Taking a Sabbatical

For the last 6 months, my husband and I have seriously been discussing taking a sabbatical. While most take a sabbatical from their careers, we want to take a sabbatical from New York City.


Why? Well, I've lived here nearly 8 long, grinding, years and the whole time it's been a bit of a struggle. Other times it's pure bliss. Most people I know who live here have an intense love hate relationship with New York, making most of us neurotic to say the least. Let me try to illustrate what I mean:

I love all the people, crowds, and energy here. But on any given day about 10% of the millions of people who live here, not to mention the millions that commute here, are having the worst day of their entire lives. They might be perfectly nice, respectable people on any other day. But today, they're pissed off, on a tirade, and pushing you out of their way and screaming. I'm sick of this.

There's tons of freelance work here. This is obviously a blessing, but it also means the competition is fierce. I'd really like to keep the freelance contacts I have and branch out into smaller markets. Big fish in the pond so to speak. As opposed to minnow in a sewer full of rats and mutated pigeons.

The subway takes you everywhere. It's a fantastic way to travel from point A to point B, especially if you want to enjoy some cocktails after work and don't have to worry about driving. But every day the express trains are running local, the local trains have switched lines and suddenly you're in the meat packing district instead of the West Village. You end up walking about 30 minutes out of your way to get anywhere. It also takes about an hour to go 10 miles. While it's certainly entertaining to have 'Ziggy' perform a Tracy Chapman number for you on the F train, you also get a lot of people who come on yelling "Right or wrong, we hustle hard!", kids doing back flips for money next to your head, girls pole dancing, and random fights. I've also seen a 2 minute magic show where a dude let a live dove fly around the car to an audience of trapped commuters, a guy sitting in a rocking chair (yes, on the train) and pull out 3 kittens from his coat, and people listening to their boom boxes at full blast. And as fun as watching humpback rats run around on the subway tracks is a total titillating blast, it gets kind of gross after awhile.

The city is constantly changing. This is a good thing since the city can be a sweltering hell hole in the summer with subway steam blasting up your skirt, and bitterly cold with polluted and rat infested snow in the winter. But someone is moving in and out of one of the apartments surrounding you just about every single day. Every time we go walking down Smith Street in Brooklyn, there's a new Brooklyn Industries or Flight 001 opening which simultaneously indicates a raise in your own rent since the 'hood is becoming even more gentrified. It's just hard to get a sense of community.

The city is incredibly safe. Since 9/11, New York has become the safest big city in the country. I have absolutely no fear walking down the street at 2am by myself or riding the subway in the middle of the night. That's all well and good when I just ate a midnight gyro and want to regret it all the way home on the train, but the city is also pushing out artists in droves. New York is quickly becoming known as a museum city that just houses art instead of producing it. Banking, finance, and retail are now the norm and urban wonders like CBGB's have been closed down and pushed out. Starbucks line the blocks and small businesses are closing up, only to be replaced by Citibanks, Chase Banks, Washington Mutual, Dunkin' Donuts, Crate and Barrel, and a slew of Jennifer Convertibles. Times Square is now a modified Disney World complete with tourists stopping traffic to pose in front of Bubba Gump Shrimp with The Naked Cowboy. I'd kill for a peepshow next to the gynormous Toys R' Rus with the hideous working Ferris wheel. Now the city council is talking about taking away our freaks in Coney Island and making it into another Times Square attraction. I shudder at the thought of losing The Freak Show Bar or Rudy's.

Everything you need is within a 2 block radius. It's pretty amazing to be able to get a sandwich, banana, snacks, beer, detergent, aspirin, lottery tickets, ice cream, toothpaste, rat traps, a cactus, firelight log, candles, vegetables, and an umbrella at any deli or bodega. But you're also at the mercy of bodega brands. Chicken flavored crackers, strange beer you've never heard of, dusty vegetables that may conceivably be left over from last season, and umbrellas that break the second you open them. But there's no available Wal-Marts around these parts to make a big haul. You end up dragging food home that you only sort of want and wonder what happened to the days when you could walk into a Kroger in your parents' suburbia and buy a month's worth of groceries, find a movie, pick up a coffee, sample some free cheese, stop by your bank, and half-furnish your house without ever leaving the Kroger Compound.

There's plenty of people to hang-out with. True, but it's also like having a part-time job to maintain any kind of social life or friendship. People regularly break up for having a 'long distance relationship" between Brooklyn and Queens. Others move in together after dating for 4 weeks to save on rent. Our population of friends is scattered between Williamsburg, Carroll Gardens, Washington Heights, and Queens and it takes months to schedule one evening together.

New York City is the land of apartments. This can work out to your advantage because you don't need a lot of 'stuff'. There's no room for it. You also have a landlord that, in theory, should take care of repairs, heat, and hot water. But as far as buying an apartment? Well, even if you can afford the mortgage, you're looking at an additional $600-$1500 in maintenance fees every month. We're just not sure we're willing to pay upwards of $3,200 to live in a small crap box at the very edge of Staten Island in Tottenville. Incidentally, it's also completely normal to follow "So what do you do?" with "What do you pay in rent?" exactly 5 minutes after you've met a complete stranger.

Everyone here is intensely ambitious. Fantastic, it's part of the reason I moved here and it's motivated me to work harder than ever. But that situation breeds an intense level of careerism. I wouldn't even call it classism, but careerism. When the inevitable "What do you do?" question comes up, you hear a lot of this: "I'm an administrative assistant." (long pause) "But what do you want to do?" God forbid anyone in this place be content with a decent salary and an office job. You have to want to be a singer, artist, filmmaker, writer, top tier real estate broker, Broadway actor, playwright, make-up artist to the stars, fashion designer, socialite, TV host, celebrity assistant, or 'It' boy or girl on Page 6. While it's true I am a writer and my husband is a graphic designer, we still get a lot of flack from careerists. "Oh, you're a travel writer? But not for Frommers? You haven't had your own travel guide published?" etc. This is really annoying.

"I'm so successful! Muhahaha!"

And so in light of these facts and that we've never felt quite 'settled' here, we decided to start making a list of why we're looking to leave the city:

• We've badly outgrown our apartment and are ready to buy real estate. Since we're not all that interested in cleaning out our savings to buy a crap box (see above) and living in an even smaller apartment than we are now, we'd like to city what's available in other parts of the country.
  

• We are absolutely done living below and above other people. Constant noise, music, fighting, and rude neighbors. Talking to them nicely does absolutely nothing but just acerbates the situation. They respond in kind by blasting TV's, stomping over us, and generally making our lives hell.
  

• While we have an abundant amount of work to choose from in the city, we're working all the time to sustain a decent standard of living. We'd like to slow down in life, have a cup of coffee once in awhile and drink it sitting down, and that can't happen if we're working to live all the time.

• We'd like to start a family soon. While plenty of parents happily raise kids in the city and can offer all the culture and urban perks available, I'd like a yard, a nursery bigger than a closet, and decent public schools that don't require intensive interviews for 4-year olds trying to break into the competitive world of pre-school.
  

• My husband is a graphic designer and would like a small letterpress. Even small ones take up room we don't have in the apartment. (For some reason our apartment came with a washing machine but not a dryer. And so currently we have to hang our washed clothes all over the kitchen and cook around them while they dry). Plus, letterpresses are generally very heavy and need to be kept in a garage or basement.

• We'd like to start side businesses including this whole idea of customized letterpress invitations and posters. I'd also like to start a commercial travel website to expand on my blog here and generate more sources of revenue. Right now I barely have time for a blog let alone all the ideas we have. If we lived somewhere cheaper, we could pursue other interests and ideas.

• Our sense of adventure tells us we want to try something different, have a fresh start, rename ourselves Trixie and Speed Racer and see other parts of the country for more than a 3-day weekend here and there.

