Once upon a time, there was a really advanced city, some would say even too advanced for its time. The legend says that one day, the ocean swallowed the city and it was never seen again. This is a legend most of you heard about: the legend of Atlantis. Well, in this article I will write about some of the most mind-blowing underwater cities of our time that you probably didn’t hear about, or how I like to call them, our modern-day Atlantis.

Shi Cheng, China

Shi Cheng, also known as The Lion City is one of China’s most popular tourist attractions today. The city was once the economic hub of the eastern province Zhejiang. The city was founded during the rule of the Han dynasty somewhere around and is around 2000 years old. However, the amazing architecture and intriguing statues didn’t save the city from flooding in the 1950s when the government decided to build a new hydroelectric power station. Today, all of the amazing sculptures and buildings are around 130 feet under water. What’s left of the Shi Cheng is a flooded city with a size roughly equal to 63 football fields.

Port Royal, Jamaica

Port Royal was famous as the ‘Pirate hub of Jamaica’ and as the ‘Most sinful city of the world. I can see how this city would be an inspiration for the blockbuster ‘Pirates of the Caribbean. In 1692, after the big earthquakes that hit Jamaica Port Royal was swallowed by the ocean. Most of the inhabitants died. Some people still claim that this was God’s punishment for the “most sinful city in the world’. Today the city lies forty feet below the ocean.

Villa Epecuen, Argentina

32 years ago, one of the most famous spa towns in Argentina vanished when the Lake Epecuen completely flooded the town after heavy rains. 5,000 people lost everything they had with the blink of an eye. In 2009, the lake began to recede and in 2011 the town got back one of its inhabitants. Pablo Novak is currently the only inhabitant Villa Epecuen.

Cleopatra’s Palace, Egypt

Near the coast of Alexandria lies the ancient palace of Cleopatra. According to most scientists, the city ruins have been cast into the sea after an earthquake 1600 hundred years ago. A lot of ancient artifacts were found in the flooded city, including the grave of Cleopatra and the temple of Isis. Unfortunately, the ruins are still not open to visitors, but we hope that’ll change soon. There’s a lot to see down there.

Baia, Italy underwater cities

The city of Baia was the Las Vegas of ancient Rome. The city was famous for its hot springs and its bohemian status, attracting noble people from around the kingdom. By 1500 the former luxurious city was abandoned and the water levels flooded the city, drowning the ancient remnants. Today the ancient city remains are ‘partying’ 20 feet below the surface.

Jal Mahal, India

The water palace of Jaipur, located in the Man Sagar Lake is a real jewel of the Rajput architecture style. The palace is at least 300 hundred years old and it was flooded by a dam that was built afterwards. The first four floors of the palace are completely flooded and when the water levels are the highest, the only thing you can see is the rooftop. This palace is open for visitors and it looks even more glamorous at night.

Dwarka, Gulf of Cambay, India

This city was supposedly the ancient home of Lord Krishna and was once considered to be a myth. However, the ruins discovered in the 2000s prove that this city wasn’t only an Indian tale. The ruins are located 130 feet beneath the ocean surface. Dwarka is considered as one of the seven oldest cities of India. Artifacts taken out from the ruin have amazed archaeologists, as the oldest architect found dates to 7500 BCE.

Curon Venosta, Italy

The city of Curon is located beneath the Recia Lake near the border of Italy, Switzerland, and Austria. Curon was flooded after WW2 after a building of a dam went wrong. The only thing that left on the surface is the bell tower of the biggest church in Curon. The lake freezes in winter and you can literally walk to the tower, knowing that there’s an entire city below your feet. What’s even more interesting, people claim that they still occasionally hear the bell ring from the tower. The issue with this is that the bell was removed 30 years ago.

Vilarinho da Furna, Portugal

This was one of the oldest villages in Portugal before being intentionally flooded during the dam construction. The village which was flooded in 1972 has been around since the early days of the Roman Empire. The land leftovers still belong to the descendants of the owner of the only surviving house. Unfortunately for them, their property is useless as it’s underwater throughout most of the year.

The Yonaguni Pyramid, Japan

The Pyramids of Yonaguni are certainly one of the most amazing sights in the world. First of all, it’s confusing how did the Egyptian mythological symbol of such size end up just next to the Japanese coast. What’s even more interesting is scientists keep debating whether the monument was man-made or it was a natural occurrence, with both sides not providing enough evidence. Both sides agree on one fact though: the pyramid is older than 12,000 years.

