Best Airbnb, around the world ticket for $168, Google Flights hack, and epic travel deals

Hi there, 👋

It’s summer and days are long, vacations are hot and drinks are chilled! Here's what we’ve got for you this week:

• Deadliest Everest season + Sherpa sets new record with 28 summits

• Is exploration travel worth it?

• Around the world for $168? 🧐

• Win a $25,500 luxury trip to the Maldives

• Up to 55% off adventures

• Is this the best Airbnb in the world?

• Book & podcasts about Antarctica

ADVENTURE NEWS

🏔 Last month saw the end of Everest's deadliest climbing season. About 600 (of 1,200) climbers summited, but, unfortunately, 17 perished (of which four remain missing). Of those who succeeded, 350 were Sherpas. So here's to the unsung heroes: Kami Rita Sherpa (53) set a new Everest record at 28 summits surpassing Pasang Dawa Sherpa (48), who has summited 27 times. Also, British guide, Kenton Cool (49) set a non-Sherpa summit record at 17.

⛴ Last week’s Titan submarine tragedy got me thinking about exploration tourism. Not only is it seriously dangerous, but also very expensive: those on the Titan sub paid $250,000 per person. But here are some more examples:

• Everest expeditions can cost as much as $100,000 pp.

• A Virgin Galatic flight to space is $200,000 pp.

• Icebraker North Pole cruise suite costs $42,990 per person.

Is it really worth it?

🧐 On the other hand, see how this woman will travel around the world for $168, with flights and hotels included. Many of her flights will be business class too. She estimates that the total cost would have been $27,000. So how is she travelling so cheaply? I know it’s rather hard to believe, but you can read what she shared in her own words about cleverly collecting travel points via her credit, loyalty and other award cards.

👀 Is this the world’s best Airbnb? It could be - it comes with a heated waterfall pool! Conveniently located in a stunning hiking area in Ohio and beautifully designed, Cantwell Lodge at the Cliffs might be worth the splurge. What do you think?

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TRAVEL DEALS

🏕 Adventure deals: TourRadar is having a massive sale of 50-55% off on major trips to Vietnam, Egypt, Peru, Nepal, India and lots more. On top of that, you get travel credits redeemable at booking by signing up and creating a wish list.

🏝 Holiday sale: Before it’s too late, and you miss your time to book that summer vacation, check out Daily Getaways Calendar by the American Travel Association. It currently lists daily deals offering major discounts on holidays, hotel rooms and more. The sale ends on June 30.

🥾 Discounted gear: If you’re in the US, REI is having a clearance sale, also known as the 4th July Sale, on top hiking and camping gear. Or, you can always get 15% off your REI gear by just signing up for its newsletter.

Did you know you can sponsor this newsletter to reach 11,000+ readers? Request our media pack

TRAVEL HACK

✈️ To find cheaper flights - go to Google Flights. Make sure you are in Chrome browser and that it’s linked to your email. Google Flights will default to your location. Ignore the ‘Where to?’ window.

Instead, select your dates and hit the ‘Explore’ button. This will show you all flights from your location on a map with prices. Zoom out on the map to see more flights. Click on the flight you like. Then toggle to ‘Any dates’ like in my screenshot below, and Google will automatically send you updates when the price drops.

BOOKS AND PODCASTS

📚 If you’re into exploration literature - Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing is one of the best stories I’ve read in the last decade. It is truly captivating with vivid details of freezing bodies in Antarctica during World War I, brutal survival on ice and yet, its hopeful spirit. There is also a free audiobook on amazon.com

🎧 I recommend listening to these mini-series on Endurance simultaneously with reading the book. It adds so much colour to the events. Or there is a good overview in just one podcast about living and working in Antarctica today.

That’s it from us this week! Did you learn something? Reply with Yes or No. It’d be great to get your feedback!