After having visited Central Park, it was time to see more of Manhattan. Back in my hostel next to Penn station after the end of the free walking tour in Central Park, I booked a visit of midtown Manhattan, starting only half an hour after my actual booking....

That's it. It is time to leave everything behind, and go for the adventure of a lifetime, a tour around the world. What will happen? Where to start? Where to go? What to do? How to prepare? So many questions to answer before going, but, really, most of them don't even matter....

That's it, the big depart to start a world tour is coming. First destination, leaving from France, and staying at my sister for the night, is Luxembourg, from where a flight to Lisbon will be waiting for me. As my sister works there, she gave me a lift to Luxembourg on her way to work, and we had all the pleasure to enjoy the morning traffic jams....

As my layover from Luxembourg to New York on my world tour was 24h in Lisbon, I decided to book a hotel room in the city center, and stay there for the night, allowing for a city visit and a nice dinner in town - at least I thought so when I was planning the trip....

After visiting Luxembourg and Portugal, the next step of the world tour is outside of Europe, in United States. For that trip, I was first thinking about visiting only the warm places, South of the country....

For my first full day in New York, and in the USA, I booked a free walking tour in Central Park, the main outdoor park in New York City, and an iconic landmark of the largest city in United States. Before going to Central park, for which starting time was 9:45, I managed to book a meeting with the director of a company for which I am creating online SAP lessons, MichaelManagement, which happens to live in New York....

The online ad mediation agency Ezoic, which is a Google certified partner, organized a conference day at Google headquarters in NYC, and invited their publishers, among other people interested in the online publishing business....

The best part of my trip to New York, was that I would be there for the Saint Patrick's day parade, one of the most important event of the city of the year. A great way to spend a weekend in New York City as well!...

After 5 days in New York, including tours of Manhattan, some business meetings, and a party, it was time to leave for Orlando. The last morning in New York City, after 5 days there, and the feeling that I haven't seen anything yet. This city is so big and have so many interesting things to see, it would take several weeks to do all the interesting stuff: museums, city walks, parties, events, and much more....

The Universal Studios in Florida consists of two parks, the newest one being Islands of Adventure, a theme park around Universal films franchises, such as Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, The Hulk, Spiderman, Skull island reign of King Kong, or comics such as Popeye....

While I was staying near Orlando to enjoy the theme parks, my friend living in Miami joined with her boyfriend and her 6 years old kid, so we could all go together for a day at Disney's Magic Kingdom....

A day is enough to enjoy the great Universal Studios Orlando, which hosts a few high intensity ride, an amazingly fun Simpsons ride, and some more calm attractions in the Universal theme. The rides are covering many franchises, such as Transformers, Shrek, The Simpsons, Men In Black, Fast and Furious, The Mummy, Despicable Me, and more....

Landing in Orlando on a Sunday, the weather was definitely not as good as I would have expected, being for the first time in Florida and hoping for some sun. However, the dull weather was not an issue to enjoy the hotel....

For my trip to Vegas, the best friend of my cousin since childhood from France, that now lives in Vegas since a few years, offered to host me, which was a very nice offer. As she was working until 10 pm while I landed in the Las Vegas airport at around 7pm, I would first join her at her working place, and wait for her to finish her working day....

For my second day in Vegas, I wanted to explore one of the best free things to do in Las Vegas near Fremont street, see the praying mantis at what is called container park, an area made out of old containers, and access free....

Third day in Vegas, and time to walk down the whole famous Strip street! The street with all famous casinos and hotels in Vegas, is also the opportunity to enjoy drinks while walking outside, a thing forbidden in most of the United States, enjoy fun street shows, access roller coasters or malls, and have a great time under the sun!...

For my last full day in Vegas, we would take the car and go at the Valley of Fire, a state park in Nevada's desert, that must be visited by card, as it is so big that it would take days to walk around, and wouldn't anyway be possible in the heat....

