Prior to last Wednesday, I had never heard of Sarah Burke. Upon a bit of research, I learned that she has pretty much single-handedly changed extreme skiing for women. She was at the forefront of getting the halfpipe and women’s ski jumping included in the winter Olympics, where it will debut in 2014. She’s also won 4 gold medals in the Winter X Games.

Sarah’s the perfect spokesperson to change an industry. Not only is she drop dead gorgeous, but she’s fearless and talented. She wanted to play with the boys at their sport and she won the right to do so while also creating a path for others.

Women don’t have enough role models like Sarah Burke: someone who puts everything on the line to forge a new path and to fight hard for what they believe in – establishment be damned. Instead, we look to the super rich and famous (whose names I can’t bare to type out). Who more often than not are in and out of rehab and marriages. These starlets who are shoved into our subconsciousness through movies, TV, iTunes and tabloids tend to stand up for nothing but their fame.

It could be that I’m so sad about Sarah because she wasn’t on my radar prior to her accident. I now find myself searching online a few times a day to find out the latest news.

If you’re interested in knowing a bit more about this remarkable woman, this is a video posted last week by the Ski Channel:

Travel Well,

Beth

The first was In Papua New Guinea, by Christina Dodd. This is the story of a British woman who makes her way across PNG, by horseback and by foot. With little information about the country, no map and only her senses and the goodwill of the people to guide her, she has incredible adventures and encounters with most everyone she meets.

I just finished Travelling Light by Robyn Davidson, one of my favorite travel writers. Robyn has, among other things, trekked across the Australian desert with a few camels in tow and spent months traveling with camel traders across the desert in Rajasthan. Travelling Light is a compilation of some of her stories about her travels as well as observations of Aboriginal life down under.

I’m now reading (for the second time) Tim Cahill’s Road Fever about his attempt at breaking the Guinness Book of World Record’s time for driving from the tip of South America to Alaska.

In all of these cases, I love that the authors’ experiences were saw raw, so natural and that they were, in many respects, so unprepared for their adventures. Without access to a gazillion bits of information, they had to do what research they could through books and do their social networking by phone and snail mail.

Early Travels
These books remind me of my first real journey when, in 1987, I took a semester off from college, packed up my car and drove across the country for 3 months visiting friends who were attending universities across the U.S. That’s also when I discovered youth hostels and began meeting people from around the world for the first time.

I remember hand writing a letter that outlined my potential route, photocopying it and mailing it to everyone I knew so that they could expect my arrival at some point during those 3 months. If they weren’t home when I arrived (no one had cell phones let alone email), I stayed in the local youth hostel or moved on to the next city.

That trip was what got me hooked on travel. It was the excitement of the unexpected. The slight nervousness of knocking on the door of someone whom I’d met briefly 6 months earlier. Would they answer the door? Would they find me an annoyance to deal with? Or embrace the chance to host this crazy solo traveler from New Jersey making her way to California.

During that trip, I saw my first sunset on the Pacific Ocean (I felt compelled to clap after such a performance!); I celebrated my 21st birthday at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse hostel in Pescadero, California; I “flew” a twin-engine prop plane in Texas when the pilot took a small group of us from a hostel up for a thrill ride and allowed each of us to handle the controls; I also spent a lot of nights on friends’ couches (and many hungover mornings there, too

I miss those days (well, not the hangovers). I miss not planning. I miss the unexpected, the mystery of what’s next. And I miss not having the pressure of letting everyone know where I am, if not daily, then at least every few days.

You could argue that this kind of travel still exists if a person wanted it badly enough. One could set off relatively blindly on a journey without doing too much research. It’s possible to go off the grid, hop in a car and take a road trip. A person could disappear for months at a time in India and never “have” to check email or add a status update on Facebook.

But the reality is that few people (me included) are capable of doing this because of our addictions to our electronics and our false belief that we are truly “connected” to everyone in our network.

