Matador Network's Blog, page 1304

How to get a visa or passport fast

Engineering a space shuttle sometimes seems simpler than applying for visas. Between filling out dozens of forms, attaching a recommendation letter, and standing in a long customer-service line at the grocery store to get a money order, you’ve lost a day of your life. Minimum. Then you mail your passport to a foreign country and wait by the mailbox to someday get it back. God forbid you forgot to put your address in box 12 on page eight; your dream trip could be ruined.

In 2018, it should not be this complicated.

One Miami-based company is trying to do something about it. A tech startup devoted to simplifying the visa and passport application process, govWorks has developed a system to help you complete all that paperwork online and, for a fee, get that visa in 24 hours. It’ll do the same thing if you need a new passport or passport renewal at the last minute, with a streamlined, simple process that takes all the government inefficiency out of international travel.

So how does this all work?

Let’s say you thought it might be fun to visit Pakistan for a few weeks. Beautiful country, good on you for overlooking the stereotypes. You’ll head to TravelVisa.com and type Pakistan into the box asking for your desired destination, then enter your dates of travel, the type of visa you want (tourist in this case, but you can do this for almost any type of visa), and some personal information like your name and address.

Next, you’ll pay. Why are you paying before you’ve actually filled out any virtual paperwork? Because imagine you spend half an hour filling out forms only to realize your credit card is maxed out from that plane ticket to Pakistan, and now you’ve got to start all over. Kinda defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?

After your payment is accepted, you’ll fill out whatever forms (in digital format) the country requires, plus attach any letters of invitation, pictures, or other required documents. Govworks won’t let you complete the application until everything is filled out correctly, so there’s no risk of submitting this whole, complicated application and having it returned because you missed a checkbox.

For countries with eVisas, such as Australia, you’ll get your visa in as little as three minutes. For countries who don’t make it that simple — such as Pakistan — you can have it done in as few as 24 hours or as much as a week depending on how much you want to pay.

From there, govWorks sends the application to someone in its vast network of couriers in cities where your country has a consulate or embassy. Said courier drops your stuff off, has some lunch, then returns when it’s ready before sending it back to govWorks, which then sends it back to you. You’re updated the whole time on the progress of your application via push notification, like FedEx tracking with a little more immediacy.

If you’re not sure what kind of visa your destination requires, or if you need one at all, govWorks has a handy reference center right here. The cost will vary considerably by country and how fast you want your visa, but assume at least a few hundred dollars for standard service anywhere.

What about renewing and applying for passports?

This is also simple. More simple, perhaps, than the visa application process. First, you’ll go to either PassportCenter.com and select either a new or renewed passport. Once there, you’ll print and fill out your passport application, include any photos you need, and send it to govWorks using a pre-printed FedEx label.

From there, it works about the same. Govworks’ courier drops your stuff off with the State Department, picks it up, and sends it back to you when you’re done. Prices range from $99 for a renewal in 11-14 business days (still considerably shorter than the started 6-8 weeks) to $499 for 24-hour service. Renewals can even be done from overseas, though if you lose your passport you’ll still need to go to the nearest consulate or embassy for security reasons.

New passports are priced similarly with a base rate of $149 for eight to 10 business day service.

An old idea finally finds its time.

If you think govWorks sounds familiar, there’s a reason: the company was featured in the film “Startup.com” for burning through $60 million in venture capital money in three years back in the heyday of the dotcom bubble. But times have changed, and cheap flights have Americans traveling overseas in record numbers, so the idea has finally found its niche and seems to be doing well.

According to the company, govWorks has processed over 14,000 orders so far this year, generating $1.2 million in revenue in June alone. Whether or not that’s ultimately profitable remains to be seen. But if all you’re looking for is a simpler way to punch your ticket to Pakistan, then you don’t really need to concern yourself with startup valuation.

That said, govWorks is a private company and isn’t affiliated with any government agency, which may well be why it has been able to single-handedly bring the visa and passport application process into the 21st century. It’ll cost a little money, but any convenience in life is going to. And if you’re not a fan of paperwork or waiting a long time for anything, this is the travel godsend you’ve been looking for.


