When I take a look at some of the cruise ports that I have had a chance to visit I have some mixed feelings. There are some which I would return to in a heartbeat, while others that I do not care ever to visit again. Of course, there are plenty that land somewhere in the middle as well. If I was nearby, I might consider another visit, but I would not go out of my way.

My Cruising

When it comes to cruising, I am far from an expert, having just travelled aboard four different cruise ships. The ships include three Holland America Line ship, including MS Statendam, MS Volendam and MS Nieuw Amsterdam, and one Princess ship, the Sun Princess.

What I lack in the number of cruises I do make up for a little in the number of days cruising and the destinations. To date, I have spent 93 days onboard cruising ships, opting for my first ever cruise to be 28 days. Over this time I have visited 40 different ports and crossed both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Cruise Ports To Revisit

Of all the ports that I have visited while cruising there are five that I would love the chance to revisit. Of course, I would like to revisit these ports to explore the area more. But each of them also has much more to offer for an extended stay as well I believe.

Guatemala

My first ever cruise departed from San Diego, and the fourth port of call was Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala. Initially, I had booked what sounded like a fairly comprehensive tour of the area. However, maybe due to poor organisation, it was only last minute they realised we would be in port on Good Friday. As a result, all tours were cancelled and the only option offered was a bus transfer to Antigua for a reasonably high price, with minimum availability.

For me, the day was spent between the rather small port area and the ship. However, since the visit, I have remotely connected with some people from Guatemala and Antigua especially. I took some time to look at the area and what is around and I think it is somewhere that will definitely be on my list to explore in the future. The aspects that very much capture my attention is the Spanish architecture along with the natural surroundings.

Horta, Azores

The island of Faial in the Azores is not a big island covering around 173 square kilometres. The city of Horta is the primary town on the island with almost half of the 15,000 population that live on the island. The marina in Horta is a prime stopping point for yachts crossing the Atlantic Ocean for much the same reason why cruise ships stop here. It is one of the first more significant spots before reaching the European Coast some 1750 km further.

I took a tour of the island, or at least a small part of the island while visiting Horta. However, with countryside like you see in the picture above I think the island while small in size has a lot to offer. I would love to see some more of the natural beauty of the island, while also exploring some of the small villages.

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Cruising to Hawaii from Australia is far from the easiest way to visit the island state of The United States of America. However, if you are inclined to travel on a Transpacific cruise, it is almost certainly on the itinerary, with a couple of exceptions. So it was after departing Long Beach, and a full four days at sea the cruise arrived in Hawaii.

The first port in Hawaii was Hilo, which did not capture me all that much due in part to the poor weather. Maybe I would have had similar feelings about Honolulu if the weather had been inclement. But with a beautiful sunny day, I took a tour to visit and hike Diamond Head Crater. From here you get one fantastic view over the city of Honolulu, which is what you can see in the photograph above.

It does not take much looking to find quite a few reasons why you would want to visit Oahu. Having been here, I know for sure that I want to return. But just a quick look at the tag #Oahu on Instagram gives another 4 million + reasons. From waterfalls to waves, hills and hikes and beaches all just waiting to be explored. Maybe not for the first time, but for the first time by me.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik in Croatia was the second last port on my cruise through the Mediterranean. I am happy that I opted to take a tour which visited the Old City of Dubrovnik as this is a fantastic city. It was one of the locations that always made me think, why do people not explore more. With five cruise ships in port and hundreds, if not thousands of tourists here, all sticking to the one main street. You could go one or two streets either way, and there was no one around, and so much to see.

I would love to return to Dubrovnik to spend more than an hour exploring this beautiful old city. But also Croatia as a country I believe has a lot to offer if you go looking. Some of the photos I have seen from towns like Split and Hvar are amazing. But again it is the natural beauty of the countryside that also captures my attention.

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon was the first of two overnight cruise ports on my Transatlantic / Mediterranean cruise. So I got to spend a little more time in the city than in many other ports. I explored the town with two other people from the cruise ship who had been in the town before and that made it easier. But even so, in a little over 30 hours in the port, there is still only so much you can see.

