Prompt #8: Travel and learning go hand in hand. Travel teaches us not only about the world and the people in it, but also more about ourselves and our own ideas and values. What has travel taught you this year? “Experience, travel – these are as education in themselves” –Euripides I would probably travel anywhere, but there are some destinations that live way lower on my list of…
Prompt #7: Joining in a local festival, holiday or special event is a great way to learn more about a local culture. Share the story of a celebration that meant something to you on your travels. In 2006, I was in Paris on Bastille Day. Here’s a short video of watching fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. What’s a foreign holiday you’ve experienced? Join the 30 Days of Indie…
Before I did my round the world trip in 2008, I was apprehensive / afraid / nervous / curious / excited (depending on the day) about solo travel. I hadn’t experienced solo travel yet. Other than a bit in Hawaii, which seemed way easier to me than a foreign country). I wondered “Is it safe to travel alone?” 23 countries later my “fear” of solo travel is long…
Prompt #5: One of the greatest joys of travel can be the random acts of kindness you’ll receive from total strangers. Have you ever found kindness from strangers in unexpected places? “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” –Seneca So much of traveling is relying on the kindness of others, and it’s amazing how kind and helpful complete strangers can be. While…
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” –Mark Twain My biggest travel mistake was not going… sooner. Growing up, I was always fascinated by geography, globes, maps, and pretty much any story…
Prompt #3: Music and travel memories often go hand in hand. A song can inspire our explorations, or it can take us back to a specific place and time. Tell us about your travel playlist and what it means to you. “Music is what feelings sound like.” –Somebody I often find myself listening to an album on repeat while traveling. So whenever I hear Manu Chao’s La Radiolina…
Prompt #2: Change can be exciting and bring new joys into our lives. But it can present challenges that frustrate or annoy us. How has travel changed you in the last year? Did you welcome these changes or resist them at the time, and how do you feel about them now? “Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep…
Prompt #1: What were your travel goals last year? Did you accomplish them? What travel goals do you hope to accomplish this year? “In baseball and in business, there are three types of people: those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happened.” –Tommy Lasorda I think you can add travel to the above quote too. I love lists and goals. Maybe…
Happy Halloween, I guess. I don’t particularly care for Halloween, as I don’t like scary things and I think it’s dumb to just dress up as Slutty McSlutterson [sexy _______ Fill in the blank]. Clearly, I’m no fun at all. I tossed around three costume ideas last weekend: the March Hare from Alice in Wonderland, Betty Draper’s English riding outfit, or a sexy turd — but ended up…
We thought up a really fun blogging project at our year-end planning retreat this year for work, and finally decided on a name for it. Drumroll… 30 Days of Indie Travel project. It’s a 30-day blogging project with daily prompts to inspire personal reflection over the past year (or life) on your travel, adventures, home, and life, and then to share that with the online travel community. You…
I’ve never had an urge to visit New Orleans. Personal bias is such an interesting part of travel. In my mind, I suppose I had always lumped it alongside Las Vegas in the “I’ll pass” category due to the party scene which has never really intrigued me. So when I had the chance to visit, I had extremely low expectations, and over the course of four days, the…
Because you can only listening to Monster Mash so many times… I made a Halloween Mix! Here are my tips for making a Halloween mix from your current music library, Spotify, or YouTube. My playlist is full of 80s, alternative, and other Halloween rock songs, but with these tips you can create your own perfect playlist! How To Make a Halloween Mix: Search for words like: death, dead,…