Jannell Howell is about to embark on an around-the-world journey that will take her through many countries including Thailand, India, Jordan, and Europe before coming back to the U.S. 15 months ago, she began blogging about her preparations on her site Traveljunkie’s World Tour.

Jannell has discovered a love of researching travel-related gear and services and shares some of her favorite finds with us.

While going through Meet, Plan, Go!’s Career Break Basic Training, I was introduced to some pretty incredible services and gear that I didn’t know existed. In the process of learning more about these newfound products, I found that I REALLY enjoyed the research. I have since completed the Basic Training course, but have continued to explore new items and I look forward to further study which, I admit, borders on obsession . . . perhaps I’ve become a travel gear-ologist?

These are just a few of my favorite items. I am already so confident about these products that I signed up as an affiliate, but will thoroughly ‘test-drive’ them in the coming months and will share my experience with Meet, Plan, Go! – So ‘stay tuned’.

You can read about other travel-related products I’ve studied and I will continue to research MANY more items. I’d love to hear from other travelers about their favorite gear and/or services (I gotta feed my obsession).

– Your friendly travel ‘gearologist’

What’s your dream you want to save for? Please share in the comments!

Wise words from our MPG Boston Host Lillie Marshall, who followed her dream and took a year-long Leave of Absence to travel around the world after 6 years of teaching in Boston Public Schools. But that dream almost didn’t see the light of day.

“Part of what nearly stopped me from taking a Travel Leave of Absence from my job as a public school teacher was guilt. ‘What will my students do without me?’ I wondered, worry gnawing at my stomach. ‘How can you do this to us?!’ wailed my coworkers when they found out about my impending Leave of Absence. ‘Do you realize how much you leaving will screw everything up?’

Thank heaven I didn’t cave into this guilt, because the reality is: after I left, the world as we knew it at my job did NOT end. In fact, I would assert that the state of Boston Public Schools is now BETTER since my Travel Leave.”

Lillie chronicled her adventures on AroundTheWorldL and is now inspiring and assisting more teachers to travel through her new site, Teaching Traveling. Why?

1. Happiness leads to effectiveness. First and foremost, a fulfilled, happy staff is the key to an energetic, powerfully effective organization. Going into my sixth year of teaching, I was getting tired, falling into a rut, and lacking sparkle. But now, after a year away, I return to Boston Public Schools with such renewed passion for teaching! And the students and my coworkers now appreciate that.

2. Have faith in humans!The students who I left on my year-long Leave of Absence didn’t have me as an English teacher, but they ended up having a lot of other great teachers that year. If you are being pressured not to leave because of the threat that ‘everything will fall apart,’ remind folks of the reality: humans have the ability to rise to a challenge. Your workplace WILL go on, and in fact, the new configuration might even cause a positive breakthrough for the whole organization!

3. If you decide to return to your workplace after a Travel Leave, what an asset you will be! Now that I’m back in BPS, I have a wealth of new curriculum from working with students in West Africa and beyond, I have a ton of contacts for teachers wanting guest contributors to their lessons and projects, and I have a veritable trove of resources for educators wishing to follow their own travel dreams. What would BPS rather have: 7 years of a tired, un-inspired teacher who never once took time to fulfill her own life goals by taking the risk of a Leave, or a zest-filled, world-traveling dynamo, freshly back from Around the World?

Teaching Traveling profiles teachers who have traveled, shows how they have done it, and shares how the experience has benefited them. You also meet travelers who have decided to teach – many of whom are teaching English overseas.

Lillie will also be hosting a night of travel inspiration for teachers and those who have dreams of teaching abroad.

During this event, you can connect with aspiring and expert Teacher-Travelers as well as representatives from related organizations. All types of Teacher-Travel will be discussed – from short-term to long term and educational to “non-educational.” You can also learn secrets of cheap travel from a diverse, interactive panel and speakers will discuss balancing travel with raising kids, dealing with a small bank account, and having no time.

EVENT DETAILS
Teaching Traveling Inspiration Night in Boston
Thursday, March 31 – 6:30-8:30pm
Elephant and Castle Restaurant, Lower Level
161 Devonshire Street - Boston, MA 02110
For more information and to RSVP

One of the concerns that you don’t want weighing on your mind, however, is how to protect not just your physical items on the road, but your personal information as well.

That is where “The Ultimate Tech Guide for Travelers” can help. This eBook is packed full of extremely useful information from someone who really knows his stuff – Anil Polat, aka foXnoMad. Before setting off to travel the world with his adorable pets by his side, Anil was a computer security consultant. And through his websites, he offers information on the best ways and gadgets vagabonds can use to stay in touch, save money, and make the most out of any vacation.

In “The Ultimate Tech Guide for Travelers”, Anil walks you through the various ways you can accomplish just about anything you want from a laptop or electronic device from anywhere in the world.

Among the topics, you will learn:

 
• Which laptop is best for you if you choose to travel with one;
• How to create a good backup plan, which is robust, automated and physically separate;
• How to obtain free software that can provide you with tools to edit photos, learn languages, and stay in touch among others;
• How to navigate the wireless landscape – know before you go;
• Helpful security tips to keep your items safe from physical theft and your online content and passwords safe from hackers;
• And useful tech tools to help save on travel costs.

 

You may not think this will help you but you may also not imagine the possibility of your computer crashing, devices being stolen, your private information being hacked at an internet café, or the possibility of not being able to access important online information that may be blocked in certain countries.

And these tips and more are designed not just for safety but to save you money as well.

The best part? With purchase of this eBook, you will also receive 6 months of free personal tech support from Anil as well as a year of free updates. That in itself is a fantastic value for just $37. And we can speak from personal experience. When you face an issue like your site being hacked or run into a coding issue, there is no better person to have on your side than Anil.

You can find more tech advice from Anil on Tech Guide for Travel and Travel Blog Advice.  And follow him on Twitter @foxnomad

And read our review of his other eBook “Overcoming the 7 Obstacles to Traveling the World”.

Editorial disclaimer: We are an affiliate member of Anil’s books and receive a percentage of sales if purchased through our site. We only join affiliate programs of products that we believe in and support.

Many people who are planning an around the world trip typically go through a purge process; sometimes it’s motivated by money, and sometimes it’s motivated by the fact that they are going to sublet their place and put things in storage. Whatever the reason, when you are standing in the middle of your living room full of stuff, it’s hard to know where to start.

That’s where Francine Jay, Miss Minimalist, comes in. She’s the Wonder Woman of simplicity! I just finished reading Francine’s book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life and can happily recommend it to anyone looking to downsize their life, their home, a room, a closet, or a to-do list. She covers it all with a very simple, effective process called STREAMLINE.
S – Start over
T – Trash, Treasure, or Transfer
R – Reason for each item
E – Everything in its place
A – All surfaces clear
M – Modules
L – Limits
I – If one comes in, one goes out
N – Narrow it down
E – Everyday maintenance

The book defines each of these steps clearly and then proceeds to go through these steps in each room of your house helping you go from pack-rat to minimalist. I thought this was a great way to tackle what seems to be an overwhelming process for many people.

However my favorite part of the book was the beginning where Francine really dissects our consumption culture; how it has developed, grown out of control, and effected people along the way.

The book starts with a startling thought,

“Think of the life energy expended in the ownership of a single possession: planning for it, reading reviews about it, looking for the best deal on it, earning (or borrowing) the money to buy it, going to the store to purchase it, transporting it home, finding a place to put it, learning how to use it, cleaning it or around it, maintaining it, buying extra parts for it, insuring it, protecting it, trying not to break it, fixing it when you do, and sometimes making payments on it even after you’ve disposed of it. Now multiply this by the number of items in your home. “

Since I have given up much of my stuff, I have thought about this concept a lot. After some initial mourning over the disappearance of my stuff, I soon began to realize the benefits…I had more time. More time to live and experience life.

She also talks about how your possessions have power. They have the power to hold you in place. Maybe that’s why so many soon-to-be travelers feel like they want to divest of their stuff, so they can move around, experience some freedom. I know that’s exactly why I decided to sell my stuff, I wanted my freedom.

Besides the first part of the book which talks about our consumption philosophy, I don’t think this is a book to sit down and read from cover to cover like a novel. It’s more of a toolkit. After the philosophy, it defines the STREAMLINE process going through each room of a house: living room, bedroom, wardrobe, home office, kitchen and dining room, bathroom, and storage spaces. I personally think you would read these chapters as you are ready to tackle these rooms; they would be very effective that way.

I also appreciated the fact that Francine covered a special chapter on how to deal with gifts, heirlooms, and sentimental items. These are often big landmines for disaster because you never feel that you can get rid of these items. She helps you cope with the challenges of giving some of these items away.

Do you have a pre-travel career break list with the item – “Put things in storage”?  Then this book may be your answer to checking that to-do off!  The Joy of Less is a great tool for anyone planning extended travel or a career break. It will help you prepare for a wonderful journey. And it will most likely change your life forever.

It may even help you become a better packer! After all, don’t we all want to become minimalist packers? Rolf Potts just did the ultimate trip in minimalism, he traveled around the world for 6 weeks with no luggage. See, it is possible!

The great thing is that minimalism can be different for everyone, it may mean decluttering, or downsizing in a room, or it may mean reducing your whole house’s footprint. It can also go as far as I did…from an apartment to a couple of suitcases.

I recently had the opportunity to have my minimalist journey documented on Francine’s blog – you can read about it – Real Life Minimalist Sherry Ott

Do you have any plans to downsize before your career break? Tell us how you are going about it!