• I pay out of pocket for my health insurance. I could technically receive benefits from my husband's work, but it would actually be more expensive than what I currently pay myself. This is just life in the 21st century. You have to go into near debt to have adequate health insurance and companies no longer offer it, or offer it at a costly premium, so they in turn can save money in their own nightmare of a faltering economy. My research shows that both of us could be on a health plan in another city for less than what I pay just for myself.

Scary insurance folder.

Although we're not aiming for all these things (ie: family, side businesses, etc) during our sabbatical, we know we need some much-needed perspective on where we want to go next in relation to what we want from life long term.

But how will we make it work? There's income, bills, sanity, and housing to consider. At first, it all seemed quite overwhelming, but then we realized it couldn't be as overwhelming as living in New York for nearly a decade, and slowly the answers came. We've been able to formulate a reasonable plan with plenty of room for error. What does that mean? Well, we've never taken a sabbatical before, nor do we know anyone who has that can give us some pointers. We want to make sure we've allowed ourselves room for mistake. We want to be able to recover if something we planned to do just doesn't pan out. This is what we've come up with:

• Our lease is up in September and since we don't want to find a new apartment to rent around here, we can put all our furniture in storage and rent a furnished sublet in another city via Craigslist or a corporate apartment set-up.
  

• We pay more in rent than just about anywhere else in the country. After extensive research in all cities we're interested in trying, we're confident we can find a sublet for less than what we're paying now. Not to mention we probably won't have to worry about bills for heat (it will be summer) and cable is usually included in sublets and corporate housing.
  

• My husband is interested in teaching adjunct or part-time at a university or art college. We've been researching and contacting schools in other cities we'd like to consider. While he currently has a staff job in New York, he wants to go freelance by August and blow this pop stand. He's already freelancing on the side for several steady clients and makes a substantial part-time income. All his clients have offered him more work when he finally kicks his staff job to the curb. Going full-time, he should be able to sustain a decent income without much difficulty. To top it all off, his current employers have already indicated they will keep him on as a contractor when he leaves the company.
  

• I recently secured a column at the publication I freelance for. It doesn't pay much, but it will keep my clips healthy, give me some leverage to find other work, and keep my foot in the door with them. In addition, they are launching 2 new websites that will need extensive editorial work. I already work from home for them most of the week and am confident I can freelance for them out of state at least 10 hours a week, though I think it would be more like 25 or 30. Additionally, the other clients I freelance for could care less where I live. Of the 4 or 5, I've only ever met one face to face. Why should they care if I'm emailing them from NY or the middle of nowhere?
  

• I type 90 wpm and have administrative experience. I've drudged up coffee with semi-stale milk for the best of them. And I have no problem temping if we need to make ends meet. I'm also an experienced video editor and have worked on at least 100 advertising campaigns. Despite the fact that I constantly write posts bitching and moaning about how much advertising sucks and how awesome it is to be done with that and a travel writer now, I'm happy to freelance in that industry again, temporarily, for "The Greater Good". (re: Shawn of the Dead).
  

• We've been saving our income like crazy and have enough for a significant down payment on a house. Part of our killer savings is because as a freelancer, I never know what my income will be. Some weeks it's quite sizable, others it's rather pathetic. It all balances out, but we save almost 75% of my income to ensure we have a nice nest egg to get us through when my pay is sluggish. We're also incorporated, which gives us breathing room with our taxes. If needed, we could use a small portion of it to make ends meet during our sabbatical.

• In addition to the sizable down payment we've saved, we're also saving a small amount every month in a savings account attached to our checking. This will allow us to easily move money over when we need it on our sabbatical. By the time we're ready to leave, we should have enough for approximately 6 weeks of full expenses from this account, if we continue to live the way we do now. However, since all the cities we're interested in visiting are significantly cheaper than New York, we should have enough for 8-10 weeks. Our idea is we'll have this spare cash as an everyday emergency fund and not have to dip into our true savings. Plus if all our plans fall through, we'd have about 10 weeks to figure something else out before needing to dip into our other savings.
  

• My blog is continuing to make money. Nothing to live off of, but within the next 6 months, all signs of how it's growing indicate that it will become a nice contribution to our sabbatical. I'm also planning to launch a new website between now and August 15th, the date we're planning to leave.

• If everything goes right to hell in a hand basket, we have plenty of connections in New York and could move back, stay in a friend's spare bedroom or sublet via Craigslist and start looking for that home to buy.

"I'm a power seller! Can I show you something in a Colonial or Cape Cod?"

So now that we have an idea of how this so-called sabbatical will work, we had to figure out where we want to go. Portland, Oregon was on the list, but I already lived there for a summer in my early 20's when I was studying video editing. We'd also like to be on the same general coast as our families so we can visit when needed. San Francisco was also a contender, but we've both been there a dozen times and it's nearly as expensive as New York. We'd like our sabbatical to be easier and cheaper than what we're doing now. Boston seems more expensive than New York and we already live in New England now. My hometown of Atlanta was on the list, but I've been there, done that, and am not all that interested in temporarily living there. We also considered my husband's hometown in the Midwest, but he kind of feels the same way about it that I do regarding Hotlanta.

What we do know we want is a decent sized city with stable economy, art, music, theater, decent housing, proximity to outdoor recreation, fine dining, and a place we've never spent much time in, if at all. And so we're considering..... Nashville.

Let me say that when I tell people I'm from Hotlanta, the first thing they say is "Say what?! But why don't you have a Southern accent?" These people are truly puzzled I am accent-less and do not resemble Blanche from the Golden Girls or the entire cast of Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias combined. This leads me to believe they also expect everyone from the Midwest to talk like they're reenacting Fargo from beginning to end.

In any case, many people (probably the same ones I've just been complaining about) assume Nashvegas is all country all the time with the likes of Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus dancing their Achy Breaky Hearts right down Music Row. However, Nashville actually has a thriving jazz, folk, rock and Christian music scene. They even have live music at the airport. I like eclectic, this is good with me. It also means my husband could make connections to design more CD covers, which he loves.

I also like that Nashville has actual seasons. Though we'll be there in the summer and or fall, I still like knowing it's possible snow arrives in winter. There's plenty of nearby outdoor recreation via river and mountains, art, bars, restaurants, and a decent cost of living. These are all aspects we want full-time from a city, so it's possible we could consider relocating. However, right now our only intention is to explore another city and get some perspective on what it is we want out of life.

So while most sabbaticals are usually reflective of professional academia with paid leave, ours will be a non-paid, non-professional break from the city. The Boston University School of Theology's sabbatical guidelines are as follows: A sabbatical is an extended period of time granted for professional development and spiritual renewal away from normal ministerial responsibilities and in a manner that is not possible during the busyness of a typical work year. Sabbaticals are not vacations, but carefully planned periods of time devoted to study, reflection, rest, and renewal. They frequently become a path to understanding one’s vocation in new ways or as a vehicle for a transformed sense of pastoral identity. Some pastors travel, experience different cultures, learn new skills, or spend time reading during a sabbatical. It is also possible to think of even doing something like a semi-monastic retreat. This is a time to experience “being” in addition to “doing”; it should be a time of freedom and authenticity. One of the goals of a sabbatical is to return to the congregation renewed and refreshed.

We too would like to approach our sabbatical as a means of spiritual renewal, professional growth, rest, reflection, and a transformed sense of identity. We also may end up adding additional cities on our list to consider, but for now, we're thinking about Nashville. If anyone has taken their own self-appointed sabbatical or suggestions on cities to try, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

For more information on taking a sabbatical, check out some of the following books:

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Freegan Travel

Yesterday Oprah was exploring the joys of freeganism and dumpster diving with Lisa Ling. I sat smugly, proud that I had known about freeganism for years. I nodded my head knowingly as they talked about freegans making a political statement about how much we consume and throw away. I tried to go to the freegan.info website to give you some statistical information, but by then Oprah had blown up the Internet waves by merely uttering the word and the freegan.info site was down for the count, presumably from all the traffic. If she had said the word "didigeroo", the world's inventory for didigeroos would have instantly sold out and be on back order for the next 9 years.

