My Top 15 BEST TRAVEL EXPERIENCES – 2019

I have traveled a lot over 7 years and visited 130 countries in that period of time, but in all fairness 2019 has been my most amazing travel year when it comes to unique travel experiences! This is my TOP 15!

15. Experiencing The Algerian Hospitality And Mountains

Breathing in the fresh Algerian mountain air at Bordj Zemoura, Algeria

Go to Morocco and you’ll meet a lot of tourists, go to Algeria and you’ll hardly meet any. I didn’t meet 1 tourist on my trip through Algeria, and to be fair the visa was one of the hardest I’ve ever tried to get. It was impossible for me to go on a tourist visa, so I had to go on a business visa. Thanks to my friend Djaber and my own creative skills we made it possible, and Algerians (the Amazigh people) has a sharing mentality and hospitality I’ve rarely seen anywhere else in the World. I was completely blown away by Algeria, the people, the mountains and the beauty. This is one of my favorite countries in Africa.

14. Driving All Around Namibia For 2 Weeks

Roadtrip all around Namibia

Coming to Namibia with no plans, splashing out $500 on a rental car last minute, because it was IMPOSSIBLE to get around without a car in Namibia, forgetting my International Driver License which is necessary to have to rent a car, (thinking f*ck,) meeting two Namibian strangers by incident last minute, and David didn’t really have any plans for the next long time, so I asked if he wanted to join my trip for free. He did and so did Susan!⁣ Strangers who became friends and joined me on this EPIC trip around Namibia. You can watch the video from our crazy ride around Namibia below!

The World’s Most Empty Country! – YouTube Video – Gus1thego

13. Attending An Indian Wedding In London, England

Attending an Indian Wedding was magical

When my parents got married 10 people attended, to this magnificent, fairy tale alike Indian wedding +400 attended and it gave me goosebumps being a part of. Furthermore the male spouse, my friend Hemal, whom I traveled Brazil with in 2016 gave me a shout-out in his wedding speech. Incredible day!

You can read all the details about this beautiful Indian wedding below in the link.

12. Surfing In El Salvador And Costa Rica

Surfing in Playa El Tunco, El Salvador

I have surfed in a few countries before, but no place like Costa Rica or El Salvador. I like to learn things myself and even though I’m good at most sports, surfing has always been slightly difficult for me! I like to challenge myself (one of the reasons why I love to travel,) and I felt like both El Salvador and Costa Rica was a good chance to take some surf lessons and actually improve my technique a bit. I must say I had an amazing time exploring both countries and I still think back on a few perfect days hitting the waves on some super beautiful beaches there. “If you’re having a bad day, catch a wave.” Surfing is really something I want to do a bit more of and get better at, when I feel like having some more time! Amazing feeling!

11. Visiting The Great Wall Of China

The Great Wall Of China

I have technically visited China 4 times, two times Hong Kong and one time on a 48 hour transit, but this was my first visit to ‘The Great Wall of China’ and walking around here for hours was worth every second!
I went to one of the best preserved parts, called Mutianyu, and it was surprisingly quiet. I couldn’t imagine a better day at the wall with sunshine, a clear sight and almost zero people. One of the greatest sights in the World!

These are my visits to the New 7 Wonders of the World below. There’s only 1 of them I didn’t visit yet, check it out!

The 7 New Wonders Of The World

10. Visiting The Taj Mahal

Finally got to see Taj Mahal

I loved it so much that I went to see the sunrise in the morning and then spent all day to see the sunset. The most impressive thing about the Taj is the absolute perfect symmetry that around 20,000 people built in the 17th century. You can notice the perfection and small details, when the sun is low in the sky, and the shadows are perfectly cast on the marble stone. It surely is the one of the most perfect buildings in the World and it deserves its name as the “Monument of Love.”

The 7 New Wonders Of The World

9. Holding A Travel Speech In Iraq

Holding a travel speech for 40 people in Iraq

Iraq became my first place to hold a travel speech. I honestly couldn’t imagine a better destination to do it, breaking all stereotypes! I did it in front of 40 people in Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, and Kurdistan completely blew my mind. Iraqi Kurdistan is NOT at all what you think, super friendly people and it felt really safe in this region everywhere I went. Holding a travel speech in Iraq was a perfect experience and the Iraqi people really enjoyed interacting with me, and asked me several questions about my travels. I can’t wait to come back to Kurdistan, and I’m also really excited to travel around mainland Iraq in the close future!

