1Visit the African Park That Inspired “The Lion King.” The visual landscapes that inspired “The Lion King” really do exist. They are in Kenya’s Rift Valley, specifically Hell’s Gate National Park. However, you are not likely to see Simba there. The park is known for its lack of predators, which means you can do really great walking safaris amongst the herds of other animals. Something you are not likely to be able to do in many other African parks. I especially love walking near the giraffes. They have such a graceful prehistoric look to them with such sweet faces and long eyelashes.
I recently went to a screening of the “The Lion King” at the Director’s Guild in LA. Afterward, the Director of the Spider-Man trilogy, Sam Raimi, interviewed the Director of “The Lion King,” Jon Favreau. Did you know that the only live-action shot was the one that opens the film? Everything else was created in a virtual world. The other thing I thought was amazing is that Favreau used the same workflow as you would on a typical film set. This included how he worked with his Director of Photography. In this case, it was the legendary Caleb Deschanel, “The Passion of the Christ,” “The Right Stuff,” “The Natural.” In a virtual world, he set 10Ks like he would on any of his films. Can you imagine directing an entire film sitting in a chair wearing goggles?
2You Can Mail a Coconut to Anywhere in the World from This Post Office in Hawaii. This is a fun and unusual way to reach out to loved ones while on vacation. If you happen to be on the island of Molokai in Hawaii, visit the Hoolehua Post Office. People on the island donate fallen coconuts to the post office to be used as the island’s version of a postcard. You can even decorate the coconuts using the permanent markers that are available. They send out an astonishing 3,000 ‘Post-a-Nuts’ a year.
3The Best Trips for Introverts, According to Introverts. This article notes that an introvert traveling is not about wanting isolation; rather, it is about wanting a meaningful connection to the place you are experiencing. I am in this boat, for sure. Several fantastic suggestions throughout the world. Top of the list is in my home state of California, Siskiyou in the north. The mountain there is said to have a ‘spiritual vortex.’ My kind of place!
4Luxury Travel’s Latest Frontier: Getting Lost, For Real. Over the last year or so, I have been highlighting articles about a growing trend in travel, Transformational Travel, where the point of a trip is more about an evocative experience. The destination inspires what happens on the inside. One of my travel partners, Explorer X, is taking this concept to the next level. They are now planning ‘mystery trips,’ where the travelers do not know where they are going until they get their tickets.