If you don’t feel like getting yet another book, then follow Miss Minimalist on her blog where she writes about living simply and how to downsize, Miss Minimalist: Living a Beautiful Life with Less Stuff. She believes that “being a minimalist isn’t only about white walls and empty spaces. It’s about eliminating the distractions that keep us from fully appreciating life. The less stuff we have cluttering our homes (and the less “to-do’s” cluttering our time), the more energy we can devote to the things that are truly important to us.”

This is where Barbara and Elizabeth Pagano come in. They are teaching people how to negotiate a sabbatical with their company. This mother-daughter duo are no strangers to sabbaticals. They took their own sailing career break; learning new skills, and getting some much needed time away from the 9 to 5.

Barbara and Elizabeth’s typical 9 to 5 is yourSABBATICAL.com – a firm that partners with businesses to deploy programs that attract, retain, and accelerate top talent through the use of structured leaves of absences.

However, through their eBook Negotiating Your Sabbatical, this time they are working directly with the employees – helping them lay out a plan to ask for and be granted time away for a career break or sabbatical.

The book walks you through the steps to going in and having ‘that’ conversation with your boss. All the bases are covered:

• Building the foundation
• Creating the proposal
• Engaging in negotiation

In addition it includes an appendix which houses templates and Q&A.

Their advice? Don’t be spontaneous! Yes – you heard me right. Don’t decide at the spur of the moment to talk to your boss about a sabbatical, your chances of succeeding are about as likely as the US embracing healthcare reform. What this book teaches you is to plan, prepare, and practice asking for a sabbatical. Sabbaticals aren’t whimsical, they are serious. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun on your desired sabbatical, it simply means the conversation with your boss should be serious!

The book states:

“The most meaningful sabbaticals are planned ones, with specific goals and objectives – even if one of those goals is simply to recharge.”

There are many types of sabbaticals they discuss – travel, volunteer, family, green, and lifelong goal sabbaticals. But no matter what type of break you want to take, you’ll need to build a foundation and knowledge around the world of sabbaticals, your goals, and the company’s goals.

Remember, this is a toolkit, not a typical book. This means that you aren’t simply reading; you are doing. The toolkit involves exploring and writing down your answers to questions. This begins to build the foundation you’ll need to put together your proposal. I love this inward-looking part of the book, it makes you take action.

Next it walks you through building the proposal. Once again this is a very ‘hands-on’ process. In addition, they provide you with sample proposals which have worked in the past.

Finally, the toolkit walks you through the negotiation process step by step. It even includes possible responses and questions from your boss and helps you script responses to them. Some possible responses from your boss:

• “If we let you go, everyone else will want to go.”
• “Nothing like this has ever been approved before.”
• “How do I know you aren’t looking for other employment.”

The toolkit will lead you through the questions and help you formulate answers which align with your proposal. It also goes through next steps if your proposal gets accepted or denied.

But honestly, with this toolkit and the right preparation it teaches you; I don’t know how anyone could deny your sabbatical request!

If you are considering a sabbatical or career break but don’t want to break ties with your company, then check out this ebook, it will completely prepare you to achieve your dreams.

You can purchase the ebook at yourSabbatical.com

If you do purchase it, please stop back and let us hear about your successful negotiation!

Leave us a comment and let us know if you would ever consider trying to ask your boss for a career break or sabbatical.

Thanks to the design-talent of Garrett Schemmel of Hostel Dog, this t-shirt was inspired by a post we wrote for BootsnAll: “Top 10 Reasons to Take a Career Break and Travel”.

2. View Your Screensavers in Real Life
Do you feel like your cubicle walls are shrinking in around you? Has carpel tunnel set in to your thumbs from too much Blackberry-ing? Do you find your eyesight decreasing from staring at your computer screen too long? Sounds like a great time to take a break longer than a cup of coffee!

Think about all those times you’ve come back from another long meeting and found yourself mesmerized by the serene images coming across your screen. Now think about how much more mesmerizing those cascading waterfalls, coastal sunsets, and sky-scraping mountains could be in person.

For those of you who have made the career break leap or those who are now planning, this shirt is for you!

• Womens T – $19.99

• Mens T – $19.99

“Conform and Be Dull”

Yet the irony was I was staying in a job I didn’t love, depriving myself of my real passions so that I could simply be like everyone else and fit in. Fit into my company, fit into New York City, fit into my parent’s expectations, and ultimately fit into society; my life was all about conforming.

As you read in Steve’s post “Notes from a Briefcase” earlier this week, over the last 4 years I have broken out of that life of conformity and really followed my passions. And guess what – I’m surviving, and happier than ever. Steve also is happy doing his corporate job which takes him all over the world, but provides him a regular paycheck as well as stimulates him. Everyone has different things which make them happy, but the key is – live the life YOU want.

I stumbled upon Chris Guillebeau’s blog a few years ago; he writes on unconventional strategies for life, work, and travel. He espouses the message of ‘you don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to’ and ‘work should be fun and meaningful’. I felt as if he had been eavesdropping on my inner thoughts and desires. In many ways it speaks to the Briefcase to Backpack mentality; you don’t have to defer your desires and wanderlust until retirement, why not set your own rules and put career break in your vocabulary. I signed up for his newsletter and have been following him ever since.

Chris recently moved beyond bits and bytes and became an author; his book The Art of Non-Conformity was released in September. The book goes into more detail on how you can go about setting your own path, your own rules, and find your purpose in your career and life. It covers the idea that career and life don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Sure – that’s easy to say; we all strive to spend our time doing things we love, but something stops us from doing that; normally it’s the expectations of others and our own desire to conform.

For those whose interest is peaked by the idea of getting off the merry-go-round of conformity, this book will fuel your desires, challenge your way of thinking, and provide you some concrete steps to living the life you want. Regardless whether those ‘wants’ include a career break, a change in employment, travel, or giving back – it will help you take a hard look at your values.

Specifically, the book covers:

• Creative self-employment
• Career independence
• Radical goal-setting
• Contrarian travel
• Breaking through the fears of living unconventionally
• How to connect with the people you need, and
• How to handle the critics.

I personally loved the chapter on “Smashing Through the Brick Wall of Fear”; so many of us who are considering career breaks can find inspiration in it. Just consider this:

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.”
—Elbert Hubbard

Are you paralyzed by fear, is it keeping you from your career break dreams?

I also appreciated the chapter on “The Personal Finance Journey” which really examines what happiness costs. It looks at life experiences vs. possessions; a good exercise as you may be wondering how to overcome the financial hurdles of a career break.

Some may call it a self-help book, but I call it a self-empowerment book. If you are looking for a little push, or looking to connect with other non-conformists, the book provides inspiration and will challenge the way you look at the world. I particularly like it for the want-to-be career breakers out there. It may be the kindle you need to start your fire and dust off your passport.

Have a highlighter/pen/notepad ready when you read it; I found myself marking the book as I read through it sparking my own thoughts and ideas.

If you’d like to learn more about Chris Guillebeau– check out his website. Chris not only authors books and blogs, he has created a number of online products and kits around travel and self employment, the Unconventional Guides, that I personally own and use daily! The Empire Building Kit has been one of the tools we’ve used to actually build the career break empire here on Briefcase to Backpack! To learn more about it, you can read my review on Ottsworld.

As Chris says…”Your legacy starts now.” What will yours look like?

Quitting can be difficult for anyone, especially career breakers. Doubts can seep in as you start to question your decision. Hearing others stories of quitting can make it that much easier, and now you can on “Quitter to Winner”, a resource for those quitting their job for a career break, sabbatical, entrepreneurial venture or new gig.

The blog was started by Michael Sjostedt, who noticed that “over the last few years people held onto jobs they weren’t satisfied with. But recent stats show that more and more workers are voluntarily leaving their gigs for yet-to-be-determined opportunities.

Job burnout certainly plays a role in the trend. Some might have a little red devil on their shoulders who whispers ‘life’s too short.’ Others have the hutzpa to strike out on their own, thinking they can crack the ‘earn more, work less’ algorithm.

Everyone’s got a reason and a story. I’m curious to learn why people jumped, how they navigated the free fall, and if they succeeded.”

You can read stories like Alice Gray and Lyon Graulty, who are taking several months off between jobs to bike the West Coast and raise money for Posada Esperanza, an Austin-based shelter for immigrant women and their children. Or James Morgan, who talks about his difficult transition from a teaching career into architectural woodworking. And Ryan Fuller and his wife, Jen, who got burnt out from their high-pressure consulting jobs and are now in rehab: via extended vacation in Argentina.

And be sure to visit their Facebook Fan Page as Michael features inspiring career-related stories, blogs, and job boards from around the web.

And even though I was won over by the iPhone for the map feature alone, I’m still a big fan of old school printed maps when exploring a new city. Even before leaving on a trip, I will carefully study maps of the destinations I’m going to – including locating places I’m staying and sites I like to see. This is unbelievably helpful for making me feel acclimated that much faster upon arrival.

I recently discussed how when traveling with a partner, it is best to recognize each others strengths. And for me, that is map reader and director. I love this role because if someone else is leading, I often don’t pay attention to our path. And being dependent on another person to get around fills me with a sense of helplessness, especially if we separate.

Of course I don’t like sticking out like a tourist by standing on the street corner with a giant unfolded map. That’s when studying a map before hand helps. But recently I found a more discreet, and extremely helpful map, that includes destination highlights – so you can even leave the guidebook at home!

During a recent trip to London, I picked up the Knopf MapGuide: London (Knopf Mapguides).