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The post How to quickly, simply, and efficiently get a visa or passport in as few as 24 hours appeared first on Matador Network.

Why we tried world schooling

From mainstream to world schooling.

When you find out that you’re becoming parents, one of the first things you begin pondering is your child’s education. We were just like any other mainstream parents. We were certain that we would send our children to public school, or maybe even private school.

Gradually, over the course of the first two years of our eldest son’s life, we became committed to attempting homeschooling. There was no defined path, but soon this transitioned into a practice called world schooling, which gave our whole family the freedom to travel the world while continuing our children’s educations — on a global scale. Whether you’re a skeptic or you’re considering this method yourself, here is everything you need to know about world schooling.

What is world schooling?

World schooling is saying yes to experiences and being open to letting those experiences teach your children — but on an international level. With a deeply rooted love of travel, culture, language, and other views, I want our children to know that love from their own experiences — to learn math from counting temple columns or see primary colors become secondary colors when looking into the teal of the sea.

The world is an exceptional classroom if you are open to what it has to offer. Therefore, world schooling means learning history where the history happened. Studying architecture from the Grand Canal in Venice. Learning to make pasta in Italy because there is no better place to learn. That’s what world schooling looks like to us, but the fact is, world schooling looks different for each family, and that’s the beauty of it.

There are many ways to do it.

A lot of factors go into how you will world school. The main one is money. How you travel is dependent on your access to income, so each family will have its own approach.

We are a family of five (mom, dad, boy 6, boy 4, and boy 19 months). My husband is a US Marine. We began world schooling when my husband deployed. He got on a ship for seven months, and the children and I got on a plane and left for 11 months.

We’re a common example of one person bringing home most of the bacon and the other doing the world schooling. My husband joins us for post-deployment leave abroad, and we meet him on his port calls whenever possible — such as when we were in the Mediterranean. Our ultimate goal is for the kids and me to live abroad four to six months a year.

Sky and his son, on the other hand, live in a large RV full time and move to a new state approximately every month. Twice a year they head abroad for a month. This is much less drastic than my travel choices, but it allows the international exposure that Sky wants for his son and allows Sky to work.

Rebecca and her family of four are based in New Orleans. They have very defined roots there, a homeschooling community they love, and her husband’s job as an ER doctor. In Rebecca’s words, “We save, travel, repeat.” They travel about four months out of the year internationally, typically as a complete family since her husband is able to take long vacations.

Another friend of mine, Robin, and her family of six travel full time, jumping from country to country as temporary house sitters. There are a million ways to world school and be successful at it.

You can world school your kids, too.

For those of you who are not committed to a sedentary career or a desk, becoming location-independent is key. Many world schooling families are writers, analysts, consultants, online teachers, and so on. All of these jobs allow you to be essentially wherever you like, as long as it has a decent WiFi signal.

There are also world schoolers who cover their room and board expenses through trade. These families do work-away-type programs. They trade room and board for helping with the olive harvest. They work on farms, help build permaculture communities, or trade working as hostel front desk staff for beds to sleep on. Robin, for example, does international house sitting. There are pet sitting and nannying opportunities, as well.

To decide what works best for you, write down what values or worldly knowledge you want your children to have. Identify what region of the world you think best fits your needs and begin planning. We saved for a full year before we could afford our first international adventure. Just because you have a career that you cannot walk away from doesn’t mean that world schooling is not achievable. There is a way.

Downfalls to world schooling.

Like all things wonderful and adventurous, there are challenges. For us, the most difficult thing about world schooling is finding something for everyone all the time. There is a lot of give and take to keep yourself and the children happy.

One of my children adores nature, open spaces, and farms — but he often acts out in museums because he’s not interested at all. Our older son loves architecture, history, and science. There will be very few times when everyone is truly happy. With a little practice, you can find ways to engage the uninterested party, but it’s an example of the challenges you’ll face.

You may also be frustrated that your kids, especially young ones, can’t always appreciate the opportunities you are putting in front of them — and may not until they have their own children. Standing in front of Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria Accademia in Florence the other day, one of my kids was crying because he’d seen a pink statue of David souvenir in a store and thought the real David would be pink.