I managed to find some information to share that Oprah's influence hadn't reached. According to our friends at Wikipedia, "Freeganism is an anti-consumerism lifestyle whereby people employ alternative living strategies based on "limited participation in the conventional economy.." Throwing out food costs the US approximately $30 billion every year.

Freegans may recover unused food, clothing, electronics, housewares, furniture and more from dumpsters. They are known only to buy what they truly need, sometimes only spending $10-$20 a week, thus lowering their impact on the environment and the need for a cycle of constantly working 40+ hours a week. They might recover hundreds of dollars worth of goods and often give what they cannot use to goodwill or friends. There are even free 'trash tours' in New York and many other cities to teach aspiring freegans how to recover goods safely. Many freegans are notoriously ex-corporate execs and were once avid consumers themselves.


Let's think about this. Admittedly, I can understand why people might be utterly grossed out by this. But living in a neighborhood full of Italian bakeries, I can tell you that I've witnessed firsthand bakers throwing out bags and bags of fresh bagels and bread. You can literally smell their aroma when you walk past them on the street. Many respectable neighbors simply open the bags, fish out some bread of their choosing, retie the bag, and go about their day. Freegans are quick to point out that slightly dented canned goods, unopened pre-packaged vegetables and crackers, and clothes with tags still on them constantly litter the street. Freegans aren't exactly foraging for half-eaten apples and torn clothing. They're recovering virtually unused goods.

There's a reason freeganism is becoming wildly popular in New York. Just come visit the city on trash day and go into a neighborhood like Park Slope, Astoria, or the Upper West Side. There's fancy coffee tables, working plasma TV's, artwork, books, electronics, clothes, and more lined neatly on the curb. People will even leave out a box marked 'Free' for anyone who wants it, otherwise the sanitation workers will discard it. But they day students move out of their NYU dorms is perhaps one of the most popular freegan days in the city. Students dump stereos, iPods, books, clothes, dishes, bedding, and more. Ever non-freegans will get into the dumpsters to find their treasures.

This got me thinking. How do freegans travel, if at all? If you google 'freegan travel' or just 'freegan' scores of websites come up with advice, testimonials, profiles, forums, and more. Then I realized freegans (who dumpster dove for an iBook and WiFi software) can simply log in to find out where all the hot dumpsters are in other cities. This will allow them to eat and carry on their lifestyle while away from their own homes.

I've also read that some freegans feel hitchhiking is perfectly acceptable. The thought is that car would be traveling from point A to B and they are merely taking up space in the car. Others may fee lthat while freeganism is a lifestyle, it doesn't prohibit them from actually owning a car or buying a plane ticket, as long as they keep their consumption in check. I for one think exceptions are fine. Do you have to dumpster dive for life because you don't agree with overt consumerism? If you're wealthy, do you have to only buy name brand or can you buy a pair of shoes at Payless?


So here are my ideas for freegan travel (I am not endorsing these ideas, merely suggesting how freegan travel might work):

• Hitchhike or find a car share
  

• Pitch a tent on campgrounds or safe area

• Use couchsurfing.com to find a free couch to crash on
  

• Forage through dumpsters for daily meals
  

• Sight-see by foot or on bike at free attractions. All museums have a free day. Also see parks, libraries, botanical gardens, and hiking.

• Read a guide book on the area you're visiting -- found in the dumpster

• Research freegan activities and meetings in the area to connect with like-minded people and tourists

• Check the local craigslist for free events, classes, and its 'Free' section for unwanted goods you might need.
  

• Purchase carbon offsets from a legitimate organization to offset any transportation or consumption impact you may have left.
  

That's what I came up with. It's harder to travel free-style freegan than I first imagined. I wonder how it would work overseas? In many areas, it's illegal to dumpster dive, but people generally just look the other way if you're not causing any trouble. Do other countries look away or would you wind up in a Thai prison? (If you read my Jamie Lynn Spears Might Teach You Something... Besides Sex Ed post, you know I'm obsessed/terrified of Thai prisons.)

Regardless of your situation, everyone can travel (and live) more responsibly. Keep in mind that putting a coffee table in a Goodwill store and putting a coffee table on the street isn't that different. One has a price tag and one doesn't. One is outside next to someone's garbage, the other isn't. Or is it? If you're discarding your old clothes and goods to goodwill, you're still discarding it. it's still your own garbage in a way. I for one have found brand new books on the street or brownstone stoops and have then sold on ebay. I've also found kitchy art, a coffee table, and a pair of boots on the curb. A freegan? Not exactly, but I know the value of garbage and the pointlessness in consumerism when I see it.

Though not exactly a Freegan book, "Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping" chronicles a year in the life of author Judith Levine who refrained from shopping and spending money on nearly all non-essentials.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Travel Alert - Discount Travel to Bermuda

For those going to Bermuda this spring, check out The Reefs Resort for a chance to win an identical stay in 2009. Dates run from April 1st to May 22nd and drawings will be held in April and again in May. So whether or not your visit is five nights or ten, you can win a matching vacation during the same period for 2009. Guests receive one entry for each night of their stay. So the longer you stay, the better the chances are of winning.



I just went to Bermuda for the first time last summer and loved it. It's only an hour and a half flight from New York and the customs line was seamless. Coming back, you go through US customs at the Bermuda Airport, which means no annoying lines back in the States.

Keep in mind that Bermuda is actually not in the Caribbean, regardless of centuries of misconception (and apparent refusal to look at a map). It's even listed on numerous travel sites as the Caribbean, despite the fact that it's just East of South Carolina . Take note that nothing pisses the locals off more, so don't tell everyone how completely and totally awesome it is to finally be in the Caribbean after a long winter.

Another common misconception? The weather. Although Bermuda is full of pink, sandy beaches, you'll experience similar weather as you would in the Carolinas. So if you're looking for warmth and still want to take advantage of The Reefs Hotel offer, consider staying at the end of May. Otherwise you'll join flocks of tank-top toting tourists who not only believe they they've just landed in the Caribbean, but are outraged it's not 90 degrees and sunny on February 1st.

Also, keep in mind tourists are not permitted to rent cars on Bermuda. It's probably for their own good since the roads are narrow, driving is precarious, and roads are lined with volcanic rock making for a bumper car situation. The island is small and with the ever growing volume of tourism in Bermuda, extra cars would result in a gridlock nightmare. Tourists can rent mopeds (which is scary to witness), but I strongly recommend just using the public bus and ferry system. Everyone uses it, it's relatively cheap, the drivers are friendly, and it covers the entire island. You can pick up a day or weekly pass at the Hamilton Station to use on both the bus and ferries. Most of the area hotels and attractions like the Aquarium will sell single tokens as well. Taxis are also available.

Some of the island perks include interchangable currency. You can use both Bermudan dollars and US dollars, even mixing the two for a single purchase. You'll also get a variety of change back. Their colorful bills and oversized coins makes the US dollar quiver in comparison. (Not that it takes much to make it quiver).

Among some of Bermuda's finer points, check out Horseshoe Bay for some semi-secluded relaxation. The main beach is rather crowded, but there's plenty of caverns and coves to keep you tucked away. Just walk across the street to Tio Pepe's Restaurant when you're finished swimming and jumping off volcanic rock. A single pizza and small salad can easily serve two for about $20. Cold beers are also plentiful.