Bonus: Mauritia

This one isn’t really a city, but rather a whole continent. Some scientists in the past claimed that there used to be a piece of land connecting the Indian subcontinent to Mauritius and Madagascar. And there have been proofs about this claim in the recently. This huge piece of land was swallowed by the sea during massive movements of land across the surface of the Earth. But according to scientists, this wouldn’t have been the best place to live. Mauritia was covered in volcanoes and there would have been regular earthquakes.

It’s amazing how most of these cities used to be so historically important, and today most people don’t even know about them. The game of history is fascinating indeed. Which one of these unfortunate cities was your favorite? Where would you like to visit? Let me know in the comments and subscribe below if you want to get more useful travel tips.

We all have a bucket-list, a list of places that we want to see before we die. The human life, however, is too short for most of us to tick everything off the list. Not everyone has the courage to quit their job and wonder the world in a quest to complete his/her bucket list. Our planet is a beautiful place that has countless breathtaking sights and life-changing experiences that are waiting out there for you to discover them. Some of these places are well known, others not so much, but they all have a special place on my bucket list. Moreover, I hope this post will inspire you to travel more and to cover some of these places. Let’s dig into this ultimate travel bucket list!

1. Trek to Machu Picchu, Peru

Like it’s not amazing enough how did the Incas manage to fit these stones so perfectly together, they also did that at 2400 meters above ground. Even though it was built in the 15th century, and the Spanish invasion happened in the 16th century, Machu Picchu was still unknown to the Western world until 1911.

2. Take a swim at Devil’s pool, Zambia

The Victoria Falls are considered to be one of the seven natural wonders of our world and certainly one of the most spectacular places in Africa. The lake is literally located at the edge of the waterfall. The experience gives you the ultimate thrill of flirting with death while enjoying in one of the 7 natural wonders.

3. Boarding at Cerro Negro, an active volcano in Nicaragua

Cerro Negro is one of Nicaragua’s active volcanos that turned into a tourist destination throughout the years. Adventurists normally hike to the top and board down- either riding or surfing on a wooden sledge. It’s an amazing adrenaline rush to feel coming down with 40 miles per hour from 2350 meters in the air. And if that’s not enough, remember there’s an active volcano behind you.

4. Pink spring in Japan

The springs in Japan look amazing. There are many amazing sights in this world, but no other similar one to the spring in Japan. From March until May, it’s the season of the iconic ‘Sakura’- the native term for the cherry blossom season. That’s the time of year when Japan looks like it came out of an anime movie.

5. Enjoy the colors of the northern lights

This natural phenomenon is caused by collisions of electrically charged particles coming from the Sun and entering the atmosphere. Only a few people are lucky enough to see the astonishing colors of the Northern lights moving above the Antarctica Circle. The breathtaking sight is a proof of the work of the greatest magician out there: Mother Nature!

6. Dip in the Blue Lagoon, Iceland

There’s no bucket list without mentioning this amazing place in Iceland. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa located in a lava field! 70% of the water comes from the sea, while 30% is fresh water. The temperature of the water is around 38 °C. If you’re wondering about the amazing color, it’s due to the blue-green algae and the mineral salts.

7. Explore the Amazon jungle in Brazil

This jungle covers 2.3 million square kilometers. This jungle is an ecosystem of its own with all of its unique species, making the Amazon jungle a real marvel of the planet. Moreover, navigating through the Amazon jungles is a daring and life-changing experience that almost has a mythical status among most travelers.

8. Hike in Patagonia, Chile

After reading Bruce Chatwin’s book, there hasn’t been a day not to think about getting blown away by the giant mountain glaciers and crystal blue lakes of Patagonia. Patagonia is my ultimate ‘getting lost’ place. Hanging on the edge of the world, Patagonia covers an area of 400,000 vastly unexplored square miles.

Looking for the best hiking socks for your next mountain trip? Hover here for more information.

9. Serengeti Great Migration, Tanzania bucket list destinations

Serengeti is a geographical region located in Northern Tanzania. The main actors of the Great Serengeti migration are 1.5 million wildebeest and around 200,000 zebras that move annually in pursuit of fresh fields and water. Furthermore, the migration takes place across 150,000 miles of open plains and woodlands.

