Please come visit us at our new home: www.livesofwander.com.
Though we do love Blogger (Spargel is staying right were it is), we've made the leap to our own domain. Hosting the site ourselves allows us to have just a little bit more freedom with design, which we hope will translate into a site that you, our readers, will enjoy even more. We've migrated all of the content from this site---including your comments, which we so dearly love---so you should be able to easily find anything that you enjoyed reading here.
If you have linked to us from your blog (We're so thankful to those of you who have...and if you haven't, what are you waiting for?), please update your link. It's not hard, since the name has stayed the same and all you need to do is drop the blogspot. If you have us bookmarked (yay!), please update your bookmarks. We wouldn't want any of you all to get lost on your way to our new abode.
Please do stop by. We're looking forward to visitors.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Bad News Gorillas
Sorry for the recent lack of posts. In the past three weeks, one or both of us has been in Stockholm, San Diego, Bloomington, or Richmond, so it's been a little hectic to put it lightly.
Also, we're thinking of making the leap from this Blogger host to our own domain and Jeff's been working hard on making that happen, which is why you've been hearing a lot more from me lately than from him. But don't worry, he'll be back soon. If and when we make the leap to our own domain, we'll let you know, so stay tuned.
Anyhow, in a recent post on the things that interest me in Africa, I mentioned gorilla trekking, which is a possibility in Rwanda, Uganda, and Congo. I was pulling my information from a guidebook, which is of course outdated even before it hits the stores. The slow nature of research and publishing mean that guidebooks are always a step behind. I'm aware of this, so I definitely don't treat guidebooks as bibles. The guidebook I was working from put the cost of gorilla trekking at around $250 dollars per person. I figured this had risen and thought that maybe I'd read somewhere else, perhaps on a message board, that prices were now up to around $375. Well, I spent a little more time looking into this last week and found out that in fact, prices had risen, as of July 1, 2007, to $500 per person! Wow.
On a backpacking trip, where it's possible for two people to get by on something like $25,000 to $30,000 for an entire year, spending $1,000 on one day is a lot. In fact, it's not even one full day; you only get to spend one hour in the presence of the gorillas (although it could take you many hours to trek to their location). And the $500 doesn't cover lodging or food; it simply covers the privilege of spending one hour with these magnificent animals.
Which leads to the other side of the equation. These are amazing creatures that few people ever get to see in their natural habitats. It's clearly an exclusive activity and as such, you pay the price. Plus, while Rwanda, Uganda, and Congo--all rather poor countries--could turn this into a huge profit maker by making into a Disney-type enterprise, they haven't. In fact, they've been quite diligent about protecting the gorillas by instituting strict regulations and keeping the number of people allowed to see the gorillas each day to a small handful. (A maximum of 8 people can be in one group, and the number of groups depends on the number of groups of gorillas with a one-to-one ratio maintained between people groups and gorilla groups.) And while I haven't been able to find any hard information on how the $500 fee is used, it seems that it does get put back into conservation and in supporting local people.
So really, I'm not complaining that $500 is too high of a price. Clearly, gorillas are worth $500. We just have to decide how much seeing gorillas in the wild is worth to us, and how it compares to all the other things we want to do.
If it were you, what would you do?
Also, we're thinking of making the leap from this Blogger host to our own domain and Jeff's been working hard on making that happen, which is why you've been hearing a lot more from me lately than from him. But don't worry, he'll be back soon. If and when we make the leap to our own domain, we'll let you know, so stay tuned.
Anyhow, in a recent post on the things that interest me in Africa, I mentioned gorilla trekking, which is a possibility in Rwanda, Uganda, and Congo. I was pulling my information from a guidebook, which is of course outdated even before it hits the stores. The slow nature of research and publishing mean that guidebooks are always a step behind. I'm aware of this, so I definitely don't treat guidebooks as bibles. The guidebook I was working from put the cost of gorilla trekking at around $250 dollars per person. I figured this had risen and thought that maybe I'd read somewhere else, perhaps on a message board, that prices were now up to around $375. Well, I spent a little more time looking into this last week and found out that in fact, prices had risen, as of July 1, 2007, to $500 per person! Wow.
On a backpacking trip, where it's possible for two people to get by on something like $25,000 to $30,000 for an entire year, spending $1,000 on one day is a lot. In fact, it's not even one full day; you only get to spend one hour in the presence of the gorillas (although it could take you many hours to trek to their location). And the $500 doesn't cover lodging or food; it simply covers the privilege of spending one hour with these magnificent animals.
Which leads to the other side of the equation. These are amazing creatures that few people ever get to see in their natural habitats. It's clearly an exclusive activity and as such, you pay the price. Plus, while Rwanda, Uganda, and Congo--all rather poor countries--could turn this into a huge profit maker by making into a Disney-type enterprise, they haven't. In fact, they've been quite diligent about protecting the gorillas by instituting strict regulations and keeping the number of people allowed to see the gorillas each day to a small handful. (A maximum of 8 people can be in one group, and the number of groups depends on the number of groups of gorillas with a one-to-one ratio maintained between people groups and gorilla groups.) And while I haven't been able to find any hard information on how the $500 fee is used, it seems that it does get put back into conservation and in supporting local people.
So really, I'm not complaining that $500 is too high of a price. Clearly, gorillas are worth $500. We just have to decide how much seeing gorillas in the wild is worth to us, and how it compares to all the other things we want to do.
