Posts Tagged ‘personal experience’

Regrouping on the Road
Monday, June 4th, 2012

Everyone knows the first rule of traveling abroad, especially in developing countries, is to expect the unexpected. But when the unexpected happens, what do you do? I was a few days away from my flight from Delhi to Cochin, India, casually discussing my plans with a fellow traveler, when she said, “I hope you’re not flying Kingfisher.”

I was.

“You’d better check your flight, they’re about to go bankrupt.”

I jumped online as soon as I returned to the hotel. Sure enough, my destination was no longer listed, but I could not find any other information. I asked the hotel staff if they had any news about the situation, and all they could tell me was that it was bad and passengers were getting stranded. Flights were not taking off if the airline couldn’t pay for fuel, and no one was extending credit to them. There is no Chapter 11 here, no consumer protection, no other airline willing to offer an alternate flight, you are just plain out of luck.

I had prepaid the hotel at my upcoming destination, plus I really wanted to spend my time in Cochin, not in Delhi sorting things out. At this point I had a few choices: take my chances with my current airline and hope they had made arrangements with an alternate carrier (which was unlikely), opt for a 20 hour train ride and forego the cost of one hotel (which was unappealing), or book a new ticket (which was expensive). After weighing the time, money, and aggravation factors, I chose the latter.

Buying a new ticket ended up to be the right choice for me, despite the fact it set me back a few hundred dollars. Twenty four hours before my originally scheduled flight I received an email from Kingfisher stating that my flight was cancelled, but no other option was offered. I met an Indian woman at the airport who told me that her son and daughter-in-law were stranded by Kingfisher in London and both had to buy new tickets for 800 British Pounds each. She didn’t seemed too surprised by this, she simply shrugged and said, “it’s unfortunate, but what can you do?”

Every situation where you are forced to regroup will be unique, but here are some tips to deal with the problem, or prevent it altogether:

Expect the unexpected – and budget for it. We all know it will happen at some point, so by planning and budgeting for it upfront, it may not be as much of an annoyance. If everything goes as planned, you will have extra funds at the end of the trip to splurge on some extravagance or pocket the cash.

Do your homework. I did not have the luxury of time when I made the arrangements for my career break, but a quick internet search could have alerted me to the financial difficulties of Kingfisher and I would have been able to make alternate arrangements. Also, check travel forums like Trip Advisor where you can get advice from other travelers.

Enlist the help of a travel agent. They are not widely used anymore, but a travel agent can be a great help. I was extremely jealous when two of my fellow Australian travelers, also facing a possible trip cancellation, shot an email to their agent who was able to rebook them. Another option would be to enlist the help of a travel savvy friend back home who has access to a fast internet connection and can make a few calls on your behalf.

Build extra time into your itinerary. You won’t always have the luxury of downtime when you travel, but giving yourself extra time in “transition” locations will help to get you back on schedule if something goes awry along the way.

Get your money back, if possible. My first attempt was to deal with a Kingfisher agent face to face who assured me my ticket would be refunded within 5 business days. After 15 business days, this had not happened. Even though I was promised a refund, I immediately disputed the charge with my credit card company. They placed the charge on “hold” meaning I don’t have to pay for it until the issue is resolved. Ideally, try to get documentation in writing from the vendor as it will help in your effort to dispute the charges. Your travel insurance policy is another option, but read the fine print closely. Mine states:

“The following exclusions apply to Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption: Benefits will not be provided for any loss resulting (in whole or in part) from: (a) travel arrangements canceled by an airline.”

This means it might be an uphill battle to get reimbursed. Additionally, there are many airlines which are excluded from coverage altogether.

Embrace a new experience. Sometimes you will just have to make a new plan. You have two choices: get upset about it, or enjoy the unexpected. That outcome is entirely up to you.

Leora Krause is a travel addict who started circling the globe when she was old enough to vote. Recently downsized from corporate America, she is enjoying her second career break (her first one was in 2003), traveling through Thailand, Vietnam, India and Nepal. She hails from the great city of Chicago, Illinois. You can read about her travel adventures on Restless Passport.

Tags: adapting, lessons, personal experience
Posted in On-the-Road | No Comments »

The Only Way Out is to Jump
Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

My first time skydiving was about on par with the stress level I have been experiencing with the planning and everything else associated with our round-the-world trip. It is bizarre to think that jumping out of a plane could be as frightening as stepping onto one bound for Iceland, but right now, I keep finding myself covered in a cold sweat, hoping that we will be okay.

It is not as though Tara and I have not done a good job researching and planning this trip. Most of our blog posts so far have detailed the deadlines and goals we have had, and met. However, there is still so much uncertainty that we simply cannot plan for. Uncertainty swirling around elements of the trip, our pre-departure, our return, how it will affect us individually, as a couple. These variables prevent us from making decisions, and as someone who likes to attack problems early and head-on, this fills me with worry.

