Hola Wanderluster!

See Wanderlust and Lipstick’s new design. It’s prettier to look at, easier to navigate and (will soon be) packed with more adventure stories, hot tips and bloggers. Would love your feedback!

The Intrepid Travel contest ended on January 31st. Submissions came from South Africa, Western Australia, Argentina and Peruvian WomenKansas! Winners will be announced, hmmm, hopefully, by the end of February. The top-notch judges will be workin’ hard to get through all the stories in a timely manner. The Grand Prize is a 15-day trip in South America with Intrepid Travel. There will be 8 Best in Category winners receiving either a travel bag from Timbuk2 or a SteriPEN water purifier.

On another note, I’m looking for gal Wanderlusters who’d like to join the WanderBloggers team. Email me if you’re interested in writing about travel-related topics.

Don’t forget to sign up for my RSS feed so you don’t miss a blog post.

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Share Your Tunes – Win a Zune!
Wanna Winna Zune?

All ya gotta do is tell me your 10 favorite travel tunes, and you’ll have the opportunity to win an 8G Zune MP3 player. In RED for Valentine’s Day, of course.

Include the song title and artist and send your playlist to me by February 28th. Let the creativity flow! See the details…

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Wanderlust and Lipstick Tours

Dreaming of Bhutan or India? Join a tour, bond with other Wanderlusters and experience some of the most interesting places on earth.

In April ‘09, I’ll be leading another small group on an amazing 12-day trip to BHUTAN. This women-only tour will include some very special opportunities to meet the beautiful Bhutanese people. We’ll take a cooking class, visit a nunnery and donate books to school children. Here’s your chance to travel with other WanderGals and experience one of the world’s emerging travel destinations. See more details.

Award winning photographer, Brenda Tharp, will be leading a photography tour to Bhutan in the fall of ‘09. The Himalayas are your backdrop as you capture images of the harvest season (wheat and chili peppers) and cultural festivals. Included are light treks and visits to monasteries, all while you have the opportunity to learn from a professional photographer and experienced tour guide. See the full itinerary.

Join me for the women-only trip to India in the fall of ‘09. We’ll visit some of the country’s most iconic locations including the Taj Mahal and the ghats of Varanasi as well as festivals such as Diwali and the Pushkar Camel Fair. This trip is a well-rounded mix of culture and sightseeing – sleep in the desert, shop for fabric and volunteer at a home for widows. See the full itinerary.

Watch this video on Varanasi to spark your Wanderlust.

This co-ed Buddhism-focused trip to Bhutan and Dharamsala, India is in the fall of ‘09 (immediately following the women-only India trip). Take part in a meditation class, meet His Holiness Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye, hear lectures on Buddhism and visit the Haa Valley, until recently closed to tourists. See the full itinerary.

Join both the India and Bhutan trip for a discount!

For a visual journey of Bhutan, visit my WanderGallery.

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January Contest Winner!

Last month’s contest winner for sharing the love by forwarding the Wanderlust and Lipstick newsletter to the most people was Liz T. Congratulations, Liz, you win a Wanderlust 3-pack – a copy of all 3 books from Wanderlust and Lipstick – Yippee!

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Share the Wanderlust Love – Win a Wanderlust 3-Pack!
You, too, can share the Wanderlust Love and win a 3-pack of Wanderlust and Lipstick guides. Yup. The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo, For Women Traveling to India and (the soon to be released) Traveling with Kids.

Simply forward this email to all of your travel loving friends and family members. The person who forwards it to the most people (you must use the forward link for me to track the number) wins!

Not only will sharing the love give you a chance to win, but you’ll be doing your friends a favor by letting them in on the hot topics, ethnic recipes and Wanderlust event updates in each Wanderlust and Lipstick newsletter!

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World Eats
Here’s Myscha’s recipe for Guamanian Fried Rice (for breakfast!). When I was in India, my friend’s mom made something similar to this but I never knew exactly what went in it. Still don’t, but with this recipe I have some good ideas to get me started. Myscha suggests a healthy dose of Tabasco, surely that’ll get your morning kick-started. For more ethnic eats, see Myscha’s blog, World Eats and Readers’ Treats.

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On the Bookshelf
Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner
By all accounts this NPR correspondent is a grouch. But, he’s determined to discover what makes a region one of the happiest places in the world anyway. He even tosses in a miserable one (Moldova) for good measure. What results is an insightful peek into Bhutan, Thailand, Iceland, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Qatar (not so happy either) and Great Britain. Hey, where’s the U.S. and our pursuits? See more on Amazon…

In the iPod
Sen from Sevara Nazarkhan
Uzbek Pop Princess aren’t three words that are normally strung together. If you knew nothing about her, it would be difficult to pinpoint her roots as she weaves her native language (who can recognize Uzbek after all?) and English and is then backed by sitar-like strings, an electronic orchestra and, even more strings sounding like, dare I say, a banjo. Ethereal is probably the best word that sums up this talented songstress. See more on Amazon…

In the DVD Player
Talk to Her directed by Pedro Almodovar
Talk to Her is the story of two women in a coma, their men and the complications that arise when one of the male nurses is, shall we say, just a little bit obsessed. The film won an Academy Award for best original screenplay and was listed in Time Magazine as one of the all-time 100 greatest movies. Go figure – ’cause I hadn’t heard about it until it was recommended in my Netflix list! See more on Amazon…

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Got Wanderlust?
Need something to inspire your travel dreams?

India is a magical destination that dances in the minds of so many women. Order For Women Traveling to India now. It incorporates stories and tips from dozens of women who’ve made the journey to the subcontinent themselves. Don’t even THINK about going to India without it. Seriously!

Pre-order your very own signed copy of Wanderlust and Lipstick: Traveling with Kids, written by Leslie Forsberg and Michelle Duffy!

Highlights include tips on saving money, packing and booking your flights as well as product recommendations from strollers to baby slings.

Books will ship in April via priority mail.

The definitive guide for all women travelers, don’t wait another moment to pick up a copy of Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo.

All books are signed and are guaranteed to INSPIRE!

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Wanderlust in the News
This month…

* Pop on over to Diva in a Carry On for a review of For Women Traveling to India.
* Visit Transitions Abroad for my story about Volunteering in Vietnam
* And then read the wonderful article on ifood.tv that Mary-Anne wrote up and included my Varanasi video!
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WanderGear from CafePress

Hey, Wanderlusters! Ya gotta check out the Wanderlust and Lipstick designs now available at Cafe Press. This “meditating chick on an elephant” is by Elizabeth Haidle and is a new design from this very talented illustrator. It can now be yours…

Wanderlusters across the country have been ordering products from the Wanderlust and Lipstick shop at Café Press! Be an insider and join others by treating yourself to a fun and funky Wanderlust shirt, messenger bag or coffee mug.

Go on, be a Wanderluster!
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Connect with Beth

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Travel Well!

Beth