If it were you, what would you do?
Saturday, November 3, 2007
A Note from a Friend
Today, I received a postcard in the mail from my friend Joyce, who along with her husband Jack, is currently on a Round the World trip. As the postcard shows, they were recently in Peru, visiting the famed Machu Picchu, a destination firmly anchored on our must-see list. Joyce and Jack have had a pretty crazy year. Joyce graduated with her master's degree in June, they were married in September, and they left on their trip in October. It doesn't get a lot more exciting than that.
Earlier this year, I got a phone call from Joyce. She was contemplating what she wanted to do post-graduation and said that Jack had suggested that they spend some time traveling. She wasn't sure what she thought about this but knew I was the one person who wouldn't think they were absolutely nuts for even considering it. Of course, I was all for it and spent the entire conversation cheerleading for travel. After all, I'd been planning a similar trip since at least 2005 when Jeff and I got married, but actually for much longer than that. I think we first discussed it as we were graduating college, and I was heading off to Greece and Jeff off to grad school in DC. This is a trip a long, long time in the making.
Anyhow, in the end, Joyce didn't need a lot of convincing, and they're now out seeing the world (with much, much less planning time than we've had!). If you want to read about their travels, you can visit Joyce's blog or Jack's blog. They haven't posted a lot so far, but I'm hopeful that things will pick up at some point. I know I'm anxious to hear about their adventures.
For now, I'll take the postcards. Though our itinerary will differ greatly from their's, we are visiting some of the same places, so it's fun to hear their impressions of places we will be soon. And while I know I'm too much of a planner to have done the trip with the relatively little amount of planning they were able to squeeze in between finishing up school and planning a wedding, it just goes to show that there's no right or wrong way to do a RTW trip. It's all about your style, your goals, and your dreams.
Have you started planning your trip yet?
Earlier this year, I got a phone call from Joyce. She was contemplating what she wanted to do post-graduation and said that Jack had suggested that they spend some time traveling. She wasn't sure what she thought about this but knew I was the one person who wouldn't think they were absolutely nuts for even considering it. Of course, I was all for it and spent the entire conversation cheerleading for travel. After all, I'd been planning a similar trip since at least 2005 when Jeff and I got married, but actually for much longer than that. I think we first discussed it as we were graduating college, and I was heading off to Greece and Jeff off to grad school in DC. This is a trip a long, long time in the making.
Anyhow, in the end, Joyce didn't need a lot of convincing, and they're now out seeing the world (with much, much less planning time than we've had!). If you want to read about their travels, you can visit Joyce's blog or Jack's blog. They haven't posted a lot so far, but I'm hopeful that things will pick up at some point. I know I'm anxious to hear about their adventures.
For now, I'll take the postcards. Though our itinerary will differ greatly from their's, we are visiting some of the same places, so it's fun to hear their impressions of places we will be soon. And while I know I'm too much of a planner to have done the trip with the relatively little amount of planning they were able to squeeze in between finishing up school and planning a wedding, it just goes to show that there's no right or wrong way to do a RTW trip. It's all about your style, your goals, and your dreams.Have you started planning your trip yet?
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Planning the Africa Leg of the Trip
I've finally finished my perusal of Lonely Planet's Africa on a Shoestring, which I was using to get an idea of places worth visiting. Actually, I've been done for a while, but I was holding out on posting, hoping Jeff would finish the Asia guidebook and we could also post about that region. Unfortunately, Jeff has been swamped with work as he tries to get everything done in time to graduate with his PhD early next summer, so Asia will have to wait a bit.
Anyhow, on to Africa. While others might think of South Pacific islands, in my mind Africa is the definition of exotic. It's a place so entirely different from my "ordinary." As we've talked about this trip and slowly begun to turn it into reality, Africa has always been my goal, the one place I most wanted to go. I'm pulled to this continent by its stunning natural beauty, its awesome wildlife, and its unique culture. I think I could spend our entire year here, so narrowing places down was hard, and there is still much decision making to do. There will certainly be some wonderful places that end up on the cutting room floor.
So why don't I then begin with the places that we will not be going.
West Africa: Because Africa is such an enormous place, we had to first narrow possible destinations down by location, and when it came to East versus West, East won. The Serengeti, Victoria Falls, and Mt. Kilimanjaro just held too much sway. Perhaps on RTW Take 2, we'll do West Africa.
Countries We've Already Been To: So that's only Egypt. Africa is very much a land of unknowns to us. If Egypt is at all a taste of the continent, we'll both be very happy. I don't think either Jeff or I would have any resistance to going back, but this trip is about the places we haven't been, not the ones, no matter how cool, that we've already experienced.
Unsafe Spots: Yes, life is about taking risks, but not unnecessary ones. So we will be avoiding Sudan, Congo (Zaire), Burundi, Somalia, and Angola.
And now for the exciting part, the countries that interest us. Yes, I know this is way too much, but for this go-round, I was being open to the possibilities, noting everything that captured my imagination.
Rwanda: I can see the radars going off already. For most of us, our defining image of Rwanda is that of the merciless civil war that pitted Hutus against Tutsis and led to what can only be called genocide. However, the country has moved on from the atrocities of 1994, and it is now a safe place to visit. Highlights of Rwanda are the Parc National Nyungwe Forest, where you can see chimpanzees in the wild, and Parc National des Volcans, where you can go on gorilla treks and explore the volcano.
