Author Archives: Ragdoll

Nashville, Tennessee Travel Guide

From high culture to honky-tonks and hot chicken, Nashville is a greatest hits package only a few other cities can top. Nashville sits in the heart of Tennessee, just a two-hour flight from NYC and a four-hour flight from Los Angeles. This city also sits at the heart of some of the greatest music to ever hit the American airwaves.

From boot-scootin’ boogies to lonesome cowboy blues, Nashville has produced an unending stream of county classics since the early days of vinyl. Today, music lovers and makers of every genre make the pilgrimage to USA’s Music City, hoping to experience the magic of Nashville’s sound.

Nashville’s soundtrack started with the sound of fallen timber and axes at Fort Narborough. Battling fierce winters and displaced Cherokee, there was no time for fiddle-playing. However, Nashville grew into a prosperous city over the decades and embraced the arts.

Nashville’s early prosperity was fueled by the slave trade and the plantation. The historic Travelers Rest is the estate of John Overton, Tennessee founding father. Wander the grounds where the slave’s doleful work songs still hang heavy in the humid air. You can also explore the home where Overton entertained neighbors and friend – Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the US.

A long bumpy ride separated the Travelers Rest from the Hermitage in the 1800s. Today, they are just a short drive away from each other. Hermitage is an opulent plantation home and the final resting place of First Lady Rachel and President Jackson.

Belle Meade is Tennessee’s real queen of plantation. Explore the remaining 30 acres of an estate that once stretched for miles, where the rocking chairs and slave quarters looked as though they were just vacated yesterday. The civil war tore apart the uneasy social fabric of the plantation era. Fort Negley was built by free black men and runaway slaves, this union fort not only helps pave the way to emancipation but also played a crucial role in the Battle of Nashville.

To learn more about Tennessee’s role in the civil war, visit the Tennessee State Museum. While here, you will also learn how it rose from the ashes to become a sophisticated Metropolis.

Head to Cooter’s Place see the most iconic motorcar in the south. Parked outside is one of the few surviving General Lee’s Dodge that was wrecked, rolled, and jumped during the TV show’s 6-year run.

But it wasn’t Nashville’s motor cars that caught the attention of the world but the driving rhythms of its steel guitars and banjos. Step into the Ryman Auditorium, the mother church of country music. A concert or tour at this former downtown Tabernacle is as close to heaven as it gets for country music die-hates. In 1943, the Grand Ole Opry, a one-hour country music show was broadcast live from Ryman, reaching millions of people.

Nashville is more than just the country music world capital. When it comes to plain old good times, style, hospitality, or history, Nashville is home to some of the most enduring and greatest hits of America.

 

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How To Use the Sharing Economy To Travel When You Are Low On Money

There is absolutely no doubt about it – the Internet has made a whole lot of changes to the travel industry over the past few years. While all these changes are not always good (you just need to see how many people are checking social media in a hostel to agree with this statement), they mostly are. The Internet allows people to communicate and collaborate with one another in many different ways – ways that haven’t been possible just a few years ago. When it comes to culture enthusiasts and budget travelers, this is an awesome time to be alive! The main reason for this is because the rise of the sharing economy on the Internet has proven to be a great tool for travelers as it allows them to save more money and connect with the locals easier than ever before.

In other words, the sharing economy makes the idea of travel much more interesting, as well as much more fun. With hundreds (if not thousands) of start-ups coming and going in this new travel sharing economy, we have decided to put together a list of some of the best websites and services that you can use to travel cheap and connect with locals. We really hope that you will find all of these websites and services to be not just useful, but fun as well!

Hospitality Networks
It is no secret that hospitality networks have been around for quite a long time now. To be more exact, hospitality networks have been around for a few decades. However, what made them truly popular was the creation of one of the best travel-related websites in the world called Couchsurfing. Couchsurfing is a website that can be used to connect travelers with locals who are willing to give them a free place to stay. This popular website is used by travelers of all ages.

Apartment Rentals

Do you think that hotels are too expensive? Or maybe hotels are simply not your thing? Whatever the case may be, your best solution is to rent someone’s apartment. Renting an apartment is usually much cheaper than renting a hotel room. And on top of that, you will have a local host to show you around.

Eating With Locals
EatWith is a website that allows you to eat with locals. This website does a great job at connecting people from all over the world. Also, EatWith lets everyone set their own price, and there is a whole lot of different meals that you can choose from.

 

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How To Plan Your Next Trip Around the World

It is safe to say that planning for a trip around the world often involves a whole lot of work. You have to think about everything that is going to be involved in the trip, as well as everything else that is going to be involved in the trip preparation process. Right now, you probably have a lot of questions. Where do you start? What is the first thing that you need to do before you hit the road? Also, you are probably wondering what is the most important step that you need to take during the trip planning process, aren’t you? But fear not, for we are here to help you get through all of that stuff! You see, just because planning for a trip around the world sounds like a scary thing to some of you out there, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is true. This is because more often than not, the process of planning for a trip around the world is much more simple and involves much more steps than people think.

