Tag Archives: travelers

Pushing Boundaries.

2 Replies

Ferrocarril_Central_AndinaWhile working on a project last month, I had the great pleasure of meeting Arden Haselmann. A young woman in her last year of college, Arden is majoring in peace and conflict resolution. When I said I didn’t realize it was a major, she told me it wasn’t, that it was something she created through her own dogged pursuit. Participating in a Thinking Beyond Borders gap year program really sealed the deal for her. This organization teaches students to have a meaningful social impact. Later this year, she’ll travel to Rwanda where she’ll have ample opportunity to put her studies into action. I shared an article I’d recently read about Rwanda’s lively art scene and how its artists are expressing themselves about the country’s horrific past or with optimism about its future. It offered another view into how Rwanda is dealing with the aftermath of its genocide. I hope to interview her when she returns.

Aside from her confidence and desire to make a positive impact globally, Arden is another great example that through curiosity and a desire to tap into something that’s knocking at your inner chamber door, you can stretch the boundaries of an organization’s structure. That just because something doesn’t exist, doesn’t mean you can’t create it. Everyday I meet more and more people living life on their terms and outside the margins of cultural expectations when it comes to work and what brings them fulfillment.

While PortsAreCalling is about travel, anyone who’s been following it (and I thank you whoever you are) knows that it’s not always about travel on the traditional plane. It’s an opportunity to take a creative journey to destinations that range from north, south, east, and west, to food, literature, photography, and death. For the times when I can’t physically travel somewhere, it’s an opportunity to stretch my own mental boundaries. To meet and write about people who inspire me…like Arden.

She mentioned she’d gone to Turks & Caicos on a family vacation. When I asked how she liked it, she said it was lovely and that while she’d a great time but it felt odd to do nothing. Having lived in other countries because of her studies, she’s more comfortable diving into life on a local level. I told her she’d discovered the difference between being a tourist and a traveler.

How about you? How do you stretch your mental boundaries and where will you go?

Not everyone can afford to travel,  how will you spend your summer?

If you do travel, what’s your preference—tourist or traveler?

Share your story, let’s inspire each other.

 

Advertisement

Catch & Release Your Summertime Reading.

Leave a reply

SuitcaseofbooksAnyone who’s ever discovered a book along the way while traveling knows what a treat it can be.  In addition to other forgotten things, travelers often leave behind books when they head home or on to other places. Some do it to free up real estate in their luggage, others do it intentionally so another soul can enjoy the literature. Reaching for a book in the common space of a hotel, B&B, hostel, or cruise ship creates a subtle connection with the previous owner. Sometimes a bookmark is left inside, or maybe some notations alongside the margin, leaving behind hints of the previous reader like perfume that lingers long after someone has left a room.

This passing along of literature is kind of like a universal kinship. We may never meet the previous reader but some type of intimacy has been exchanged as the book passes from traveler to travel, along to parts unknown. It’s not about ownership. It’s all about sharing.

For anyone who appreciates finding a good book, or open to the mystery of discovering a book, check out Bookcrossing.com. Launched in 2001, it’s a celebration of literature based on creating a world library through a social networking structure. Their mission is to connect people through books and their model is “catch and release.” After signing onto their site, readers can start leaving books in their travel wake and, if interested, can track these books and connect with other readers. To date, it has 1,204,991 Bookcrossers (booklovers!) and 10,331,054 books traveling through 132 countries. Pretty cool.

The clever thing about Bookcrossing.com is that you can leave books anywhere, which means you can do it in your own backyard. This makes life a bit more fun for those down times when you’re not traveling. No matter where you live, you’re bound to have tourists or travelers passing through your village, town, city, or countryside. You can leave a book anywhere—restaurants, a park bench, a monument, a subway. Imagine the surprise, and delight, when someone comes across this treasure and discovers it was meant for them!

If you’re the sort of reader who’s been meaning to clear out any books you may have around the house but who has trouble parting with your old favorites, this offers a great alternative. The best part is you can follow the books you set free as they make their way around the world and discover who might appreciate them as much as you do.

Happy reading and happy travels!

Even Bishops Do It.

Leave a reply
Salisbury, England.

Salisbury, England.

Ibn Battuta, a 14th century Moroccan explorer, wrote, “Traveling leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” Considered one of the greatest travelers of all time, accounts of his journeys were published in the Rihla.

I'd like to follow in his footsteps.

I’d like to follow in his footsteps.

Two weeks ago while roaming around online looking for some spiritual inspiration, I came across Huffington Post’s live Lenten blog. I wasn’t looking for any religious instruction but what I discovered was an inspiring, travel related, surprise.

If you’re unfamiliar with Lent, it’s the 40 days of observance, beginning with Ash Wednesday, leading up to Easter, and probably the most significant and spiritual season for Christians. It’s a time of repentance and fasting. In the self-denial department you can go big or small but chocolate, desserts, smoking, dieting, cursing—these are usually the big ones on the Lenten hit list. And that’s how I came across Bishop Edward Condry of the Diocese of Salisbury.

Salisbury's most famous house draws loads of visitors.