The other world schooling downfall is that of friendship. To prevent months of isolation, seek out regions of the world with excellent homeschooling communities, Steiner communities associated with a Waldorf education, and areas with lots of children. Having other kids around is a major contending factor in choosing a location, as well as keeping everyone in love with the experience.

It is worth the work.

You may have a rough start. You may spend a quiet night questioning this decision, but there will also be all the moments that confirm your choice. We’ve had injuries, bad rentals, and severe weather. Yet yesterday, my six-year-old was taking in a magnificent view of Florence, and after a few moments of silence said, “The only thing missing is souvlaki (Greek kabob) and good cheese.”

Kids learn things about a culture and people much more thoroughly than we do as adults. They become food connoisseurs and forget about chicken nuggets. They learn to appreciate simple things like a slow morning and an empty street.

It can be scary abandoning your comfort zones, but the grind will always be there if you want it. The opportunity to world school your children, whether they are four or 16, is a brief window of time. There is a lot to learn outside of the four classroom walls we have grown comfortable with. Start small, like with a few weeks in an apartment somewhere new to you, and see how your own plan unfolds. Chances are, you’ll start planning another longer, greater adventure. Maybe we will meet on the journey one day.


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The post Why we took our kids out of the classroom for world schooling appeared first on Matador Network.

Man cuts world's longest fingernails

At one time or another, you’ve probably looked at your nails and thought, “Hmm, it’s probably time for a clip.” Until recently, that thought never crossed Shridhar Chillal’s mind. Eighty-two-year-old Chillal from Prune, India, has been the proud record holder for the world’s longest fingernails. Ever since a teacher scolded him for breaking a nail in the classroom 66 years ago, Chillal hasn’t cut his nails once. Now that he’s finally decided enough is enough, Guinness World Records documented the process of sawing off a total of 29 feet of fingernails.

It comes as no surprise that Chillal’s long nails made him severely uncomfortable. In 2015, he told Guinness, “I am in pain. With every heartbeat, all five fingers, my wrist, elbow, and shoulder are hurting a lot and at the tip of the nail there’s a burning sensation always.” For his sake, we’re happy he decided to relieve himself of this self-inflicted pain, even if that means relinquishing his title as the man currently with the world’s longest fingernails.

The sawed-off fingernails will be on display at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in Times Square. So if Chillal’s story has piqued your interest, or you’re considering going for the record yourself and want a potential glimpse into your future, you can check out the nails firsthand.

H/T: Thrillist

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Living the Van Life in Byron Bay

Byron Bay, home of the Arakwal people, is traditionally known as Cavvanbah, which translates to “meeting place.” This former whaling town in New South Wales, Australia, has lived up to that name since surfers discovered the abundance of rideable waves. Following the surfers came the hippies, yogis, artists, musicians — pretty much anyone who wants to live an alternative lifestyle — and thus Byron has become a hub of counterculture and alternative lifestyles. This, combined with the area’s beauty, is why #VanLife is so popular here.

This is exactly why my husband and I came here. We’ve always loved the freedom and minimalism that comes with living a life on wheels. We found that housing was nearly impossible to find in Byron Bay anyway, so we decided to go for it: we bought a little home on wheels and rolled on down to Byron to live the ultimate van-life adventure. If you’re a free spirit as well, you’re probably going to want to park right next to us.




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Byron Bay is crazy popular. It was formerly a sleepy industrial town serving whalers and dairy farmers, but both industries came to a halt when whaling was outlawed and dairy started getting mass produced. Then, with the rise of surfing in the 1960s and the introduction of a far-out festival aptly named the Age of Aquarius in nearby Nimbin, a hippie-surfer commune was born. It was pretty quiet for awhile, but as backpacking picked up and long-haul flights became more affordable, Byron took off in the ‘90s and exploded by the early ‘00s.