Uganda: Like Rwanda, Uganda has the gorilla thing going on. We'll obviously only go see them once (it's not cheap!), but where, I'm not yet certain. The bad news with the Uganda gorillas is that they live in an area right near the border of Congo and sometimes cross over, which then means you are out of luck, since you can't follow into Congo (and don't really want to). Also, apparently, Uganda is the more popular destination, making it harder to get a spot on a trek. Other cool things in Uganda include Queen Elizabeth National Park--which was wildlife walks and drives and has hippos(!), Ssese Islands--a lovely beach area, and Jinja--the source of the Nile and a hot spot for whitewater rafting.
Tanzania: If there's one country that really has it going on, Tanzania might be it. You've got Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and Zanzibar. So crazy wildlife, amazing mountain trekking, and great beaches and scuba diving. There's also the Usambara Mountains, which are known as "Africa's Switzerland," and are great for hiking. What's not to love?
Kenya: Often thought of as the traditional land of the safari, Kenya is home to the Masai Mara, famous for the annual wildebeest migration, and Tsavo National Park. Tsavo just happens to be the name of the lion that resided at the Louisville Zoo when I worked there (and may have been the lion that was thought to have escaped one Halloween although it turned out he was just doing a very good job of hiding). Interesting trivia, huh? Kenya also offers an opportunity to mountain bike at Lake Naivasha and & Hell's Gate National Park. Seriously, a park named Hell's Gate, how can you not want to see that?
Ethiopa: This isn't your mother's Ethiopia, no longer the image associated with the "There's starving children in Africa" ploy to get you to eat your vegetables. These days there is plenty of injera to go around, t hough I can't say that I'm much of a fan of this spongy bread. But I am intrigued by the city of Addis Ababa and it's markets, the ancient sites of Aksum, and the rock churches of Lalibela.
Madagascar: I don't know about you but I associate Madagascar with lemurs, and I think it would be awesome, although potentially deafening, to be in a forest full of lemurs. From my days at the LZ, I can recall the piercing noise just a few of those creatures could make. It was insane. The Parc National de Ranomafana is the place to spot some of these endangered critters. For great hiking and waterfall exploring, there's Parc National de I'Isalo, and for swimming with the whales and sharks (eek), there's the lovely waterfront town of Ifaty. Main problem here is that Madagascar is pretty darn far away from the mainland and not so easy or cheap to access.
Mozambique: Africa with some Latin flavor thanks to its Portuguese colonizers. The diving is good at Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, and the dhow trips around the Querimba Archipelago sound enticing. But I'm not completely sold yet.
Zambia: Sharing Victoria Falls with Zimbabwe, Zambia is an adventure lover's paradise. There's gorge swinging, microlight flights, white water rafting, riverboarding...
Zimbabwe: This country offers up the same Victoria Falls adventures as Zambia, but also has a few other things peaking my interest. The canoe safaris at Mana Pools National Park sound pretty cool and the hiking at Chimanimani sounds top-notch. The issue here though is whether I want, through my tourist dollars, to support the out-of-control President Robert Mugabe.
Botswana: You know those cool National Geographic pictures of rivers just teeming with hippos, so many that it seems you could walk across the water on their backs, that's Botswana, specifically the Okavango Delta. Want to explore that in a dugout canoe? Yeah, me too. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that's going to happen. Botswana is expensive, the land of luxury safaris, and fancy resorts. So most likely, unless we win the lottery prior to this trip, Botswana will be a no-go.
Namibia: German is one of the languages officially spoken here, so I think that means that I better go. It might just be the only place on this trip where I could put my language skills and college degree to work. And it's a happening country, so it's worth a visit with sandboarding in Swakopmund, wildlife watching in Etosha National Park, and red sand dunes exploring in Namib-Naukluft Park. The only trick here is that it's not an easy country to get around, but I think I'm willing to work a little harder for this one.
South Africa: There's lots going on in this popular African destination. Just in Cape Town alone, you can revisit history at Robben Island, get a peek at penguins on Cape Peninsula National Park, and take a hike up Table Mountain. Then you've got the Winelands, the coastal town of Cintsa which is like a summer camp for grownups, the ancient rainforests of Hogsback, and Kruger National Park, where I'm psyched about the exciting and affordable walking safaris.
Wow, that's a lot. Africa just oozes excitement. There are so many unique things to see and do. But if you've actually read through all of my descriptions, you'll have noticed that there is also a fair bit of overlap with the main themes of safaris and adventure sports. Obviously, we're not going to do the same activities over and over while just simply switching countries. We have to narrow things down, figure out what's best, where we can get the most bang for our buck, and what places really capture the authenticity and awesomeness that we're looking for. This isn't the Amazing Race (they've rejected me twice, damn it), so we'd like to actually spend time in the countries we ultimately end up choosing to see, not just breeze through, checking off sites. The planning is underway, but there's still a lot to do.
Anyhow, on to Africa. While others might think of South Pacific islands, in my mind Africa is the definition of exotic. It's a place so entirely different from my "ordinary." As we've talked about this trip and slowly begun to turn it into reality, Africa has always been my goal, the one place I most wanted to go. I'm pulled to this continent by its stunning natural beauty, its awesome wildlife, and its unique culture. I think I could spend our entire year here, so narrowing places down was hard, and there is still much decision making to do. There will certainly be some wonderful places that end up on the cutting room floor.
