the side streets to reach the markets. The markets are an attack on the senses with aromas, sounds, music, bright colors and plenty of people-watching opportunities. Here you can see fresh produce piled high, nuts, figs, dried fruit, spices, halva, olives, carpets, clothing, household goods, toys, candy, baked goods, brass ware, leather items, accessories, and the list could go on. This is the place to haggle over prices and find authentic and unique souvenirs. Of course it goes without saying that there are pickpockets who take advantage of the hustle and bustle of the crowds. Many of the markets focus on one type of goods like the Carpet souk where you can see a variety of rugs and carpets including Berber carpets. At the Slipper Market you can find …slippers – row after row of colorful traditional Moroccan slippers (babouches) in leather, cloth and embroidery. The Metal ware Souk is where you’ll find lanterns and metal ornaments made from a range of different types of metal. The Spice Souk is the most colorful of the markets. The spices are displayed in huge sacks or in towering pyramids. There is also a Silk Souk, Crystal Souk, the tannery and other designated souks but really they all just flow one into the other. In all there are about 3,000 stalls. Just remember to hang on to your bag; bargain hard and learn to say no. After lunch, we went to Medresa Ben Youssef which was an Islamic college constructed during the Almoravid era (14th century). The building ceased to function as an Islamic college in 1960 and underwent extensive refurbishing before being opened to the public in 1982. The Medresa is known for its beautiful ceramic tiles, carved plaster work, and typical 15th century design. It is possible to explore the dormitory cells. Next we headed to the Bahia Palace and gardens. The palace has a harem with a large courtyard featuring a central basin and rooms around the courtyard that open up to the central area. There are pavilions, walled gardens and buildings. The oldest part of the palace is Dar Si Moussa with a courtyard, central garden, fountains and many varieties of trees. There are decorative rooms with ceramic tiles covering the walls. One of the greatest parts of the newer section of the palace is the marble courtyard measuring 30 meters by 50 meters. It is divided into quadrants by white marble pathways with colorful tiles and glazed earthenware in a checkerboard pattern and fountains where the paths meet. The palace is still used by the royal family and is sometimes closed when the royals are using the palace. Our next stop was the El Badi Palace. It has not survived in its entirety but it is still possible to see the ruined remains. The palace was commissioned by Saadian ruler Ahmad al-Mansur in the 16 th century. The palace complex once had more than 350 rooms, courtyards, walled gardens, fountains and a pool. The palace was unfortunately destroyed by Moulay Ismail but there is still plenty to see including the sunken gardens, dungeon prison cells, subterranean passages and the main hall with 50 columns. The palace ruins are used for festivals and special events including weekend dance parties. Close to the palace is the Kasbah Mosque (El Mansouria) which is located in the old fortified city. It is easy to confuse the Kasbah Mosque with the Koutoubia Mosque because of the similarity between their square minarets. Like other mosques non-Muslims cannot visit inside the building. Day 2: Atlas Mountains We took

Billund, Denmark Travel Blog

The Lego Group began in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen (1891–1958), a carpenter from Billund, Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932. In 1934, his company came to be called “Lego”, derived from the Danish phrase leg 

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland Travel Blog

We also took the cable car up to the car-free village of Murren. I cannot seem to find those pictures but I do recommend it. From Murren, you can take an additional cable car to the Schilthorn summit where you will get a panoramic view of Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. Here you can eat at the restaurant that was featured in the James Bond 007 movie.

8-Day Mediterranean Cruise Travel Blog

My husband and I went on the 8-Day 8-Day Greek Isles Cruise from Venice on Norwegian Cruise Line. Our ship was called the Jade. We booked through Military Cruise Deals to get the best deal for being affiliated with the military. Out itinerary included Venice, Corfu, Thira/Santorini, Mykonos, Athens/Piraeus, Split, and back to Venice. The cruise cost around $900 per person including government fees but excluding excursions. We did not know that NCL has frequent deals like free drink packages and half off the second guest so we could’ve saved a lot of money if we had waited for a deal. https://www.militarycruisedeals.com/ We booked a shore excursion for each port through NCL directly. We went horseback riding in Corfu, did a volcano hike in Santorini, went on a 4×4 adventure in Mykonos, visited the Krka Waterfalls from Split, and got a full city tour in Athens. The total price for excursions was around $700 per person. https://www.ncl.com/ Venice https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/29/venice-italy/ Corfu https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/29/corfu-greece/ Santorini https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/29/santorini-greece/ Mykonos https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/29/mykonos-greece/ Athens https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/29/athens-greece/ Split https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/29/split-croatia/

17 Days Around Europe with Eurail Passes Travel Blog

The first thing you want to do when planning for a EuroTrip is to decide which countries you would like to visit. I wanted to see as much as possible in two weeks. After knowing I had two weeks to travel, I purchased the 15 day continuous global rail pass on eurail.com (interrail.com if you are an EU citizen) and got 2 extra days for free since they were having a sale. https://www.eurail.com/en/eurail-passes/global-pass This pass allows you the freedom to explore all your dream European destinations using the Eurail Global Pass. This convenient train pass gives you access to rail networks in 28 fascinating countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, although be aware that you will have to pay a reservation fee in specific countries or for night trains. Once I knew which cities I wanted to visit, I downloaded the Rail Planner app to see how long it was from each city and which cities would not be direct trains. I took notes beforehand and had a general idea of when I would be traveling but still had the flexibility to plan as I went if I needed more time in a specific location. The great thing about Eurail passes is you don’t have to worry about missing a train. You can hop on whatever train you’d like without a timed ticket. You can download the apps here – IOS, Android. Rail planner shows you all the available times, type of train and possible connections for the city of your choice. The application is done by Eurail and the cool thing about it is that it is available offline! I used the app the entire time during my travels and was fully satisfied with it! There are some cases when you will need to reserve a seat on your trip and pay a reservation fee. This can be done at the train station. For example, it is mandatory to book your seat on a night train. We did this a few times. The average cost of a bed on a night train is around 20-40 Euros. We had time to sleep while traveling, which was awesome to wake up in our next location! One example of when we did this was from Madrid to Lisbon. You will also usually need to book your seat when using a fast train that is marked with an R on the Rail Planner App. This can be as low as 3 Euros or as much as 30 Euros. Sometimes you will have the option to take the same route on a slow-speed train but I think it is worth it to just pay the fee in some instances. High-speed trains are common in France, Italy, and Spain. Additionally, you will need to reserve your seat on popular routes that may not have free seats. Stop 1: Amsterdam https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/20/amsterdam-netherlands/ Stop 2: Berlin https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/20/bamberg-germany/ Stop 3: Prague https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/22/prague-czech-republic/ Stop 4: Vienna https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/22/vienna-austria/ Stop 5: Bratislava https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/23/bratislava-slovakia/ Stop 6: Budapest https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/24/budapest-hungary/ Stop 7: Lake Bled https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/25/bled-slovenia/ Stop 8: Florence https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/27/florence-and-pisa-italy/ Stop 9: Nice https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/30/nice-france/ Stop 10: Marseille https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/06/30/marseille-france/ Stop 11: Barcelona https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/03/barcelona-and-montserrat-spain/ Stop 12: Madrid https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/01/madrid-spain/ Stop 13: Lisbon https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/03/lisbon-portugal/ Stop 14: Porto https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/03/porto-portugal/ Check out the links to each city’s blog for more information on the specific places. If you have any more questions about the Eurail pass or planning a EuroTrip, please comment below!