It is extremely compact and easily fit into my purse, so I could always have it with me. The sections are broken up by neighborhoods/districts, and in addition to the easy fold-out maps (which are inconspicuous), each section includes highlights like restaurants, bars, museums and other essential places to see. It also includes a map of the Underground, so taking public transportation was easy to navigate.

So on this trip I was definitely happy to put down the iPhone (with the roaming charges) and rely on my Knopf MapGuide. I’ll be certain to use these more on future trips!

]]> http://b2b.meetplango.com/2010/07/favorite-gear-knopf-mapguides/feed/ 2 http://b2b.meetplango.com/2010/06/travel-swag-contest/ http://b2b.meetplango.com/2010/06/travel-swag-contest/#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:00:05 +0000 Briefcase to Backpack - Travel Advice for Career Breaks or Sabbaticals http://briefcasetobackpack.com/?p=4589

WIN a Camenae Travel Clutch!

Wednesday I wrote about how you can make career connections while you are traveling on your career break; it just takes a little networking and you may be able to line up your next job after your career break travels are finished!

I was able to do this when I was in Sinagpore and met the women who own/run CAMENAE – a luxury Italian handbag company.

Jill and Brittany, my part time employers, have always supported the work Michaela and I do on Briefcase to Backpack. They are avid travelers and both have been living overseas as expats for years. They were nice enough to offer one of their classy CAMENAE travel clutches for free to one of our lucky Briefcase to Backpack readers!

Whether you are traveling for a career break or for business – you still have to comply by all of the airport regulations. In most countries this means you can’t have any liquids loosely hanging out in your carry on bag – they must be contained.

What better way to contain those liquids than with the CAMENAE Travel Clutch!

It’s time to throw away those ugly zip lock bags and travel in style with the CAMENAE travel clutch!

Designed to FAA/TSA flight carry-on
security regulations (*3-1-1)

it can be used as a travel case, clutch, make-up case, or ipod case for the beach; you’ll be traveling in style and saving the environment from those plastic bags!

To win you very own CAMENAE travel clutch you simply need to do TWO simple things…but you have to do both…else you won’t be eligible to win!

1. Become a fan of CAMENAE on Facebook where you’ll get some behind the scenes information about their designs, photo shoots, and new collections.
2. Leave a comment on this post (below) describing why you’d like to win the CAMENAE Travel Clutch!

Simple right?!  Do both before July 5th, 2010 and you’ll be eligible to win!

The Amateur Traveler is an online travel show that focuses primarily on travel destinations and the best places to travel. According to Chris Christensen, “It covers everything from knowing what to put on your Chicago dog to swimming with whales in Tonga.” In addition to a weekly audio podcast, Chris also produces a twice montly video podcast and blog.

We love Amateur Traveler because there is no better way to learn about a destination and what to do than from people who have actually done it. How often do you take action on something based on a friend’s recommendation – whether it’s a restaurant or movie? Well think of Chris and his guests as friends that are giving you great travel advice.

In the past five years, Chris has interviewed over 230 guests for his podcast, has produced more than 60 videos, and has even added on a weekly travel show: This Week in Travel. That’s a lot of inspiration to pull from! He even interviewed Sherry Ott (pre-Briefcase to Backpack) back in 2007 about traveling solo as a woman.

And if you sign up for the newsletter, you will receive his free eBook: “How to Save Money Booking Your Travel Online” – which serves as a nice supplement to our post “Let’s Go: Round the World Tickets”.

So check out Amateur Traveler and get ready to be inspired!

The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World. Or as we like to call it here at Briefcase to Backpack – a career break.

One of these Lost Girls shared with us the struggles she faced letting go on the road: Amanda Pressner – Losing Myself on the Road. And now with the release of the book, we are able to learn much more about her career break experience, and those of her fellow travelers Jennifer Baggett and Holly Corbett.

Whether they were running away from something (Jen), searching for something (Amanda), or seeking adventure (Holly), The Lost Girls took a leap of faith together and ventured off on a global journey that took them to South America (Peru & Brazil), Kenya, India, Southeast Asia (Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia) and Oceania (New Zealand, Australia).

Like many career breakers featured on our site, The Lost Girls were on the expected path in life, but questioned whether or not that was the right one for them.

“As we rocketed toward the next major stage (the one involving mortgages, marriages, and 2.2 children), we all wondered: Were the paths that we were heading down the right ones for us – or were we simply staying the course because we thought we should? Was the road most frequently traveled the one that we wanted to follow?”

They hoped that life on the road would help them gain the perspective they were looking for.

What is fascinating about the book is how we are able to delve into their hearts & minds and how the same journey is interpreted & experienced in three very different & unique ways. The Lost Girls do a great job of sharing their experiences – including the struggles & triumphs, the ups & downs – while still maintaining their individual voices. Not only do they guide us through their actual travels, but they open up to how each experience was affecting their own internal journeys.

Jen, Holly, and Amanda - aka "The Lost Girls"

And by sharing their thoughts and feelings about each other demonstrates the power of having a support system when taking such a huge risk in life – whether that is one on the road, back home, or both. Though it’s not always easy to travel long-term with one partner, let alone two, they were able to utilize each other’s strengths throughout and lean on each other during their weaknesses.

For the armchair traveler or workaholic, their story may be unique. But it fits right in here at Briefcase to Backpack. They touch on the circumstances that brought them to this point, the steps they took in planning & preparing, and even a glimmer of their reflections afterwards.

But the main crux of the book covers life on the road – and not just climbing Machu Picchu, volunteering in Kenya, surviving the trains in India, and bungy jumping in New Zealand. But also the struggles they faced letting go of their careers, loved ones, and sense of identities in order to gain new insight into themselves.

As they learn, the road doesn’t always have the answers to the questions you seek, nor will it serve them up on a nice silver platter. But by the end of this journey they realized that it wasn’t over, and lessons learned would only serve as guides as they navigate through the next steps of their lives.

Something every career breaker should embrace.

The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents.
One Unconventional Detour Around the World
Released May, 11, 2010 (hardcover) | April 26, 2011 (paperback)
Order now!
Paperback price: $9.75
Kindle price: $9.99
Hardcover price: $16.49

It’s often a dream come true when you can combine your passion with your work, and that is what Garrett Schemmel has done with his website:

Garrett graduated with a degree in industrial design but has also been very interested in sketching and graphic design. And then he caught the travel bug, which set him on a path combining the two passions. Garrett shares with us how he has been able to successfully bring his two passions together to create a business he cares about.

When were you first inspired to travel?
My fascination with all things international probably started when I was a senior in high school and became great friends with the exchange students at my high school. They just seemed different. It’s hard to say what exactly it is that made them fun to hang out with, but I built great friendships there that lasted past high school.

I got to be great friends with a guy from Brazil, named Eduardo. Still friends to this day, he made his way to my house through a roundabout means and ended up staying for six months. Three years into college, I made the decision to go visit him and his family in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. That’s when I got a real taste of international travel and being fully immersed in the local culture. Every minute of every day was me being surrounded by folks from “Belo” and I had to learn quickly what it meant to live in a foreign culture.

But what really kicked off my travel habit?

I went to college in Atlanta and was lucky to have a hand full of friends who had co-op positions with Delta. Luckily, my friends were adventurous and it wasn’t uncommon to hear them fly to Santiago, Chile on a long weekend to go skiing in between classes (they flew for almost free).

Travel is difficult at times not because of the cost, but also because it is hard at times to find a travel partner with the same passion and desire to spend every free moment seeing some place new. This group of friends was the foundation for my travels for the next three years. I traveled Europe, South America, Asia and Australia/New Zealand with the friends I made in college.

How did your travels inspire “Hostel Dog”?
I’ve spent a great bit of the past four years as the design and marketing lead for an apparel company. I love design, apparel and travel and for some reason it took me until 2009 to realize that I should combine those passions. Building off these experiences, I launched Hostel Dog with an aim of capturing the unique experiences of the independent backpacker. As someone who loves to travel myself (41 countries and counting!), I thought there really was a void out there for allowing travelers to show that passion on a daily basis.

The hardest part about Hostel Dog is gauging the travel messages that are appropriate for the travel audience overall. Everyone can get behind concepts like “Hosteler” and “I’d Rather be Travelling”, but the niche concepts based on unique geographic experiences have been the tougher sell.

How do you use design to inspire others to travel?
Hostel Dog designs/t-shirts are an avenue to embrace travel further as a lifestyle and not just a one-time experience. Just because you went to Europe your third year of college doesn’t mean that you can’t travel again for three months. So many folks want to travel extensively but write it off as something that’s too difficult.

I want Hostel Dog shirts to be a constant, visual reminder that YES, you can get out and see the world.

We love Garrett’s designs and style and look forward to a future career break-inspired t-shirt from Hostel Dog!

Check out Hostel Dog’s Travel Inspired Apparel and find him on Facebook & Twitter. You can see read some of Hostel Dog’s favorite travel bloggers in one place at Read Travel Blogs.

And even short-term travel with children can be overwhelming. But here are a few sites that offer some great insight into making it a fun and rewarding experience.

Debbie Dubrow’s blog, Delicious Baby, offers advice on “Making Travel with Kids Fun”. Her blog details her own experiences traveling in the US and internationally with young children as well as product reviews, city guides and travel tips like “Ten Tips for Keeping a Toddler Busy on a Plane”  and “Breeze Through Airport Security with Kids”.

Perhaps my favorite tips include the ones listed under “Why Travel?”