Some people may have the desire to go off the grid but pressure from family and friends is immense and it’s expected that you’ll keep everyone posted on your whereabouts. If you “disappear” for even a few days, loved ones worry because they know you “should” be able to check in from anywhere, so why didn’t you!!??

Some of the times that have been most precious to me of late have been when I was trekking in Bhutan or traveling through Papua New Guinea and had absolutely no access to email or cell phone service. It’s liberating to be forced into experiencing what’s right in front of you rather than being distracted by other people’s status updates a half a world away.

Look, I love researching for a destination and connecting with people in my network. Invaluable information can be found online, I’m not dismissing (or judging) that fact.

What I am saying is that I miss my old way of travel.

It’s not for me to say which way is “better,” but something’s definitely been lost in the art of travel in the last 10 years. I don’t expect newbies to travel to understand this. You can only grieve about it if you once experienced it. I just think it’s too bad that those who are just starting out will likely never know this purity of adventure.

Travel Well,

Beth

If you’re flying for the holiday, woe is you. But alas, sometimes the family just can’t live without you and you’ve got no choice. So what to do if you’re traveling this weekend? Here are some tips to make Thanksgiving travel easier…

1) Check in online up to 24 hours in advance. This will cut down the amount of time you spend in line at the airport. Also, pick your seats ahead of time to ensure you don’t get stuck in a middle seat!

2) Pack your own snacks. Few airlines offer free meals these days, and even if they do, they are usually high carb/high sugar meals that are just going to make you feel worse before and/or after Thanksgiving. Carry your own healthy snacks such as fruit or trail mix and stay away from the airline meals.

3) Arrive at the airport at least 1.5 hours prior to your departure. The day before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year. Arriving well in advance of your flight will ensure that you’ll get through check-in and security in time for boarding.

4) Travel light. It’s likely that you’re only traveling for the long weekend and don’t need a wide range of clothes with you. Travel with a carry-on bag with just a few changes of clothes so that you don’t have to check your bag. This will save you time at the airport.

5) Don’t wrap gifts for family and friends. The TSA can ask you to unwrap these if you’ve got them in your carry-on bag. It’s best to ship them ahead of time or wrap them once you get to your destination.

6) Bring a good book or games. In case there are delays (count on it so you’re not disappointed or frustrated), you’ll have something to keep you occupied. Remember that you’ll have to keep electronics turned off once the plane’s doors are shut so you can’t rely on your iPhone or digital reader to keep you distracted if you get stuck on the tarmac.

Have fun with the family and friends this holiday. And be safe!

*****

By the way, yes, that IS Tofurky in the photo. I make an excellent one. While you’re traveling, I’ll be cooking up one of these slathered in my secret marinade. I know you’re jealous

Travel Well!

Beth

Related links:
WanderFood Wednsday: Tofurky and Trimmings
Tofurky, Japanese-Style

My heart skipped a beat because I know what spoils a destination.

More people.

It’s a conundrum. Travel can help the people of a region by providing exposure to the rest of the world (in the case of Burma this is incredibly important) and income to the locals who have no other means of making money other than through the tourism industry.

But where does this progress cross the line into “spoiling” a destination?

For people who have been traveling to Burma for 10+ years, they might say it is already spoiled. With the exception of one site that I visited, I can confidently say I saw no signs of spoilage. But with the government loosening its control over the people (and tourists), this is sure to change quickly.

As a tour operator, frankly, I struggle with this issue. I believe that travel could very well be the most important thing one can do in one’s life. It opens up your world and makes you more tolerant to differences in cultures. And while tourist dollars can bring a lot of positive to a destination (puleez, will people go to Greece?), it inevitably changes the local culture – and it’s not always a positive change.

I’ve always said that we have a responsibility to be ambassadors of our own country, to be good travelers, treat the locals with respect and do as little damage as possible. But as I wrote in my post about travelers behaving badly, we’re not on our best behavior all of the time – and this reflects poorly on all of us.

