Bill Wiatrak is a travel author, entertainer and video producer of travel content. He is visiting every country in the world.
I can’t stop thinking about Hawaii. I love visiting faraway islands on the other side of the globe, but there’s something to be said for America’s chunk of tropical paradise in the Pacific. Not only does everyone speak English, but you don’t have to change money and you can still go there even if you’ve forgotten to renew your passport...
Austin is a city unlike any other in Texas. With it’s west coast vibe, music scene and hipster culture, there’s a lot of different travel choices you won’t find in Houston or Dallas. Gentrification is the buzzword the locals use for the new spaces popping up as older properties are repurposed, remodeled, or rebranded to fit with the city’s...
I was taking a selfie outside Jon Bon Jovi’s childhood home in New Jersey. The place looked like all the other houses nearby, except Jon had grown up there, learned to play the guitar and had later given the house away in a rock and roll contest. I felt a little like George Carlin’s character in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure when he pops in to check...
Back to the Future is considered by many to be one of the best movies ever made. Besides a great story-line, the film is full of endearing characters, great comedic moments, adventure and it’s a movie that never fails to entertain me. I love visiting filming locations and I was in the perfect place to visit the best BTTF spots, Los Angeles. DeLorean from BTTF –...
The water was a little rough as we rounded Kamala Point on the south coast of Kauai. I knew there was a reason the place looked familiar. After all, it WAS the same spot where Harrison Ford’s character got marooned with Anne Heche in the film 6 days 7 nights. Our boat crew grabbed two 5-gallon buckets from the hold and I assumed one of the girls in the back had...
Anthony Bourdain said this about Japanese food: “There’s a level of perfectionism, attention to detail, quality ingredients and tradition and technique unlike anywhere else”. Zuboraya Restaurant- Photo by Bill Wiatrak I have to agree. The food in Japan is epic. A simple trip to the grocery store uncovers aisle after aisle of gastronomic treasures...
I’d been contemplating a trip to the UK. Not just a stopover in London (which can be awesome) but a visit to some places off the beaten track, particularly the crown dependencies. If you have no idea what they are, you’re not alone. Three islands, Jersey, Guernsey and Man have this rare title. They aren’t part of Europe and they’re not technically the UK. They are...
“I found her” my travel partner exclaimed. We were wandering through a Liverpool cemetery looking for one of the most recognized names in music; a person whom Paul McCartney had claimed he’d made up, but happened to share the same name as the woman on a gravestone at the very church where John and Paul had met: Eleanor Rigby. Eleanor Rigby’s Name Can be...
THE LONG ROAD TO HANA “Make sure you do the Road to Hana”! someone told me for the 11th time. Like the others before, their eyes briefly glazed over as if they were talking about El Dorado, the lost city of gold. What was so magical about this road that sounded like Bing Crosby/ Bob Hope movie? I Googled it. Most reviewers seemed to love the twisty road...
When I first heard of Chimp Haven, I was more than surprised. This chimpanzee sanctuary is the largest in the world and is located in Louisiana, a state known for very strict wild animal laws. I love primates. My travels have taken me to Madagascar to see lemurs in the wild, Malaysia to visit orangutans, and I even have tracked silver backed gorillas in The Congo...