10. Hot balloon ride in Cappadocia

The movie-like picture of hundreds of hot air balloons disappearing into the pink sunset of Cappadocia has been at the top of many travelers’ bucket lists for a reason. Drifting over the heavenly landscape and valleys scattered with stone houses accompanied by lovely vineyards.

11. The Grand Canyon

I know this one is a really mainstream choice and a lot of people mention it in this context, but the Grand Canyon in a natural wonder of this world for a reason. The Grand Canyon might seem like a giant hole in the desert, but it has another way in which it’s beautiful with its jagged edges and seductive crevices that look like they’re hiding the biggest secrets of our world. Every adventurer’s dream, isn’t it?

12. Petra the lost city

Petra is an abandoned ancient city that had a historically important location on the crossroads between Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, and Phoenecia. The city is literally carved inside a rock. My first thought when I saw the pictures from it was: ‘This place looks like it came out of an Indiana Jones movie. It actually did!

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We all have a bucket list, a list of places that we want to see before we die. The human life, however, is too short for most of us to tick everything off the list. Not everyone has the courage to quit their job and wonder the world in a quest to complete his/her bucket list. Our planet is a beautiful place that has countless breathtaking sights and life-changing experiences that are waiting out there for you to discover them. I covered some of these places in the first part of this story. I’ll cover the second part of ‘the most amazing places to travel to before you die’.

h2>13. Explore the driest place on earth: Atacama Desert

The driest place on Earth has 41,000 square miles of diverse terrain includes spurting geysers, golden dunes, and cliffs of colorfully striped strata known as Rainbow Valley.

The Atacama also has the best view on the Milky Way’s glittering collection of stars, with April through September being the best time to see it. Therefore, Atacama is the place to be for the Lunar Eclipse. You surely will be stunned by the most amazing natural light show on our planet.

14. Set a foot in Antarctica

Antarctica is one of those wanderlust destinations that all of us dream of exploring, but very few actually are lucky enough to experience that. It has always been the ultimate endurance test for me that I know I need to pass at least once in my lifetime.

Surviving in the extreme cold, kayaking, hiking and exploring the most unexplored area on our planet is something that had always been a dream for me. One might even say it seems like walking on another planet. It’s all ice and rocks everywhere with trees and plants nowhere to be found.

15. Climb Mount Everest

I can wax poetically about this mountaintop for hours, but the truth is I just love the mountains. Besides, being on top of the world always brings a certain sense of achievement. This list couldn’t be complete without Mount Everest- the ultimate survival test. Since 1969, at least one person died every year trying to conquer the magnificent Mount Everest. Call me crazy, but this makes me want to go there even more.

16. Walk the Great Wall of China

This architectural masterpiece made up of 13,000 miles of walls is much more than an impressive achievement of engineering. The wall has a timeless feeling a few other places in this world have. This place gives you a glimpse at Chinese history and the reasons behind this marvelous creation. Moreover, China is very different than the western world and visiting the Great Wall is the first step to understanding.

17. Hike in Kashmir

The mountains are the most amazing story keepers. They keep the stories we read, they keep the stories we dream about and they keep the stories we create.  And the Kashmir mountains hide a lot of those. This is one of the few places on this list that I actually crossed off the list. And I must say, it’s one of the most amazing places I’ve seen in my life.

18. The wildlife of Galapagos

Galapagos was the island that inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution. Uninhabited by people, visiting Galapagos is a rare opportunity to see endemic species that you probably have never seen before. You can’t get so close to animals without threatening their territories anywhere else on this planet.

But animals here are much more relaxed because the island is protected by UNESCO and besides from the tourists, they don’t have any kind of violent interaction with humans. If this isn’t enough, Galapagos has some amazing beaches, and yes there won’t be many tourists around.

19. Explore the largest cave in the world: Hang Son Doong

Since 2009, this has been the biggest cave in the world. Hang Son Doong can easily fit a Boing 747 inside of it and it’s vastly unexplored. When British explorers were exploring the cave in 2009, they hit a large 60 meters high calcite wall, later named the Vietnamese Great Wall.