Salisbury’s most famous house draws loads of visitors.

Forget the sweets. The Bishop went big and put some thought into his Lenten challenge by ditching his car and committing to serve his rural community by bike, by foot, and limited public transportation. Granted, he is an avid biker but anyone who’s ever visited a city in England like Salisbury knows it’s not easy to traipse around from one end to the other without a car, but the bishop was intent on doing this for several reasons. The first is for the traditional Lenten observance of fasting, the second is to call attention to climate change, and the third is to be more respectable of nature’s gifts and resources.

The coolest thing is, he’s blogging about it daily.

And that brings me to travel. Specifically to travel agents and travel ambassadors everywhere. Every place you go, including your own backyard, is an opportunity to share your experience. The bicycling bishop may be pedaling around town inspiring others through his unique choice of Lenten observance but his travels are generating ideas and he’s finding inspiration to write about them.

Because that’s what travel does, it generates ideas. Towards people, food, wine, arts, fashion, architecture, sports, culture, politics, the environment, or religion. No matter how near or far we travel, it stimulates us in some way. Bishop Condry was stimulated by his faith to look around and approach abstinence in 2014 from a different perspective. The view from his handlebars stimulated him to write about it.cropped-ed-cycling-email

If you’re not used to writing it may feel a bit daunting at first, as in—who am I to write about this? But I’d ask—who are you not to write about it? I have a feeling the bishop would ask you the same thing.

Once you brush your fear aside and get your thoughts on the page you just might discover that you have a lot to say. You can start as big or as small as you like. There are no rules, so don’t make any. Bishop Condry didn’t.

In this world of user-generated content, travelers everywhere contribute to thousands of travel sites. If you’re afraid to take a big leap, start small. Sites like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Vimeo, are great outlets to share your travel experience through words and photos. Just find the one that works for you. Skittish about social media or afraid to click the publish button? No sweat, just break out the old pen and paper, it works every time.

Travel agents who might think there’s no way they can write just might surprise themselves. Speak with your owner or manager about doing a piece on your next trip and publishing it on the company website. If your agency has a marketing department, ask a colleague for guidance to help craft it.

ed-static-with-lock-emailBishop Condry’s goal is to clock 2,000 miles without a car and he’s halfway there. His daily blog posts are musings on his Lenten experience, and about nature, wet clothing, climate change, the people he meets along his travels, and about transportation. Through this observance he’s discovered a few new ways to spread the good word and share it. He’s certainly inspired me to ride and to write. The man is one cool dude.

Whether you hop on a bike or a plane, take a page out of the bishop’s book. Don’t be shy.

Interested in riding along with the Bishop Condry? Click here.

The NSA, Edward Snowden, and the South of Italy.

2 Replies
Italy's Palinuro beach. (Photo credit: G. Nepi)

Italy’s Palinuro beach. (Photo credit: G. Nepi)

Fires, drought, tornadoes, and a relentless heat wave across much of the US.  July pretty much did us in. Now August is here and the government’s put a crimp in our travel plans.

Some people mark Labor Day as the end of summer, not me.  My friends are familiar with my mantra of “summer’s not over ‘til I say it is.”  September sometimes turns out to be the best month. The heavy heat is off your back and most days are clear blue skies. In which case—unless Mother Nature unleashes some more of her relentless wrath for messing with her ground work—by my count there are seven or eight perfect weekends left to get lost. If you can tack on a Friday and/or Monday, all the better.

If you’d planned on any Middle East travel…well, we know what happened to that itinerary. Talk about things getting hot. But let’s get back to August, the quintessential summer month. Now we’ve been told that we’ve got to watch our backs if we’re out there flying the friendly skies internationally. Seasoned travelers roll with these punches and tend not to get freaked out by this type of information. This is when flexibility comes in handy.

Summer in Moscow.

Summer in Moscow.

And then there’s Edward Snowden. For weeks I’ve wondered what the hell he’s been eating in that Netherland of the Moscow airport he’s been calling home. As a food snob, the thought that he’d been subsisting on processed airport cuisine made me cringe. But this young man has friends in high places, so I’m sure he was well-tended. He’s obviously not a traveler. For a man who did work for the folks who play in secrets and shadows, he should have read Ian Fleming in his spare time. Sure, Russia just granted him asylum but of all the places to hole up, he picked the birthplace of the KGB. Poor planning Mr. Snowden, you should have consulted with a travel agent.

Jumbo Rocks campground at Joshua Tree. (Photo credit: Nate2b)

Jumbo Rocks campground at Joshua Tree. (Photo credit: Nate2b)

There are plenty of weekend adventures out there waiting for you. It’s sometimes a little too easy to put a getaway—whether it’s camping, a beach house, or a quick flight—on the back burner.  If friends invite you somewhere, go!  There are always chores to do, especially if you’ve got kids, but you’ll never regret having made the trip. Besides, that’s what the cooler months are for. An Italian barber my guy goes to told him, “September? Phew, Italy in the South–it’s gorgeous!  It’s still hot enough to swim and everyone’s still going to the beach.”

Sounds like an excellent plan to me.