Looking for the cheapest room in hotels near San Fran Union square, the best choice was the hotel The Urban, which is right in fron of Chinatown entrance, about a hundred meters away from Union Square, and is actually located in the best area to stay in San Francisco without a car, as everything around is at walkable distance, including cheap and free things to do in San Francisco!...

For my first day in San Francisco, I met up with a former CouchSurfer, that now lives in San Francisco, and was working at a walking distance from my cheap hotel in San Francisco downtown. I started by leaving my hotel near Union Square, The Urban, and went down to see Union Square for the first time after my arrival in SFO....

There are actually more types of food in San Francisco Chinatown than only Chinese food. You can find Chinese, Vietnamese, Vegetarian, American, and even Greek or Mediterranean. However, the best food of all are of course Asian in general, and Chinese in particular....

As I arrived in San Francisco for the first time, I looked up walking tours, and found the San Francisco in One Day walking tour, to which I registered. It required an upfront payment of US$7 which would cover the ticket to the famous cable car, as a ride on the car is included in the tour....

One of the must do activities in San Francisco, is the visit of AlCatraz, and it is definitely worth to visit. It is a former prison located on an island next to San Francisco city, and used to be the jail of the most dangerous American gangsters. It was famous for being the most secure prison in the world....

After having attended the San Francisco in one day walking tour, I registered for another one, also created and led by Britt, the Secrets, Scandals and Scoundrels tour. As surprising as it seems, during this other tour, we learned even more things in a shorter period of time!...

When arriving in Tahiti French Polynesia, 6th stop of my world tour, and my 49th country visited, my host at the Carlton Plage residence greeted me with a traditional fresh Tahitian flower necklace. But what is this Tahitian tradition?...

For one of my first days in Tahiti, we went to Papeete, to visit the municipal market, which is a Tahitian pearl paradise, a great location to buy local fresh food and fruits, and of the best place around to buy flower necklaces or floral crowns....

The best beaches in Tahiti are in Puna'Auia, as the only white sand beaches on the island can be found there - plus, it is a public and free beach, perfect for snorkeling as well. The beach is known locally as PK18, because it is located near the marker of the 18th kilometer from Papeete, but also has a more official name of Vaiava....

With 180 meters long, the private swimming pool of the most exclusive residence of Tahiti French Polynesia, the Carlton Plage residence, which ends in the best beach in Tahiti, one of the most remote and most beautiful island in the world, staying with this huge private swimming pool in the backyard is a unique experience by itself....

On the small island of Tahiti, it might be difficult to imagine that there is a nightlife... but it is actually pretty good! Of course, like everything in Tahiti, it is very expensive. Expect a cover of 1000XPF (8€/9$) in a club, and to pay that much for a drink....

Where to stay in Tahiti? The small island has limited accomodations option, and staying in Tahiti on a budget is nearly impossible... However, with our selection of the best places to stay in Tahiti, you will be able to find solutions for all kind of budgets!...

As Tahiti is one of the most remote island in the world, it might seem normal to ask what to eat there, as the food options must be different on a place so far from everything. However, as it is a French island, and it is relatively well connected to New Zealand, the food choice is actually pretty similar to what could be found in either France or New Zealand... except that all is far more expensive, around double price!...

Tahiti lagoon is a paradise for snorkeling, as all you have to do is wear your snorkeling gear, and go in the water - no more! Protected by a coral reef, the Tahiti lagoon paradise and its perfect transparent clear blue water is an amazing place to snorkel, as it safe, and has close to ideal weather all year round, only a little more hot and humid in summer, but still good enough to snorkel....

As it happens once or twice a year, Studio87, an event agency in Tahiti, organized a pool party at the Sofitel Tahiti, with Bob Sinclar as main guest's star. It was definitely a great event, and it was totally worth being in Tahiti on 13th of April for that party, the best pool party in French Polynesia!...

