" Michael's Travel Logue " MikeAtSea's Profile

Welcome to my Virtual Travel Page.
I have made travel my passion of life. I obtained a tourism degree in travel from a Swiss and Austrian College and thrown myself into the travel industry for the last 20 odd years. For many years the tourism industry in Southern Africa and as senior officer onboard various cruise ships sailing the world.
Recently I was approached by a TV production house to host a travel program show casing the African continent through African Eyes - and now my adventure continues traveling to destinations in Africa showing off the African - or what I say the shining continent to the rest of the world!

By now I was able to travel to over 150 countries and with this gathered experiences and most important was able to open my horizon to new cultures and traditions. In 2011 and 2012 Rwanda, South Sudan, Ghana, Cameroon, Tunisia, Senegal, Malawi and Mozambique are on the itinerary plus a few other countries around the world.

Something that strikes me the most when visiting a country are its people. And at the way I receive hospitality in a foreign country is probably the most enjoyable factor of my visit – and one which fulfills a visit to me. I have visited regions of this globe with perceptions that very soon changed, being guided by the media or at times also travel companies.

I have done some crazy trips in my life – or so people say – but all the time I was able to see with my eyes the true side of a country, at times moving into slums, squatter camps or the poorest regions in Asia, South America or Africa, I have slept in some of the best hotels a city can offer and eaten in good restaurants but what was always important to me is to see the whole picture of a country, the glitter side, and those which do not glitter that much and to receive the real picture.

On these pages I am slowly but surely adding my experiences of the countries, regions and cities that I visited. I hope you find the information useful for your own travels and since I am always on the move make sure to visit back – since I will update this page continuously.

Every time I visit a foreign country I am let by words a seasoned traveler told me a few years ago: Travel with your eyes and your heart open – and be an ambassador of your country. With that in mind and heart I have gained some of the best and most memorable moments of my life.

My last highlight

Swimming with Pink Dolphins

Some of my favouritesat present are
Mahe, Praslin and La Digue pages.

Some of my VT pages include a comprehensive overview of Africa and experiences of my visit to Antarctica and my short exploration of Moscow

Make sure to re-visit since I update this web page all the time.

My Travel Plans for 2012

Meeting penguin chicks in Antarctica

In the next year I have the pleasure of exploring more of the African continent - including South Sudan the youngest country on the African continent. Watch this space for updates!

Some of the latest additions you can find on my travel map:
P'aju Korea
Qingdau China
Tianjin China
Burg Eltz Germany
Valletta Malta

My Top 5 Pages

In Bago - Myanmar

Currently 59 of my pages are listed as top 5, some of them are:

Lesotho
Maputo
South Africa
Kruger National Park
KwaZulu-Natal
Durban
Oudtshoorn
Swaziland
Kochi
Borobudur
Phi Phi Island
Sydney
Townsville
Vladivostok
Side
Rheinland Pfalz
Altenahr
Portofino
Cape Canaveral

Me flying on South African Airways

With all my travels to date I have flown almost a million kilometers around the world, if I calculate air speed and distance travelled I spent so far 47 full days at 30.000 feet and above. Over the years air travel has certainly changed, yet some airlines outshine others, and some are simply bad.

The good airlines I have flown with:
Nationwide (gone bust), South African Airways, Cathay Pacific, LAN Chile, Luthansa, Ethiopian Airlines, Gulf Air, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Finair, Swissair, British Airways, British Midlands, Air Malaysia, Thai Airways, Qantas, Luxair, Air Canada, Bangkok Airways, Rwanda Express Air, KLM, Air Dolomiti

The so so airlines I have flown with:
Alitalia, Air France, TAM Brazil, Air Gabon, Alitalia, Iberia, Olympic Airlines, Condor, Vietnam Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Air Madagascar, Air Botswana, Brussels Airways, Deutsche BA, Tunis Air, South African Express, Interlink Airlines

The bad airlines I have flown with:
American Airlines, LTU, China Air, Rossiya Air, Air Europa, Zambian Airways, Egypt Air, Air Seychelles

Intro Updated Oct 23, 2011
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Personal Pages (5)

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Comments (185)

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maysue Feb 10, 2013 at 1:39 AM

Happy Belated Birthday, Mike! Have a great year of travels!
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Donna_in_India Feb 8, 2013 at 6:19 PM

Happy birthday Mike! Hope your day was fun.
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SLLiew Feb 8, 2013 at 6:04 PM

Hi Michael, Happy Birthday. Cheers from Penang island, SL Liew :)
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angiebabe Feb 8, 2013 at 2:44 AM

Hi Mike, still doing some amazing travels its great to see! Been enjoying David Attenborough's new series Africa - a vision of beauty, fantastic photography. Hopefully I will get to see more of Africa in the limited time I will have spare this year otherwise will be back in China....all the best with the rest of 2013!
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hunterV Feb 8, 2013 at 2:09 AM

Hello, Michael! Happy birthday to you!
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kiwi Nov 18, 2012 at 2:17 PM

I think you should visit New Zealand to add to your adventures :-)
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Parisforless Feb 17, 2012 at 7:31 AM

It's never to late to wish you a happy birthday and many more to come!!!
Svetlana Bellon
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Hildeal Feb 10, 2012 at 2:47 AM

Happy birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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amsor Feb 9, 2012 at 2:54 PM

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag !
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RickinDutch Feb 8, 2012 at 3:44 PM

Happy Birthday Mike! How is the world of TV stardom treating you?