But there's even more incentives to visit Bermuda and stay at The Reef including a 6th night free between April 1st and May 22nd. Or try the Spring Fling package and stay four nights, with a daily breakfast, afternoon tea, gourmet dinner, round-trip airport transfer, service charges and taxes, beginning at $2138 for two adults from April 1-30.

When in doubt, just throw some alcohol on top of the whole thing and call it a day. As an opening day special after four months of renovations, guests arriving April 1 will enjoy complimentary cocktails at 4:00pm in the newly expanded and renovated bar and lounge. Fancy.

For information and reservations, call 800-742-2008 or visit www.TheReefs.com


More on Bermuda...

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Free Travel Consultation...Read about how the
Innovative Traveler can help you realize your travel goals.

Too Pretty to Fly?

I read an amusing story this morning about two teen girls who said they were discriminated against on a Southwest Airlines flight for being 'too pretty'. Nisreen Swedberg and friend Sarah Williams claim that when boarding the plane from Tampa to Los Angeles, flight attendants were rude, refused to serve them water, and questioned Williams about an altercation with another passenger regarding being in the bathroom too long. Once landing in Los Angeles, the women were escorted off the plane by uniformed officers and questioned by the FBI for nearly two hours. No charges were filed.

Here's a picture of the 18-year olds in question. Be forewarned, they are apparently so pretty that their youthful looks can cause a flight ban:


Hmmm.... While they're certainly attractive in an 18-year old sorority girl kind of way, I don't really see how their looks would get them banned from all future Southwest Airlines flights, including the one they were schedule to fly home on. They, however, feel the altercation was due to jealousy. According to Tampa Bay local news, Williams stated “I think they were just discriminating against because we were young decent-looking girls. I mean, nobody else on the plane looked like us except us,” she said. “[The flight attendants] were like older ladies. We were younger. Who knows, they could have been just jealous of us because we were younger.”

Can you sue for being banned from a flight because of jealousy, youth, and beauty? It's peculiar, because I for one am able to look at their picture and still blog about their heroic tale, despite their good looks and youth. I am not blinded nor distracted by their youth and feel I could even sit in a flight next to them without feeling the need to discriminate against them. And I've also been on airplanes with women who looked like runway models, and they somehow avoided being banned for life from the airline.

Admittedly, Southwest Airlines does seem to be in the news an inordinate amount for denying passage to young women wearing proactive clothing, including Kyla Ebbert in 2007. Although she was never banned from Southwest Airlines, she did take up her 'cause' on the media circuit on a slew of shows ranging from Ellen to Dr. Phil. However, these teens make no claim that their negative experience was a result of clothing, whereas both the airlines and Ebbert identify dress code as the problem in Ebbert's case. Ebbert, incidentally, ended up using her 'too sexy to fly' media exploitation to pose nude in Playboy.

So what will be the fate of Nisreen Swedberg and Sarah Williams? I somehow think if this case was taken to the talk-show circuit, they might get a worldwide smack-down for annoying the hell out of us with their inflated egos. Do they site speeding tickets, bad grades, and life problems on being 'too pretty'? Perhaps they will ugly themselves up and try to appear older for their next flight to avoid altercation.

More About Southwest Airlines...

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Free Travel Consultation...Read about how the
Innovative Traveler can help you realize your travel goals.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Unveils Subway

The Caribbean's first underground rail subway launches on February 27th in Santo Domingo. The 16-mile, 9-stop subway is primarily aimed at commuters and President Leonel Fernandez hopes it will entice locals to stick around instead of fleeing for bigger cities like New York and Miami. Fernandez actually grew up in Manhattan and apparently got the subway bug. He thinks its time Santo Domingo take on a modernized functionality.



Okay. Well, I do hope it assists their locals in being able to work easier and make a 16-mile commute without costly cab rides or gas bills. But most of the press on this project is just bad. The budget spiraled out of control to over $710 million and most are wondering why this wasn't put towards fighting the country's poverty, frequent power outages, and pollution.

Although I'm perfectly comfortable taking the subway here in New York and in other cities, I'm not sure if I'd be open to taking the subway in the DR when it has a reputation for being seedy and dangerous off-resort. And it seems a $710 million project would need tourist dollars to not only balance but justify the expense.

We'll see how it goes. If it's anything like New York's subway system, it will forever be under construction, not working late at night or on weekends, and there will be fare hikes every 6-months. I'm thinking Santo Domingo would have been better off with a stronger bus system.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Free Travel Consultation...Read about how the
Innovative Traveler can help you realize your travel goals.

The Future of Tourism in Iraq

One of the web magazines I work for is expanding its editorial reach and looking into building new websites for its content. We caught wind of a travel and global url domain auction going on at Sedo.com and wondered if there was anything hot up for grabs. I was surprised see several Middle Eastern sites on the list.

I discovered egyptiantravels.com, dubai.net, and siria.com all waiting with respectable bids. But I was most intrigued to see Iraq.com currently up to 8 bids at $400,000 Euros... and the reserve isn't even met yet! I wondered what this website would be once it was bought and built. I didn't envision anyone would spend $400,000 Euros to build a site that wasn't looking to target tourism and a serious cash flow. So I decided to see if there was in fact any tourism going on in Iraq and after some research, I discovered Iraq's Tourism Ministry has been organizing exhibits to lay the groundwork for future tourism. Last year an event in Baghdad's Green Zone offered a plethora of silk rugs, gems, antique pistols, daggers, and locally made arts and crafts to visitors as well as photos of holy sites and travel information.



Since the US invasion in 2003, tourism from Western countries screeched to a grinding halt. I am constantly surrounded by travel writers and editors and I've yet to hear of anyone making this travel pilgrimage. However, about 350,000 people are still making religious pilgrimages to the area each year to see holy sites including Shiite shrines of the Imam Hussein in Karbala and Imam Ali in Najaf. According to USA Today, these tourists don't care about the dangers of car bombings and shooting because they are looking for martyrdom.

Currently, Iraq isn't even attempting the pursuit of attracting luxury travelers yet, and are instead focusing on archaeological excavations and potential tourist growth. They are, however, working at resuming their European flights and transportation efforts. The Euro Monitor claims Iraq's hotel occupancy is at 70%, at least during the hajj season in Najaf and Karbala. Although these areas have been ravaged during the war, future plans to re-build include “City of Beauty”, the Azmar mountain project, and more lead by Kuwaiti investors.

Whatever the future of Iraq's tourism holds, the future of its domain is worth nearly half a million Euros, an indication that someone is betting on its return.


For travel info, tips and more...

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Free Travel Consultation...Read about how the
Innovative Traveler can help you realize your travel goals.

Travel Lost and Found

Found an interesting item about lost and found services for travelers....


McLean, VA----Calling it, "A giant leap forward that now makes all our patented, leading-edge lost and found products affordably available to millions of businesses and consumers across North America," Secure Connections President Barry Stiefel today announced the launch of new, fully transactional website for the company's FINDER division, www.finderproducts.com.

Mr. Stiefel added that, "While many companies tout their products as 'unique,' ours truly are. The patented process at the foundation of all FINDER products combines common telecommunications features and functions, such as speed dialling and direct connection, into a unique system enabling people who find a lost possession, pet or child to immediately and directly contact someone responsible without hassles and time lost to complex technology or to communicating through third party intermediaries, such as call centers or operators."

He added that, "All of our lost and found products work 24/7 anywhere in North America and are safe, secure and reliable. None requires the owner to leave any personal information, and callers never know personal contact information for the people and numbers they call. "What makes our products so unique for owners and so different from traditional lost and found solutions," he said," is the absolute flexibility and security system owners have to make unlimited changes and updates to their information. For example, if the owner of pet FINDER is travelling, he or she can enter any hotel's or pet sitter's number before departing. Upon returning home, he or she can just change those numbers back. It's that easy."