Behind this wall, there was a cave passage that uncovered what today is the biggest cave in the world. The only way to approach the cave as of now is to pay for a tour that costs a whopping $6,000 for one week.

This cave was definitely one of the things I wish I knew about before visiting Vietnam.

20. Witness the sunset at Angkor Wat

There’s not much that needs to be said about the world’s largest single religious monument. Not only is Angkor Wat an architectural masterpiece and a full expression of Hindu symbolism, but the sunset over Angkor Wat is one of the most amazing sights in this world.

Since I first got to know about it in the history books, I dreamed about seeing the sunset over Angkor Wat. It looked like something different, out of this world. And the experience didn’t fell short of the expectation either. Watching the sun go down behind Angkor Wat is something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime.

21. See the timeless pyramids

No travel bucket list can be complete without one of the greatest mysteries of all times. Even today we aren’t sure how did the ancient people with their limited tools managed to build these marvelous architecture creations. Just looking at the pyramids leaves you in awe. This is enough to fill your head with questions like who built it, when, why, etc?

22. Visit Easter Island Places you need to see before you die

Located in the Chilean sea, at the end of the world, with its giant head statues really makes you wonder who put those heads there and why. And more importantly, how did they do it 1000s of years ago? Some archaeologists recently claimed that the giant heads have their bodies buried underground, which makes these creations even more mysterious. Seeing things like these really makes me wonder about the human beginnings and all of the ancient mysteries.

23. Take a swing at the end of the world

Deep in the forests of Ecuador lies a seismic monitoring station located in a tree house, known as Casa del Arbol. It’s here that adventurers from all around the world come to take a swing at the end of the world at Banos in Ecuador. This seems like an ultimate adrenaline rush, as the only thing separating you from the canyon is the swing beneath your waist that’s holding on to one of the tree’s skinny branches.

Which places are at the top of your travel bucket list? Let me know in the comments 🙂

Travelling can be a great teacher. It’s filled with both, good and evil. In fact, so much, that I firmly believe it could inspire Dante Alighieri to write another part of his ‘Divine comedy’.Chances are: if you traveled a lot you probably fell a victim to at least one of the seven deadly sins of travel. If you haven’t traveled that much, use these warnings and follow the redemption suggestions. Do you commit these 7 deadly sins while traveling?

Pride

I get it. You traveled a lot. You’re proud of it. However, no one likes the arrogant traveler. And no, this isn’t about the stubborn husband refusing to ask for directions. The proud traveler stores his pride in stereotypes and prejudice about a country. There’s nothing that can ruin your trip like a closed mind. For example, if you go to India with a closed mind, you will only see smelly streets, garbage, and cows on the street. If you open your mind, you will be rewarded with a life-changing experience.

How to fight it 
The best cure for pride is humility. Show respect for the people around you and their culture. You don’t have to agree with it. You don’t have to accept it. Just RESPECT it. The whole point of traveling is to broaden your horizons. And teach you things you can’t learn back home. Not to brag to your friends about the places you visited.

Envy

It’s in our nature to want to be better than everyone else. But competing with other travelers and comparing your journey with theirs might just make you feel miserable and ruin your trip. You will see people that visited more places than you. You will see people that stayed in one place longer and were there when the beach weather was perfect. They saw lions on their safari, while all you saw was a peaceful herd of gazelle. They’ve seen the craziest parties on that island, while you’re stuck there in the offseason.

How to fight it
Things like this will always happen. There will always be people that seen more and experienced more than you. I know it’s really difficult when someone says: ‘Oh man, you should have been here last week’. The beach weather was perfect and we partied with Victoria’s Secret models… But instead of getting envious, talk to them and use their knowledge. They can probably give you a lot of useful tips about your future trip. The best restaurants, the best bars, the cheapest way to go. Rise above your envy and you might even make some new friends.

Wrath

You can’t plan every detail when you’re traveling. This is one of the main reasons for the ‘travel wrath’. Many people think they can squeeze in a few more activities on your trip. But you’re not a character in Jules Verne’s ‘Around the World in 80 days’. Not everything is up to you. On the road, there are hundreds of things you can’t control. Anything can go wrong.
You’re sitting next to a huge person on the flight. Or god forbid, a crying baby! Your hiking trip is spoiled by rain and you’re only there for a couple of days. All the people on the cruise get food poisoning. You’re charged ‘the tourist price’ for something that’s clearly not worth it. People look at you as a walking $100 bill. Things like these can happen all the time.