Everyone knows that travel with children is unpredictable, difficult, and definitely not at the same pace or with the same freedoms that pre-child travel afforded, so why do it at all?

• Through our children’s eyes, we see the world in a new way.
• You get to immerse yourself in the local culture. Traveling with children forces you to do as locals do… shop in the grocery stores, bakeries, and pharmacies, not just tourist shops. You get to connect with locals in a way that’s difficult to do as adults traveling alone. People love kids. They’ll go out of their way to connect with you and see you as a family rather than just tourists, and you’ll gain insights into what it’s like to live in a different place.
• The kids love getting out of their everyday routine, and being in new situations helps everyone to reconnect. Whenever we travel, we find that there’s a special brand of giggly, silly fun that happens after a long day of travel that we just don’t seem to have at home.
• The kids learn new things. For young kids it isn’t so much that they’ll learn world history as that they are exposed to new experiences, sights, sounds and smells. With a little thought, you can bring those experiences home to make your everyday life a little richer too.
• For school age kids it’s much more engaging and fun to learn history by doing than by reading.

Michelle Duffy’s blog, WanderMom, offers insight and resources for independent family travel. As she says “The goal of this website is to share my experiences as a traveling parent with you and through that to encourage and inspire you to take your children to interesting places far and wide, inside and outside your home country.”

Other blogs that focus on traveling as a family and with children include:

• Ciao Bambino! – Inspiring Families to Explore the World
• Pitstops for Kids! – Getting There Should be Half the Fun!
• The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog
• Traveling Mamas
• Travel Savvy Mom – Where to Stay When You Go

During their 10 months of travel, Laurie and Bryan Tighe traveled through West Africa, the Middle East, India and Nepal. Along the way they were meticulous in keeping to their budget. And with their computer programming skills, they were able to develop an online calculator to keep track of their money and budget. And now they are sharing that with others with Budget Your Trip.

Budget Your Trip is designed to help travelers track their spending and expenses. After registering you can create a trip and enter your daily expenses. The website creates charts and tables that break down costs by category and location. The layout lets you find out if you’re spending more than anticipated on transportation or which country ate away more of your budget.

Furthermore, the website’s budget calculator allows users to estimate the cost of future trips. The budgets provided by other travelers are used to determine the average cost of countries, cities, and categories a traveler might visit. Visitors to the site can search for the average daily costs of accommodation, food, and numerous other categories for cities and countries around the world.

Budget Your Trip also offers a “Travel Cost Calculator Widget” so travelers can search for travel costs directly on your website.

Be sure to check out Budget Your Trip for future trips. And if you have budgets from previous trips, be sure to enter them and help out your fellow travelers!

Two Backpackers (currently in Peru)
One week into our trip we arrived at Panajachel, Guatemala. When our bus stopped, 5 men were already pulling our backpacks off the roof rack and taking them to their own taxis or boats. We asked where a hostel was that we had reserved. The first man assured us that it was across Lake Atitlan, a 1hr boat ride away. We retained our bags and walked away, nervous about the situation. We found a tour shop and asked again. They told us it was a 10 minute walk up the street.

Lesson learned: Whenever you arrive at a transportation station make sure you don’t say yes to anything being offered. Get a hold of your bags and escape the chaos of offerings by finding a place you can sit down and think about your next decisions. Early in the trip we found ourselves being rushed into a bus or taxi with no clue where we were really going.

What’s Next:
Our plans have changed drastically during the last month. We have realized that traveling fast is not what we enjoy. It’s no longer a race to literally travel around the world, but rather to enjoy our visits to different countries throughout Latin America. Latin America is a vast area to explore and most countries have their own unique culture which we would like to experience. So Southeast Asia is off the list of destinations for this trip. I am sure we will get there some day. I am most excited about trekking through Torres del Paine in Patagonia and Aracely is looking forward to visiting the Amazonian Jungle.

Bert & Patty (currently in Malaysia)
The biggest thing we’ve realized is that no matter what you pack, or try to not pack – in the end, you will pack too much. For us, the big question was; how to pack for 13 months, for all climates and temperatures, from beach to mountain, snow, sun and rain?

We realize now – don’t worry, you can buy almost anything while traveling. Clothes, shoes, sundries, electronics – anything/everything you need – and most times, it’ll be cheaper than in the States (don’t forget exchange rates in your calculations). I was surprised by the vast selection of medicines that you can buy over the counter.

Op-shops and second hand stores can also save money while traveling. While in Taupo New Zealand, Bertie needed a fleece/pull over/jumper. She got a cool Rip Curl jacket for $6AUD, and when she was done with it, she was able to leave it behind without worry. While in Indonesia, she bought a few beautifully colored, cotton, light summer dresses from the local markets for $5-6USD each, which replaced her shorts/tank tops. Now she wears them almost every day.

What’s Next:
We are looking forward to traveling through Malaysia, spending time in wacky Bangkok, getting our fill of temples, eating lovely food, exploring Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, checking out the pyramids in Egypt, being dazzled by the landscapes of Greece, seeing friends in the UK, meeting my best friend in Dublin and finally settling in Edinburgh, Scotland. We still have so much ahead of us and from what we hear from other travelers, it’s going to be quite the adventure.

Alonna of Ben & Alonna (currently in Ecuador)
I definitely do not feel like a pro! Everywhere we go is new with different rules and customs, and it always takes a few days to figure things out. But I would say that I have definitely changed my perspective on traveling. Things that previously would have stressed me out (not having a hotel room booked, not knowing how to use the buses or trains, not knowing where our next stop is or how to get there, etc) don’t bother me anymore. When we go somewhere new, we just have to figure out the slight differences or quirks of the place. No big deal.

What’s Next:
I’m so excited for the rest of our trip; to see more of the world and to continue meeting new people and learning about different cultures. We still have many amazing places to visit like Patagonia, Istanbul, Egypt, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

“Sure, travel bloggers—like travel blogs—have been around for years. But this year, travel bloggers began organizing in new and increasingly prominent ways—and as never before, they were treated to many of the same perks (and some of the same scrutiny) as traditional big media travel journalists.”      - World Hum

So if you have big dreams of doing more with your travel blog, you’re in good, and very crowded, company.

How do you make yourself standout? With Travel Blog Success!

We recently shared David Lee’s career break story, and featured why we love his site, Go Backpacking. And now David has used the successes he has learned in travel blogging to help others achieve their goals.

There are a lot of great resources to help you build your blog, but you could easily spend countless hours sifting through forums, tweets, and websites trying to figure it all out. Travel Blog Success presents it all in one place.

The core courses are broken up into three sections and cover various aspects important to blogging, including setting goals, design & formatting, understanding SEO, incorporating photography/video, and of course making money!

They are designed as weekly courses (for the premium price you gain access to all at once), and they don’t just teach – they also encourage a “call to action” – so you are immediately engaged. And unlike an eBook, they will be updated regularly based on user feedback (and of course, the fast-changing times of the online world).

But it’s what you get above and beyond the courses that make this site so valuable. You have access to:

• A regularly updated blog with great insight on the ever-changing world of online and social media
• Ongoing audio interviews with well-established bloggers
• And an active forum where you can engage with fellow bloggers and gain great insight
• 15% discount on a premium Woo Theme for WordPress

We had the opportunity to gain a sneak-peak at TBS and have already found some valuable information that we’ve incorporated into our site and strategies. And even in its preview stage, David is extremely engaged in the conversation, offering great feedback and advice. And the voices will only grow as more people join.

We think that this is a great investment whether you are just starting off blogging or already have a blog. The core lessons are great for beginners, but the ongoing content (blog, interviews, forums) is what really makes it a valuable resource.

Pricing:
Includes 12 easy-to-follow lessons, audio interviews with established bloggers, exclusive blog, active forum, discounted Woo Theme
3 Monthly Payments ($87)
Premium Membership ($75)

Note: Briefcase to Backpack is an affiliate of Travel Blog Success and we earn a commission if you click through our site to purchase. We wouldn’t be an affiliate if we didn’t endorse this product, so we appreciate you supporting us too!

In addition to the 20-month archive of David’s 22-country round-the-world trip, the site offers tips for budget planning, interviews with fellow travelers, book reviews, how-to articles, and news from the online travel community. He has even expanded his site to include several contributors, adding a variety of voices and experiences.

One of the most popular posts is ”Cost of a Trip Around the World”, which is usually the first concern on potential travelers minds.  And by breaking down his daily expenses by country allows future backpackers to understand where their dollar can go farther.

Another popular post is “Final Thoughts – Annapurna Sanctuary Trek” in which David offers great tips based on his experiences to anyone planning a trek in Nepal.  I did the Annapurna Circuit in 2001 and definitely agree with many of his points – although I’d like to add one. Boiled water in a nalgene bottle makes a wonderful bedtime companion. Helps to keep you warm and stays warm throughout the chilly nights!

David also offers a free eBook, “Dare Me”, which details the various dares he was given during his original travels. These dares ranged in “strength” from having his photo taken with various single women and Thai “lady boys” to riding a scooter and on top of a train in India. The rewards were mostly monetary (which was greatly appreciated), and not all were completed for one reason or another. But reading about them and his efforts to complete them make for a good laugh. And it just goes to show how travel allows you to lower your inhibitions and makes you do things you never imagined!

With the success he has gained through travel blogging, David will be launching a new website on February 1 – “Travel Blog Success – Build a Better Travel Blog”. We had a sneak peak of the site and feel that it is a great investment if you want to do more with your travel blog then update friends and family. Look for more on Travel Blog Success soon!