Secure Connections' products include:

o iFound, specially designed to protect valuable, personal possessions, such as cell phones, digital cameras, laptops, luggage and other such items that, while perhaps replaceable themselves, may contain irreplaceable contents.
o Pet FINDER, created to help return to their owners a greater percentage of the more than 6,000,000 pets annually lost in the U.S.
o KidCallAlert, the company's first lost and found product, used by school systems, camps and individual families to quickly and safely reconnect with children accidentally separated from them during school or camp field trips, family outings etc.

The FINDER™ system requires only a few minutes to program or update. An owner dials the toll-free FINDER™ set-up number and enters a secure ID number and PIN located in instructions provided with the tags. Simple voice prompts guide the owner to first record an informational message (for example, in the case of pet FINDER, the pet's name, health issues, vet's name and number, updated travel information, a reward offer, etc.). Then, the owner is prompted to enter up to three contact numbers, where he or a designee can usually be reached (cell, home, office, friend, relative, veterinarian, etc.).

According to Mr. Stiefel, when someone calls into the system and after entering the unique ID number shown on every FINDER tag or label, he or she immediately hears the owner's pre-recorded message and then follows system voice prompts to directly connect to one of the contact numbers programmed into the system. The system is designed to never drop a call, and enables the caller to keep trying the programmed numbers until someone answers or he decides to leave a message."

Mr. Stiefel concluded by noting that Secure Connections is moving to an online activation model for all its Finder Products later this year.

For more information on FINDER™ Products and Secure Connections, contact Barry Stiefel at bsteifel@finderproducts.com, at 866-455-6500 or at 703-752-1510.

get more travel tips here....

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Free Travel Consultation...Read about how the
Innovative Traveler can help you realize your travel goals.

The Correlation Between Travel and Entrepreneurs

When I first started my blog, I had a hard time visualizing what it was going to be. Was it going to be news and deals? Cool travel gadgets? Travel essays? A resource on breaking into travel writing? I realized I was having a hard time visualizing it because while I wanted my blog to have a certain tone and theme, I also wanted the articles to be all encompassing within the idea of travel being innovative and fulfilling.

I didn't think the Fulfilling Traveler would really strike a chord, so I stuck with The Innovative Traveler. It's not a sign that I think I am highly innovative, rather, it's meant to be a reflection on what travel really is and how it effects us. For most people I know who venture outside of their comfort zone in travel, it's a form of self-exploration in action. It's a way to connect and see what's out there and challenge the status quo. How many people could come back from an impoverished country unchanged? Or after seeing the Sistine Chapel? Or the red rocks of Sedona?

Most of my friends and colleagues who have an insatiable appetite for travel are also on the pursuit of living consciously. They're no longer content in their jobs or careers and think living a life that incorporates travel is out of reach. Many press trips I've attended are filled with writers and editors who started their own publications or began selling articles to very small publications. But those who are still looking to make the transition into travel are usually stuck because any of the following reasons:

• I won't have enough money to eat, let alone travel.
  

• I'm afraid to quit my job.

• I'm too old to forge a new career.

• I can't become a travel writer.

• My spouse won't let me.

All those fear-based reasons are seemingly valid at first, if they weren't, they wouldn't be keeping people tied down to a life they don't particularly enjoy. But eventually, people either give up on their dreams all together or finally start the process of self-exploration and action. And so I've found that most people who love to travel are also entrepreneurs. They're consciously seeking out ways to work from home, set their own schedule, work on the road, work in travel, or earn passive income so they can earn even when they're not 'working'.

Travel Entrepreneurs may not even be working in a travel industry, but they're angling their 'career' to be mobile and flexible enough to come and go without consequence. They are specifically looking to create a career they can do from anywhere in the world. Others are vying for an in to travel writing, travel photography, or touring of some kind. In my experience, forging a career path into travel really isn't any more difficult than implementing any other kind of life change. It just takes some effort and ingenuity, a clarity in vision, and persistence.

So let me break down some of the reasons people are still white-knuckling their 9-5 desk job and refusing the call of Travel:

I won't have enough money to eat, let alone travel
Highly doubtful. Eating is a primal instinct (and ramen noodles are somewhat gross, but cheap). I use to travel on a disposable income of about $300/month. This was after I paid bills, but before I ate anything. I made it work by taking advantage of free lunches at work, putting in overtime, planning vacations around 3 day weekends, saving and finding travel deals.

I'm afraid to quit my job
Okay. Well, whenever people tell me that, I respond with "I was more afraid to stay in a job that I was miserable in and miss out on the world." It is possible to make money and be fulfilled at the same time. If you like your job and want to travel, then start making very specific goals on how to make that happen whether with your own company, a different one, or through your own resources.

I'm too old to forge a new career
Really? Huh. Plenty of retirees, middle-age, thirty-something year olds and onward become travel planners, tour guides, teach classes on cruise ships, and become travel writers and photographers every day.

I can't become a travel writer
You don't have to be, there's plenty of other jobs in tourism or mobile careers you can get into. But if you can write, you can write about travel. Try selling an article or travel tip sheet to local newspapers in your area. You may not land a feature with National Geographic your first try, but you'd be surprised that most local publications have a real need for content.

My spouse won't let me
That sounds like a convenient excuse. You should re-evaluate your relationship if your spouse isn't letting you pursue your dreams. Most likely, one or the both of you are stuck in fear.

Make a list of what you want out of a job. Is it what you already have, just with travel involved? Do you wan to be mobile, earn money in the travel industry, or find streams of passive income? Once you have a list narrowed down, start jotting down ideas on how to make that happen. Don't spend too much time thinking of the 'how' these ideas will work, just write them down. The how is often what kills the courage to implement change. Let it evolve, take risks, don't be afraid to fail once in awhile, keep exploring. Carry the list with you and remind yourself of your goals.

Start researching, read travel blogs and entrepreneur resources. Start with small steps and keep working your way into your goals. Make it your full-time interest to research books and companies who offer services that you're looking to get into. Ask for an email interview, find a mentor, join a community. Start getting your income mobile and start earning even while your sleeping. If it's just a few pennies from your blog via Adsense, that's a great start. It will get you in the mindset that you can earn money without even doing anything at the time you earned it. In this day in age, you're doing yourself a disservice not to take advantage of what technology can do for your lifestyle and career.

So how do you get started? It will seem overwhelming at first, but all you need is clarity, persistence, and action. It won't happen overnight, but you will start to unfold the pieces and clues to how you want your life to be and find your way there.

Here's a few practical steps to get you started:

• Contact 3 new people every day who can help you with your travel career search. This could be a travel professional, blogger, or mentor.
  

• Start saving as little as $25 a month to put towards your travel dreams.

• Start an online business you can do from anywhere. Start by selling your unwanted clutter on ebay, writing an ebook for purchase, joining a travel affiliate program, booking group tours and creating itineraries.
  

• Read at least 5 travel blogs or travel industry books per week.

• Start researching your next vacation, print out pictures, create an itinerary and tape it to your wall or cubicle so you'll be looking at it daily.

• Write down a place you've always wanted to visit and make it your mission to find the least expensive, most fulfilling way to get there. You'll be surprised at what you find and how fun it was to get there.
  

• Start a travel blog for free at Blogger and start developing your own ideas.
  

Action is the only thing that will bring real change and it will build the more you put your goals into motion. Persistence is important, or frustration will seep into your mission and poison your desire. Take a look at your life and ask yourself if you want to be in that position this time next year. If you just cringed or threw up on your keyboard, it's time to start doing something different.

You can read about my experience about transitioning from video editing to travel writing here:

How to Slow Down in Life and Enjoy Travel

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Terrified of Traveling with Children?