When I look back at my time in Lisbon, there is just so much more I did not get to see. There were also many things that made me fall in love with Lisbon and would encourage me to return and explore more of the area in and around Lisbon. I would even look at spending some more time and getting out into the countryside and others cities and towns throughout Portugal.

Time To Plan

The one thing that I have found is that you never get to travel anywhere if you don’t plan. Having a plan for your trip will make it a much more likely thing that you will undertake the trip. But at the same time, a planned trip does not happen without action.

So there is some planning and some action I will need to take. But at the same time, I doubt that I would be considering visiting all of these destinations in the same trip. Although you never quite know what will happen.

I would love to hear what cruise ports or even destinations that you have visited and would like to visit again. Why not leave a comment below or get in touch via one of my social media profiles.

From where I began back in 2010 I never expected to be talking about how I inspired others. When the journey to where this blog is today started there was one clear goal in mind. Just to share my travels with friends and family back home. The goal may have been somewhat selfish. But it was a simple goal to share my story with friends and family to save repeating it over many times.

Over time as my awareness of what a blog was and what it could do my mindset has changed. I no longer pursue that purely selfish goal. In fact, I am more than happy to repeat my travel stories as many times as needed to as many people who will listen.

Along the way, I realised that there was something more to what I was creating. There was not just the ability to share my story with family and friends. I was already reaching an extended audience of people I did not know. Over time this has grown to be a feeling that I want to inspire others through my story. Maybe not to follow the same path I have taken, but to consider travelling somewhere different. Travelling to somewhere that they may have never considered before. To go and explore the world around them, both near and far.

Inspiration To Travel & Explore

From the beginning of my journey, I have extended where and how I share. I started posting travel updates on my personal domain. Then early last year I transferred that over to this site and called it Travel Explored. Progressively I have added social media platforms including, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. With the aim to connect, reach and share the inspiration of travel with as many people as I can.

Touching Others With Inspiration

The real inspiration of what you share is never truly known. In fact, it was only recently when I found out by pure chance how one post has inspired another. It was through sharing a second similar post that the follower commented that my post had inspired them to visit the area.

In reality, I don’t mind never knowing how many others I have inspired or how I have inspired them. But knowing I have inspired one other person makes the work worthwhile. I know one person has widened their horizon from the writing and images I share, makes me happy.

A Journey of Inspiration

When I first started travelling, I thought the reason was for me to go and experience a destination. However, the more I have travelled, the more I realise just how I capture and share my experience can impact others. Just how a collection of words and images can inspire other people.

The thing I have found is that the inspiration does not have to be all that significant. A simple landscape that invokes a feeling can encourage or inspire someone to try something a little different.

It can inspire someone to go and explore somewhere that they have never been before. Even show someone a location they never knew existed but always wanted to visit.

It can let someone believe that there is something different out there. Giving inspiration to expand horizons and explore the world that is waiting to be found all around.

I would love to know where you would like to go and explore. What you have been inspired to do not just from what I share, but from anywhere. Did you just decide to go somewhere or did you get that little nudge from the article in the newspaper? That picture someone shared on Facebook? The random advertisement that appeared on your computer?

Where Has Inspiration Taken You?

As a photographer who enjoys capturing landscapes, I have taken more than my fair share of sunset photos. Although I don’t tend to go chasing sunsets quite as regularly anymore, I have many photos I captured and never shared.

Currently, I am working through some of my photos. You would be surprised over the years how many photos you end up with. While it is time to clean some of the extras out, the benefit is that I also find some that I do want to share.

Sunsets

Below I have found six different sunset images that I captured a few years ago now, in 2014. Most of them are nearby home, but there is one from Phillip Island when I travelled south for a week that year.

In some way, each of these photos is one that I have chosen to share to highlight something. There is almost always a reason behind why I do things.