8. Volcano Boarding In Nicaragua

Volcano boarding in Nicaragua with speed up to 80 km/t

When Cerro Negro—Nicaragua’s youngest volcano—last erupted in 1999, boulders tumbled down the western slope, creating a rocky, ascendable path. On the opposite side, the wind deposited dark, smooth ash that is perfect for sliding. In 2004, this unique pairing of terrains sparked an outlandish idea: volcano boarding. This is the only place in the world I’ve heard of where you can sit upright on plywood, feet-first, and coast down a cindery flank of a still-active volcano! This is the only place to do Volcano boarding. Rated #2 on CNN’s “Thrill seekers bucket list” Volcano boarding is a must do before you die! So much fun!

7. Seeing The Komodo Dragons With My Own Eyes

The Komodo Dragons can get up to 4 meter long, the closest we get to dinosaurs nowadays

The wildlife is on another level in Indonesia. Here sitting with a Komodo dragon, which can only be found on a few Indonesian islands in the World. There are only around 5,000 komodo dragons left worldwide. Psychical features of a dinosaur, a deadly lethal venom and they can grow up to nearly 4 meter long with a top speed of 20 km/h. One of the craziest animals I’ve ever been close to!

7 Reasons Why I Love Indonesia (Pro Traveler-Tips!)

6. Feeding Wild Hyenas With My Mouth In Ethiopia

Feeding wild hyenas with my mouth in Ethiopia

Feeding Hyenas happens in Harar, the oldest Islamic city in all of Africa. I don’t harbor some kind of death wish, although such a desire might explain why I decided to feed a wild hyena from my mouth, placing my face within easy striking distance of one of the fiercest, most dangerous predators on Earth. With its incredibly powerful jaws, a hyena can even crush and digest elephant bones. Read the full story below!

Feeding Wild Hyenas With My Mouth In Ethiopia

5. Visiting Saudi Arabia

Visiting Saudi Arabia was an eye-opener

In 2019, a number of Western travel influencers worked with the Saudi government to market inbound tourism due to the new E-Visa, which has now been introduced in Saudi Arabia. This triggered substantial controversy as the authenticity of their posts was questioned. Just to avoid all confusion: My trip to Saudi Arabia was NOT sponsored. My travel here was with my own funds and no state invitation.

I was very satisfied with my stay in Saudi Arabia, a country I’ve heard too much bad stuff about before coming here, and my 100% honest Saudi Arabia video went viral with more than 120,000 views. Check it out by clicking the link below.

Is Saudi Arabia Safe? – Gus1thego

4. On The Inside of North Korea

On the inside of North Korea

North Korea was a VERY SPECIAL experience for me! I was extremely lucky to go during May Celebrations, so I was allowed to walk freely on several occasions, and I’m one of few travelers who had several encounters with the North Korean people. A bizarre and surreal country to be on the inside of! You can check my Youtube Video about my visit to North Korea by clicking the link below.

On The Inside Of North Korea – My Daily Life Here – Gus1thego

3. Traveling Syria for 1 Week

Aleppo, Syria. Traveling all the day from the south to the north of Syria

I traveled Syria when ISIS-Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was still alive, so there were some serious tensions, especially in the north of Syria. The capital Damascus in the south feels even safer than most European capitals. But Syria left a mark on me and is honestly an amazing country! I hope it will soon be completely safe again! You can watch my video about my Syria trip by clicking the link below.

Is SYRIA Safe? (Denmark Guy) – Gus1thego

2. Experiencing Pakistan

Whenever I talk about Pakistan, I’m close to break down in tears. This country got totally under my skin. AMAZING people, AMAZING hospitality, one of the friendliest countries on earth, with mountain scenery that is beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. To all of my Pakistani friends, a big Pakistan Zindabad from your Danish friend 🇵🇰

Check out my 2 videos below about my visit to Pakistan to better understand why I love this country!

Is Pakistan Safe? (Denmark Guy)

Is Everything Really FREE in Pakistan?

1. Traveling West Africa Solo With No Car (And 0 Flights)

Experiences I will never forget in West Africa

Most of the few travelers who went to West Africa, will usually talk a lot of sh*t about the region, because it’s challenging as few others, but it’s a beautiful challenge. If you’re an adventure traveler like me, you’ll love West Africa, the good and the bad days on the road, and it was my most rewarding travel experience traveling from Senegal to Togo over several months solo, just me and my backpack and without taking any flights. I lost 7kg and it was one of my toughest travel ever, but I enjoyed it so much! If you want to read in details about my West Africa trip and how it went, click the link below.