So why don't I then begin with the places that we will not be going.
West Africa: Because Africa is such an enormous place, we had to first narrow possible destinations down by location, and when it came to East versus West, East won. The Serengeti, Victoria Falls, and Mt. Kilimanjaro just held too much sway. Perhaps on RTW Take 2, we'll do West Africa.
Countries We've Already Been To: So that's only Egypt. Africa is very much a land of unknowns to us. If Egypt is at all a taste of the continent, we'll both be very happy. I don't think either Jeff or I would have any resistance to going back, but this trip is about the places we haven't been, not the ones, no matter how cool, that we've already experienced.
Unsafe Spots: Yes, life is about taking risks, but not unnecessary ones. So we will be avoiding Sudan, Congo (Zaire), Burundi, Somalia, and Angola.
And now for the exciting part, the countries that interest us. Yes, I know this is way too much, but for this go-round, I was being open to the possibilities, noting everything that captured my imagination.
Rwanda: I can see the radars going off already. For most of us, our defining image of Rwanda is that of the merciless civil war that pitted Hutus against Tutsis and led to what can only be called genocide. However, the country has moved on from the atrocities of 1994, and it is now a safe place to visit. Highlights of Rwanda are the Parc National Nyungwe Forest, where you can see chimpanzees in the wild, and Parc National des Volcans, where you can go on gorilla treks and explore the volcano.
Uganda: Like Rwanda, Uganda has the gorilla thing going on. We'll obviously only go see them once (it's not cheap!), but where, I'm not yet certain. The bad news with the Uganda gorillas is that they live in an area right near the border of Congo and sometimes cross over, which then means you are out of luck, since you can't follow into Congo (and don't really want to). Also, apparently, Uganda is the more popular destination, making it harder to get a spot on a trek. Other cool things in Uganda include Queen Elizabeth National Park--which was wildlife walks and drives and has hippos(!), Ssese Islands--a lovely beach area, and Jinja--the source of the Nile and a hot spot for whitewater rafting.
Tanzania: If there's one country that really has it going on, Tanzania might be it. You've got Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and Zanzibar. So crazy wildlife, amazing mountain trekking, and great beaches and scuba diving. There's also the Usambara Mountains, which are known as "Africa's Switzerland," and are great for hiking. What's not to love?
Kenya: Often thought of as the traditional land of the safari, Kenya is home to the Masai Mara, famous for the annual wildebeest migration, and Tsavo National Park. Tsavo just happens to be the name of the lion that resided at the Louisville Zoo when I worked there (and may have been the lion that was thought to have escaped one Halloween although it turned out he was just doing a very good job of hiding). Interesting trivia, huh? Kenya also offers an opportunity to mountain bike at Lake Naivasha and & Hell's Gate National Park. Seriously, a park named Hell's Gate, how can you not want to see that?
Ethiopa: This isn't your mother's Ethiopia, no longer the image associated with the "There's starving children in Africa" ploy to get you to eat your vegetables. These days there is plenty of injera to go around, t hough I can't say that I'm much of a fan of this spongy bread. But I am intrigued by the city of Addis Ababa and it's markets, the ancient sites of Aksum, and the rock churches of Lalibela.
Madagascar: I don't know about you but I associate Madagascar with lemurs, and I think it would be awesome, although potentially deafening, to be in a forest full of lemurs. From my days at the LZ, I can recall the piercing noise just a few of those creatures could make. It was insane. The Parc National de Ranomafana is the place to spot some of these endangered critters. For great hiking and waterfall exploring, there's Parc National de I'Isalo, and for swimming with the whales and sharks (eek), there's the lovely waterfront town of Ifaty. Main problem here is that Madagascar is pretty darn far away from the mainland and not so easy or cheap to access.
Mozambique: Africa with some Latin flavor thanks to its Portuguese colonizers. The diving is good at Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, and the dhow trips around the Querimba Archipelago sound enticing. But I'm not completely sold yet.
Zambia: Sharing Victoria Falls with Zimbabwe, Zambia is an adventure lover's paradise. There's gorge swinging, microlight flights, white water rafting, riverboarding...
Zimbabwe: This country offers up the same Victoria Falls adventures as Zambia, but also has a few other things peaking my interest. The canoe safaris at Mana Pools National Park sound pretty cool and the hiking at Chimanimani sounds top-notch. The issue here though is whether I want, through my tourist dollars, to support the out-of-control President Robert Mugabe.
Botswana: You know those cool National Geographic pictures of rivers just teeming with hippos, so many that it seems you could walk across the water on their backs, that's Botswana, specifically the Okavango Delta. Want to explore that in a dugout canoe? Yeah, me too. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that's going to happen. Botswana is expensive, the land of luxury safaris, and fancy resorts. So most likely, unless we win the lottery prior to this trip, Botswana will be a no-go.
Namibia: German is one of the languages officially spoken here, so I think that means that I better go. It might just be the only place on this trip where I could put my language skills and college degree to work. And it's a happening country, so it's worth a visit with sandboarding in Swakopmund, wildlife watching in Etosha National Park, and red sand dunes exploring in Namib-Naukluft Park. The only trick here is that it's not an easy country to get around, but I think I'm willing to work a little harder for this one.