So, what are the options?

a) We can stop traveling and leave destinations as they are. Imagine Angkor Wat without hundreds of baseball-capped tourists scrambling up the uneven stairs. Or Machu Pichu without trekkers making their way to the top, leaving their trash along the path.

b) Countries can impose inordinately high costs upon tourists – thereby limiting the number of people who visit. Bhutan does this. And in an unplanned way so does Papua New Guinea. Ultimately it helps keep the culture intact and the growth of infrastructure and damage at a manageable rate.

c) We can continue to travel but become better travelers. We’ll never be perfect. And every interaction with locals will leave some imprint. But we can limit our impact by making thoughtful choices.

Yes, I am putting together a group tour to Burma for late 2012. Yes, I want to get back there quickly before it’s spoiled. And, yes, I will do everything I can to ensure that I and my group are not ugly Americans (or Canadians, or Europeans, etc.) and make as little impact on this quickly changing culture.

You enjoy travel… What are your thoughts/suggestions on how to address this issue?

Travel Well!

Beth

Related posts:
Travelers Behaving Badly
What’s Wrong with Me?
Why We Travel

Magellan’s Personal Stash
This little pouch is best used to carry a few items such as a small amount of cash, a credit card and, perhaps, a room key. If you’re concerned about the potential of being robbed, it’s an ideal way to stash away emergency money away from the bulk of your cash or valuables.

The Personal Stash has a couple of snaps at the end of 2 ribbons that you can secure around your bra straps in order to tuck it down the middle of your bra. Alternately you could slip the Stash into one of your cups and use just one snap to secure it to one side.

Depending on your bra and what you’re wearing, this may not be quite as subtle as you’d like so use at your discretion. As long as you’re not in a spaghetti strap or tight clothing, it should serve you quite well.

It’s made of a very soft silk so you’ll barely notice that you’re wearing it.

Available from Magellan’s for about $10.

*****

Lewis and Clark Deluxe Neck Stash
If you’re looking to step it up a bit and need something to hold more than just a bit of money, try the Lewis and Clark Neck Stash. My favorite thing about this neck pouch is that there are several compartments where I can keep things nice and organized. My money can go in the main pouch, a zippered section holds my passport and then I can keep my credit cards in a completely different area.

The great thing about a neck pouch is that you can keep your important items with you at all times and you’re well aware that they are they (this is not as subtle as the bra stash above). The downside is that the strap around your neck is rarely concealed so that if someone wants to rob you, they’ll know right where to go. (Of course, if you’ve got spare cash in the Personal Stash, you won’t be completely out of luck.)

Available on Amazon for about $13.

*****

Rick Steves Silk Money Belt
A money belt will do pretty much the same thing as a neck pouch but it’s going to sit around your waist and beneath your pants.

The benefit here is that you don’t have the obvious strap (like on the neck pouch) letting everyone know that you’re hiding something. The downside is that you’ve go a big bulky waist, letting everyone know that you’re hiding something.

The Rick Steves money belt is nice because it’s silk and lightweight, minimizing the bulk underneath your clothes. But once you’ve added your money, passport and credit cards, it’s no longer inconspicuous.

Personally I’m not a big fan of money belts but some people do love them.

Available on Amazon starting at about $10.

*****

Austin House Leg Money Belt
Here’s an option that might work for you if you’re not wearing a skirt or shorts! A leg money belt straps around your calf and has enough space for cash, passport and cards. Depending on how loose-fitting your clothes are, other people will never know that you’re wearing it.

It becomes just a bit awkward at an ATM when you have to roll up your pant leg to put away your money, but I have found these to be not a totally bad idea. Again, it’s going to depend on what you’re wearing so you may need a backup option if you’ll be in clothes where your calf will be exposed.

Available on Amazon for under $10.

*****

You may find that a combination of the above works best for you. The most important thing is that you’re know where these important valuables are at all times and that if you lose your passport or credit card, you’ve got a photocopy of your passport and the phone number(s) for your bank tucked away in your luggage, at home or copies emailed to yourself.

Travel Well!

Beth

Related links:
International Calling Options
Water Bottles for Travel
Alterna Bamboo Smooth for Hair