And be sure to vote for Go Backpacking as Best Travel Blog and Medellin Living as Best Latin American Blog in the 2010 Bloggies! Voting ends January 31, 2010.

If you don’t know what TED Talks is, you should! TED is a small nonprofit devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading”. It started out as a conference bringing people together from the worlds of Technology, Entertainment, and Design (thus, the TED). During the annual conference, attendees get to hear riveting talks (18 minutes in length) by more than 50 remarkable people.

The site TED Talks grew out of the idea to give everyone on-demand access to these most inspiring voices.

The TED content has expanded to include talks on business, science, culture, arts, and global issues. Dr. Seligman’s talk is found in the Culture section under “What Makes Us Happy”. Another notable talk in this category is by Stefan Sagmeister titled “The Power of Time Off”.

Sagmeister is a notable designer based in NYC and is also known for shutting down his shop every seven years for a year sabbatical. That’s one idea we know is worth spreading! His reasoning is that we spend the first 25 years of our lives learning, the next 40 years working, and the final 15 in retirement. He wanted to intersperse some of the retirement years within the working years.

He also recognized the value of time off to rejuvenate and refresh his creative outlook. After his first sabbatical, he found that:

• His job became his calling again
• Over the long term it was financially successful
• And everything his shop designed in the seven years following the first sabbatical was originated in that year.

We highly recommend you take the 18 minutes to listen to this fascinating talk. And thank you for helping us spread the idea on career breaks and sabbaticals!

And by purchasing these items for you or your favorite traveler, you will be spreading glad tidings of income for us here at Briefcase to Backpack.

Knirps X1 Compact Umbrella – heavy duty, but tiny for travel. Comes with hard case that’s the size of an eyeglass case!






Humangear GoToob Travel Bottle – the soft squeezable tubes for bathroom products.






Grizzly Grip Utility Carabiners – super to attach anything to your bags.








Anne Taintor Looking For Trouble Luggage Tag – for women with spunk!










Travelon TSA compliant Hand Soap Sheets – no more worrying about traveling with liquids.








Eagle Creek Travel Gear ID Luggage Strap – great for tightening up your pack or wrapping up your cords (USB, computer, etc…)






New Balance® Sneaker Balls® – to keep the odor out of your backpack!

Be sure to visit the Briefcase to Backpack Store for more great travel items!

Passports with Purpose was founded in 2008 by four well-respected travel bloggers: Beth Whitman (Wanderlust and Lipstick), Debbie Dubrow (Delicious Baby), Michelle Duffy (WanderMom), and Pam Mandel (Nerd’s Eye View). Together with over 60 bloggers they represent the “Passports”.

So what’s the “Purpose”? Raising funds for American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC), an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for the youth and rural poor in Cambodia. The goal this year is to raise $13,000 to help build a school in rural Cambodia.

In order to raise funds, the participating travel bloggers are hosting giveaways ranging from cameras, books, hotels, and gear. A highlight of items include:

• A Flip Ultra Video Camcorder (donated by Heather on her Travels)
• A Casio Exilim Digital Camera (donated By Anil Polat – Fox Nomad)
• Five Nights at Los Suenos Resort in Costa Rica (donated by Ciao Bambino!)
• Two night stay at Monteleone Hotel in New Orleans (donated by Vera Marie Badertscher – A Travelers Library)
• A pair of Kuru shoes (donated by Donna Hull – My Itchy Travel Feet)
• A Kelty backpack (donated by Nomadic Matt)
• $100 Amazon gift card (donated by Shannon Hull Lane)

(For a complete list, visit Passports with Purpose – Donation)

For each $10 donation that you make to AAfC before December 21, you will be entered in the giveaway(s) of your choice. What a deal! Even if you don’t get the item of your choice, it’s a winning opportunity.

We love this idea and will be sure to participate in it next year. But that won’t stop us from shopping this year!

According to Christine:

I always wanted to travel the world. Who doesn’t? But somehow I ended up trading in my 20’s for a job I didn’t love, money I didn’t need (but happily spent on things I didn’t need), and a burgeoning sleep problem. One night after I ran out of valerian root and melatonin, I stayed up all night looking through job listings in my field. I realized something—I didn’t want to do any of them. None. I could change my job, change my environment, but the work itself had become excruciating.

It was time to take the leap and start over. I would finally pick up that writing career I had been tinkering with for years. I would start living the life I wanted now, instead of waiting for some far off reward. My husband and I would sell everything and move abroad with our two dogs, Molly and Jack.

During her extensive pre-departure research, Christine wasn’t finding a lot of like-minded people with advice to share, so she started “Almost Fearless” to be that support for others.

I never found exactly what I was looking for, but I promised myself I’d document the process for others, as best as I could. In that vein, I’ve tried to be as honest and open as possible – even if that means admitting my own doubts and struggles.

Christine recently presented a great series that we feel every Briefcase to Backpacker will find useful in planning their career break. The 30 Ways in 30 Days to Redesign Your Life and Travel the World series offers practical, real world steps to help you get from wherever you are, to exactly where you want to be – traveling the world and living the lifestyle you want.

Some of these posts include:

• The Mental Shift to Begin the Redesign
• Convincing Your Loved One to Travel Too
• Planning a Travel Budget that Works
• Getting Health Insurance When You Travel
• Telling Your Friends and Family

Be sure to check out this series as well as her new eBook “Twitter for Travelers: A guide to using Twitter to make travel easier, cheaper, smarter, safer and faster“.

In addition to blogs, it’s just as important, if not more so, to keep a handwritten travel journal, especially if you are embarking on a trip for self-exploration such as a career break.

Blogs are great for sharing details of your hike up Machu Picchu and the crazy street food you tried in Cambodia, but a journal will allow you to open up more about what those experiences meant to you in your journey for self-discovery. And even in this day of sharing just about every aspect of your life online, there are moments that you will want to keep to yourself.

In her book, Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler (Travelers’ Tales), Lavinia Spalding offers advice on using your travel journal to help you through personal development, starting with even the most basic of steps: selecting the ideal journal and writing device for yourself.

After many years of experimenting, I find that the best journal for me is a Cachet Classic Wirebound Black Cover Sketchbook. The ringed-binding allows me to open up to any page easily (offering a flat surface) and the thickness of the paper allows for easy writing and sketching. I find the 5”x7” size is perfect if I want to add postcards to my pages – allowing for some visual elements to my words.

And you may laugh about selecting the perfect pen, but I find my words flow much easily and my hand can keep up with my racing thoughts with any type of uni-ball pen. I even hand wrote this post with one! Believe it or not, not having the right pen and journal can keep you from writing in your journal.

But that seems like the easy part. Most people have never kept any type of journal, so dedicating oneself to doing this during your travels can be daunting. Lavinia offers some great practice devices to prepare you for it, including opening up your notebook five times a day – not necessarily to write, but to develop the habit. And it pays off:

“As Henry Miller said, ‘One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.’ Keeping a travel journal will assist you in reaching that destination. It will enrich your experience, help you interpret the world, and it might even change your life. The payoffs will be incalculable, both during your travels and long after you return.”

I can relate to that. I love thumbing through my previous journals as they transport me back to a time when I was in a very different place in my life. And I can see how that time influenced my personal growth and has helped shape whom I am today. I usually can’t get through an entry without laughing or crying over a memory that I hadn’t thought of in years.

That’s not as easy to do with a blog. Most travelers I know who kept (or keep) blogs, rarely revisit previous entries. Their photos and words are stored away on a network server for others to stumble upon.

And in addition to reliving distant memories, by flipping through the pages of my journals I’ve been able to find great source material to share on Briefcase to Backpack and my Inspiration Blog, including “Letting Go: Preparedness” and “Reflecting On Those Who Inspired Me On 9/11”.

Another aspect I love about keeping a journal is being able to note my journey in ways other than the written word. I got a giant grin on my face when Lavinia made reference to journals being a work of art for some:

“Still other artists regard the journal itself as a work of art. One of the most famous among them is brilliant wildlife and fashion photographer Peter Beard. Beard’s diaries are an indescribable romp of images and words – thousands of pages of exquisitely controlled mayhem, they hold sprawling entries in cramped handwriting, scribbled telephone messages and business cards alongside fashion magazine cutouts, dried leaves, insects, composite photos of nudes and crocodiles, drawings by African artists, newspaper clippings, cartoons, snakeskin, bark and blood.”

It was upon seeing Peter Beard’s personal journals at an exhibit in 2000 that inspired the way I journal.

I’ve even found a way to incorporate my journals into my artwork, using entries as the background image to some of my travel photos.

And I had a laugh when Lavinia recalled having to dig through her bag to show her National Parks Pass at a station booth – which by that point was already glued into her journal.

I had a similar experience happen on a flight to Paris. My friend and I were off for a long weekend and were pleasantly surprised to be upgraded to first class. Within minutes of takeoff, our boarding passes were already glue-sticked into our journals as we sipped champagne. Moments later, we’d have to return to JFK and change planes due to mechanical error. We were told we could use our original boarding passes for our new plane. Luckily, Kim wasn’t too embarrassed trying to explain to the attendants why we needed new passes, showing our journals as to why.

I also love keeping a journal to detail other moments – like keeping score of a card game or devising “how well do you know you’re new travel partners” questionnaire while trekking in Nepal. Those capture unique moments that sentences and paragraphs could not.

But the most important aspect to keeping a journal during your career break travels is to help you on your path to self-discovery.