South Africa: There's lots going on in this popular African destination. Just in Cape Town alone, you can revisit history at Robben Island, get a peek at penguins on Cape Peninsula National Park, and take a hike up Table Mountain. Then you've got the Winelands, the coastal town of Cintsa which is like a summer camp for grownups, the ancient rainforests of Hogsback, and Kruger National Park, where I'm psyched about the exciting and affordable walking safaris.
Wow, that's a lot. Africa just oozes excitement. There are so many unique things to see and do. But if you've actually read through all of my descriptions, you'll have noticed that there is also a fair bit of overlap with the main themes of safaris and adventure sports. Obviously, we're not going to do the same activities over and over while just simply switching countries. We have to narrow things down, figure out what's best, where we can get the most bang for our buck, and what places really capture the authenticity and awesomeness that we're looking for. This isn't the Amazing Race (they've rejected me twice, damn it), so we'd like to actually spend time in the countries we ultimately end up choosing to see, not just breeze through, checking off sites. The planning is underway, but there's still a lot to do.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Some quick notes from Stockholm
As you all may or may not know, I'm over in Stockholm for only five days (my shortest trip here ever) for a conference. I thought I might enlighten you all with some of the things that are bouncing around my head here.
- I think the more you travel, the less of a problem jet lag seems to be. I haven't noticed any problems this trip, even though I didn't sleep at all on the plane over here. Does anyone have any good theories about why this is? Is it just that you know what to expect?
- As another sign of how connected the world is now, I was walking through central Stockholm, hopping on buses and trains, all the while talking to Theresa in DC on our cell phones. Total cost for this convenience? ~15 cents a minute. Impressive.
- I am strongly anti-pay toilet. Especially when you don't even have change so it's not even an option (though even when I do refuse on principle). That McDonald's always has free toilets is the only thing that makes them worthwhile. (By the way, pay toilets were apparently common in the US until the Committee to End Pay Toilets In America (CEPTIA) was successful in the 1970's. Hooray Wikipedia. Now that's a cause I can get behind.)
- Fondue is awesome. I had dinner tonight with some family friends Hasse and Lena, and we had beef broth fondue. Delicious! And fun!
- I think the more you travel, the less of a problem jet lag seems to be. I haven't noticed any problems this trip, even though I didn't sleep at all on the plane over here. Does anyone have any good theories about why this is? Is it just that you know what to expect?
- As another sign of how connected the world is now, I was walking through central Stockholm, hopping on buses and trains, all the while talking to Theresa in DC on our cell phones. Total cost for this convenience? ~15 cents a minute. Impressive.
- I am strongly anti-pay toilet. Especially when you don't even have change so it's not even an option (though even when I do refuse on principle). That McDonald's always has free toilets is the only thing that makes them worthwhile. (By the way, pay toilets were apparently common in the US until the Committee to End Pay Toilets In America (CEPTIA) was successful in the 1970's. Hooray Wikipedia. Now that's a cause I can get behind.)
- Fondue is awesome. I had dinner tonight with some family friends Hasse and Lena, and we had beef broth fondue. Delicious! And fun!
Travel That Benefits Others
Traveling is a wonderous experience. It opens our eyes to new ways of thinking and living. We meet amazing people and see breathtaking sites. But we also come across things that are difficult. We encounter poverty, and not just beggar-on-the-street poverty. We encounter poverty that is desperate, that is so entrenched that it seems impossible to overcome. When this happens, we realize just how fortunate we are. At the same time, we often feel so powerless. What can we do to make a difference?
Recently, I came across an organization, Charity Begins, helping travelers to do something productive--deliver needed goods to non-profits in developing countries throughout the world. Here's how it works: A few months before you take a trip to a developing nation, you contact Charity Begins. They then get in touch with a non-profit at your destination, gather supplies needed by this group, and deliver the supplies to your door. Then you take the supplies with you to the airport, check them with your luggage, pick them up when you arrive, and deliver them to the charity. Kind of cool, right? You literally become a link between worlds.
So consider it next time you're traveling to the developing world. Or if you're not traveling, help out by donating needed goods. After all, charity begins at home.
Recently, I came across an organization, Charity Begins, helping travelers to do something productive--deliver needed goods to non-profits in developing countries throughout the world. Here's how it works: A few months before you take a trip to a developing nation, you contact Charity Begins. They then get in touch with a non-profit at your destination, gather supplies needed by this group, and deliver the supplies to your door. Then you take the supplies with you to the airport, check them with your luggage, pick them up when you arrive, and deliver them to the charity. Kind of cool, right? You literally become a link between worlds.
So consider it next time you're traveling to the developing world. Or if you're not traveling, help out by donating needed goods. After all, charity begins at home.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Taking the Time to Travel
In the November/December issue of National Geographic Traveler, an article addresses what they have deemed "Vacation-Deficit Disorder," referencing a recent study from the Center for Economic and Policy Research called No-Vacation Nation. The article focuses on both the sad state of paid vacation available to most U.S. workers and the fact that many Americans don't use the few vacation days they are given.
Among countries with advanced economies, the United States is the only country that does not mandate vacation days. Throughout Europe, companies are required to give employees anywhere from 20 (Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, the United Kingdom...) to 30 (France) vacation days each year. Even workaholic Japan stipulates 10 vacation days each year. No wonder Americans are so poorly traveled in comparison to the rest of the world. A two-week European vacation or a trip to Australia isn't going to fly for the majority of working Americans.
