Hah! I love a good spoof, rare to see on a travel blog. Well done.
Lovely and subtle. Implies color without stating it. I found the people of Chichi to be incredible camera shy -- wondering how she did this ...
Shows that travel writing is for anyone who sits down and tries their hand at it. Loved this
Can't get enough of the fascinating media that has begun to pour out of Myanmar. This looks like luxury done right
Wow, never knew about the 9 blue zones before! Interesting how most are coastal and/or Mediterranean
This is really funny -- I've had this idea for a post but Scott beat me to it, with great delivery. Well done.
Good tips! You're right -- I know very few legible cursive writers. I certainly am not one. And yes, I 'recycle' some wit on various messages too =)
This is HILARIOUS! Great caricature of a few travelers I've met (but luckily not too many!)
Oblication. Ha! Very punny. Right now I've deactivated my Facebook account for the month of October as a 30-day challenge. Digital detox Face-cation? Btw, thanks for the tweet, Ellen!
I spent several months in Tirana, Albania interning with a local tour operator. Was also amazed by the coast, and a little concerned for its future. Great to see it get this kind of coverage
Love it! I hope a long walking trip is in the cards for me soon. It's high on my priority list since I interviewed a walking advocate on The Travel Word: http://www.thetravelword.com/2013/10/21/walkability-journeying-foot-interview-jonathon-stalls/
Agreed. What an exercise in improvisation and minimalism. I would LOVE to try this someday. How dire can it get for 21 days?
Yep, I'm wondering about how to get ahold of the film myself ...
When I was turning in my booklet at Zion, two little girls were there too, probably ages 5 and 7. The younger one was mad at her sister and crying about something. She wouldn't even take the oath! I think it's definitely different to go about it with some adult-sized intention and geekiness =)
I often think about how long-term travel and minimalism go hand-in-hand, and this is a great portrayal of that.
Hi Alistaire,
It sounds like your coining of 'microadventure' is mostly driven by a want to bring grand-scale adventures closer to home and make them more accessible for more people -- to put adventures within reach. Do you touch on the environmental advantages of getting your adventure fix closer to home and in a more bite-sized way?
After 8 years of world travels, I moved back to my home state of Colorado and started discovering how much adventure is just outside my door. I've been "microadventuring" in Colorado nearby Utah now for over 2 years, and it has succeeded in keeping the wanderlust in check. It has also allowed me to save money, and most importantly (I think), it has dramatically reduced my carbon footprint from flights. Is that also a priority for you?
I really liked this - it's just missing WHICH travel startup he works for!
What do others think about the occasional $100 handouts from his dad? Does it discredit his financial sustainability a little?
Amazing photos in this one!
Hah, that's funny. I have a fam trip to Peru coming up in September, which will include a 4-night stay on the 5* Aria (Amazon river cruise vessel). I feel kinda awkward about it, like I know I could get used to that kind of travel, but do i WANT to? To be sure, I booked a home stay in Cusco through Airbnb afterward to keep myself in check =)
I have been waiting for Skylar, my talented fiction/short story writing friend, to come out with a travel piece, and now here it is (at last!). His foray into personal travelogue playfully touches on about every travel theme out there. Lit lovers enjoy!
Just read the 'Branding Guayana' piece and its Outbouding discussion, and I thought I'd share one of my own experiences on a state-sponsored fam trip.
Really interesting - I like his juxtaposition of "curiousity" vs "commerce" as a travel writer. I've been on a few fam trips, and I identify more as a marketer than a writer, which lessens dilemma somewhat for me. That said, I can definitely relate to his feelings of unease and sleaze about destination promotion.
I posted an article I wrote called The Anatomy of a Fam Trip about two years ago - not exactly a critique but another glimpse about what they're like and how very different they are from the kind of travel we pursue on our own.
I read this piece around five years ago when it was written, before introversion became a big buzzword. It's still the best piece I've found on introversion and travel, and I still revisit it now and then.
Interesting read -- I didn't know about that THC-friendly hotel -- it's within a mile or two from my apartment!
Since cannabis was legalized for recreational use, Denver smells even more like pot than it did during medicinal legalization. As far as enforcement goes of smoking in public spaces, there seems to be a pretty "blind eye" approach. I haven't heard of any fines issued, and this is while people are toking in the national parks, on the ski lifts (I got offered a hit from a boarder bro's bowl in the Mary Jane lift of Winter Park ... go figure), in city parks, at concerts both indoors and out, etc etc.
Despite lax enforcement, I haven't heard any anecdotes of travelers planning pot-centric trips to Denver or Colorado. Although I could see how it might be a deciding factor between, say, a ski trip to Colorado or a ski trip to relatively puritanical Utah. I can also see how it might be a deciding factor for more migration to Colorado, as newly-arrived transplants are attracted to the entire Colorado package of great mountain adventure, a thriving craft beer scene, nice sunny weather, and freedom to walk into a dispensary and buy Swedish Fish-looking candy infused with THC, just for fun. The edibles, btw, are surprisingly potent and bypass the whole smoking-in-public dilemma for visitors.
Hi Ellen,
Yes, the course is open to anybody, whether they are going for the certificate completion or not. Cost is $390 for the 5-week course (Nov 7 - Dec 14, 2014) and time committment is about 4-5 hours per week of readings and forum participation.
Hope to see a few Outbounders there!
This was my favorite piece at the Banff Mountain Film Festival last year (and the only piece to focus on a local livelihood in dramatic mountain conditions rather than westerners in far-flung places doing extreme sports). I was thrilled to find that it's available online =)
Finally! My Spanish Language and Lit major is worth something =) Here are a few thoughts, more soon:
Bolivia: Marching Powder, by Thomas McFadden
Guatemala: The Art of Political Murder, by Francisco Goldman
Mexico: Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel
Chile: The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende (or Ines of My Sou, by Isabel Allende as well)
Argentina: The Gospel According to Mark, Jorge Borges (short story)
Spain: The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Slovenia: Veronika Decides to Die, by Paulo Coelho
Any thoughts as to how/where/by whom this map will be compiled and published?
A voluntourist's rich self-portrait of his relationship with a local boy while in Haiti doing relief work.
Taxi driver musings and commentary are definitely the stuff that travel is made of. I loved this!
I always like a good critique of mass tourism. Can't believe how many people STILL go for it!