I freelance for a family travel website and after perusing our comments area, manuscript submissions, and travel questions, I get the distinct impression that parents are terrified of the mere thought of towing their tots off on a family vacation. Of screaming meltdowns, of whining, of throwing food, of projectile vomit.

I'm here to tell you there's no reason to be afraid of your own children.

Through my tenure of researching family travel, I've discovered that this niche is evolving at the speed of light. Kid-friendly use to mean a children's menu and kiddie pool, perhaps with a storytime or recommended babysitter. Then it gradually inched its way towards organized activities for 5-12 year olds, then clawing its way into the tween and teen market (I suspect Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are responsible for that). And then finally, Kids Clubs for infants and toddlers emerged. There's actually day-care for babies as young as 6-weeks at some ski resorts, including Smugglers Notch. Not sure who is skiing 6-weeks post-birth, but more power to you.

All-inclusive vacations like Club Med or Sandals are usually a safe family-friendly bet, but I'm personally not a fan. I prefer getting off the 'island' so to speak and paying for everything including meals and activities upfront makes me feel obligated to use it instead of exploring on my own. However, all-inclusive resorts almost always have kid programs, unless they're an adult-only resort.

Innovative alternatives include finding a property where you have access to your own, private , certified nanny. Franklyn D Resort in Jamaica offers such service with their all-inclusive price and evening babysitting is available for a mere $4/hr. The nannies will hang with your kids from 9:00am - 4:40, keep your place stocked and tidy, and also leave you alone when you want privacy.

Other families might opt for apartment style set-ups with a kid-friendly atmosphere. There's plenty of corporate style apartments, but won't necessarily have cribs and baby supplies ready. The Anthaneum in London provides a full-apartment set-up, DVD library, iPod docking stations, baby supplies, milk and cookie turn down service, and toy chest for the kids.

If you're opting for a property with Kids' Club, here's what you need to look for:

• Certified day-care providers, CPR training, and a small child to staff ratio. Infants should have a 2:1 or possibly 3:1 ratio. Research the state or country laws where the resort property is located to find out about child-care laws. It's okay to have a higher child to staff ratio for older groups.
  

• Age-appropriate activities in small groups. Do not throw your unsuspecting 10 year olds in with a group of 5 year olds. Look for clubs that separate teens from tweens, pre-teens from children, and toddlers from infants.
  

• Gage your child's interests. Ski resorts now offer lessons to guests as young as 2-year olds and snowboarding to 4-year olds. If your child hates the cold and snow, listen to them and respond by arranging fun activities.

• Always ask the management for information on their safety procedures. This is more to make sure they have one than to scrutinize it with a red marker.

• Discuss any issues or fears your child may have with the staff.

Also, decide what you want your family vacation to be all about. You may want some group independence for your child where they can make friends and have their own mini-vacation. Or you might want a 'togethering' vacation where the family does everything together. You might opt for a culturally or creatively enriching vacation for your kids and want art related activities. Whatever you want it to be, make reservations for your child and make sure their favorite activities are available before you get there. Don't promise horseback riding to a beaming 3-year old and and then find out when you arrive that you needed to make reservations 6-weeks before.

My experience in family travel has shown me that most parents are most concerned about safety, a caring staff, appropriate activities, healthy diet alternatives to kid-favorite chicken fingers, and ease. They need it to be uncomplicated. That means no drop-offs to obscure daycare locations 20 minutes away, no pick ups in the middle of the most adult-favored activity at the property (like dance classes or cocktail hour), and no diaper duty. Some kid programs on cruises actually won't change diapers, forcing the parents to be attached to a beeper all day, including port stops. So before you book your vacation, ensure you're getting the experience that you want and not just your child's.

Kids like routine and stability and offering them a fun environment with new friends is a good way to keep them happy while you enjoy your own adult vacation. Now that you've got the kids set-up for the trip of your life, make sure the adult activities are just as fun as finger painting and kiddie snowboarding lessons.


More family travel tips....

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Gowanus Canal - A Story of Sludge

I live on the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY. I am now out of the closet about it. Originally, I once lived in a magical, clean and less smelly place called: Carroll Gardens. However, when my husband and I were tired of using our kitchen sink as the bathroom sink and sharing 2 closets that could easily pass for shelf-less bookcases, we started the arduous process of looking for a new apartment. When Craigslist, the almighty New York apartment finder, pointed its almighty ad for a place near the Canal with a deck, washing machine, walk-in closet, and only one stop from every express train in Brooklyn.... we couldn't resist the call.

So I use to respond to "Where do you live?" with "I-live-in-between-Carroll-Gardens-and-Park -Slope." and then quickly change the topic of conversation, lest be subjected to "Aren't you afraid of the pollution?!?!" But now I can relish in saying that I live on the Gowanus, right by the old-fashioned, oddly side-ways drawing drawbridge. It's also quickly becoming a small, delicate, refuge for artists looking to squat or rent for considerably less than the surrounding hipster neighborhoods. We all wait in fear to become 'Williamsburg' stretching across all of Brooklyn with no borders, rhyme, or reason. It also once housed a whale named 'Sludgie' who died a day after getting lost in said canal, and also a seal aptly named Gowanda. May she rest in peace.

So for awhile there was a boat called The Empty Vessel Project, a rescued WWII boat that was drug into the polluted canal. After being fixed up, it offered gallery showings, spoken word performances, and other such art fare. Somewhere along the way, I read a local blog that said the veseel was sold to a lesbian couple for $1, who now plan to eventually host alternative weddings on its roof, art events, and offer lodging to travelers.

I've grown quite accustomed to the magical aroma of the Gowanus. I've also grown to adore the jumping fish (probably mutated), winter ducks (they refuse to leave even when it's 10 below), and the dude who watches movies projected up on his sailboat mast. There is a certain calm and charm to it all and it's quite stunning at sunset. However, I'm not entirely sure if travelers would want to venture down to the Gowanus, an area largely known for looming, empty warehouses, and being squashed between two hipster neighborhoods to which neither the two shall wander. It also appears to be a rather small boat. Will there be showers? A kitchen? A toilet? Or will people just unbutton and aim over the boat?

I'm not so sure about this idea, though it could take some time to come into fruition, if at all. This is the same Canal that developers wanted to transform into a modern, Sopranos style Venice where people would row their urban gondolas down its waters to grab a bite, have a drink, and visit their neighbors. I'm not sure if any of those developers have ever eaten at Monte's Restaurant, where a poster of Prizzi's Honor proudly hangs and every mafia related actor, singer, performer has frequented.

Not sure what kind of Venice it's going to be.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Alternative Lodging for the Unique Traveler

With travel becoming so specialized for expats seeking out vegan to nudist to high-end luxury vacations, it's no longer necessary to book the same cookie-cutter hotel year after year. I do often opt for cookie-cutter if it's in a great location in town or offers an amazing discount, but for the most part, I like to find cozy apartments, bed and breakfasts, convents, or funky alternatives. Lodging can enhance just as much of your travel experience as your itinerary of museums, theater, hiking, and culture.

Here's just a few resources for those looking for unique and unusual accommodations.

Cave Hotels - Stay in Cappadocia in a real cave... with Internet access!

Convents - Stay in a convent in Italy and enjoy relative peace and quiet, breakfast, and a serene setting at a fraction of the cost.

Temple Stays - Start your vacation with a holy experience among the monks.

Tree House Hotels - Stay in a treehouse cottage from Alaska to Hawaii to Papua New Guinea.

Underwater Hotel - Scuba dive down to the main lobby and sleep underwater in a former research station.

Europe's answer to a countryside RV Park - You can rent apartment style RV's in the European countryside and participate in organized activities with other guests. Some will even let you stay free if you're willing to check it out as a potential real estate investment.