So, how, I can hear people, asking is it possible to take an entire year out to travel? Well, as I see it, there are a few options. First, if you have a job that you like, check with your higher-ups to see if they'd be willing to give you a leave-of-absence or a sabbatical. This will give you the freedom to travel with the security of a job to come back to. Unfortunately, I must say, that the likelihood of your job allowing this is slim. But, as my momma always told me, the worst they can do is say no.
Second, if you're still a young'un, consider taking your first year out of college to travel, or even put off college for a year to travel right out of high school. In the United Kingdom and Australia this is a common practice, referred to as a gap year. One problem might be that having never been employed, you're unlikely to have much money. The good news is that as a young person you're likely to need less money. You haven't yet got used to the luxuries that older people find hard to give up. And you can always do odd-jobs as you go to bolster the bank account. Though this idea is still a bit radical in the U.S., it's starting to catch on, meaning that universities and employers are beginning to look at it as a positive experience, not just a year of goofing off.
Third, you can say the heck with the job and give your notice. That, effectively, is what we're doing. Or, more precisely, what I will be doing. Jeff is completing his PhD, so in some ways, he falls more under option two (although thankfully he is making money). I, having moved here with the stipulation that we'd leave D.C. once the PhD was in hand, would be quitting my current job regardless, so in many ways this is a natural break for us. But instead of moving to a new place and getting new jobs, we're going to move to a lot of places and have no jobs. Obviously, a good choice.
In some ways, that's a little scary. What in the heck are we going to do when we get back? We're not 18 year olds who can just head on to school, we're not retired folks who have no plans to go back to work, and we're not beloved employees of a company dying to take us back upon our return. But you know what, I'm not too concerned. We're both intelligent, hardworking, talented people (in my humble opinion, of course). We have education, and we have experience. We'll find something. And if I have to work some weird jobs while I find a good position, well, that's okay. I once pulled garbage bags full of maggots (see job at the Louisville Zoo). I can handle anything.
There's never a perfect time. But there are plenty of good times, and in my opinion, it's about priorities. This is what we want to do. There probably won't be a better time to do it. So, hey, that's it, we're doing it. I'm not going to miss the rat race. Would you?
(And, yes, I know that the other question on everyone's mind is how in the heck can we afford this. We will be addressing that in a future post, and while rumor has it that it's not polite to talk about money, I'm going to do it.)
Among countries with advanced economies, the United States is the only country that does not mandate vacation days. Throughout Europe, companies are required to give employees anywhere from 20 (Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, the United Kingdom...) to 30 (France) vacation days each year. Even workaholic Japan stipulates 10 vacation days each year. No wonder Americans are so poorly traveled in comparison to the rest of the world. A two-week European vacation or a trip to Australia isn't going to fly for the majority of working Americans.
So, how, I can hear people, asking is it possible to take an entire year out to travel? Well, as I see it, there are a few options. First, if you have a job that you like, check with your higher-ups to see if they'd be willing to give you a leave-of-absence or a sabbatical. This will give you the freedom to travel with the security of a job to come back to. Unfortunately, I must say, that the likelihood of your job allowing this is slim. But, as my momma always told me, the worst they can do is say no.
Second, if you're still a young'un, consider taking your first year out of college to travel, or even put off college for a year to travel right out of high school. In the United Kingdom and Australia this is a common practice, referred to as a gap year. One problem might be that having never been employed, you're unlikely to have much money. The good news is that as a young person you're likely to need less money. You haven't yet got used to the luxuries that older people find hard to give up. And you can always do odd-jobs as you go to bolster the bank account. Though this idea is still a bit radical in the U.S., it's starting to catch on, meaning that universities and employers are beginning to look at it as a positive experience, not just a year of goofing off.
Third, you can say the heck with the job and give your notice. That, effectively, is what we're doing. Or, more precisely, what I will be doing. Jeff is completing his PhD, so in some ways, he falls more under option two (although thankfully he is making money). I, having moved here with the stipulation that we'd leave D.C. once the PhD was in hand, would be quitting my current job regardless, so in many ways this is a natural break for us. But instead of moving to a new place and getting new jobs, we're going to move to a lot of places and have no jobs. Obviously, a good choice.
In some ways, that's a little scary. What in the heck are we going to do when we get back? We're not 18 year olds who can just head on to school, we're not retired folks who have no plans to go back to work, and we're not beloved employees of a company dying to take us back upon our return. But you know what, I'm not too concerned. We're both intelligent, hardworking, talented people (in my humble opinion, of course). We have education, and we have experience. We'll find something. And if I have to work some weird jobs while I find a good position, well, that's okay. I once pulled garbage bags full of maggots (see job at the Louisville Zoo). I can handle anything.
There's never a perfect time. But there are plenty of good times, and in my opinion, it's about priorities. This is what we want to do. There probably won't be a better time to do it. So, hey, that's it, we're doing it. I'm not going to miss the rat race. Would you?
(And, yes, I know that the other question on everyone's mind is how in the heck can we afford this. We will be addressing that in a future post, and while rumor has it that it's not polite to talk about money, I'm going to do it.)