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As such, the beaches, streets, stores, and campgrounds are always full of people. We could often only get a few nights here or there at any given campground. Sites can range anywhere from $15 a night with basic facilities to $50 a night for a powered site at a full-service campground. But the good news is that there are a lot of options, and they all offer something different - from the semi-stoned backpacker hub of The Arts Factory to the essentials of Belongil Fields or the refreshing cleanliness of Reflections Holiday Park, there is always a place to call home for the night.

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We picked up our rad Delica Starwagon - named after it’s sun/moon roof, which retracts for stargazing - in Brisbane. We fixed her up and outfitted her in a friend's garage, fueled up, and hit the highway, heading south to Byron Bay. We were sure to take it slow on arrival - we didn’t want to break any rules or cause trouble with our van. A good tip is to find other van-lifers and ask for insights into staying in the area.

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Once we started to feel settled, we began to explore. We learned quickly that the lighthouse is a literal beacon for the community. There are always people here running the surrounding trails or using the lighthouse as a base from which to watch the spectacular sunrise over the most eastern tip of Australia.

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Normally, for me, the effort to watch a sunrise is too great, but one perk of living out of a van was that we could sleep nearby (or a few minutes drive) and simply roll out of bed at dawn to watch the sunrise along the boardwalk. We’d grab coffees at the best cafe in town, Top Shop, and soak in the morning’s quiet and colors.

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The Julian Rocks are some very distinguishable rocks that can be seen from the shore. The site is a marine reserve, so the aquatic life is abundant. Depending on the time of year, people can swim with turtles, dive with manta rays, listen to humpbacks sing, or have a staring contest with a leopard shark. I personally stuck with the turtles.

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We noticed early on that stores in town would randomly be closed despite their posted hours, with signs that read, “Back in an hour.” We realized this wasn’t random at all: it correlated perfectly with when the surf was really getting good.

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Having a home on wheels means you’re free to come and go as you please. We’d often take off to explore the coast and hinterland during weekends and holidays when Byron was at its busiest. We didn’t have to go far to escape the crowds: Lennox Head, Ballina, Mullumbimby, and Brunswick Heads are all quieter (and more affordable) nearby options.

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We bought our van unconverted, so we were able to build it to suit us perfectly. We needed a bed, storage, workspace, and kitchen all in one tiny space. We built a bed on slats so we could have under-bed storage and also slide it into a couch/workspace. Flat shoe cabinets attached to the wall, and throw pillowcases on the back of the front seats made for easy access storage. We put the kitchen area in the back so we could pop open the trunk and cook standing up. And when we popped the sunroof at night to see the stars, well, that’s when it really felt like magic.

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An important part of van life anywhere is respecting the community, parking in designated areas, and disposing of waste properly. This is the real and unglamorous side of the lifestyle. Too often we saw people parking illegally for the night, being outrageously loud til the wee hours, and leaving garbage (or even human waste) behind. It can cause a lot of tension in the community and ruin the experience for others. So if you strike out and try van life on for size, do it - but do it right. Do your research and respect the community, the environment, and the rules that are in place. If you can do these, you’ll have a blast and avoid being a bother to anyone.

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Byron Bay was our home base for a whole year. We explored the coast, inland and around, but continued returning back to this welcoming little town throughout the year. When our time was up, we sold our van to a freshly arrived couple looking for the same freedoms we were. We heard they were going to drive it across and up the west coast. Wherever Stargazer ended up, we hope she’s making someone else as happy as she -and Byron Bay - made us.

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The post How we spent a year living our best van life in Byron Bay, Australia appeared first on Matador Network.

Southwest to stop serving peanuts

Southwest Airlines has long been associated with peanuts, serving the snack on their flights for decades, and even referring to their sale prices as “peanut fares.” Now, said snacks are going to be a thing of the past, as Southwest Airlines will soon stop serving peanuts on all their flights.

“Peanuts will forever be part of Southwest’s DNA,” the airline said in a statement, “However, to ensure the best on-board experience for everyone, especially for customers with peanut-related allergies, we’ve made the difficult decision to discontinue serving peanuts on all flights beginning August 1st.”