Youth Hostels - You don't have to be a youth, or even young. I've stayed at hostels with 80-something year olds. You can opt for cheap, bunk-bed style lodging, or a private room. I stayed in South Beach in a hostel and paid about $15 a night, 2 blocks from the beach.

Home Swap - Swap homes with someone in another city or even another country. You could be brave and find a stranger via Craigslist in the temporary, sublets, or vacation section. Or consider using an agency. Make sure to have a signed contract and see lots of photos of where you'll be staying.

Lighthouse Hotels - Hit up the New England area and stay in a quaint lighthouse, usually bed and breakfast style.

Couch Surfing - Stay on someone's couch for free. Read your couch host's reviews and get recommendations before you go.

South American Ranches - Embrace your inner cowboy and cowgirl on an Argentinian ranch.

US Dude Ranches - Dude, a round-up of more than 100 ranches in the US.

New Zealand Home Stay - Stay in a house or farm in someone's home and get an authentic, insider's perspective.

Haunted Hotels - Get creeped out by things that go bump in the night.

Ice Hotel - Entirely made of ice and snow in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden and also one in Montreal. Very cool.

Igloo Hotels - Just in case Ice Hotels aren't interesting enough, you can stay in an igloo instead.

Houseboats - Amsterdam and beyond, stay on a houseboat and be one with the water. (Might wake up wondering why you're laying at a complete slant)

University dorms - Universities all over the world frequently rent out rooms to travelers, usually only during summer months. We stayed in one in Edinburgh and paid nearly half of what we would have gotten just two blocks away. The room was tiny and the bathroom rather uninspired, but it was comfortable, clean, and quiet with free breakfast.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Polar Bear Vacations

Time’s Running Out for Canada’s Polar Bears… And For You to See Them

VANCOUVER, January 24, 2008 – Next fall could be your last chance to see polar bears, the Kings of the North, in their natural habitat. Canada’s polar bears are facing never before seen threats, with global warming reducing their natural habitat. A few years ago travelers could easily spot these great creatures, but their numbers are dwindling and sightseeing opportunities are becoming fewer.

In order to ensure your chance at spotting these great creatures in the wild, it’s necessary to book now for next fall’s polar bear vacations, with most packages already more than half full and the future uncertain.

“There are few accessible travel experiences where you truly feel “in the wild”… Coming face to face with polar bears in Churchill is one of them,” says John Parker, CEO Fresh Tracks Travel. “It would be a shame to postpone one of the world’s greatest wildlife experiences until it’s too late.”

In late October and early November each year, hundreds of thousand-plus pound bears will make their way to Churchill, Manitoba. Congregating in large numbers on the frozen tundra, the polar bears will meet, spar, and wait for the freeze-up of Hudson Bay – their feeding grounds for the coming months.

For wildlife lovers, photographers, and adventurous families, these few weeks are the perfect opportunity to spot the huge animals in the wild. With Fresh Tracks’ polar bear packages, travelers can go one step further and actually live amongst the bears on specially-designed tundra buggies.

This has been an annual phenomenon for years, but with the advent of global warming, Hudson Bay is freezing later, and the ice is becoming thinner. There is only so long that the bears can wait to feed, and ultimately many will test the ice, slip into the water, and, unable to return to land, drown. Naturalists are recognizing this as a real threat and the mammals' future in the wild is becoming uncertain.

Whether travelers have just a few days to spare, or want to include days among the polar bears with longer rail trips through the snowy north, don’t delay the opportunity to travel north to appreciate these great creatures in the wild.

Fresh Tracks has been selling these unique vacations for over 10 years, and offers a full range of polar bears vacations online at Canada Polar Bears to suit all time restraints and budgets.

These trips are more than half-full for the 2008 fall season -- this is not a trip to put off.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Visualizing Your Way to Travel?

I subscribe to the belief that meditation is helpful to reduce stress, clarify goals, and become more comfortable in your own skin. When I do it for just a few minutes a day, I feel more centered and content. However, I also get lazy or busy or prefer distracting myself by spending more time trying to figure out who is part of the Oceanic Six on LOST than I do on the art of meditation.

However, I recently decided to start making a list of certain goals I would like to meet, including personal fulfillment. I then started visualizing some of these goals and how they would make me feel. Well, some of you may know I live below an elderly couple and their 40-something year old daughter. They spend their days fighting, screaming, and stomping around from the time they wake up until bed. It's worse than living below college kids. We haven't moved because we like our space and are both gone frequently and occasionally we get waves of silent relief.

In any case, I put the word 'Quiet' on my list and imagined how peaceful it would be to not have obtrusive neighbors. I had also been thinking about an anniversary trip with my husband come April. For the last 2 years, we've been able to go abroad to Rome, Venice, Edinburgh, and Dublin. But this year travel wasn't looking possible due to time constraints, general budget, and the fact that we have a wedding in Scotland to attend in the Fall. We had discussed returning to Montreal because of its close proximity to New York and our newfound love for the city. However, we haven't been able to motivate ourselves to move forward on plans due to our busy schedules as of late.

So a few interesting things happened this week. The elderly couple upstairs? Gone. No idea where they are and when they're coming back, but I've only heard their daughter make a brief ruckus when returning home. It's been absolutely and completely silent. In the past, we've gotten brief waves of relative quiet when they're watching a movie (with the noise bleeding through our ceiling) or are too tired to argue. But it's never been so still and serene in the nearly 3 years we've lived in this apartment. I've also discovered that I no longer want the TV on morning, noon, and night to distract myself from their noise and negativity. I've been enjoying days of peace and quiet, reading, blogging, and catching up on freelance projects.

My stress has dissipated, I've been more content, and arrived at work yesterday feeling refreshed. At the end of the day, my editor approached me and asked if I wanted to take a short press trip to Montreal and that she could probably arrange for my husband to tag along. The dates? Our anniversary weekend.

In addition, I'd recently been wishing I had more return visitors to my site. I use a stat counter that allows me to view the number of returns. Instead of lamenting my fate, I started visualizing waking up and seeing the 'return visitors' number growing every day. Yesterday I woke up and my returns had grown 5-folds.

I suppose anyone could argue that my neighbors will return any day now with a vengeance and that it's not unusual for a travel writer to get a travel assignment. Not to mention I do take the time to submit comments on blogs I enjoy with this url and submit to blog carnivals. Inevitably, I'd have to gain some return visitors along the way. All very true. But just because I'm visualizing it doesn't mean I think that sitting around all day and not taking actions will put my goals into motion. My thought is that I'm opening myself up to new ways of making those goals become reality. So regardless of why it's all happening, it's happening shortly after I visualize it, making me content and deliciously curious.

I'm going to keep travel on the forefront of my imagination.

Meditating for Beginners

• Find a quiet space
• Keep your back straight to avoid become sluggish or sleepy (you can sit in a chair if you like)
• Keep your eyes partially closed and focus on your breathing
• Breath through your nose and feel the sensation of it, listen to the sound of it, continue to let your mind let go of distractions
• When your mind does wander, simply return your focus to your breathing
• Continue meditating for at least 5 minutes a day, working your way up to at least 15 minutes or more

Visualization for Beginners

Visualization is an important tool in getting your mind to line up with what you truly want. When you visualize your life and actions in motion, you'll automatically start moving towards your goals with ease. You might even consider that the Universe is answering the call. Regardless of what you believe, it's a fact athletes, successful business people, etc. use visualization to achieve their goals.

