A Guide to Adventure

Escape to this island paradise with me!  5. Bora Bora  The small island of Bora Bora (just 6 miles long and more than 2 miles wide) overflows with beauty. Dormant volcanoes rise up at its center and fan out into lush jungle before spilling into an aquamarine lagoon. In fact, author James Michener, who wrote "Tales of the South Pacific," called Bora Bora "the most beautiful island in the world." The 18th-century British explorer James Cook even coined it as the "pearl of the Pacific." The very definition of a tropical getaway, blissful Bora Bora abounds with luxurious resorts, sunny skies, warm waters and friendly locals. Many of Bora Bora's beaches are manmade and not much to write home about. The pristine lagoons are another story. 4. St. Martin - St. Maarten If you associate the Caribbean with a laid-back atmosphere, a tranquil beach and a quiet sunset, then you haven't been to feisty St. Martin and St. Maarten. W...

Today's random fact is more about awareness than randomness. Ever since the movie 'Jaws' aired, and the more recent 'Shallows' movie, there has been a misconception that sharks kill hundreds of people per year. That is simply not the case. In recent years the South Eastern Coast of the United States has seen a rise in shark attacks, although not many were fatal, it is still enough to bring about the fear that sharks are just waiting in the shallows for their potential prey.  Sharks have a PR problem that might be hurting their chances of survival. A study from two years ago found that a majority of the media coverage sharks get involves attacks on humans, and doesn't reflect how rare these encounters actually are. In 2012, there were 80 confirmed shark attacks worldwide, but only seven of them were fatal, according to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File. Sharks have very slow reproductive cycles, having babies once every two y...