How to fight it?
This one is a cliche but it’s true. The best way to fight wrath is with patience. Understand that you’re away from your home and things work differently here. But, if wrath gets a hold of you, it’s hard to get rid of it. And you only have a limited time to be in this place. Maybe you’ll never get the chance to see it again. What I suggest is to try and channelize your negative energy in another direction. Go for a run, get drunk, go karaoke or dancing, meet some local girls/guys. And don’t forget, most people stay in the same corner of the world for most of their lives. You’re lucky to have the chance to travel. So make the most out of it.

Sloth

Now, you might think: Lying down on the beach all day is the perfect vacation. How is this possibly a sin? The sin is in the extremes. You would be surprised at the number of people I met that never used to leave their hotel/resort and the pool. Needless to say, if you do this, you are missing out on a potentially amazing experience. I know that if you’re used to expensive things and are staying in a 5-star hotel you might not be tempted to go out in the dirty streets.
However, you can find 5-star hotels everywhere. What you can’t find is the ultimate local experience. The way these people live. The way they do things. I know you don’t think much of those things, but trust me, experiencing them can be a great life teacher.

How to fight it?
There really isn’t a way to fight it if sloth is part of your personality. If you don’t want to explore the place, there’s little to be done there. I can only think of a couple of things. Find a travel buddy that’s much more enthusiastic and will literally force you to join him/her on an adventure. Alternatively, try to combine your laziness with local activities (Ex. go for a local-style massage).

Gluttony

A jack of all things is a master of nothing. I mean, sure traveling is about letting your hair down. But that doesn’ mean you should be extreme about it. Maybe you’ll love the local food. In fact, so much that you can’t stop eating. It won’t help if the serving dishes are small. And it’s not just about food. The more things you put on your agenda, the less time you will have to spend actually enjoying them. Besides, how much fan can you really have if you’re out running from one place to the next the whole day? Or overstuff yourself with food and can’t move away from your hotel bed?

How to fight it?
The best way to fight gluttony is with temperance: take out a few things off the list. Do the things you feel would bring you the most joy. Don’t listen to the tour guides. You don’t have to experience everything in a short frame. You will be just too exhausted to really experience and enjoy the things that you are doing.

Greed

There are a lot of people out there that want to travel only for the sake of being able to say that they visited every country in the world. And these people want to do everything in a rush. Just like in Jules Verne’s ‘Around the world in 80 days’. But your life isn’t a novel. And you’re not trying to prove the Reform club that that’s possible. Are you?
What I’m trying to say is you can’t fully experience everything on the fly. Sure, Phileas Fogg had a lot of adventures. But he was a fictional novel character. If you’re trying to rush through everything, oftentimes you will miss out on some amazing things which are in front of your nose. Most of the greedy travelers probably visited more than 60 countries. But they didn’t travel around their country much…

How to fight it?
Being greedy leads to wrath most of the time. Because things will almost never work out according to your plan. Because you’re trying to do too much with too less. There’s nothing much that I can say to help greedy travelers. Except to recommend them to go for bus tours. That’s the best way to cover a lot in a short timeframe.

Lust

There are a few different types of lust you will encounter while traveling. And most of the time, lust isn’t bad. But there are some situations in which you shouldn’t pursue it. Don’t let your lust make you take out your frustration on someone that doesn’t deserve it. Like the airline employees at the counter when a flight is delayed or you’re waiting in a long queue and you’re in a rush. Or the flight attendant when you’re sitting next to a crying toddler. The bus driver that keeps making stops and you’re running on a tight schedule. Even though this one might be hard. Another common one is snapping at locals greeting you on the street just because you’ve fallen a victim of a scan before that begun in a similar way.

How to fight it?
Like I said, lust can be positive at times. If you use your lust as a driver, it can lead you to some amazing experiences. No doubt about it. But don’t let your lust get the better of you when things aren’t going as planned. Go back to the Pride section. Read the caps-locked word: Respect. All human beings deserve that. Think about that before you snap at someone that doesn’t deserve it. And think how would you feel if the roles were reversed.

Which one of these travel sins is the hardest one to overcome in your opinion? Let me know what you think.