Sunday, October 21, 2007
In praise of the internet (and guidebooks)
Not that the internet doesn't get enough praise, but spare me a few moments to make my case. Last weekend, when we were back in Seattle for a friend's wedding, we got to talking about my parents adventures in Africa in the 1970's. They had headed there as part of a travel tour that would take them from Morocco to South Africa in the span of three months with adventures galore. As the trip began, it became clear that all was not as advertised, their tour guide had never made this trip before and a number of their reservations, such as Land Rovers, were not as certain as previously thought. After three months they were not even one-quarter of the way. It wasn't that they got duped or anything: the tour guide was a friend of a friend and had decent intentions, he just wasn't prepared for what he had recruited people for. Fortunately, my parents were resourceful enough to put together their own adventure from then on, and to this day this trip is a source of some of their best memories. But here is what I kept thinking listening to the stories:
How did they not know more going into it? There are lots of other lessons to glean from my parents trip, like the value of resourcefulness, the lifelong friends you make along the way, how to handle emergency situations. Many of which I'm sure will be covered much more in depth on this blog in the future as we plan, but I'm not going to focus on that now.
Instead, I'm going to quickly mention the reasons that quickly came to me ... among other things, they didn't have any internet, guidebooks weren't as ubiquitous. The access to information was not nearly as instantaneous. The first thing I would do today if I was thinking about booking a tour would be to fully vet them online, googling and looking for online reviews, opinions and experiences. Alternatively, I would've dug through a guidebook from the library looking for recommendations of tours or which places I would want to go. And, in fact, that is what we have spent the better part of our preparatory time doing: research.
These mediums are not without their downsides, the internet makes misinformation just as accessible and guidebooks can help create an almost insular travel culture, but they provide an unprecedented ease and convenience to access information. So with that, I would like to offer a simple thank you to those things that make preparations for this trip much easier. I do hope (and fully believe), however, that we will have just as many opportunities to test our resourcefulness and make our own lifelong friends along the way.
How did they not know more going into it? There are lots of other lessons to glean from my parents trip, like the value of resourcefulness, the lifelong friends you make along the way, how to handle emergency situations. Many of which I'm sure will be covered much more in depth on this blog in the future as we plan, but I'm not going to focus on that now.
Instead, I'm going to quickly mention the reasons that quickly came to me ... among other things, they didn't have any internet, guidebooks weren't as ubiquitous. The access to information was not nearly as instantaneous. The first thing I would do today if I was thinking about booking a tour would be to fully vet them online, googling and looking for online reviews, opinions and experiences. Alternatively, I would've dug through a guidebook from the library looking for recommendations of tours or which places I would want to go. And, in fact, that is what we have spent the better part of our preparatory time doing: research.
These mediums are not without their downsides, the internet makes misinformation just as accessible and guidebooks can help create an almost insular travel culture, but they provide an unprecedented ease and convenience to access information. So with that, I would like to offer a simple thank you to those things that make preparations for this trip much easier. I do hope (and fully believe), however, that we will have just as many opportunities to test our resourcefulness and make our own lifelong friends along the way.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Life on the Loose
In response to a recent post, my friend Megan left a comment with the lyrics to "Moon River," which led me to think of songs that in some way inspire me, that capture in lyrics the way I feel or what I aspire to, particularly in regards to this trip and travel in general. Of course, this led to a far-reaching mental journey that transported me through space and time. Music is very powerful. Like smells, music has a way of taking us back, of capturing a particular moment or feeling, of reminding us of a special person.
As I pondered, I was transported back to a very specific place, Bear Creek Aquatic Camp, on the shores of Kentucky Lake. As a girl, I used to spend some time every summer at Bear Creek. In some ways, I think this camp, though still within the borders of my home state, really had a significant impact on the development of my love of travel and adventure. I started going there in fourth grade, so it was the first place I went without any family. It was a place of new routines, new food, new adventures. It might as well have been a million miles away from home. I did things there that seemed exotic and crazy to my ten-year-old self. I learned to windsurf, sail, and water ski. I challenged myself to a half-mile-long lake swim. I met new people, made new friends. I mastered the art of showering in a stall where the water was lukewarm at best and controlled with a pull string.
And I learned the lyrics to a lot of songs. And I remembered them. If you know me, you know that I can pull out lyrics to the most nonsensical and ridiculous songs at any moment without any trouble. Need a song about a crazy acorn, a girl sucked down a shower drain, a fly in a grocery store? I'm your girl. But not all the songs were silly. It was at Bear Creek that I was introduced to Bob Dylan, John Denver, and a slew of other folk singers. And it was in the fire circle at the point, looking out across the water to Land Between the Lakes, that I learned the song "On the Loose." The first time I heard it, it spoke to me, and more than a decade and a half later, I still find that the words capture for me something that I otherwise find hard to put into words.
The chorus seems the most pertinent, summarizing in just a few lines a creed of sorts for the way I want to live. And I can't hear the words without remembering those summers at Bear Creek: the smell of pine, the feeling of my hair in the wind as I cruised across the lake, the warmth of a campfire under a starry sky, the feeling of freedom, of unbridled joy, of absolute certainty that I could and would live the life I imagined. Life seemed full of possibility. As we plan this trip, life, again, seems that way.
