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Arguably the most iconic world heritage site on Earth, Machu Picchu has been a source of wonder and intrigue for years. Originally constructed as an elaborate estate for the 15^th century emperor Pachacuti (whose name literally means "earth-shaker") in Cusco, Peru, Machu Picchu and the famed Inca Trail remain a symbol of civilization lost. The Incans were the largest empire in pre- Columbian America.

Abandoned after only 100 years, its demise is assumed to be a result of the Spanish Conquest of the Americas, but is more likely the result of a series of deadly small pox outbreaks brought on by foreign tourists. The site is believed to have immense religious significance and is referred to as "sacred geography" because the surrounding mountains hold high religious importance in the Inca culture and the previous land occupants. Symbols of worship to various deities, most notably Huacas the sun god remain evident throughout the land.   

Hiking the Inca Trail

Today, Machu Picchu is the most visited destination in Peru and one of the most visited tourist attractions in all of Latin America.  Rated one of the top 5 hikes in the world, in just 26 miles the Inca Trail manages to combine beautiful mountain scenery, lush cloud-forest, subtropical jungle and a stunning mix of Inca paving stones, ruins and tunnels. While there are thousands of "Inca Trails," over 40,000 kilometers to be exact, the most classic route takes four days and starts at km82 (82 kilometers along the railway from Cusco to Aguas Calientes) and treks into the mountains passing the ruins of Llactapata, Runkurakay, Sayacmarca, Phuyupatamarca and Wiñay Wayna before finally arriving at Machu Picchu for a breathtaking sunrise on the fourth morning.

Know Before You Go

The Inca Trail is rated as moderate so any reasonably fit person should be able to complete it, yet you need to be prepared to acclimate to the altitude. Reaching a height of 4200 m, it's highly recommended you arrive in Cusco at least two days prior to starting the hike so your body can adjust. There's plenty to do during the pre-trek though and you should definitely make a point to visit the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Q'enko, Pucapucara and Tambomachay, and explore the Sacred Valley of the Incas and the Pisac market. There are both shorter and longer versions of the trek (7 days), but whichever you choose, do your homework because all tour operators are required to have certain permits to access the sacred area and we don't want anyone to be the victim of a scam. March-December is the best times to go weather-wise.  

Since global capture the flag or freeze tag wouldn't necessarily be feasible, why not a universal scavenger hunt instead?

Enter geocaching.

If you're like me and go in search of everyday wonders, you should definitely try it. Geocaching is essentially a GPS scavenger hunt in which participants go in seek of caches which anyone can hide anywhere in the world. These boxes are discoverable via latitude and longitude coordinates on various game websites. Essentially hide and seek of the tech age, geocaching has a huge following from all places and of all ages. There are estimated to be almost 2,000,000 caches hidden on all 7 continents with over 5 million active participants. Play as much or as little as you want, wherever or whenever the urge strikes, it's a great way to make your own city a playground.

The Game

Trinkets are hidden in various water proof containers and buried among shrubbery, urban landscapes or even in plain sight. Once you discover a cache, sign your name in its logbook and replace it with a new treasure of equal or lesser value (on the honor system here). You can track your progress on a virtual checklist of conquests on sites like geocaching.com .

The beauty of the game is that most of the hiding places or treasures have special meaning to the person that buried them so you're getting a secret glimpse into the lives of someone from across the world.  You are vulnerable to a slice of someone else's life, and while you may not know what the significance of the place or object means, it will remain a special bond between the two of you.

If you want to leave a signature or calling card with your finds, you can leave a geocoin or "travel bug," which are collectable widgets and markers that can be moved from place to place by different geocachers documenting the conquests and adventures of participants. The objects are embedded with tracking ids so you can follow the item's journey online and marvel at how far it's traveled. From time to time, companies like Garmin sponsor contests hiding their own signature coins to be traded in for prizes.

So if you ever stumble upon a fake rock with a secret compartment when you're out and about...you may have just unknowingly entered the game. Happy searching!

Ever since Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced "Eyja"-the Icelandic word for island, "Fjalla" mountain -"Jokull" glacier, easy no?) erupted two years ago leaving most of Europe coated in an ash cloud so thick planes were grounded for a week, the world has been fascinated by Iceland's volcanoes and their powerful, unpredictable raw energy. So much so that volcano tourism has become a hot (pun intended) topic. Sure, you can go to Hawaii or Costa Rica to admire volcanoes from afar, but Iceland's where it's at if you want to get up close and personal with these beasts.

If you're an adventure seeker, there's a new bucket list idea for you to test just how far you are willing to go for a thrill. Discover the World, a UK tour company created the first tour where you can actually climb inside a volcano to admire and explore their veracity from the inside-out. After hiking and domineering the lava fields with ATVS, descend into the gaping mouth of the volcano via a specially-constructed cable car straight into the magma center. Spend an hour or admiring the chamber walls, remains and ash before being pulled to safety.

Though not taking place in active Eyjafjallajökull or the center of the chaos, the tour is offered in the dormant Thrihnúkagigur (which last erupted over 4,000 years ago so your odds of surviving are pretty good) and is only open to the public a few weeks each summer. There is a strict maximum capacity per day to protect the delicate environment so get on the waitlist now because word on the street is there are already over 200 interested names. The company hopes to eventually build a tunnel from the volcano to a viewing platform, but the plans haven't been approved yet and are waiting to be assessed for environmental impact. If you're interested in volcano tourism, Discover the World set up a volcano hotline so you can signup to receive up to the minute info on what's erupting where.

As if you need another incentive, word on the street is Tom Cruise will be filming a new movie in Iceland this summer so you may get some star power to add to the heat. Oh, la la.

They say going down might be just as fun as going up. Who's they? Us. Rappelling, the American name for abseiling, or "to rope down," is the controlled descent from a cliff or slope. You may be used to rappelling in the form of rock climbing or caving, but we have something more thrilling for our urban explorers, the opportunity to rappel down the side of a building amidst the great Chicago skyline. And add scaling buildings with the utmost of easy to your resume? Pretty cool.  Registration is now open for fall 2012, so check it out; you just might cross two things off your bucket list at once- charity and an adrenaline rush.

The Wit Hotel hosts the twice yearly event that allows 150 adventure seeks to each rappel down the side of their famous lightning bolt in the center of downtown.  Interested in participating? Just be 18 years old or over, weigh between 110-300 pounds and meet the fundraising minimum of $150 registration plus a $1000 in pledges. This event is being produced by Over the Edge, a fully insured professional rappelling organization that has worked with various non-profit groups throughout North America to help raise money for their cause.

And this cause is a worthy one, the Respiratory Health Association of Chicago provides services and support to the individuals living with lung diseases (including tuberculosis, lung cancer, asthma, COPD, and others) throughout metropolitan Chicago area. If dangling from a rope isn't your thing, they also organize the Hustle up the Hancock, a yearly race up the 94 steps of the John Hancock Center and the CowaLUNGa Bike tour, a three day ride through the Midwest.

Call yourself Spiderman, Superman, or whatever other marvel hero name you channel to combat your fear of heights- it's all for a good cause after all.