In this short guide, we are going to teach you how to prepare for your next trip around the world the right way. One thing that you need to remember here is that you shouldn’t be afraid of making a couple of mistakes along the way. After all, we are all humans and we all make mistakes every now and then, don’t we? As far as this short guide is concerned, it should do the trick regardless what kind of trip you are going to take or how long that trip is going to be. With this in mind, here are some basic things that you should always do before hitting the road!

Where Do You Want To Go?

Deciding where you want to go is one of the most important things that you need to do when planning a trip. Keep in mind that this is also one of the very first things that you need to do. The main reason why this is such an important thing to do is because it gives you a definite goal to work toward.

How Much Time Are You Going To Spend Away From Home?
Another important thing that you need to do is decide the length of your trip. You can’t decide how much money you need to save if you don’t know how much time you are going to spend on the road. So, be sure to think about this before you actually hit the road.

Start Saving Money
In order to take that trip that you have always wanted to take, you need to save up enough money. One way to do this is to stop spending money on things that you don’t even need. Do you really have to drink coffee with your friend every single day?

 

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How To Stay Prepared For Anything and Everything While Traveling

There is absolutely no doubt that long term travel is one of the most exciting experiences that a person can have in their lifetime. But besides being very exciting, long term travel is also considered to be one of the most learning experiences that anyone could ever possibly have in their life. Long term travel is the kind of thing that makes you a far more open minded, independent, and confident person. Simply put, long term travel has the ability to make you a far more adjusted person in general. But just like anything else in this world, spending extended time on the road comes with its very own set of both advantages and disadvantages. You see, it’s not going to be all rainbows and unicorns once you get out there, so be sure to keep that in the back of your mind at all times.

With this in mind, it comes to no surprise that one of the most important things that boy scouts learn is to always be prepared for anything and everything, and the exact same thing can be said about travel. You never know what might happen to you or your travel buddy while you are on the road. But that’s exactly what makes travel so exciting, isn’t it? Stepping into the unknown territory is one of the most interesting things about travel. Each new day brings endless possibilities, but it is very important to note that those possibilities are for both good and bad. With that said, here are some things that you can do to stay prepared for anything and everything while traveling!

Pack a Small Flashlight
You would be surprised to see just how many travelers don’t carry a flashlight with them. But if there is one thing that you always need to have on you when traveling, it’s definitely a small flashlight! You never know when you might need one.

Study Non-Verbal Communication
There is a lot of people out there who interact with others using both verbal and non-verbal communication. Having the ability to use non-verbal communication can be very helpful in situations where you interact with people who speak a foreign language. However, keep in mind that non-verbal communication doesn’t happen overnight – it takes a lot of practice.

Carry a Small First Aid Kit
While it’s true that you can find modern medicine pretty much anywhere in the world, you should still carry your own first aid kit. You never know when you might need it. Better safe than sorry, right?

7 of World’s Most Intriguing Places

The world we live in is so huge that it is quite impossible to see all the places in one lifetime. No matter how we research about the world, there are a lot of unexplained and intriguing things and places that defy any known explanation. Challenge yourself with the unfathomable and read through this list of 7 intriguing places.

GREAT BLUE HOLE, BELIZE.

A giant perfect circle in the middle of the sea would definitely catch anybody’s attention up in the air, yet, the best way to experience this gigantic marine sink hole is to dive down to its dark blue waters and see a teeming marine biodiversity.

PAMUKKALE, TURKEY.

17 natural eternity pools beneath the ancient city of Hierapolis is considered as a healthy but intriguing place to visit. Its white terraces made of limestone is a perfect combination to the turquoise color of the water, that’s why it’s dubbed as Pamukkale or Cotton Castle.

GIANT’S CAUSEWAY, IRELAND

Hexagonal columns perfectly piled together like a honeycomb is the aftermath of a volcanic magma cooled for millions of years. According to locals, though, the picture perfect causeway was a doing of a mighty giant.

DOORWAY TO HELL, TURKMENISTAN.

A massive hot and scorching hole would be a befitting entry to the underworld. In truth, it was a natural gas field that collapsed some decades ago and to avoid a widespread of methane gas to nearby cities, the cavern was lit but instead of dying out, the fire continued to burn until this very day.

BLUE LAKE, NEW ZEALAND.

Lake with water as optically clear as distilled water is enough reason for you to want to visit Nelson Lakes, National Park. You think you can see the bottom of this beautiful lake, but beware because the water is said to be as deep as 80 meters.

DIE RAKOTZBRUCKE, GERMANY.

Far from its popular moniker “Devil’s Bridge”, this fairytale-like bridge is arced seamlessly that it connects in a flawless unison with its reflection on water creating a near-perfect circle anywhere you view it.

SALAR DE UYUNI, BOLIVIA.

Salar de Uyuni is 4000 miles of glistening white salt during the dry season making it the world’s largest salt flat, yet, rain has an awesome effect on the area. The water during rainy season convert this dry land to a gigantic mirror giving you sky both above and beneath you.

These are the places you thought you could only see in fantasy movies but our world are spoiling  us so much that it wants us to see these imaginary-looking places for real. So go out there, discover and experience these intriguing places with your own two eyes.