Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Refreshingly different visual guide to responsible travel. Thanks!

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

I read and tweeted this Monday. It's complicated because the entire web is snarled w/ useless and useful communication. The filter we have isn't working well. As American Public Media's "On the Media" put it, "What do we do with all this stuff?" Time to clean out the garage.

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Thanks, Pam. Your list sounds like the kind I would make if I ever got back to the Big Island (big star next to stargazing at Mauna Kea). It's been 20 years too long! I actually read this this morning on my Kindle, which does not have a sharing toolbar. I love Lonely Planet's content, but they need to add the full menu of sharing buttons for each post. I prefer to tweet and have been trying to spend less time on FB since they went commercial.

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Thanks. I love this kind of creative travel hacking (by real pros)!

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Yes to all ten. Added to my Leaning Tower of Travel Wishes.

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

How about travel essays? 

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Also, tips for travel bloggers (what works, what doesn't).

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

This trip inspired me to start planning Laguna Lit 2014, a festival similar to Bantry's. I hope the West Cork Literary Festival will sign on as our international partner so we can have a true cultural exchange here in California.

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

As an advocate of balance in travel and life, I wholeheartedly support Ryan's belief that travel should not be about escape. The bucket list approach to travel doesn't contribute anything to the community good. Wherever you travel, it should be with thoughtfulness and appreciation, with all senses engaged. While I would change many things on his list, it's a good example for every traveler. Every traveler should try to engage with their surroundings at home as well as away. Every adventure also takes time to reflect on and process. Staying in one place for awhile helps you do that.

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Thank, Sonja. I'm inspired by this group! We're now thinking of hosting it under our local Sister Cities organization. They're trying to get St. Ives, in Cornwall, interested in becoming a full-fledged sister city with Laguna Beach, and it turns out St. Ives has an annual literary festival! Now I have an excuse to visit!

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

In-between places are often the best. Thanks for sharing this inspiring post and reminding me why I should rent a car every once in a while (although many of my favorites are reachable by train, or in the case of Wengen, Switzerland, tram and hiking trail).

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Makes me want to go to Paris again. If you can go anywhere for the first time, solo is the best way to take it all in. I'm going back to Ireland with my resident extrovert.

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

We had an excellent guide on a free, 3-hour historical walking tour from the Circus Hotel through former East Berlin. We tipped her generously.

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

If you've traveled around the social web as much as I have, you've probably encountered many widely shared, unattributed photos with vague or unreliable captions. Of these, "Heaven's Trail" (named first, by the uncredited photographer "My God It's Full of Stars"), paired with a myth about Ireland, tops the list. When I blogged about it in on December 31, 2012, it had been shared over 1.6 million times. Since then, it has been the most read, shared and searched post on my site. It sums up, for me, the elusive sense that many people seek to reclaim through travel: speechless wonder at the beauty of the universe and the natural world. In contrast, it also shows that many virtual travelers either don't invest the time to research the stories behind the images they share, don't care about the facts or think any stunningly beautiful photo must be "photoshopped phantasy."

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Nice post, although it is truncated in the tweet from Outbounding so I thought Easy Hiker referring to Little Yosemite Valley (which I'd never go near in summer) in Yosemite NP. I'll look forward to hiking this trail the next time I'm in the Bay Area!  Thanks for sharing, Sonja. 

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

This is travel at its most personal. I love the idea of following what moves you, whatever band (author or historic figure) that may be (and the Kinks are certainly worthy). This blog post has the makings for a great fan tour. 

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

This is travel at its most personal. I love the idea of following what moves you, whatever band (author or historic figure) that may be (and the Kinks are certainly worthy). This blog post has the makings for a great fan tour. 

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Thanks for sharing. This stands out as a charming contribution to travel blogging. I will I could draw like Chandler O'Leary!

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Hi, Cynthia. I shared this on my buffer (three twitter accounts) and will do it again here. I have blogged in a similar vein against bucket lists (Better with Gravy: Why Make Bucket Lists When Life's So Tasty?) and someone here shared a similar post against travel escapism. I call the approach balanced travel. Thanks for a wonderful post. Tread lightly, go slowly, savor the moment, strive to leave no trace and contribute something good wherever you live and wherever you travel.

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

One of my latest obscure obsessions! I love this website!

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

I love this photo series on the treasures travelers bring home, with a caption-sized story about each one. It's travel anthropology.

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Thanks for sharing this, Anita. I use many of these well-stated rules and many more, too! Happy traveling!

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Even in ankle-deep mud, it's a circus of color, sound and decadent flavor. After the crowd leaves, the music and parties spill into the street. Nothing like NOLA!

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Beautiful, touching, clever, funny. A great Dr. Seuss send-up with a very valuable message.

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

In a world where 51% live in urban areas + 1/5 have never seen the Milky Way, travelers can forget what they're missing by focusing on cities' flashy lure. Here are some tips for navigating "the road less traveled."


Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Thanks for sharing another great post. I'm partial to travel philosophy. Deep.

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Thanks for sharing this moving photo essay on your hometown, Jim.

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

I loved this post, although I'm of the "fill every square inch" school of postcard writing (always print if you want the recipient to be able to read it). And I write them in batches so you don't have to craft an entirely new witty message every time.

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Yeats wrote so movingly about real places his poems have become guides for many visitors. Seamus Heaney's poetry has the same power to forge a  new "poetry trail" for Northern Ireland. In the same way Sligo is known as Yeats Country, County Derry may soon be called Heaney Country.

Ellen G. Kempler Ellen G. Kempler @goodnewsmuse

Yeats wrote so movingly about real places his poems have become guides for many visitors. Seamus Heaney's poetry has the same power to forge a new "poetry trail."