Staying in Tahiti, one of the most amazing spectacles there is to see are the sunsets, which are everyday more amazing than the previous one. Staying at the Carlton Plage residence, on the West side of the island, it was therefore very convenient to watch many amazing sunsets over the Pacific ocean from there....

After one 5 nights stay at an AirBNB in Ponsonby, and another 2 nights stay at a hotel in the center, it was clear that the best option, when possible, is to stay at an AirBNB, which is much much comfortable especially for the price paid, as Auckland is a very expensive city....

For my first full day in Auckland, I found the only free walking tour of the city, and that was a big surprise, mostly because... I've never seen a free walking tour with so many participants, there was about 25 of us....

The Auckland viaduct waterfront area is a small place on the harbour with many bars, restaurants, and clubs, perfect for a night out or a walk at any time of the day. I ended up going there many times, as it is the main meeting area for any night out in the city!...

One of the best fun things to do in Auckland at night, especially to meet new people and discover new places, is to join an even such as the Auckland's Frenzi Barcrawl, in which most of the participants are visitors staying at one of the nearby central hostels....

As the cost of living is pretty high in Auckland, it might be difficult to find good affordable places to eat in Auckland, New Zealand, especially when visiting and not knowing the area. However, there are plenty of cheap eat in Auckland in different parts of the city....

The choice of public transport options in Auckland, both for tourists and for locals, is pretty limited, with basically only buses as part of a city public tansportation system, and some trains and ferries to get around the country, but not so much inside the city of Auckland itself....

One of the great things to do in Auckland is to visit one of the many parks in the city, which usually are offering amazings views on the city, due to the fact that they contain steep hills. The Western Park Auckland Ponsonby, in the trendy district of Auckland, is one of these great places, where it is good to wander for several hours, and take the time to relax on the grass....

As the prices in New Zealand can be quite expensive, even in smaller cities like Rotorua, it is a good idea to consider private rentals like AirBNB and hostels, which offer affordable solutions for accommodation in Rotorua New Zealand....

Finding affordable and good food in Rotorua is actually possible, as some of the best places to eat in Rotorua aren't so expensive, and one is even known to be the best in the best in the country for fish and chips......

One of the best activities to do when in New Zealand, is to go white water rafting... and in Rotorua, to ride a 7 meters high waterfall, the world's highest drop in a commercially rafted river! To be sure to have a great experience, book with Kaitiaki Adventures, a local company that offers an amazing - and totally secure - white water rafting tour....

Hobbiton is the hobbit village in New Zealand that was used for the movie set of both the Lord of The Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy. For the first trilogy, The Lord Of The Rings, the Hobbiton village was built using temporary material, as they had no idea it would ever be used again - and the village was actually built on the private property of a farmer....

One of the nicest things to do in Rotorua is to visit the park of Wai-O-Tapu, also called a thermal wonderland, as it results directly from the exceptional geothermic and volcanic activity in the area, which is pretty unique in the world....

Unknown by most tourists, there is actually of free historical walking tour organised by the local government and the museum in Rotorua, everyday at 11am and 2pm! To join the tour, no need to register. Simply be in front of the Rotorua Museum Government Garden building, actually under renovation, on time for the tour, and follow the guide!...

Featured in the 202 great walks book, is the walk along the city on the Rotorua lake walkway, also called the Hatupatu drive. One of the best walks to do in the city of course, and that can be done for free, during the day, as the path is not enlighted at night....

Arriving in Brisbane for the 8th stop of my world tour, I found out that the easiest way to go from Brisbane airport to the city center for a reasonable price is to use the Brisbane Airport train for a reasonable price....

For my arrival in Brisbane, Australia, my 51st country every visited and the 8th stop of my world tour, I started by staying 2 nights at the Novotel Brisbane, which is a hotel near the central station Brisbane, directly accessible by train from Brisbane airport for a good price....

For the remaining 5 days I had in Brisbane, during the new football national championship that was being held in Brisbane for the first time, there wasn't much choice for a private room under 100$ in Brisbane....