Cleveland Point, 5th May 2014

Cleveland Point is a favourite spot for me to visit to capture the sunset. Probably the main reason for this is that it is close to home. Which is a big positive when you can never entirely be sure what the conditions are going to be like.

On this particular day, I had not planned to capture the sunset. But as I was driving towards home noticed something happening in the clouds and made a quick decision to adjust my direction. In fact, I captured this image less than 3 minutes after arriving at Cleveland Point. With the colour all gone from the clouds around 10 minutes after I arrived. Sometimes it is all about timing.

Cleveland Point, 13th July 2014

Another stop at Cleveland Point but this photo is more about patience rather than turning up just in time. I arrived at Cleveland Point around 5 pm on this day, and the sun went below the horizon at 5.10pm. However, this photo was taken almost 20 minutes later around 5.30pm.

Looking back at the others photos from the day, there was no indication that waiting after the sun had set would be rewarding. However, when I specifically go out to capture the sunset, I do so planning to stay at least half an hour after the sun has gone. There are very few occasions that I will leave in less than this time because I know just how sometimes things can change.

There was a little colour there after the sunset, but I was surprised at just how strong it came out later. The reality in the above photo is that the colour is just how the camera captured it. The only adjustment in the photo is in the clarity which helps define the edges of the cloud more. I had not planned to do so initially. But have decided to include a copy of the straight out of camera image, with no edits applied, there is very little difference.

Hammant, 4th March 2014

Sometimes a sunset photo is the last thing from your mind which is kind of where this photo started. I had been meeting a friend for a chat after work, and we just happened to be on the side of the road at Hamment near Brisbane talking. I noticed a little something happening in the clouds, and the sun rays were just spreading out. Luckily I had my camera with me, and I was able to capture this photo in the spare of the moment.

As it turns out I had my camera out for less than two minutes before capturing this photo. I captured a total of ten frames before the colour quickly disappeared from the clouds. So sometimes getting the right photo is a little luck and a little bit of being in the right place.

Minnippi Parklands, 4th May 2014

More than a couple of times I have had to see if there was another way to make a sunset interesting. On this particular day, there was barely a cloud in the sky. There could have even been none because I did not capture one in any of the photos I took this day.

I have found a clear sky to rarely be that interesting in terms of a sunset. So I had to get down and try something a little different. In this case, it was some time since the grass had been mown in the park and the tall grass stalks and weeds created just the effect I was looking for.

Phillip Island, 21 June 2014

Although I had visited Phillip Island two years before capturing this photo, it was not until June 2014 that I got to stay on the island. We came to stay specifically to see the little penguins but booked a couple of nights to see what else the island had to offer.

On the day we arrived on the island we took a drive around to see the area. I just happened to decide to make a stop and capture the sunset. It was just before the sun went below the horizon, but that helped to give a little more light to the scene.

Redcliffe, 7th March 2014

After an early finish at work on a Friday after, I got to sit in the traffic parking lot that is northbound traffic from Brisbane for over an hour. But as it turns out we crossed the bridge from Brighton to the Redcliffe Peninsula just in time to see the sun setting. The view here is over the inlet to Kedron Brook and North Pine River. If I had a little more time, there might have been a bit better shot, but with time in traffic we were already running late so had to keep moving.

Sunsets

I hope that you have enjoyed this small look back at some of the sunsets I captured in 2014. I am still looking at the photos I have from 2015, 2016 & 2017 and hope to share something similar from these years. However, I cannot be sure at this point if I will have enough from 2017. Additionally, I will be looking to share a post talking about the process of capturing the sunsets.

If you have been reading much of my blog in the past, you would know that I always travel with a camera. But one thing that I have found is that I don’t always get around to sharing all of the photos that I capture. So I wanted to share with you a small collection of waterfalls that I have photographed. There are some which I have shared in other posts, while others I just never got around to sharing.

Waterfalls Collection Set 1

I hope to make this just the first of some sets of waterfall photos. In this collection, I have some local ones around South East Queensland, a few from New South Wales and Even one from British Columbia in Canada.