The new law is in response to the growing number of passengers with peanut allergies. Serving nuts to the public has become an increasing liability, with allergic reactions to peanuts causing 150 deaths and 2,000 hospitalizations in the U.S. each year. In a confined space like an airline cabin, even if an allergic passenger isn’t consuming peanuts, they are still at risk through inhaling particles in the air, and contact with other passengers.

In January 2017, a formal complaint was made to American Airlines after passengers claimed the carrier discriminated against people with allergies. As always, there are those groaning about the new rules and calling them hypersensitive. But is a small bag of peanuts really worth watching your seatmate have a potentially fatal allergic reaction?

H/T: Secret Flying

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Work as a sommelier in New Zealand

If you’re a wine connoisseur and looking for a profession that lets you flex your muscles when it comes to wine tastings and pairings, you might consider New Zealand as your next big opportunity. When you think about “wine country,” New Zealand might not be the country you had in mind, but its Marlborough region is as rich in sauvignon blancs as any other. Winemakers from the region — and in many other wine-producing areas throughout the country — are diversifying not only the winemaking process but also our palates. New Zealand might make for a unique wine vacation, but it also makes for a great career opportunity.

New Zealand-based Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas told the local website Stuff that his country is in desperate need of sommeliers in both service and retail. “We are probably 20 years behind the rest of the world in embracing what sommeliers can do,” he said, adding that, “restaurants also need to step up and start hiring sommeliers and not just food and beverage runners.” Douglas is one of 260 Master Sommeliers in the world, and the only one in New Zealand.

It might seem like a daunting prospect to move all the way to New Zealand to start your new life as a Master Sommelier, but if you’re truly dedicated to the life of a professional wine connoisseur, there are resources available to help. New Zealand Winegrowers have announced their 2019 Sommelier Scholarship, a summit in Hawke’s Bay designed to help existing sommeliers learn more about New Zealand’s wine industry, and take you one step closer to master status.

H/T: Food & Wine

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Southwest designs shark-themed plane

Flying sharks might sound like something out of Sharknado, but it’s going to become a reality thanks to Southwest’s new shark-themed Boeing 737 aircraft. Since it first debuted in the 1980s, Shark Week has proven incredibly popular as a marketing tool. In the past, Southwest gave one plane a shark-inspired look, but this year we’ll see all 737s getting the Shark Week treatment, each featuring its own species of shark. While the aircrafts will still display Southwest’s typical paint scheme, the nose of the jets will boast images of circling sharks and a 30th-anniversary Shark Week logo.

Southwest has also partnered with flight-tracking service FlightAware to allow people to track the shark-themed jets on FlightAware’s website. Starting Monday, you’ll be able to search for the shark jets by entering the tail numbers of the aircraft: Great White (N470WN), Hammerhead (N705SW), Mako (N961WN), Tiger Shark (N553WN), and Bull Shark (N947WN). Southwest is also hoping that its partnership with the Discovery Channel will help draw attention to the airline and its in-flight entertainment, which will feature Shark Week content for the length of the promotion.

In a statement, Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King said, “we are thrilled to celebrate Shark Week’s 30th anniversary in an even bigger way by launching an entire fleet of shark-themed aircraft and premiering a Shark Week episode onboard our flights.”

The sharks take flight on Monday and will remain active through August 31.

H/T: USA Today

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Travel and being in a relationship

Traveling with a partner can be a rewarding experience that creates lifelong memories and can even make your relationship stronger — that is, if you don’t totally screw it up before you’ve even left the airport. When done wrong, traveling as a couple can be a rough ride and potentially destroy the relationship by the time you circle back home. In order to dodge avoidable mistakes (and mutual outbursts of tears in front of tourist attractions) here are some are some strategies to help keep your relationship healthy while on the road.

1. Start before takeoff.

It’s best to involve your partner from the very beginning of the trip, and that starts with the planning process. While a surprise romantic getaway can be delightful, joint planning is a safer bet for success. If you’re having difficulty nailing down a destination, separately make a list of your top 10, compare notes and narrow it down to your top five in common. From there, take a look at budget and timelines until you find the perfect option. The same tactic can be used for pretty much everything, from accommodation to activities.

