Seven Alternative Wonders of the World

Everyone's heard of the pyramids, Eiffel tower and the Great wall, but here are seven alternative Wonders of the World to visit on your travels!

Ajanta Caves - India

These are 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. Dating from 2nd Century BC, the caves include paintings and sculptures described as "The finest surviving examples of Indian art".

Sedlec Ossuary - Czech Republic

Sedlec Ossuary is a small Catholic church located underneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in Sedlec, Czech Republic. The Church contains the remains of between 40,000 and 70,000 humans. The skeletons have been artfully arranged to create the decoration and furniture for the chapel. The church is one of he most visited tourist attractions in the Czech Republic, attracting over 200, 000 visitors annually.

Leshan Giant Buddha - China

The Leshan Buddha is a 71-metre tall stone statue located at the confluence of the Minjiang,Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China.Constructed from the year 713 to 803 it was hoped the statue would calm the river which destroyed many shipping vessels on the river.

Aurora Borealis - Northern Hemisphere

The Aurora Borealis or 'Northern Lights' is a natural light display which can predominantly be seen in Northern regions such as Norway or the Arctic and are caused by charged particles entering the atmosphere causing ionisation to occur.

Petra - Jordan

Petra is a historical and archaeological city in southern Jordan.The city is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system dating from as early as 312 BC. 

The Phi Phi Islands - Thailand

The Phi Phi Islands are a group of islands consisting of huge limestone rocks located between the island of Phuket and the Western Strait of Mallaca of the mainland. The islands were also the filming location for The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Saint Basil's Cathedral - Moscow

Saint Basil's Cathedral is a museum located in Moscow's famous Red Square. It was built from 1555-1561 on orders from Ivan the Terrible and was the city's tallest building until the completion of Ivan the Great Bell Tower in 1600.

Leave us a comment if you have been to any of these landmarks or can think of any others!

Gap Year Travel Ideas

Every student desperately wants to take a gap year and travel the world, however very few of us actually follow through with the plan. Limited funds and a struggle to find friends also able to go holds thousands back every year, but there may be hope for us yet. 

Several organisations now exist who cater travel plans for young people; arranging everything from accommodation, activities and catering for clients. Social media is also adopted by these companies to allow travellers on the same journey to interact with and get to know each other before leaving, easing the fear of travelling to the other side of the world alone.  

Contiki Holidays is one such company offering young people the opportunity to customise trips to suit their requirements and allowing travellers to interact with one another before departing.

Contiki Holidays

About: Founded in 1962, Contiki tailors holidays for travellers aged from 18 to 35 and arrange trips to destinations including: Europe, Asia, Latin America, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

What’s included: Travellers can expect twin shared accommodation, Meals and transfers to be included in their package; along with guides and a comprehensive schedule of activities for their chosen destination.  However travellers are required to book flights independently as Contiki have no options of including travel in their packages.

Price Range: A wide range of travel packages are on offer to suit most budgets, prices vary from £185 for 2 day UK trips to £2460 for 2 week visits to Japan.

Networking: Additionally, Contiki offer customers use of their ‘Meetup’ service. Basically this is a forum for all those who are travelling with the company, allowing travellers to speak with and get to know the others who will be taking part in the trip from around the world. This makes the service attractive to individual travellers who may be nervous or apprehensive about booking a trip as they will have the opportunity to get to know others before leaving.