Monthly Archives: July 2020

Just because we’re inside, that doesn’t mean we can’t explore what’s outside. Quaranstream America from the comfort of your couch. Think live big rig road trips, to living room gigs and virtual hikes… we got it all.

No passport required, just passion. (And Wi-Fi). #PauseTheAdventure

Spot bears in Alaska

The bear necessities of lockdown? Animal cams. Tune into watch Brown bears trying to catch leaping salmon in Katmai National Park in Alaska. Or our personal favorite, the underwater salmon cam.

Get weird

This 15-part video series by Atlas Obscura on GoUSA TV (Brand USA’s streaming platform) documents unique destinations across the United States, including Alaska’s surfing culture and O’ahu’s Koko Crater. Oh, and the world’s largest egg in Chicago.

Go on a road trip

“Reality trucking in realtime”, live stream life on the road with Big Rig Travels as these 18-wheelers traverse across the United States. It’s fair to say we’re more than a little bit obsessed with this. 10-4-rubber-duck.

See a live gig

Live stream living room gigs from the USA and around the world courtesy of the coolest hostel brand on the planet, Selina. SIMS Online connects local talent with their global community, meaning not only do you get to support independent artists and creatives, but you also get to have a nosey into people’s homes.

See a NYC show

All the world’s a stage. Even The Worldwide Web. Get dressed up and stream a nightly opera at The New York Metropolitan Opera, a performance at the New York Ballet, or Broadway musical.

Get wowed

So spellbinding you can hear a jaw drop. As we throwback to some of the incredible filmmakers we’ve worked over the years, join Thibaud Lomenech and Leo Cannone on this journey through the lesser-travelled landscapes of New York State.

Take a hike

Thanks to the genius that is Google Earth, you can now take a virtual hike through the canyons, gorges and trails of 31 of America’s national parks. We mean, you’re already dressed in sweatpants, right?

Get cultured

The most highbrow rabbit hole you’re ever likely to digitally venture down, get lost in the virtual museums and exhibitions of Google Arts & Culture, including MoMa, the Smithsonian, and the Guggenheim.

And then get baked

Join Christina Tosi (of East Village flagship bakery and edible empire Milk) for a free daily baking class at 2pm EST on Instagram. For other timezones, it’s just business as usual, and cake for breakfast or dinner then, yeh?

Watch these 5 American dramas

The Bold Type: Think Sex & the City meets Gossip Girl. For those who have not yet had the opportunity to visit ‘the City that never sleeps’, this show is everything you expect New York to be. For those who have, it will have you reminiscing Central Park and trendy SoHo bars.

Tiger King: If you haven’t had the opportunity to watch this yet (what else could you possibly be doing in lockdown?!), the only way to describe this docu-series is ‘Wild’. It might even have you wanting to avoid society and return to lockdown when this is all over.

Friday Night Lights: Although the idea of ticking any kind of American sporting match off the bucket list is not an option right now, this series is will give insight into a small town in Texas where everyone worships football like it’s a religion.

The O.C: California here we come! An oldie, but a goodie full of teen angst and drama. An easy one to binge watch multiple times whilst imagining you were the super-spoilt child of rich parents in one of the USA’s most beautiful beach side towns.

When They See Us: Get the tissues ready and expect to cry through all four episodes of this mini-series. Based on a true story, When They See Us depicts the story of 5 boys from Harlem who were wrongly accused of a crime they didn’t commit.

Ozark: This is where Mexican drug cartels meet US suburbia! Get ready for the unexpected from behind white picket fences. When a money laundering scheme goes wrong it is up to Marty Byrd to save his family and overcome all odds.

For more inspiration, visit our USA destination guide. Or call for a chat. We’re WFH, but it’s business as usual for trip planning and cyber hugs.

In 2018, ‘single-use’ was named the word of the year by Collins Dictionary.

‘Plogging’ – jogging while picking up litter – also made it into the dictionary. (As did an updated description for ‘flossing’, but we’re studiously choosing to ignore that one!).

This evolution in language is indicative of just how far the dialogue on plastics has come, pervading how we think and changing our purchasing habits. But what is more inspirational is how some governments have gone a step further, by passing laws to ban plastics altogether from their countries, oceans and eco-systems.

This July, in honor of Plastic Free Month, we thought we’d celebrate the destinations that are making serious waves in the fight against plastic pollution. From Italy to Indonesia, we salute you!