• Start meditating for 5-15 mintues a day
• Write down your goals in a list and look over the list every day
• Think about your life in motion, achieving those goals
• Don't yearn for your goals as if they'll never happen or are torturing you. You'll end up believing it and putting those actions in motion.
• Think about how you'll feel by achieving your goals
• Imagine that you've already realized those goals
• Do not allow others doubt, or your own self-doubt, to distract you
• Do not get caught up in the how of those goals happening, trust that you will begin to see ideas and answers everywhere you turn

Check out this story about visualization and travel:

How to Slow Down in Life and Enjoy Travel

In my former life just a short year ago, I was a video editor. I worked on a few great films, some corporate videos, and on a lot of commercials. And I mean a lot. If I had to guess, I'd say upwards of 500. During this time, I enjoyed the seduction of technology. Of digitizing in footage, getting my hands dirty, and picking apart a story; or even better, creating one that wasn't even there through the manipulation of images and dialogue. I realized at some point that I was truly a workaholic and never said no to a job, outrageous client requests, abusive bosses, or overtime. A year and a half later, I went freelance and started working non-stop, fearing I wouldn't land that next job.

Video editing commercials is hard work. Advertising agencies don't just shoot a commercial and send it to air. It generally takes 2 weeks to 2 months to edit 1 commercial, get the audio mixed, color correct the footage, and make revisions. While it's true there are creative directors and copy writers to storyboard the commercial and come up with a genius plan of how it should look, paper rarely translates to video the way anyone hopes. Not to mention the client, say Sprint or Citibank, will often have a very specific agenda and want their spot to look a certain way, regardless of if their vision is practical or will fit into the :30 seconds allowed. In turn, the editor spends painful hours trying to make something out of nothing. Politics abound in advertising and you spend much of your time putting out fires and rushing to make deadlines. More often than not, your ego takes a tremendous blow on a weekly basis.

During my tenure, I regularly worked 9:30am to about 8:30pm nearly every night. This was a short day and meant I would get home before 10pm. I would work overtime at least once a week, but usually more. I would usually find myself in the edit suite at 12am or even 2am. I also pulled a few 32 hour shifts and 14 straight days in a row. I got paid tons of money during this time and rarely enjoyed any of it. Luckily (or unluckily) the editing companies would feed us breakfast, lunch, and dinner for free, but it also meant we never saw the light of day for 12 or more hours a day. I couldn't schedule anything with friends or my husband because I never knew when I'd be working. And when big accounts and deadlines for air are involved, you don't say no. I wound up stressed out, messing up on the job, sleep deprived, and abused myself by gorging on large lunches, desserts, and evening cocktails. I lived to go on abbreviated vacations in between jobs, only to start the cycle over again.

I became a video editor because I enjoyed telling a story and despite the fact that I had been writing stories since I was in the 4th grade, I didn't see how it would ever become a viable career and was rejected at every corner. However, by my 6th year in video editing, I couldn't deny that I was miserable, depressed, stressed-out, exhausted, and longing to write. I could never get my foot into the publishing world and started believing my talent was useless and that it wasn't in my cards.

I had hit upon a few small projects over the years. I had written 2 segments for a show on The Discovery Channel that I was also video editing and managed to land a few tedious copy writing jobs. One night, while my husband and I were watching television, I saw a commercial for kayak.com. I'm not sure why, but I got up from the couch, went to our computer and began writing an email. I let the PR person for kayak know why I should write newsletters for them and all the brilliance I could offer their company. My words were passionate and direct.

The next day, I got an email back letting me know they didn't use freelance writers. My heart sank. Briefly. However, this person happened to be going on maternity leave and wondered if I would pitch 20 ideas, of which 10 she would assign. I feverishly wrote in the late night hours after video editing and was assigned 10 more. Over the years, I've probably written over 100 for their company.

Writing for both kayak.com and The Discovery Channel led to writing for a kids' website and then ultimately freelance writing and editing at a family travel site. I eagerly abandoned the last of my video editing jobs, dove in and began the tedious process of updating thousands of articles. Every day I was afraid they'd no longer need my services and would let me go, only to return to advertising. I worked hard, and with passion, gradually working my way into writing news and deals pieces.Four months after I started, the editor sent me on my first press trip.

Since then, I let the preconceived notions of what having a good work ethic really means (not being a work-a-holic) and allowed my self-worth issues of being a writer fade away. I took control of my true goals and happiness and currently refuse to settle for a life of insincerity. Of ingenuineness. Of accepting that my spirit is troubled and ignoring it anyway.

Curiously, I now find that travel happens easily and naturally in my life, with or without money. If I'm longing for a break, a press trip comes my way. If my husband and I are feeling burned out, we find a way to finance a vacation by stumbling upon an amazing deal or thinking outside the box. If we're worried about him getting time off, a creative way to do so reveals itself.

Travel in and of itself is an evolution. You go somewhere else where your life seems to instantly transform for a short period of time. You become someone else, or a better version of yourself, and maneuver your days with renewed confidence. You come back with stories and knowledge and insight you didn't have before you left. And that experience tends to kick-start a desire to explore those transformations further in your real life. It's worth slowing down in life and giving yourself a chance to see the world from a new perspective.

Take it from someone who once spent 3 hours trying to edit a commercial while a client sobbed herself to sleep over a bad conference call, then asked my advice on how to get fired. I looked out the window to the bustling work-a-holics in Manhattan below, and wondered where I'd get to travel next.

Watch the latest travel tips...

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Travel Alert - Art Vacations

From edVenture, New Brunswick

Atlantic Canada's Riverfront Capital is set to become one of Canada's leading centres for vacation learning in craft and culture with the launch today of edVentures Fredericton, an innovative new program developed by Fredericton Tourism and it's cultural sector partners.

The edVentures Fredericton program, which will run from July 7 to August 22 in 2008, will be Atlantic Canada's largest vacation learning program.

More than 60 New Brunswick artists, like Trudy Gallagher, William Forrestall, Brigitte Clavette, Peter Thomas, Deanna Musgrave and Doris Norman, will teach five-day weekday, along with one-day and two-day workshops

The new program, developed in large part by Fredericton special projects consultant Nancy Lockerbie, features some of New Brunswick's best-known artists, offering more than 140 workshops in craft and culture. Courses range from pottery and jewellery making to rug hooking and digital photography. For a full list of workshops, visit the website.

"edVentures demonstrates in living colour what a vibrant, cultural City we have. We've got so many talented, creative people in our community and we're already known as a learning centre. By combining the strengths of our cultural sector and our tourism industry, we've created something truly exceptional," said Mayor Brad Woodside.

"This is among the most significant cultural programs launched in New Brunswick in the last decade or two. It 's going to be good for the arts community, good for the City and good for the economy," says Woodside.

The Province of New Brunswick is contributing $10,000 towards the edVentures program. Entreprise Fredericton is contributing $5000.

Partners in the new program include Fredericton Tourism, the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the University of New Brunswick Kings Landing Historical Settlement, the Charlotte Street Arts Centre and the Historic Garrison District.

The College of Craft and Design will offer more than 50 edVentures workshops this summer.

"The College is already a leader in craft education with its winter academic programs. We're excited to partner with Fredericton Tourism on edVentures. It allows us to offer a summer program with the same talent base of exceptional instructors," says NBCCD Principal Michael Maynard.

edVentures workshops will take place at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, Kings Landing, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and the Charlotte Street Arts Centre.

Fredericton Tourism has negotiated exclusive accommodations rates for out of town participants.

"The idea behind edVentures Fredericton is to combine an exceptional learning experience with the rich program of cultural and entertainment offerings the City has each summer and facilitate real connections to our community. We think we've developed something truly exceptional," says David Seabrook, manager of Fredericton Tourism.

When EdVentures participants aren't in workshops, they can take in summer concerts, festivals, outdoor films, heritage walking tours, haunted hikes wine-tastings, gallery tours and cultural lectures. Exercise enthusiasts can join local residents for free Tai Chi, yoga, group runs and walks, along with biking tours along the City's 82-kilometre riverside trail network.

To register for an edVentures program, call Fredericton Tourism at 460-2233 or go online at www.edventures.ca.