June 2010 Archive
#2: Visit The Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Plant
At the urging of a couple books and online articles I’ve read in the past months, I finally started a Bucket List, or a list of things I want to do before I die. One of the reasons for starting this list was to re-energize; to remember that feeling of being a kid and wanting with abandon because it’s inspiring. There’s a certain amount of harm we cause ourselves always being grown up and tampering our desires with reality. That’s why most of us travel: to escape the everyday and feel like we’re checking off some of those things on our own Bucket Lists.
Matt-Gibson.org
Matt Gibson is a travel writer and photographer who has melded his work in both fields seamlessly. On Matt-Gibson.org, you can share his experiences from “riding the crocodile” (literally) to ex-pat life to interviews with other travelers. So, who’s up for the crocodile ride?!
Step Back from the Baggage Claim: Business Leader Edition
“The scene is all too familiar. A couple hundred people, weary after their flight, bunch around the cold metallic baggage claim, waiting for the first bags to appear. Minutes pass. The conveyors start turning. More minutes pass. Finally bags start falling on to the conveyor. Everyone edges a little closer to the carousel.”
Those words were taken from the review of Jason Barger’s original book. Not much has changed except Jason’s take on the concept. In the Business Leader Edition, he adds a new twist to the “Step Back” movement.
Vagobond: World Travel, World Citizen, World Vagabond
Vago has hitchhiked across Canada, has lounged on the beaches of Tahiti and has (almost) been robbed by a tricky Macaque on Gibraltar. Most recently, he has experienced an Saharan Nomad Wedding – his own! Now the big question is “Where do they go from here?”
Gibbering Madness: Snapshots of a Bizarre Life
Gibbering Madness: Snapshots of a Bizarre Life is a very interesting site to be sure. There, Alex weaves his web of real life adventures. The entries are written in true “mystery novelist” style and Alex will have you wondering if he’s been “channeling” Dashiell Hammett (The Maltese Falcon) or Herman Melville (Moby Dick). Something says [...]
Lost Language Department – Up The Stairs
It’s been sort of a rough week for my head. It seems as though I’m not only losing my English but simultaneously sucking at Spanish. I guess the English started slipping over time and with such immersion, it’s only a matter of time before the grammar starts to go. According to my dad, my blogs are getting sloppier and sloppier. I now speak no language well.
Last week when I spent the afternoon at an estancia with my job, assisting Canadian tourists, I could see how my English was exaggerated and forced. It seemed like I was subconsciously speaking with a slight Spanish accent. But why?
Reikalein
On Reikalein, Christine Syrad describes herself as a “half-British, half-Japanese girl learning to comfortably straddle more than one culture”. So true as she has now taken up residency in Switzerland and is attempting to learn the German language. Viel Erfolg!
Un-Schooling And Other Neat Stuff: An Interview With Theodora and Zac
A single mom, a nine-year old son and a 12 month trip. Add them all together and you have the “Adventures of Theoroda and Zac Conquering the World!” Did you know the universe might just be a computer program designed by big, powerful, super-intelligent aliens? No? Well, that’s what these two are out to discover.
I had the opportunity to interview mother and son not long ago. I do believe you’ll find the replies quite amazing. It may not convince you of the alien program but you will be convinced that traveling with kids is a good thing.
Bodes Well
Armed only with a restored 1971 VW Westfalia camper van, their 4 (now 5) year old son Bode, and maybe a bunch of needed equipment, the Rehm family – Angela and Jason – headed off to explore. Explore what, you may ask? Canada, U.S., Mexico and then just head south. Their mission: learn languages, volunteer [...]
The Art of Solo Travel: A Girls’ Guide (e-book review)
I’m not quite sure why, but the title of this book has reminded me of “She’s Leaving Home” by The Beatles. Perhaps it struck a chord. Harkening back to my more youthful days when women dreamed about leaving home on some “wild” adventure but settled for the alternative – a domicile existence and the few days on vacation. Packing it all in to follow the dream was something few of us dared to attempt. Men went on adventures. Women just kept dreaming about them. Thankfully, the tides have changed…