As Lavinia writes:

“Travel carries with it the potential to be a sort of changing room for the psyche. More than a getaway, more of a gateway…cue the travel journal, for while any journal is a portal to expanded awareness, the travelogue in particular is an unparalleled avenue for self-discovery. Paired with the myriad rewards and ordeals of travel, it can solicit breakthroughs that other journals simply cannot.

In short, if you let it, the journal will help you become an improved traveler, and (dare I say it?) a better version of yourself to bring home – which might be the ultimate travel souvenir.”

So add another item to your packing list: your journal. And be ready to open doors to even greater insight.

• Do a test pack of backpack to make sure it’s not too heavy – Check
• Make extra copies of visas and passport – Check
• Create blog to stay in touch with family & friends – Check
• Update resume – wait, what?!?!?!?!

I know you just left your job and can’t wait to focus on your travels, but updating your resume before you leave is one of the best pre-trip activities you can do. In his post, “How My Career Break Helped My Career”, Michael Bontempi noted:

I developed a resume prior to leaving to ensure that my latest accomplishments were fresh in my mind.

After your RTW travels, the last thing you’ll want to reflect on is what you did during your last job. When Sherry Ott returned from her first 16-month trip, she:

…actually got out my resume and looked at it wondering what all of it even meant. I really, really tried to remember specifics about my old job – what software we used, what vendors I worked with, what projects I worked on for three years – and I could come up with nothing but faint memories of bad florescent lighting and eating at my desk.

David Lee had a similar experience:

After 20 months away, I returned home to the DC area 72 hours ago. I knew I should’ve updated my resume *before* I left home in late 2007, but I was frankly too lazy. It was much more fun to anticipate the adventures that lay ahead. Of course now that I’m back, I’ve forgotten all the details of my previous job, and will be dependent on reconstructing accomplishments from my annual performance reviews.

When you return from your travels, you’ll still want to revisit your resume and rework it in any way necessary. If you want to go back into the same field, it may not need much tweaking. But if you want to explore new career opportunities (which many career breakers do), it may need to be reworded. But the good news is, you’ve already made note of your most recent accomplishments!

And unlike younger backpackers who may not have as much work experience under their belts, you don’t need to pad your resume with experiences from your travels. Instead, use your cover letter and interviews as opportunities to explain your decision to take a career break and travel and how it has helped you focus on your next career steps. (See: Getting Back to Reality and Resumes)

However, if you did any extensive volunteer work where you utilized some of your business skills, it may be worth adding something to your resume.

Sarah Van Auken of Volunteering Global, a site that educates prospective volunteers about international service trips, offered this advice:

Depending on how long you went or how involved you were in a project, put it in the professional experience section, rather than listing in a separate section of community service activities, as oftentimes employers gloss over those. This works especially well if you helped with any type of administrative activity, such as fundraising, grant proposal writing, career training, or similar.

Talk about what the project goal was – such as raising funds to build a new school for an underserved community, and talk about what you did to further that goal.

Part of my volunteer experience with Peru’s Challenge was to take photos of the children in the community and help design a calendar for fundraising purposes. The calendar sold out immediately and helped to raise over $5,000 for a community emergency medical fund. As I’m a freelance photographer and designer, I made note of that under my professional experiences.

So take the time to do what may seem like a tedious task before you travel. You’ll be thankful you did so when you return.

Still they knew that if they didn’t take this opportunity now to travel the world, they would regret it down the road. And they found their corporate experience to be very beneficial in planning a year of backpacking the globe.

“We used our previous travel experience and our Corporate America budgeting and Excel skills to plan an overall budget. Our budget was broken down into maintenance costs (storage, cell phones, etc.); time for ‘re-entry’ (into the work world), and actual travel money. Our travel money allowance allowed us to establish a monthly travel budget and pick destinations and activities that we could afford.”

Bill & Cindy are now more than half way through their trip, and even managed to extend it from 12 to 14 months by stretching their travel budget even further. They took time off from the road to share with us their favorite tips on creating an itinerary that works best for you.

1. Don’t try to cram in too much in a short period of time. Three months in SE Asia may seem like a lot, but it’s not. It’s hard as Americans who normally have to carefully plan our limited vacation to just go with the flow; but you’ll find it will save you money and provide you with a lot more flexibility to experience the places that really speak to you. Plus the more you are on the move, the more costly it is. We learned this lesson the hard way our first few months on the road and had to readjust our mindset accordingly.

2. Strive for as many authentic experiences as you can. Stay with local families, friends living abroad, or home stays when you can find them. Volunteer in local communities, especially those places you visit that need it the most. My husband and I volunteered in a Cambodian orphanage and schools in Indonesia, and are planning to do more volunteer work in South America later in the year. These experiences will turn out to be the best and most authentic of your travels, and provide memories that will last a lifetime.

3. Focus on the travel schedule that is right for you. For both of us, it was important to connect with our family and friends, so we planned a two-month US tour in the middle of our year of traveling. We saw a lot of new places in our own country and spent quality time reconnecting with the people we’d missed the most. As an added benefit, it gave us some mid-point reverse culture shock relief!

We already know that our biggest lessons have come from our new perspective on our world and the most important things in life. So many Americans are tied down with too much debt, too many ‘things’ and the expectation to acquire more things! We have vowed to maintain a budget travel lifestyle and continue to strive for authentic travel experiences and the flexibility to continue to travel as much as we can in the real world. In the meantime though, we are just enjoying each other and new experiences every day.

You can follow along on their adventures at The Blonde Wanderer. And we look forward to watching them transition through the re-entry process when they return to the States in 2010.

• Why would you ever leave a perfectly good job or paycheck to travel for an extended period of time?
• Taking a break would be detrimental to your career; you may never to find another job again!

The mind is a powerful thing – especially when it comes to taking career breaks. But isn’t it funny how our mind can take a positive thing and twist it into a terrible outcome? And with naysayers questioning your intentions at every turn, you’ll need all the help you can get to actually make your career break dream a reality.

Escape 101: Sabbaticals Made Simple by Dan Clements and Tara Gignac, ND is a powerful weapon that can help you to get on the road to your career break. I recently listened to Dan’s book on my iPod and was enthralled form the moment it began. It was in complete alignment with my view on sabbaticals and career breaks. In fact, while listening, I felt as if I was reliving my career break decisions and struggles from four years ago. There are so many things that make you feel like your crazy if you take a career break, but Escape 101 makes you feel that you’re crazy if you DON’T take one; finally someone is on your side! (ahem – Briefcase to Backpack is on your side too!)

In addition, Clements has taken many career breaks himself. He has even planned career breaks with his whole family, including young kids. He obviously has lived through many of the topics he covers in the book, so it brings some great credibility to his advice.

Escape 101 is broken into three parts:

1. The 4 Secrets for Getting Away From It All (Desire, Belief, Vision, Commitment) which covers many of the mental hurdles that we give ourselves. This section really makes a point of examining our thought processes when making a big change; a change that goes against the societal norm. When we encounter the mental and societal hurdles, our mind will naturally complicate everything and project out to all of the negative things, such as why we can’t do it. By doing this, we’ll never make any change.

Instead, the authors give you suggestions on how ‘not to think’ about the hurdles and not let your mind race too far out in the future to all of the negative things that you can imagine (and will most likely never happen). It helps you keep focus on your goals and the positives. This section was my favorite as I found this to be the single most challenging thing to do when trying to break away from my career.

2. Planning It gives you tips on how to plan your great escape. It covers things like figuring out money, telling/asking your employer about your break, escaping with children, and various pitfalls. It even has an extensive section on how to escape if you own your own business; something that you might think would be impossible, but it isn’t. It really looks at your break as just that – a break. And it assumes that you’ll come back to your career, therefore focusing on how to take a break and not burn bridges.

3. Doing It is about how to get the most out of your escape and come out ahead. It even has a small section on re-entry and explores the benefits of taking your time. This section really applies to any kind of travel, even a two-week vacation!

The book is heavy on understanding and overcoming the mental struggles and anxieties associated with career breaks. But it doesn’t cover things about planning your travel, where to buy tickets, where to go, how to travel, etc. You can find that information here or other travel websites.

Overall the book provides you motivational tools through self-empowerment. I would’ve killed for a book like this four years ago while I was contemplating my career break. I had all of these competing thoughts and I desperately wanted someone to guide me through my doubts and fears; but there was no one or thing that could do that for me, so I trudged through it alone. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to start Briefcase to Backpack; to help other get over the hurdles of making a big change in their life.

If you are even considering a career break or sabbatical for any amount of time, I recommend you purchase the book.

Purchase the eBook – Just $9.95 Click here to view more details

Purchase the Audio Book – Just $14.95 Click here to view more details

It’ll be a great investment in your arsenal of career break weaponry! In addition, you should cruise around Briefcase to Backpack some more and learn how other people escaped!

SUDAN
What is the What
By Dave Eggers

What Is the What is the epic novel based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng who, along with thousands of other children–the so-called Lost Boys–was forced to leave his village in Sudan at the age of seven and trek hundreds of miles by foot, pursued by militias, government bombers, and wild animals, crossing the deserts of three countries to find freedom. When he finally is resettled in the United States, he finds a life full of promise, but also heartache and myriad new challenges. Moving, suspenseful, and unexpectedly funny, What Is the What is an astonishing novel that illuminates the lives of millions through one extraordinary man.