Capri, Italy

Famous for its stunning blue grotto, high-end beach clubs and café-strewn piazzas, the Italian island of Capri is a mecca for beach and ocean lovers. In an effort to protect its precious flora and fauna, in May 2019, the island introduced a law forbidding the use of disposable plastics, including plates, cups, straws, bottles and food packaging. Businesses were given 90 days to use up their existing stock, and fines of up to €500 will be enforced in order to implement the ban.

Rwanda

The West could learn a lot from Rwanda. This small East African country banned non-biodegradable polythene bags back in 2008. The fact that the first country to ban plastic bags was a developing nation, and that it was implemented over a decade ago, should be an inspiration to the rest of the world.

The ban is rigorously enforced, so fully expect to have your backpacks searched at airports and borders, and any old plastic bags containing your dirty washing confiscated! However, this heavy policing has paid off. Rwanda is noticeably clean. Not only do you not see the piles of roadside rubbish that can plague other countries, but this approach to waste and sustainability has become ingrained in Rwanda’s national psyche.

Bali, Indonesia

Last year, the shocking images of divers swimming through a sea of plastic off Bali’s beaches went viral on our social feeds, and helped to prompt a big reaction. In December 2018, Bali’s governor announced that after a six-month grace period for businesses, the island would be enforcing a ban on single-use plastics, including shopping bags, straws and Styrofoam cups.

After China, Indonesia is the world’s second biggest polluter of marine plastics. It’s hoped that this ban could help to reduce Bali’s plastic pollution by up to 70%, and that it will inspire other parts of Indonesia to follow suit.

Costa Rica

A haven of eco-tourism, Costa Rica is a global leader in sustainability and green practices. In 2015 and 2016, the country powered itself for more than two thirds of the year using 100% renewable energy, and aims to be carbon neutral by 2021.

On World Environment Day in 2017, Costa Rica announced a new national plan to eradicate all single-use plastics by 2021 and become the world’s first plastic-free country.

Chile

In a move to help break a culture of throwaway plastic, in 2018, Chile passed legislation to become the first country in South America to ban plastic bags. This came off the back of previous legislation that had banned plastic bags in Patagonia to try and help protect the region’s national parks and marine life.

Under the new law, businesses have been given two years to adapt to the new legislation, and in the interim, have been limited to giving shoppers a maximum of two plastic bags.

Machu Picchu, Peru

There have been numerous attempts in the past to help preserve the lost Incan city of Machu Picchu, including a permit system to limit the visitors allowed onto the ancient UNESCO site.

In December 2018, Peru’s National Service of National State-Protected Areas (SERNANP) passed a decree to forbid the use of single-use plastics on the Inca Trail and 76 natural protected areas nationwide, including Manu National Park and the coastal reserve of Paracas. Travellers are encouraged to take canteens, refillable bottles and cotton bags instead.

Koh Samet

In November 2018, the authorities of the tiny island paradise of Koh Samet launched a campaign to stop travellers from taking plastic bags and Styrofoam onto the island.

It’s estimated that Koh Samet receives 1,500 visitors a year, with each using an average of eight plastic bags during their stay. While the campaign is an environmental one, and not a legal one, it’s a groundbreaking move by the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, who have committed to reduce the use of plastic bags and Styrofoam in all of Thailand’s 154 national parks.

Shout out to the rest of the world…

Other places that are tackling plastic pollution head on, by either banning plastic bags, taxing them or charging for them, include San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, UK, Kenya, South Africa, Aruba, Dominica and some states in Australia. In fact, we are happy to announce that the full list is too long to print in full!

How you can further help reduce plastic in paradise

• Commit to a beach clean-up, every time you’re on one. You know how lovely it is to wander up and down the beach, combing it for interesting shells to take home as souvenirs? Well, stop. That’s stealing. Take home the plastic instead.
• Buy food, fruit and snacks from markets and local vendors. They need your custom more than the 7-Elevens do anyway. Plus, drinking coconut water fresh from the coconut > drinking it out of a bottle. Sans-plastic straw, of course.
• Carry a reusable water bottle or flask everywhere. Just because hot countries require you to drink five litres of water a day, it doesn’t mean you need to go through five litres worth of plastic.
• Check out our eco-packing guide.
• Or go buy some of these super kind-to-the-oceans travel gifts.