2. Divide and conquer.

The best part about traveling with a partner? You don’t have to do everything yourself. Divvy up your strengths. If you’re a whiz at flight schedules and bus routes but the thought of planning a hike stresses you out, split tasks accordingly. When it comes to packing, making a joint list can be helpful so you don’t a) accidentally bring two of everything, or b) worse, both assume the other person was going to pack toothpaste.

3. Make sure you’re on the same page about accommodation.

You both agree you want to have an “exotic” experience. Except for you, that means a hammock on a beach and a thatched roof, and for your partner, that means Egyptian cotton sheets and a hot stone massage. Check in with each other’s definition of what meets their standards, and make sure not to prioritize one extreme over the other. You may think you’re “winning” now when the argument rules in your favor, but the bitter attitude of your partner once you get there will yield a lose-lose experience.

4. Be honest about your travel goals.

If your partner’s primary concern is extreme R&R but you’re looking forward to a week of extreme sports, things might not go so well. Figure out what you can compromise on, and what’s an absolute, non-negotiable bucket list activity for you or your partner. We’re not saying you have to agree to go skydiving if you’re terrified of heights but if your partner is an adrenaline junkie, try to go out of your comfort zone and maybe hit the zipline.

5. It’s okay to spend time alone.

Does the idea of spending 24 hours a day with your partner in an unfamiliar place sound a little too close for comfort? You don’t need to be joined at the hip for the whole trip. It’s vital to build in some quiet time or alone time. A little separation to explore your own interests or just unwind will help you both keep your cool.

6. Think about safety logistics…

Chances are, your trip will go relatively smoothly, but you don’t want to be caught off guard in the case of an emergency. Make sure that each of you have a record of the others’ emergency contacts, health insurance information, and are aware of any health conditions that may affect your trip. Plus, you don’t want your relationship to spiral when one of you gets offended that the other didn’t know about their blood type or allergy to penicillin.

7. …and that includes your sex life.

If some hanky panky is on your itinerary, make sure you’ve thought about proper protection before boarding that plane. Male condoms are not easily available in all countries, and in some places, female condoms can be dang-near impossible to find, so it’s best to bring some with you if you normally use that form of protection.

If you’re on hormonal birth control, it’s best to make sure you have enough to last the length of your trip plus a couple days for possible travel delays, and make sure that it’s a current prescription clearly labeled with your name. It’s not always possible to fill a prescription while traveling, and, occasionally, female travelers to strictly religious countries may be barred from purchasing emergency contraception.

8. Communicate along the way.

It’s really easy to want to plaster on a happy face and cheery demeanor for the sake of the trip — but if you’re stressed, anxious, or annoyed, hiding your feelings from your partner is sure to result in a blowout. Check in with each other throughout the day and adjust your plans accordingly. It’s ok to ditch a tour because you’re tired, just address the stress openly and deal with it as soon as possible.

9. Archive the good, learn from the bad.

Once you’re home, unpacked, and slept off the jet lag, reflect on how the trip went. What went well? Those are your memories. What didn’t work so well? Those are your learning points for next time. Don’t let any single moment from the trip define your relationship, and, unless it’s a major red flag, don’t let arguments or grudges follow you back home.

10. Start planning for next time.

Sometimes after a big trip, you come home and…suddenly everything pales in contrast. Your hometown is boring. The food is boring. Uh-oh…your partner is even looking a little boring. This will pass, but the best remedy is to go ahead and start daydreaming about your next joint adventure — whether it’s cross-country trip in six months or a staycation next weekend.


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Visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina

Everyone is booking a trip to Montenegro nowadays, Slovenia is the trendy new outdoors hotspot, and Croatia is slowly turning into Balkan Disney World. This long-underrated region of Europe is more popular with travelers now more than ever — but one country continues to fly under the radar: Bosnia and Herzegovina. And yes, they’re one country.

On both my visits to Bosnia and Herzegovina I’ve been blown away by the natural beauty, the contrasting architecture, and the fascinating mixture of cultures that constitute this Balkanic country. With towering mountains, rivers so clean you can drink from them, and a history that’s both compelling and heartbreaking, a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina is one you will never forget.