KENYA
Out of Africa
By Isak Dinesen

In this book, Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) gives a true account of her life on her plantation in Kenya. She tells with classic simplicity of the ways of the country and the natives: of the beauty of the Ngong Hills and coffee trees in blossom: of her guests, from the Prince of Wales to Knudsen, the old charcoal burner, who visited her: of primitive festivals: of big game that were her near neighbors–lions, rhinos, elephants, zebras, buffaloes–and of Lulu, the little gazelle who came to live with her, unbelievably ladylike and beautiful.

Peter Beard (Photofile)
By Christian Caujolle

Fascinated by Africa and the writings of Karen Blixen, Peter Beard (b. 1938) was twenty-four years old when he moved to Kenya, where he built up an exceptional body of work. His images of wild animals such as crocodiles and elephants, and of the land in all its purity and its wildness, are a huge collage of his experiences. This book features mainly photos from Africa, together with pages from his photographic journals.

(Editorial Note: Peter Beard is among one of my favorite photographers and has been a great inspiration in my life. Visit his website to learn more about him – Peter Beard)

SOUTH AFRICA
The Bang-Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War
By Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva

This powerful account intertwines the personal and professional lives of four journalists, known as the Bang Bang Club, who helped bring the struggle for the end of apartheid in South Africa and other conflicts into the worldview. Two members of the “club” survived to tell their story here, while the other two tragically died: Greg Oosterbroek was fatally shot while covering a firefight, and Kevin Carter, who won a Pulitzer for his photograph of a vulture stalking a starving child in the Sudan, committed suicide. Since then, many have questioned the ethics of taking such a picture, and Carter’s own responses changed over time. In this highly readable account, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Marinovich, who narrates the stories, and Silva, whose voice is represented in the third person, openly discuss this and other topics concerning the morality of journalism. The book’s 40 photographs offer stark illustrations of the issues, especially the question of the responsibility of the journalist to intervene in order to help rather than merely to profit. An introduction by Desmond Tutu frames the book, putting it in the context of South African history.

(Editorial Note: I had the opportunity to meet Greg Marinovich in South Africa and was truly impressed with how he has been able to use his talents and guts to tell the stories of those who didn’t have a voice.)

What are some books that have inspired you?

So with summer reading lists being so popular, we decided to have our own. Here are some memoirs based in Asia that have inspired, enlightened, and opened us up to new worlds. We hope they do the same for you. (Note: These aren’t our reviews but descriptions of the books. Because they are listed means that we enjoyed them!)

CAMBODIA
The Road of Lost Innocence – The True Story of a Cambodia Heroine
A memoir by Somaly Mam

A riveting and beautiful memoir of tragedy and hope–by a woman named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Born in a village deep in the Cambodian forest, Somaly Mam was sold into sexual slavery by her grandfather when she was twelve years old. For the next decade she was shuttled through the brothels that make up the sprawling sex trade of Southeast Asia. She suffered unspeakable acts of brutality and witnessed horrors that would haunt her for the rest of her life – until, in her early twenties, she managed to escape. Unable to forget the girls she left behind, Mam became a tenacious and brave leader in the fight against human trafficking, rescuing sex workers–some as young as five and six–offering them shelter, rehabilitation, healing, and love and leading them into new life.

Written in exquisite, spare, unflinching prose, The Road of Lost Innocence is a memoir that will leave you awestruck by the courage and strength of this extraordinary woman and will renew your faith in the power of an individual to bring about change.

CHINA
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
A memoir by Jung Chang

Blending the intimacy of memoir and the panoramic sweep of eyewitness history, Wild Swans has become a bestselling classic in thirty languages, with more than ten million copies sold. The story of three generations in twentieth-century China, it is an engrossing record of Mao’s impact on China, an unusual window on the female experience in the modern world, and an inspiring tale of courage and love.

Jung Chang describes the life of her grandmother, a warlord’s concubine; her mother’s struggles as a young idealistic Communist; and her parents’ experience as members of the Communist elite and their ordeal during the Cultural Revolution. Chang was a Red Guard briefly at the age of fourteen, then worked as a peasant, a “barefoot doctor,” a steelworker, and an electrician. As the story of each generation unfolds, Chang captures in gripping, moving — and ultimately uplifting — detail the cycles of violent drama visited on her own family and millions of others caught in the whirlwind of history.

INDIA
Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure
A memoir by Sarah Macdonald

In her twenties, journalist Sarah Macdonald backpacked around India and came away with a lasting impression of heat, pollution and poverty. So when an airport beggar read her palm and told her she would return to India—and for love—she screamed, “Never!” and gave the country, and him, the finger.

But eleven years later, the prophecy comes true. When the love of Sarah’s life is posted to India, she quits her dream job to move to the most polluted city on earth, New Delhi. For Sarah this seems like the ultimate sacrifice for love, and it almost kills her, literally. Just settled, she falls dangerously ill with double pneumonia, an experience that compels her to face some serious questions about her own fragile mortality and inner spiritual void. “I must find peace in the only place possible in India,” she concludes. “Within.” Thus begins her journey of discovery through India in search of the meaning of life and death.

Holy Cow is Macdonald’s often hilarious chronicle of her adventures in a land of chaos and contradiction, of encounters with Hinduism, Islam and Jainism, Sufis, Sikhs, Parsis and Christians and a kaleidoscope of yogis, swamis and Bollywood stars. From spiritual retreats and crumbling nirvanas to war zones and New Delhi nightclubs, it is a journey that only a woman on a mission to save her soul, her love life—and her sanity—can survive.

NEPAL
Touching My Father’s Soul: A Sherpa’s Journey to the Top of Everest
A memoir by Jamling Tenzing Norgay

In a story of Everest unlike any told before, Jamling Tenzing Norgay gives us an insider’s view of the Sherpa world. As Climbing Leader of the famed 1996 Everest IMAX expedition led by David Breashears, Jamling Norgay was able to follow in the footsteps of his legendary mountaineer father, Tenzing Norgay, who with Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest, in 1953. Jamling Norgay interweaves the story of his own ascent during the infamous May 1996 Mount Everest disaster with little-known stories from his father’s historic climb and the spiritual life of the Sherpas, revealing a fascinating and profound world that few — even many who have made it to the top — have ever seen.

VIETNAM
The Girl in the Picture: The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War
A Biography by Denise Chong

On June 8, 1972, nine-year-old Kim Phuc, severely burned by napalm, ran from her blazing village in South Vietnam and into the eye of history. Her photograph-one of the most unforgettable images of the twentieth century-was seen around the world and helped turn public opinion against the Vietnam War.

This book is the story of how that photograph came to be-and the story of what happened to that girl after the camera shutter closed. Award-winning biographer Denise Chong’s portrait of Kim Phuc-who eventually defected to Canada and is now a UNESCO spokesperson-is a rare look at the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese point-of-view and one of the only books to describe everyday life in the wake of this war and to probe its lingering effects on all its participants.

What are some books that have inspired you?

Two Backpackers
Jason and Aracely are a couple that understand there is more to life than a successful career. After college, Jason spent much of his time chasing his career and financial goals, which included jobs at Mercedes-Benz USA and Mercer. Likewise, Aracely was groomed into a young professional at Mercedes-Benz USA and as a Finance Manager at American Express. But both find greater joy in being outdoors, learning about the world, and lending a helping hand – activities that better shape and define them as individuals then any job title could.

With no set itinerary other than using Guatemala as a starting point, Jason and Aracely hope this experience will validate their passions, step outside of their comfort zone, and grow as individuals. As Jason writes: “Part of this journey is learning to let go; live in a way that is completely different from the way we currently live our lives. Today, we spend a significant time planning and organizing because we only have a weeks’ worth of vacation from our jobs. Now, there is no need to crunch everything possible into a week, plan extensively or recuperate. You can do what you want, when you want, on your own terms for as long as you want. It’s exhilarating just to say those words.”

In addition to experiencing the history and people of new cultures, making new friends, and giving back to the world community, Jason and Aracely hope to inspire others to follow their true passions – something we can relate to at Briefcase to Backpack!

“If, rather [than travel], your passion is to pursue a different career or hobby, start a business, or do something adventurous, whatever your internal calling is, we challenge you to answer it. Better yet, live it! Equally important to us is our desire to increase cultural, social, and economic awareness, providing a more realistic global perspective. But don’t just follow our journey, instead become motivated to take risks, value your time, pursue culturally enriching experiences, lend a helping hand, and live the life that you truly desire to live.”

Ben and Alonna – Adventures and Trivialities
Ben and Alonna were both engineers at HP but left the corporate world behind in June to travel for a year (Ben left his position at HP while Alonna is taking an unpaid Leave of Absence).

The decision to do this came after they realized they were living their lives on a path that they hadn’t necessarily chosen for themselves. As Alonna writes: “Sometimes we all do things just because we think that’s how it’s supposed to be done. But if you step back and really analyze what you want to spend your time and money on, what you believe in, and what you want out of life, you just might find that you’re not following a path that you would have chosen.”

With that in mind, Ben and Alonna decided to define their own life-path, and part of that was spending more time traveling. “We realized that we didn’t have to wait to get laid off or for it to be the ‘right time’ to make a change like this. After all, there are always obstacles to every goal or dream. Instead, what really drove this decision was realizing that it was even a decision at all. Once we recognized that this was a real option, the decision was easy.”

Ben and Alonna’s plans have them going to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Asia and Africa.

Bert & Patty – Two people, two backpacks, one global adventure
Bert and Patty (aka Christine and Paul), are a couple from Seattle, Washington. Christine is a veteran of travel, having spent time in the Peace Corps and then working as a teacher, where she spent her summers traveling the globe. And up until 2005, Paul didn’t even have a passport! After just three months of meeting, Christine broke Paul of his “safe US/Canada bubble” and introduced him to the wonders of travel – with a trip to Guatemala and Cuba.