What Is It Really Like To Travel West Africa Solo With No Car (0 Flights)

What a travel year! Only person at the Kambadaga Falls in Guinea’s jungle

Now you have some inspiration for your future travels. I’m btw going to the most dangerous country of them all (they say) to celebrate Christmas, I’m not sure any travelers have done that before, so if you want to follow my journey, you can follow me on Instagram: @gustavrosted, Subscribe on Youtube: gus1thego or follow me on Facebook: Gustav Rosted.

Feel free to share the article and safe travels everyone!

Gustav

gus1thego.com

 

 

 

The 7 New Wonders Of The World

It’s easy to get confused by the many ‘7 Wonders of the World-lists’ out there. There are the 7 Ancient Wonders, 7 Natural Wonders, etc — but for my own personal record, I am only keeping track of the 7 New Wonders of the World.

I’ve been to 6 of 7 of the New Wonders of the World. Read on to hear about my experiences!

1. Taj Mahal, India

It’s very hard to choose a personal favourite, but Taj Mahal is for sure in my Top 2!

I loved it so much that I went to see the sunrise in the morning and then spent all day to see the sunset. The most impressive thing about the Taj is the absolute perfect symmetry that around 20,000 people built in the 17th century.  You can notice the perfection and small details, when the sun is low in the sky, and the shadows are perfectly cast on the marble stone. It surely is the one of the most perfect buildings in the World and it deserves its name as the “Monument of Love.”

2. Great Wall of China, China

I visited the Great Wall of China on a two weeks visit to China in April/May 2019 and it didn’t disappoint!

I have technically visited China 4 times, two times Hong Kong and one time on a 24 hour transit, but this was my first visit to ‘The Great Wall of China’ and walking around here for hours was worth every second!
I went to one of the best preserved parts, called Mutianyu, and it was surprisingly quiet. I couldn’t imagine a better day at the wall with sunshine and almost zero people. One of the greatest sights in the World!

3. Colosseum, Italy

I’ve been to Rome 3 times and at my first 2 times here (2011 and 2013,) I didn’t take any pictures at the Colosseum! Pretty weird nowadays!?

I love Italy! I’ve been to Italy 8 times and 3 times in Rome, and every time I’ve been to Rome, I went to the Colosseum. My father is a big fan of the movie ‘Gladiator’, and we have watched the movie countless times and to be fair I always had a fascination of the gladiatorial universe. The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater (meaning “theatre in the round”) in the World and I can only imagine the bloody battles and heads that were taken off over the years inside this mecca venue.

4. The Lost City of Petra, Jordan

I visited the Lost City of Petra in 2016 and it blew my mind. My personal favourite!

My friend and I arrived super early in the morning to Petra and were the first two persons to enter the lost city, which is 2,400 year old. We walked through the huge, narrow canyons with carved sandstone cliffs and out of a sudden we were standing in front of the 45m-high Al Khazneh temple (called “The Treasury,“) carved into the red mountain rock. Incredible! The whole area was just fascinating and we enjoyed the walk out to the legendary Monastery temple, hidden high in the hill as well. The Lost City of Petra is my favourite of the New Seven Wonders of the World. No visit to Jordan is complete without visiting Petra!

5. Christ The Redeemer, Brazil

I went to Christ Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, in April 2016 in the end of an epic 3 weeks trip through Brazil.

I have mixed feelings about Rio De Janeiro, but Christ Redeemer was incredible to experience!

The massive Christ statue stands tall on the peak of the Corcovado mountains, overlooking the entire city of Rio.  The open arms of Christ symbolize Christianity all over the world and the welcoming culture of Rio.  It has become an icon of Brazil since it was constructed in the 1920s.

6. Chitzen Itza, Mexico

I went to Chitzen Itza, Mexico in February 2019 in an amazing 2 weeks trip to Mexico.

Unfortunately you aren’t allowed to climb up the top of the pyramid anymore, but I did put my hand on the Chitzen Itza anyway. Breathtaking city that the Mayans built for more than 1,000 years ago and the views all around this place are tremendous.

7. Machu Picchu, Peru

I haven’t been to Machu Picchu yet, but I can’t wait to go in the beginning of 2020, where I will do a South America trip again! Will you be around?

Not on the list. Why?

Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt

I went to the Great Pyramid of Giza in 2013 and this photo doesn’t justify the beauty of this place!

NOT on the list, but Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt should definitely be. Its ancient engineering feats are so impressive that even today scientists can’t be sure how the pyramids were built. Another amazing treasure.

That’s all from me….

How many of the ‘7 New Wonders of The World’ have you been to? 1. Taj Mahal, 2. Great Wall of China, 3. Colosseum, 4. Petra, 5. Christ Redeemer, 6. Chitzen Itza, 7. Machu Picchu..

Let me know!

Gustav

gus1thego.com

 

 

 

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