In a previous piece, I shared the secrets of how I traveled the world while playing poker.

Have you lived as a Poker Nomad like me? I’m sure you have a few favorite spots where you cherish moments that still make you smile when looking back.

Special list for The Poker Traveler

1. Easter Island, Chile

You’ve probably seen the big stone heads scattered across a small island, on the internet. Standing in front of them was the last “aww” moment I felt during my travels. Easter Island is the most excluded island in the world, the history, scenery, and culture make it a “must-see” for anyone looking for those special places on earth.

This was one of those trips I mentioned in a previous blog. I was living in Medellin, Colombia, and Easter Island was on my wish list for a few years. So after 10 weeks of hardcore poker grind, I decided to reward myself with a week offline to visit this magical destination for a poker travel journey.

2. Antarctica

From the moment you board the ship in Ushuaia, Argentina, your Arctic experience begins, even though it still takes you two days to get to the continent through the rocky Drake’s passage.

If you’re lucky enough like I was, you’ll see some Orca’s, Humpback whales and Albatrossen while you’re headed to the coldest place on the planet. This experience was on my bucket list for years and I finally decided to book it during the bull run of Bitcoin in 2017. Not a bad way to spend some BTC’s.

If you’re looking to spew a bit of poker money away for an unforgettable journey, this is the trip you should be looking at. You’ll find a new appreciation for nature, ice and the colors white and grey.

I booked my trip through an Agency that offers several tours for the 7th continent experience.

3. Nepal

Are you as much into mountains and hiking as I am? The Himalaya mountains in Nepal are mesmerizing. I’ve not hiked the famous Mount Everest trail to the basecamp, but I spent my days in the Annapurna circuit which is often voted as the best trekking area in the world. You can start trials of a few days up to hikes that last 3 weeks, depending on your pace naturally.

Catching a few sunrises over the snowy mountain tops are part of my favorite travel memories. Regardless of the cold, it’s well worth it to muster the energy to hike to a mountain top in the dark.

In addition, Nepal is a very cheap country to travel in. With friendly people, good food (that Dal Bath!), temples and wildlife.

The biggest downside for me was the pollution in Kathmandu. Definitely don’t spend too much time in the capital, unless you like smog.

4. Cook Islands

Looking for some exclusive island experience? Then add the Cook Islands to your travel list. The island group is in the Pacific, with Rarotonga as the main island. You can find honeymoon bounty type beaches, with wooden houses that are built in the ocean. Scuba Dive with turtles, sharks, and whales and do a jungle hike across the island. Definitely a place you’ll remember. 

During a scuba trip, I heard humpback whales, while I was 30 meters deep in the waters. We went looking for them, swimming in the direction of the sounds, however, I never got to see them. From the boat, our captain said he saw them come above the water near us and he couldn’t believe we missed a 12-meter long mammal. After a hot chocolate on the boat, I tried to forget about it. Just hearing them was a unique moment I’ll remember. 

Later in the week, I saw a few whales from the porch of my oceanside Airbnb. Not the same as seeing them underwater, but I crossed off “whale watching” in Rarotonga.

If you’re a Highroller poker traveler start looking for flights to Raratonga.

5. Trip From Capetown to Victoria Falls

A popular trip in the southern part of Africa is to go from Capetown (south-Africa) to the Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe). During the 20 day trip, you go on safaris to see all kinds of wildlife, you visit sand dunes and deserts in Namibia and go on the water in the delta of Botswana. As you can read, it’s a very diverse trip and with the right group of people, you’ll have the time of your life.

I booked a camping tour through a company called “nomads”. Just the name already made me feel it would fit me. I ended up with a group of 25 people, most of them were between 20-35 years old and we created a memorable trip together. It might not be the luxury that you’re used as a poker traveler, but the experience will compensate for that!

This trip has a few of my favorite travel moments of the year. With my personal highlight of the trip, swimming in the Victoria Falls on the Zambia side of the largest waterfalls of Africa. The intense sound of all that water falling over the edge, while you’re just sitting there still gives me goosebumps thinking about it. With a rope that you can barely call “secure” and an African guide that is jumping on the rocks to get me some good photos for social media. This place is called the “Devil’s pool”, for a good reason.

Looking to build an itinerary for a poker traveler?

Schedule a meeting or call with me or my team to discuss your dream location and what to do there. With our combined travel experience, we can layout the perfect holiday for you. From activities, restaurants, plane tickets to accommodations. If you want, we can even find you some live poker games to earn some extra money. We know what poker nomads need and want!

Don’t get all the travel stress and let us do the heavy lifting for you, so you can continue dreaming about your perfect vacation.

What is your favorite location to travel to? let me know in the comments below.