Four years later and they are about to embark on a real adventure – starting with getting married in the Cook Islands!

Their plans started out as a 3-4 month journey. “We thought it was a long time to take for a trip, but soon found that there was more we wanted to do and see. Originally, we were going to take a trip to the Cook Islands to get married, then go to both New Zealand and Australia. Then we started to say things like ‘you know, we might not come back to this part of the world for a very long time, while we’re here we should also see . . . ‘. That is how 3-4 months turned into 6-7 months. Then before you know it 6-7 months turned into the current schedule of 12 months.”

They are often asked why they are doing this, and like most who make the decision to take a career break and travel, it’s because they want something different out of their lives. As Paul writes: “We are at a crossroads of our lives and this gets to be one of our paths to choose. We can opt for a life of domesticity and normalcy with a mortgage and weekends spent cutting the lawn. Or before that happens, we can take this time and travel.”

We can’t wait to follow these three couples over the next year and hope that you too can find inspiration in their journeys!

Through iTunes they provide easy to download 20 min. podcasts about how to pack, how to stay in a hostel, what to do when you miss a flight, the 15 essential items you need in your bag, how to buy insurance, and a million other travel topics. And you can find three years of archived travel tips, city guides, interviews, and even videos on their website.

I found them to be a great place to get information on how to do more ‘backpacking’ budget style travel; something I wasn’t used to doing before my career break. I needed a little hand holding in that department and they delivered.

They started solely as a podcast and have now expanded their site to include videos and travel writing. In addition, they often run a number of contests for iTunes certificates and travel items. I was even the lucky winner of Global Bag Tags (a simple system for tagging your bags and linking them to a global database).

Craig and Linda are from New Zealand and have turned their travel passion into a business. They were recently awarded the Best Travel Podcast by Lonely Planet – a huge honor by a respected leader in the industry. Their laid-back ‘kiwi’ style is soothing and super informative.

I invite you to go subscribe to their podcast in iTunes or listen on their site.

You won’t regret it!

One thing I don’t leave home without when traveling is a silk sleep sheet (also known as a mummy liner or sleeping bag liner). It’s lightweight and will be your savior when you check into a seedy hostel* in Greece, find yourself sleeping on an overnight train in Vietnam, or staying in a village in the hills of Thailand.

A sleep sheet is a lightweight sleeping bag minus the zipper. It’s made of silk and simply provides a barrier between you and any questionable beds, sheets, or bugs. (The silk versions are more expensive than cotton but much lighter and compact – worth the price difference.)

I used this item everywhere – to ward off my buggy hotel room in China, to keep the sand out of my face while sleeping in the Sahara Desert, to sleep in huts in Nepal where there were no ‘sheets’ but only old dirty blankets.

I actually joke around that it is my little human condom; I never leave home without it! The lightweight silk doesn’t only provide a barrier of protection, but it can also provide another layer of warmth in cold weather situations and it can provide a cool weather breathable option in hot, sticky climates. So – practice safe traveling and put this little item on your ‘must have’ list!

* Not all hostels are seedy anymore. Read how hostels have grown-up!

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One of my favorite and yet to be retired travel items is my suitcase…I mean backpack…I mean suitcase; yes, it’s actually both.

When I started planning my around the world trip I had the typical dilemma of how I should carry my stuff. I knew I wasn’t a hard-core backpacker and I knew I wasn’t a luxury traveler either; my itinerary included both experiences. I was going to be backpacking through Africa, but staying in moderate places in Europe.

I knew that most of the time it would actually be possible to roll my luggage, but there would be some times when it was not an option and I would need to strap my possessions onto my back. I wanted functionality, yet a bit of sophistication. What a dilemma!

After some research online I found the perfect compromise; a soft suitcase that could turn into a backpack. I bought my prized Eagle Creek Switchback and found that it was the perfect solution to my dilemma. In addition, it had a zip off small backpack that I used as my carry-on and during city tours and on day hikes.

The amazing thing is that after traveling solid for 16 months, through 46 airports, and 23 countries, this piece of luggage held up better than any luggage I’ve ever owned in my life. It was in use practically my entire trip, only being fully unpacked twice for my longer-term stays in Italy and India.

I can’t say enough good things about the Eagle Creek brand. I still use it today on every trip and it’s holding up beautifully!

Read Sherry’s tips on how to choose the right backpack for you.

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BEING CULTURAL RESPECTFUL
It’s very important to understand the culture and etiquette of a country you are traveling to so that you can be respectful to the people you may encounter.

Travel guides are a great source for this information, but during her six-month trip, Barbara didn’t want to have to drag these heavy books with her. Instead, she visited sites like Wikipedia (type in “Culture of [insert country]”) and Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree Forum to find this information.

Then, she uploaded text files to her iPod for reference. When she was getting ready to enter a new country, she could easily read up on their customs and etiquette to avoid doing anything that might be offensive.

TRAVEL SAFETY SECURITY KIT

As a woman traveling solo, Barbara packed a few items that made her feel a bit more secure on the road; common sense being the first and most important one. Other items in Barbara’s “Security Kit” included:

• A small padlock for lockers at hostels or train stations. She also packed a cable in order to lock her suitcase to the upper rack of buses or trains. This prevented her bags from being “snatched and grabbed”.
• Rubber door stop – when shoved into the door from the inside, the stop prevents others from breaking into your room.

Other useful security measures Barbara utilized included:

• Scan everything (credit cards, passport, drivers license, tickets) before leaving home and upload them to your webmail. This way you always have copies available to you.
• When checking into a hotel or hostel, be sure to pick up a business card. It is easy to get lost in a new destination, but this easy tip insures you can find your way “home”.
• Barbara also used Journeywoman, an online travel resource just for woman, to find local guides.

BARBARA SAYS:
Don’t leave home without a flashlight! She says “it’s amazing how often that comes in handy.” We couldn’t agree more! Read about why we love headlamps.

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After years of working 70 hours a week at jobs she hated, baby-boomer Barbara Weibel felt like the proverbial “hole in the donut” – solid on the outside, but empty on the inside. Searching for meaning in her life, Weibel abandoned her career and set out on a six-month solo backpacking trip around the world, during which she pursued her true passions of travel, writing, and photography. Since returning, she has continued to travel and blog about her journey, both physical and spiritual.

It is always interesting to learn what inspires people to make life changes like this, and for Barbara, it was being diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease. Being practically bedridden for nearly six weeks gave her time to analyze the way she was living her life. During this time of reflection she decided that in order to live a life with purpose, she needed to figure out what brought her joy. And what brought her joy was photography, writing, and of course travel.

When I began to read her entries from the beginning of her six-month journey (March – September 2007) I was immediately entranced.

Being introduced to a new travel blog that has already happened is like being introduced to a new tv series and you’re able to watch entire seasons in one sitting without commercial interruption. With each entry you get hooked even more and can’t wait to see what happens next – and you don’t have to! That’s how it was with “Hole in the Donut”.

Barbara writes with such honesty and her self-deprecating humor and self-described “snarky tone” makes every post a delight to read. More than once did I catch myself laughing out loud with her funny observations (“In order to become a cop in Italy, you must first pass a drop-dead-gorgeous test”). And some of her gutsy moves had me holding my breath until the end of the post, like the time she decided to take on guards at the Cambodian border or play cop to airport scammers in South Africa.

But it was also her style of travel that spoke to me:

So many people, when they travel, limit their experience. They go to all-inclusive resorts and never leave the grounds. Or they won’t try the local food for fear of getting sick. I am not interested in that kind of sanitized travel. I want to fully experience the places I visit. If I hadn’t taken the shortcut through the Buddhist Monastery the other day I wouldn’t have been bitten by the dog. But if I hadn’t gotten off at the wrong water taxi stop in Bangkok and then wandered through the neighborhoods I might never have seen the locals trying to capture a giant monitor lizard that was trapped in the sewer. If, over the years of my travels, I had assumed that everyone who stopped me on the street was a scam artist or a tout, I would have missed out on meeting some wonderful people.
Discovery Versus Danger 

Some of those wonderful people included Ron, a British ex-pat living in a small village in northern Thailand close to the Myanmar (Burma) border. Having traveled to Pai for just four days, four years later he was still there, having fallen in love with a woman and the region and starting a new family – at age 68. His life was a simple one, but one surrounded by love, and he lived with an open heart – taking in an orphaned Shan girl and helping to raise money so another village boy could have much needed heart surgery.

When I read a post dated nearly a year later, I was saddened to learn that Ron had passed. Even though Barbara had only written one entry about him (but continued to stay in touch with him), I felt like I too lost a friend. 

Perhaps the most relatable thing about Barbara’s six-month journey over four continents was the various emotions she experienced. At her three-month mark, she noted:

Along the way I have been intrigued, elated, fascinated, amused, delighted, introspective, questioning, grateful, honored, irritated, challenged, scared, and a myriad of other adjectives too numerous to mention.
Three Month Half-Way Mark 

Good or bad, these various emotions only helped in finding inspiration.

Even though Barbara returned in September 2007, she still keeps her blog regularly updated. Today it documents her journey, both physical and spiritual, focusing on travelogues, travel industry news, stories about the crazy things that happen to her and the interesting people she meets along the way, and inspirational videos.

“Hole In the Donut” is definitely a great inspiration for the Briefcase to Backpack community.