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The most famous tourist attraction in the country, Mostar Old Town, which fans out from Stari Most. There’s also the Ottoman-style bridge across the Neretva river, which was reconstructed following the war.

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You’ll be slamming on the brakes to take photos of all the amazing lakes that litter the country, from Rama and its monastery to the mesmerizing colors of Jablanica. Go ahead, take as many pics as you want - mother nature has already Photoshopped all of these for you.

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The capital city of Sarajevo with its red rooftops and spires rising up the mountains is crammed full of history. From the assassination that started WWI to the bullet holes in the walls that remind you of the recent conflict, Sarajevo is a great starting point to understanding the nation.

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Not only does hiking through the mountains of the country provide an escape from the modern world, stopping in traditional villages such as Lukimor, where farmers have lived for hundreds of years, provides an opportunity to see a less spoiled way of life.

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Blagaj Tekija Monastery is in a small village just outside Mostar. The nearly 600-year-old building built into a cliff definitely deserves the detour.

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The clear, ultra-clean waters of the Neretva make for an awesome day of white-water rafting through a deep rock valley; the rapids can get up to Class IV.

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With a mix of Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs living in the country throughout its history, you’ll pass impressive mosques, synagogues, and churches in just a short stroll around Sarajevo.

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All around the country you’ll find charming villages built up the sides of mountains that are along the many rivers. Počitelj with its epic castle viewpoint is one of the best examples.

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Coffee is a big deal in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Here, conversation is as important as what’s in the cup. Head to Alma in Mostar where they’ll walk you through the traditional brewing process.

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The perfect place for kayaking or a swim, Kravica Waterfalls cascade into the Trebižat River and are quickly becoming one of the country's biggest tourist attractions.

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Throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, multiple medieval cemeteries and tombstone sights have been inscribed onto the UNESCO list due to their cultural relevance. Keep an eye out for them while trekking or driving along.

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Vjetrenica is the biggest cave in the country. Thanks to its many natural chimneys, it has its own wind flow. The cave stretches for more than four miles, but only a small portion is open to the public.

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The old train line that linked Mostar with Dubrovnik is long gone, but it has recently been converted into a bike trail. You can even sleep at the old train stations along the way.

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Bosnia has a thing with bridges. It doesn’t matter if they’re old or new, they link the country together over amazingly colored rivers and lakes, making road trips a mandatory experience.

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A small slither of beach in Neum provides Bosnia and Herzegovina with a coastal city. It actually splits up the rest of Croatia from Dubrovnik and has full EU borders on either side.

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Throughout the country, you’ll find abandoned buildings turned into street art and Yugoslavia monuments among overgrown plants, providing a reminder of the region’s recent history.

More like this: This video will make you want to visit Bosnia-Herzegovina right now

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Person tried to take snake on plane

It might not have been a bomb threat, but for passengers with ophidiophobia — a fear of snakes — this would be their worst nightmare. On Sunday, TSA officers in Miami International Airport caught a passenger trying to sneak a python onto a plane, inside a computer’s hard drive.

Sari Koshetz, a TSA spokeswoman, told the Miami Herald that, “upon the TSA officer’s discovery of the organic mass, one of our TSA bomb experts was called into the baggage screening room to investigate the innards of the hard drive and that is when he discovered the mass was a live snake.” We can imagine it was one of the stranger things the bomb squad had encountered.

Koshetz added that previously, pet snakes have been known to escape in planes and chew through wires, which could cause problems for the aircraft, as well as health issues for the snake itself.

The passenger was fined and barred from boarding the flight to Barbados. Perhaps most upsetting to the passenger, however, was that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services took possession of the snake.

This isn’t the first time someone has tried to creatively sneak snakes onto a plane in Miami. In 2011, a man strapped snakes and turtles to his body in an attempt to make it through security, and in 2012 a woman tucked a snake into her bra at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. In both instances, the “accessories” were confiscated.

H/T: Thrillist

More like this: Everything you need to know about your rights for flying with pets

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