Are you spending WAY too much time scrolling through Facebook, wondering why you don’t see anything from your friends anymore? Are you mesmerized by Facebook Reels and spend 30 minutes on videos you wonder why you watched? Recent data indicate that adults spend on average 2.5 hours per day on social media platforms. So, that is plenty of time to find some really interesting content, too!
At BoomerTECH Adventures, we like to find the best of the internet. Unique places to visit and explore, unexpected experiences and fascinating new content. With that in mind, we have found three resources that are definitely a reset from the same old internet stuff — to stimulating, compelling and truly captivating content.
Give yourself a 15-minute break and dial in to one of these sites. And enjoy!
52 Places to Go in 2025
This is a yearly special feature of The New York Times’s travel section, a list of cities and countries around the world that are deemed “relevant and vacation worthy.”
Each of the 52 Places to Go yearly features have gorgeous photos (and sometimes videos) of the cities, countries or regions; well-written text about the destination with many links for further reading; and research, maps and supplementary articles. It balances well-known destinations with lesser-known gems around the world. This resource has become a bit of an event in the travel world to see what places are included.
You will find these beautiful resources and learn so much about the world. The voluminous comments are worthwhile in themselves so take a look at what people say about the featured cities and countries as well as the locales themselves.
Two of the spots on this year’s list that were especially impactful to us began with the Alishan Forest Railway, a 112-year-old mountain railway in Taiwan. Recently repaired, this scenic, 44-mile, one-way journey takes passengers into Taiwan’s lush mountain ranges. Norway’s Lofoten Islands, an archipelago of five main islands off Norway’s west coast, are 100 miles above the Arctic Circle and an ideal place to see the northern lights. Both have amazing photographs!
If you like the 2025 list, take some time to look at previous lists. Simply search for “Places to Go (and add a year).”
Atlas Obscura
Atlas Obscura says, “Where to Wander 2025. Partners welcome — come wander with us.”
“Handpicked by our editors and trusted global network of travel experts, Atlas Obscura’s annual awards program recognizes unexpected, wonder-worthy places to visit in the new year. We’re producing the ultimate guide for following your global curiosity in 2025, full of unusual, unique, and unexpected travel destinations — places where you can escape crowds, support local communities, and experience wonder as you wander.”
Organized by Trips, Places, Foods, and Stories, this unique resource has so much information. We loved the “20 Hidden Spots Inside America’s National Parks and Forests”: from Havasupai Falls in Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona to the Prometheus Tree Stump in Great Basin National Park in Nevada and 18 other equally unique spots.
The stories section is fun as well. Do you know the story of the Marree Man, the giant geoglyph in the Australian outback? Or where you can find the most unusual festivals in the U.S.? We also learned about Tennessee’s hot slaw, the last limburger cheese plant in America and 18 fast-food landmarks worth the pilgrimage. We had no idea!
The Webby Awards
The Webby Awards are annual awards for excellence on the internet presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and sciences. Categories include websites, advertising and media, online film and video, mobile sites and apps, and social media.
This curated annual celebration of the best of the internet awards winners in digital innovation and creativity. The Webbys are basically the Oscars of the internet and have been around since 1996. Each of the many categories has both a Webby Award (chosen by the academy judges) and a Webby People’s Award (voted on by the public).
One interesting note is that the winners of each year’s awards are limited to five-word — yes, five-word — acceptance speeches. Past examples include Al Gore’s “Please don’t recount this vote” and NASA’s “Kilroy was here. So what?”
Lots of cutting-edge work here. For example, the Videos & Film section. We just watched two short videos “The Signature Skills of Simone Biles” and “Matilda & the Brave Escape.” Both are creative and captivating.
Honestly, this resource was new to us, but we thoroughly enjoyed finding it and think you will, too!
BoomerTECH Adventures (boomertechadventures.com) helps boomers and older adults navigate the digital world with confidence and competence. Active boomers themselves, they use their backgrounds as Maine teachers to support individuals and groups with online courses through Maine Adult Education (tinyurl.com/BTAclasses) articles, videos and presentations to organizations upon request.