By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate

Last month Linda offered NABBW readers a handful of trips she highly recommends. Places she’s enjoyed and highly recommends. This month, she’s still urging us to put down our smart phones, walk away from the stress of social media, and get outside to let nature heal our souls. Hopeful that we are listening, she’s sharing seven of her favorite trips. Which one will entice you the most?

# 1. The Great Ocean Road-Australia

There are so many wonders down under it is hard to choose just one. But on a recent “ free day” in Melbourne, I arranged a day trip with Autopia to experience the Great Ocean Road, only a couple of hours away. They offer a “tour in reverse” arriving at the famous 12 Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge early in the day to avoid the later day crowds. Today, there are only nine striated mud and sand stone sea stacks carved by the ceaseless waves crashing up on them from Antarctica. You can also arrange a 5-day trek on this wild and wooly coastline.

Some of the famed 12 Apostles on the Shipwreck Coast. Photo courtesy of Linda Ballou.

This wild coast, scene of hundreds of ship wrecks, is a marine preserve and a national park.  A treat on the drive back to Melbourne along the stunning coast, was a walk through Great Otway National Park. A vast park, it’s not only known for its dramatic Great Ocean Road coastline, but also for its camping and surfing opportunities, rugged cliffs and sandy beaches. Should you be so inclined, it also offers a  Great Ocean Walk and Forrest Mountain Bike Trails, not to forget hidden waterfalls, a towering Redwood Forest, the historic (world’s oldest) Cape Otway Lightstation and abundant wildlife, including glow worms, wombats, koalas, kangaroos and platypus.

The soothing stroll through a temperate rain forest shaded by gigantic fanning tree ferns beside a tinkling creek was a welcome surprise.  A stop in Victoria at Apollo Bay where bathers frolicked in turquoise waters garnered a lunch of Barramundi, a large silver sportfish, known for its mild buttery flavor.

I loved Melbourne with a  free  hop-on, hop off trolly that takes you around the city center. It is a walking town with charming eateries on shady lanes. You can take a boat ride up the Yarra River to a sprawling botanical garden displaying indigenous trees, plants and flowers. Enjoy a picnic beside a pond dotted with lotus blooms. It is easy to have fun in the second largest city in Australia.

#2.  Telluride, Colorado

Colorado Street in Telluride, Bridal Veil Falls is in the distance. Photo courtesy of Linda Balllou.

Tucked into a box canyon, the town of Telluride backs up to Bridal Veil Falls spilling down a 2,400-foot headwall. Sensitive to the fact that I live at sea level, my Telluride hiking guide from San Juan Outdoor Adventures drove us up a rocky jeep trail to a trailhead overlooking San Miguel Mountain Park. Breathtaking vistas of 14,000- foot peaks in the distance were the reward.

The undulating Waterline Trail meanders through groves of Aspen basking in celestial light, and forests of Juniper and Pine.  My guide picked a few wild raspberries for me to try and pointed to the distant snow-crowned Mt. Wilson (14,000 ft) where he guides advanced climbers to the top.

The trail deposited us near my lodging at the Aspen Tree Inn, located a block away from the gondola station where guests enjoy free lifts to Mountain Village and the trailhead to the River Walk—a delightful and easy three-mile amble along the San Miguel River. The Inn is walking distance to a dozen eateries and shops on Colorado Street which are gussied up with twinkling lights and baskets bulging with flowers.

#3.  Glacier Bay-Alaska

A sparkling blue-white shot a Glacier Bay. Photo courtesy Glacier Bay Lodge

If you only have one day in Alaska, I recommend you spend it at Glacier Bay. It is a microcosm of everything wonderful that Alaska has to offer.   I recommend you experience it aboard a 150-passenger catamaran. This allows you to be up close and personal to marine life, thousands of sea birds and land animals on the shore. Keep your eyes peeled for bear, mountain goat, and moose on land.  You pass Marble Rock where a colony of massive Sea Lions lord over colonies of sea birds that include puffins, murres, cormorants, guillemots, kittiwakes, and magnificent bald eagles.

Surf scoters, black and white sea duck that breed in Alaska and northern Canada and winter in large flocks on coastal bays and estuaries, darken the sky as they lift in thousands before the boat cutting through metallic water. Flocks of black oystercatchers join them in a fluttery curtain.

The bay is framed in the frosty Fairweather Range with jagged teeth reaching 16,000 feet to pierce cerulean blue skies.  The small size of the boat allowed the captain to nestle us into the “bergy brew” at the base of John Hopkins Glacier.  He then cut the engine so visitors could listen to the glacier calving. The base of the glacier is the nursery for thousands of seals who give birth on floating berg bits away from the threat of orcas. This incredible opportunity to see magnificent wildlife is a short flight from Juneau, Alaska to Gustavus where a shuttle from the Glacier Bay Lodge, operated by Goldbelt, a native corporation, will be waiting.  They offer a bed and breakfast boat tour package.

#4.  Sedona, Arizona

Moderate year-round temps and easily accessed, well-groomed trails through glorious scenery make Sedona a trekker Mecca. Sprinkled throughout  the region are points of power that were recognized by the ancient ones and rediscovered in the 1970s by New Agers. It hasn’t been proven that the electromagnetic energy here is significantly greater than anywhere else, but testimonials of thousands of visitors keep the tradition alive.

Hikers in Boynton Canyon, Sedona, Arizona. Note the red rocks. Linda Ballou photo.

