by Matthew Allison | Feb 4, 2019 | Mexico, North America
The World’s Largest Cave Shaft February 2019: Over a decade and a half ago, I watched the nature series Planet Earth on Discovery Channel. The episode on the worlds greatest caves opened with the narrator, famed English naturalist David Attenborough, saying...
by Matthew Allison | Dec 30, 2018 | Asia, Middle East
Saudi Arabia: The Once-Impossible Journey December 2018: For years, Saudi Arabia topped my list of must-visit destinations, but as a country closed off to tourists, it remained an impossible dream. The birthplace of Islam, home to Mecca, and ruled by the powerful Saud...
by Matthew Allison | Dec 23, 2018 | Europe
December 2018: On my way to Saudi Arabia-Entering the Kingdom as One of the First Foreigners to be Issued a Tourist Visa to Explore Desert Caves Only Known to Local Bedouin, Saudi Arabia | Venture The Planet, I had an 8-hour night stopover in London. It felt fitting...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 27, 2018 | Africa
November 2018: As part of a larger two-week trip across North Africa-North Africa | Venture The Planet, my friend Richard and I spent a few days in Tunisia with the goal of visiting the picturesque blue-and-white Mediterranean village of Sidi Bou Said and the...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 20, 2018 | Africa
November 2018: The time had finally come for me to visit Algeria, a country notorious for its visa and access difficulties, much like Libya, Eritrea, and Saudi Arabia. I had postponed the trip for years, having already explored the Sahara in Libya, and I wasn’t eager...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 10, 2018 | Africa, Asia, Middle East
November 2018: As part of a larger North Africa trip, my friend Richard and I visited Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula. The Sinai is technically in Asia, even though it is part of Egypt, which is in North Africa. The Sinai is a vast mountainous desert where the Bible...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 10, 2018 | Africa
November 2018: Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, is a city long synonymous with war. It conjures images of terrorism, kidnappings, piracy, and the brutal urban combat depicted in Black Hawk Down. On paper, it’s hardly a compelling list of reasons to visit. Yet, for...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 9, 2018 | Africa
November 2018: Sometimes I visit a region simply because I’m in the area, and it would feel like a shame not to at least pop over for a visit—just in case I never have the chance to return. That was exactly the case with Western Sahara. I was in Mauritania to ride the...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 3, 2018 | Africa
November 2018: My friend and I were on a cross-country, multi-nation journey across North Africa-North Africa | Venture The Planet, aiming to explore new countries neither of us had been to before. With only three days in Mauritania, I wanted to make the most of our...
by Matthew Allison | Oct 23, 2018 | Africa, Middle East
I can never be bored with Egypt. There is always something new to be discovered besides the main tourist attractions like the Giza Pyramids, which I am also happy to visit every time I am in Egypt. If I have time I always try and either visit the Giza Pyramids because...