On the loose to climb a mountain
On the loose where I am free
On the loose to live my life the way I think my life should be
For I've only got a moment
And a whole world yet to see
I'll be searching for tomorrow on the loose
As I pondered, I was transported back to a very specific place, Bear Creek Aquatic Camp, on the shores of Kentucky Lake. As a girl, I used to spend some time every summer at Bear Creek. In some ways, I think this camp, though still within the borders of my home state, really had a significant impact on the development of my love of travel and adventure. I started going there in fourth grade, so it was the first place I went without any family. It was a place of new routines, new food, new adventures. It might as well have been a million miles away from home. I did things there that seemed exotic and crazy to my ten-year-old self. I learned to windsurf, sail, and water ski. I challenged myself to a half-mile-long lake swim. I met new people, made new friends. I mastered the art of showering in a stall where the water was lukewarm at best and controlled with a pull string.
And I learned the lyrics to a lot of songs. And I remembered them. If you know me, you know that I can pull out lyrics to the most nonsensical and ridiculous songs at any moment without any trouble. Need a song about a crazy acorn, a girl sucked down a shower drain, a fly in a grocery store? I'm your girl. But not all the songs were silly. It was at Bear Creek that I was introduced to Bob Dylan, John Denver, and a slew of other folk singers. And it was in the fire circle at the point, looking out across the water to Land Between the Lakes, that I learned the song "On the Loose." The first time I heard it, it spoke to me, and more than a decade and a half later, I still find that the words capture for me something that I otherwise find hard to put into words.
The chorus seems the most pertinent, summarizing in just a few lines a creed of sorts for the way I want to live. And I can't hear the words without remembering those summers at Bear Creek: the smell of pine, the feeling of my hair in the wind as I cruised across the lake, the warmth of a campfire under a starry sky, the feeling of freedom, of unbridled joy, of absolute certainty that I could and would live the life I imagined. Life seemed full of possibility. As we plan this trip, life, again, seems that way.
On the loose to climb a mountain
On the loose where I am free
On the loose to live my life the way I think my life should be
For I've only got a moment
And a whole world yet to see
I'll be searching for tomorrow on the loose
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
To-Do #1
So while that list below looks intimidating, there are a lot of things that will be pretty easy to take care of. By far the biggest and most complicated item is #1: Where to go ... and when to go there. I mean, "round the world" is just a little too vague. With that in mind, I'm going to quickly outline how we are trying to figure that out.
To start with, we are in the "information gathering" process right now. This means I have my nose stuck in a guidebook to all of Southeast Asia, and Theresa is buried waist deep in an Africa guidebook. We are finding all of our "can't miss" places, when to go there, how to get there and how long to stay there. None of these things are simple to coordinate ... there are endless combinations and logistical problems. When we finish, we'll trade (and do South America). Then we'll combine notes and do the best we can making the things we *have* to see the loose framework to the trip.
But a lot of the uniqueness of a trip like this happens in the in between times (or so we think), when you're not necessarily on a safari or taking in Angkor Wat. Like meeting locals or fellow travelers with secrets to share, wandering through a local market, or otherwise getting to know a culture beyond the backpacker's hotel. The advice my parents gave me the other night was, "make sure you don't plan too much, leave lots of time for the spontaneous things."
Point taken. I mean, Egypt was an amazing trip at a whirlwind pace, but a lot of the magic of it came from the "non-sites" (and believe me, the sites were astounding): the day we decided that it was just too hot so we drank in the hotel pool all day, singing along with our taxi driver, being told we didn't speak English properly, the foul smelling juice stands that somehow sold miraculously good juice. It's not necessarily what you seek out but what you run into.
Anyway, with that in mind, we want to be careful not to plan too much. This is difficult for us; even on our honeymoon we overbooked. But we want this trip to be about more than just checking sights off our 1000 places to see, we want to delve into cultures and understand the people. Besides, there's no way we could handle our usual traveling pace for an entire year, so this will help us come back still married.
To start with, we are in the "information gathering" process right now. This means I have my nose stuck in a guidebook to all of Southeast Asia, and Theresa is buried waist deep in an Africa guidebook. We are finding all of our "can't miss" places, when to go there, how to get there and how long to stay there. None of these things are simple to coordinate ... there are endless combinations and logistical problems. When we finish, we'll trade (and do South America). Then we'll combine notes and do the best we can making the things we *have* to see the loose framework to the trip.
But a lot of the uniqueness of a trip like this happens in the in between times (or so we think), when you're not necessarily on a safari or taking in Angkor Wat. Like meeting locals or fellow travelers with secrets to share, wandering through a local market, or otherwise getting to know a culture beyond the backpacker's hotel. The advice my parents gave me the other night was, "make sure you don't plan too much, leave lots of time for the spontaneous things."
Point taken. I mean, Egypt was an amazing trip at a whirlwind pace, but a lot of the magic of it came from the "non-sites" (and believe me, the sites were astounding): the day we decided that it was just too hot so we drank in the hotel pool all day, singing along with our taxi driver, being told we didn't speak English properly, the foul smelling juice stands that somehow sold miraculously good juice. It's not necessarily what you seek out but what you run into.
Anyway, with that in mind, we want to be careful not to plan too much. This is difficult for us; even on our honeymoon we overbooked. But we want this trip to be about more than just checking sights off our 1000 places to see, we want to delve into cultures and understand the people. Besides, there's no way we could handle our usual traveling pace for an entire year, so this will help us come back still married.
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