Millions flock from around the globe to absorb subtle, rejuvenating properties. No special effort is needed to enjoy the calming effects of Sedona, but those who seek out recognized vortexes and meditate while sitting on one increase their chance of amplifying desired effects.

Sandstone hoodoos, buttes, mesas and cathedral like buttresses float on a purple horizon. Stay here long enough and you might find yourself thanking the Great Spirit for these wonderfully imaginative creations. Signs of successful vortex adventures are eyes blazing with intensity and a soft, relaxed manner.

There are 400 miles of well-groomed hiking trails in Sedona offering a chance to commune with nature. My favorites are Soldiers’s Pass, a six-mile bun-burning loop with soul-stirring views of Sedona valley framed by Coffee Pot Mountain and the West Fork Creek Trail tracing a chattering creek, which offers shade in the summer months and colorful foliage in the fall.  Don’t go the airport for sunset unless you want to join a host of tourists snapping selfies.

#5.  Botswana, South Africa

There are many fantastic safari opportunities in Africa, but it is hard to beat the parks in Botswana for animal sightings. This is an excerpt from my article Botswana Highlights on the Ultimate Safari.

A couple of lions Linda Ballou enjoyed capturing on her Botswana trip.

“It’s late May in Chobe National Park, Africa’s third largest wildlife preserve, and creatures great and small are fat and sassy. Tall golden grasses are plentiful. They are the favorite of the many herds of massive elephants and a host of antelope along with Cape buffalo, zebra, and more. The sable with its handsome striped face, the kudu with its elegant curled horns, and the seemingly thousands of impalas all glow with good health.

“They look at us in our open-air, tiered safari vehicle with curious eyes as we trundle along deeply-rutted sand tracks through the park. Giraffes stare with soft, round, chocolate eyes sheltered in three-inch lashes posing nicely, and then turn to splash through the waters of the Chobe River in a gangly display of limbs and towering necks, as they gallop away. A saddle-backed crane with his striking red beak pokes through the reeds along with gray crowned crane and spindly avocet.

“The animals show off their young this time of year. Month-old elephants hide beneath mother’s belly while the big-eared offspring of the baboon ride on their mother’s back. The proud father of young impala herds his harem away from us as they kick their heels high in the air practicing getaways from predators. A parade of gray giants crosses our path to reach the clear waters of the Chobe where they linger in the green grasses. After a night’s hunt, a husky, black-colored male leads a pride of fourteen lions to shade where they will sprawl for the day.”

#6.  White Mountains of New Hampshire

This handpainted sign and sculpture Linda Ballou found in the White Mountains really draws in visitors.

Each Fall, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, bronze, gold and burgundy leaves float on a scintillating breeze. The Basin-Cascade trail starts as a stiff climb beside a raging torrent that ends at sapphire-blue Lonesome Lake. A lazy amble back down the mountain through a beckoning tree-tunnel brings you to a stroll on a leafy carpet along the Pemigewasset River and back to the Basin. This idyllic day is with me still.  The leaves fall like confetti wafting on a gentle breeze. The air temp is about 65, perfect for hiking. There seems to be a waterfall around every bend in the well-marked trails. I feel blessed that I was able to know this gorgeous region at the perfect time of year.

There are numerous outdoor adventure companies like Backroads that offer guided hiking tours in the region. But you can hike on your own with the aid of the All Trails App.  You can also ask ChatGPT for popular trails around Conway, New Hampshire to receive detailed information. I really enjoyed the Diana’s Bath an easy romp that takes you toLucy Brook Cascades,  a series of small waterfalls and cascades .

#7,  Iki Crater Hike in Volcano National Park

Pele, Godess of the volcano. Image by Herb Kane

I don’t  have a specific article written about my time hiking in Iki Crater. But I was so taken by the experience I included details of that other worldly walk in my novel Wai-nani: A Voice from Old Hawai’i. In the book, Wai-nani follows closely behind Makaha down the switchback trail lined with frilly ferns and red laulau blossoms though the misty rainforest. It continues across the lunar landscape marked with rock cairns avoiding steaming vents.

The trail ends at the Thurston Lava Tube, once shelter for the mythical, shy and industrious Menehune people. It is a great day hike down into and across a solid lava lake in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  You can still see steam from the vent that built the Pu’u Pua’i cinder cone. The trail has some sections of hot lava rock, so make sure you wear proper footwear. No flip-flops please.

The Kilauea Volcano has been very active recently. It is best to check with the Volcanoes National Park for the status of the trail. The All Trails app is extremely helpful as there are comments from recent hikers about the condition of the trail. There is a small fee for this app, but I find it extremely helpful.

This is their description of the track.

Kilauea Iki Trail is a 2.6 kilometer moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Volcano, Hawaii, Hawaii that features beautiful wild flowers and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and bird watching and is accessible year-round.

I hope this helps you get a few more ideas for adventures in 2026.  Please– for your health– toss those clickers and get outdoors.

Linda Ballou Freelance Writer

Linda's mission is to experience as many beautiful places on our planet as she can before they are no more. Travel tales relating her experiences while kayaking, horseback riding, sailing, birding and hiking about the globe have appeared in numerous national magazines. She had great fun collecting travel stories, and profiles of people she met in “naturally high places” for her book, Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales. Her latest book Lost Angel Unleashed is the third book in her Lost Angel Trilogy

Go to LostAngelAdventures.com for more adventures.

For more about Linda’s novels and media offerings go to. www.LindaBallouAuthor.com