Dangar Falls, Dorrigo, NSW

Dangar Falls is the first of two rather easy to access waterfalls along a route known as Waterfall Way. I am unsure of the exact number of waterfalls along Waterfall Way, but I imagine it could vary depending on rainfall in the area.

Dangar Falls is a location that I have visited a few times and think that I have shared photos from here before. But it is a favourite spot of mine as the location always looks spectacular. For those that like to see the waterfall but don’t enjoy the bush walk to get to some waterfalls, this one is right next to the carpark.

The town of Dorrigo is also an excellent spot to stop, to just look around, coffee or a meal. There are some shops, cafes and services in the town. There is also a visitors centre so it could be a great starting point to explore from with information to guide you.

Ebor Falls, Ebor, NSW

Ebor Falls is located a further 50km to the west of Dorrigo on Waterfall Way. Just like Dangar Falls, Ebor Falls is also very accessible. Even though it might be slightly further to walk, the lookout is not more than 50m from the carpark. However, the lookout for the above photo is not quite as close to the carpark.

Two waterfalls make up Ebor Falls. The first is a towards the back of the above image and partially hidden by trees. With the second prominently in the front of this picture. Although the above image almost looks like a photo from a drone, it is captured from the lookout. So it is the same view that every visitor gets.

One thing to keep in mind if you are visiting Ebor Falls is that it is somewhat remote. Once you leave Dorrigo, there are no real services before you reach Armidale. In fact, for a significant portion of this drive, there is not even phone reception. The trip from Dorrigo to Ebor falls covers around 50km, with a further 80km to reach Armidale.

Above is a close-up view of the upper portion of Ebor Falls. They do appear a little more spectacular when seen up close than in the background of another waterfall.

Lip Falls, Back Creek Gorge, QLD

In the Gold Coast Hinterland, there is an area known as Back Creek Gorge. Within the gorge, there is a series of six waterfalls, all of which are accessible if you are so inclined. However, of the six I believe the easiest to physically access is Lips Falls. Although to be honest the access is not entirely easy.

At the base of the falls is a large round swimming hole which I have seen people enjoying on some occasions when I have visited the area.

Continuing down the gorge, I have visited a couple of the other waterfalls. However, I do struggle to remember what the order is and what they are called. But I will share a photo of another one below which I believe could be Rainbow Falls.

Serenity Falls, Buderim, QLD

Heading to the north of Brisbane there are quite some waterfalls in different areas through the Sunshine Coast. I have nowhere near found the time to visit them all yet, but one that I have enjoyed visiting a couple of times is Serenity Falls.

The name Serenity Falls is an unofficial name with the falls recognised as Buderim Forest Waterfall. However, I do believe that while maybe unofficial Serenity Falls has a much more beautiful sound.

The first time that I visited the waterfall, I was almost tricked by another water cascade a little further downstream. While still lovely it is not quite as impressive as the actual waterfall.

Shannon Falls, Squamish, BC, Canada

Time to head overseas for the last one in this post. I recently started having a look through some photos from my very first trip abroad. In the pictures from Vancouver, Canada I discovered some photos of a waterfall located somewhere between Whistler and Vancouver. While it did take a little bit of research and checking against other photos, I soon discovered it to be Shannon Falls in Squamish, BC.

The falls are located somewhat close to Highway 99 which is the main road between Vancouver and Whistler. On the map, they appear to be almost exactly halfway between the two locations. The drop of the falls is some 335m as it cascades down the rock face. It is said to be one of the most popular stops along the route, and I can understand why.

More Waterfalls

I have some more waterfalls in my photography collection that I would like to share. But in doing some of the research for and just general looking around while working on this post I have found plenty more to visit and photograph. While some are not all that far from home, they do require a significant hike for some. Although I have no problems with hiking, being summer in Brisbane at the moment, the weather is not ideal.

As always I would love your feedback on this post. Would you like to see more like this or is there something you would like to see? You can leave a comment below, send me an email or get in touch via social media.