Southeast Asian beaches worth visiting

My first few years as a traveler were spent touring different islands around the world.

In my opinion, I can say that the most beautiful ones are in Southeast Asia as the region offers tourists many opportunities to enjoy both late night beach parties and vast areas of biodiversity along the seemingly endless coastlines of the region.

Here, I have listed down some Southeast Asian beaches you will not want to miss:

Image Source: tripadvisor.com

Koh Lanta, Thailand. My friends and I went to Koh Lanta during the island’s off-season. Its long, soft beaches offer lots of privacy. It’s very different from its neighboring islands because of its seclusion and pleasant bungalows, which in my opinion are better than the typical high-rise resorts found in Phuket.

Image Source: vietnameasytravel.com

Nha Trang, Vietnam. Nha Trang is easily accessible in Vietnam and is one of the most popular seaside resorts in the country. Despite its fast development, Nha Trang is more than a pretty strip of sand as it still captures the essence of a traditional fishing village with the local fishing community happy to cook the catch of the day at very reasonable prices. Furthermore, its beaches also have some of the best scuba diving spots in the region.

Image Source: travelonline.ph

El Nido, Philippines. This beach is naturally idyllic and alluring, immersing visitors in breathtaking white sand and turquoise waters. It is also an excellent place for adventure activities such as snorkeling and rock climbing on the nearby cliffs.


Bali, Indonesia. The beaches of South Bali are wide, clean, and busy. Other than its wonderful beaches, Bali is host to beautiful temples that are spread throughout the island, lending tourists a feeling of spirituality.

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Preparing for my 2014 adventures: Four factors I’m looking at for every travel destination

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2013 is about to end and I’m working on my final list of travel destinations for the upcoming year. You see, travel is really my passion (as you may have learned already from some of my Pete Scamardo travel blogs) and my way to relax away from the confines of the office.

In coming up with my final list, there are four factors I’m looking at before pinning on the map a travel destination worth my money and time:

Cultural richness: I would like a travel experience to also be a learning experience. What would be a better way to accomplish this than to learn about another country’s culture? A travel destination should impart knowledge. World heritage sites come to mind when I consider this factor.

Hospitality: The hospitality of people in a certain area is always a plus for travelers like me. Usually, before considering a travel destination, I read online reviews from fellow travelers who share their experience dealing with people in that particular place.

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Hotel accommodations: I usually research first on whether there are hotels near my travel destination and if the services they offer suit my needs. Finding a good hotel is important because it will serve as my new home for quite a while.

Foods: Yes, I consider food experience a huge factor in choosing my travel destination. There is always a plus factor if a place is known for producing certain types of delicacies.

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Some places I'd like to visit next year

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So, here we are: my first actual blog entry. I’ve been thinking about putting my thoughts and plans for travel on a blog but I haven’t been able to pursue it until now. Let me start then, with a little introduction.

You’ve randomly found Pete Thomas Scamardo’s blog! Hello! Welcome. As I’ve already mentioned, I plan to use this site as an idea dump for my thoughts on travel and my plans for the future. I am also planning to post some articles about travel and adventure from a few other sites and those might be more interesting to some readers.

Image Source: heraldsun.com.au

It’s nice to have something like this to remember all of my adventures by so I thought why not, eh?

I’m thinking that I should complement my introduction with a short list of the places that I’d like to visit next year. As always, I do my research around the end of the year and make a list of places that appeal to me. I recently found this list on switchbacktravel.com. From that, I have become interested in traveling to South Africa, Brazil, and Morocco.

South Africa is at the top of that list for me because right now I am all about seeing and being with wildlife. Brazil comes second because exploring the vast tropical wetland sounds just about the thing I’d like to do to unwind. Finally, Morocco is enticing because of its unique hiking opportunity. So there you have it. What do you guys think?

Image Source: switchbacktravel.com

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