Finding new destinations can be hard in today’s digital world where everyone is trying to sell you on something “new”. So, the editors at The Adventure Travel Network have teamed up to create a space highlighting the best destinations we have heard about and been to each week. These destinations can be far fetched locations that our editors and writers have fallen in love with or backyard hot spots that we just want to share with everyone. Regardless, these destinations are all wonderful places you should consider when planning your next trip.

Without further adieu, we give you the top destinations we are drooling over this week:

Our standards for testing and reviewing at The Adventure Travel Network:

Here at The Adventure Travel Network we have a dedicated group of testers who are required to live the experiences and adventures to be allowed to recommend them. Our recommendations are not sponsored, unless noted, and speak from the heart about every experience. Our aim is to share both the good and the bad so you understand what the experience would be like if you decide to partake. The only exception to this rule is if it is a news story, but then the writer will interview the person who did the adventure.

If you have any questions or comments about the products or reviews, you can write us at editors@the-adventure-travel-network.com

Week of January 6th, 2025

Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park

There is an age old debate if Glacier Point is said to be better at sunrise or sunset. My personal preference as a photographer is sunrise, but I would rather you head to Glacier Point and find our for yourself.

On a deeper note, than an endless debate, is the fact that Glacier Point was one of the locations that John Muir brought President Roosevelt to wow the president into turning Yosemite into a National Park. There is an iconic photo of the two standing on the edge of Glacier Point with Yosemite Falls pouring in the background. When I stand in that exact location at Glacier Point, I like to think of this image and thank John Muir for his dedication to this land and conservation. Without him, who knows what Yosemite would be.

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Week of Dec. 30th, 2024

Soldier Pass Cave in Sedona, Arizona

Sedona has a city I have returned to several times. I am not sure what exactly draws me back to this town of red dirt, but I find myself here at least once a year. On a recent visit, I hiked the Seven Sacred Pools just after a rain and continued my hike onward to the Soldier Pass Cave. After clinging for dear life on the side of a muddy hill, I finally made it to this cave that everyone rants and raves about on social media and Reddit threads. While I am typically not one to seek out social media spots, Solider Pass Cave caught my eye.

Once I reached the base of this cave, I realized just how massive it really is. Two large opening, one is accessible to scale inside, the other one might require a rope. While I am a rock climber, I opted for the easy scramble inside of the cave. Since I forgot my tape measure, I’ll eyeball and say this cave was 40 to 50 feet tall and 200 feet long. Massive! The entrance crack runs right through the middle of it and there is a “window” you can sit in. This seemed to be the social media photo glamour spot, so I didn’t last long.

Avoiding the crowds, I wandered to the other side of the cave and found a way to scramble to the top. Nobody was up here. Quick note: If you are not a confident rock climber, please don’t scramble to the top, it was dangerous. Soaking in the view from the top and the sun that was breaking through the clouds, I sat and smiled.

This was worth the hike.

Week of Dec. 23rd, 2024

The Luxor Temple glowing at sunset and lit up with lights for a night time tour. Photo by Dalton Johnson

Luxor, Egypt

Luxor is a “small town” with ancient roots. When you think about ancient Egypt, you are thinking about the ancient sites of Luxor like the Valley of Kings, Valley of the Queens, the Luxor Temple, the Avenue of Sphinxes, and the Temple of Karnak, just to name a few. This ancient holy site has enough to see along the Nile river that you could easily spend five days exploring the sites and feel as though you have not scratched the surface.

We chose Luxor, Egypt this week for our top destination for that very reason. The history. Known as Thebes during the Roman and Greek reigns of Egypt, this vast area will leave your mind itching to return to fifth grade to relearn your Egyptian history.

While there is not much pure adventure to be found in Luxor, you can get your heart rate to spike as you make your way underground at the Valley of the Kings and Queens exploring the excavated tombs. When here, make sure to soak in the fact that the paint you are looking at could be as old as 3,500 years. Yet, it looks as though it was painted last week.

Our founding editor, Dalton Johnson, just got back from a 10-day river cruise along the Nile and here is what he had to say about the trip with Abercrombie and Kent, “It’s hard to comprehend the timeline and scale of Egypt. The temples tower over you and as you look at the hyrogylphics you realize the temple took 180-200 years to build. It’s mind bending. However, if I didn’t have Mohamed Rehim as my Egyptologist guide, explaining what I was looking at, I don’t think I would have appreciated the temples and tombs as much because I just would not understand.”