This helpless feeling can be compared to the look you see on my face the split second before I “jumped” out of a plane (I skydived tandem, strapped to an instructor, so it was a cross between being thrown and falling out of a plane. I know, a far less glamorous characterization than the one often described). Before experiencing the thrill of the fall, the weightlessness of the air, extension of the parachute and all the other feelings your body grapples with during your oh-so-brief skydive, you are forced to face your own mortality. This is done by requiring everyone to sit through a video informing you that you could die, sign multiple releases explaining you could die, and ultimately strap on a parachute that warns you in big bright words that, yes, you could die doing this.

Facing the warning of death via pre-recorded video and lawyerly documents blurring together is one thing, but once you are strapped to someone in a small prop plane with a cargo door open for the majority of the ascent, your fear can really take hold of you. Before jumping, your instructor must receive a verbal affirmation acknowledging you’re ready to go, but that usually happens far away from the jump door. Once you are at that door, the only way through it is by letting go.

Jumping out of a perfectly good plane and traveling the world for an extended period of time may not seem like the most logical of bedfellows, but even now, I know my fear is just as irrational as it was before exiting the plane. Tara and I will have a life-altering trip. We are choosing an experience that few people dare to attempt, and we hope the reward will ultimately outweigh the risk.

But right now, I’m staring out of the cargo door; the wind is whipping past me and the ground is not even in sight. I turn and my wife is behind me and I feel safe but nervous. It’s too late to ride the plane down to the ground — and we step out into the nothingness.

Mike Shubbuck is one half of the the traveling duo known as Two Travelaholics. He and his better half, Tara, are about to embark on a round-the-world trip, starting on June 6, 2012. As an award-winning filmmaker, Mike is excited to document their journey through videos and photography. You can follow him and Tara on Twitter (@2travelaholics), on their website, Two Travelaholics, or on their Google + page.

Tags: inspiration, personal experience, reflection
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Travel Makes Better Executives
Monday, May 14th, 2012

As a long term traveler on sabbatical, I am occasionally asked, “Are you concerned about coming back to work? How will you explain the large gap in your resume?”

Each time this question is posed, I calmly reply “of course not.” As the months have passed, some of the lessons I’ve learned are easier to articulate than others. Nevertheless, here are five skills that I have tuned while traveling. I am sure that these skills will make me a more confident executive leader and apply to other travelers as well.

Separate the Wheat from the Chaff

At some point every executive has had to make a decision with less information than would be considered prudent. In a complex business environment, executives need strong analytical skills for sure, but the best leaders regularly listen to their intuition. As Malcom Gladwell describes in his book Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, we do that by “thin-slicing,” using limited information to come to our conclusion.

“In what Gladwell contends is an age of information overload, he finds that experts often make better decisions with snap judgments than they do with volumes of analysis. He also mentions that sometimes having too much information can interfere with the accuracy of a judgment, or a doctor’s diagnosis. This is commonly called Analysis paralysis.

The challenge is to sift through and focus on only the most critical information to make a decision. The other information may be irrelevant and confusing to the decision maker. Collecting more and more information, in most cases, just reinforces our judgment but does not help to make it more accurate.”

The book argues that intuitive judgment is developed by experience, training, and knowledge. Travelers thin-slice every time they choose to hire a tuk-tuk, accept a gift from a local, or share a drink with new friends.

Mystic Connection with Nature

Steven R. Covey wrote that “[e]very human has four endowments- self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.” Further, he shares that “[t]he way we see the problem is the problem.”

It follows then that with an awareness of the true nature of universal timeless principles, we can alter reality. As a traveler, you are frequently vulnerable. We can choose to see power in this vulnerability or we can find weakness. Specifically, vulnerability exposes us to scams, theft, and crime. Vulnerability also inspires a heightened sense of awareness and curiosity that helps us embody true “presence” or appreciation or our surroundings.

Super Human Hops

As a traveler you are often faced with unique situations leaving few resources at your disposal. Even the best planned itinerary can result in flight cancellations, unexpected bus delays, or an unforeseen arrival during a regional celebration or workforce strike.

Finding solutions to travel surprises expands confidence in out-of-the-box thinking, and reinforces creative problem solving skills.

Having the confidence to hurdle over unexpected challenges makes the difference between an average worker and an exceptional team contributor.

Stomp Out Insecurity

Until your team feels trusted, understood, valued, and enabled, synergistic results will remain elusive.

Insecurity is that feeling inside us that prevents us from becoming deeply empathic listeners. If we are to cultivate empowered teams which operate over the foundation of high trust relationships, deliver passionate contributions, and produce synergistic results – insecurity must be at a minimum.

Through an exposure to foreign religions, manners, and cultural norms we naturally gain an appreciation for varied cultural views. This appreciation shifts the fulcrum allowing increased understanding and reduced fear. By eliminating fear we can stomp out insecurity.

Multiple Perspectives

As mentioned earlier, empathic listening is critical to success in an interdependent reality. To achieve empathic communication at least one party must be engaged in seeing reality from multiple perspectives. It is only by reflecting content and feeling, accurately and completely, that communication barriers are replaced with profound understanding. Having awareness and being centered in compassion are the first two requirements for such understanding.

Travel long enough and you will eventually find yourself a sleep-deprived, under-fed traveler whose fate depends on the services of an under-paid, under-appreciated, and under-educated world citizen. In these scenarios, empathic communication will often make the difference between a seat on a train, a room in a hostel, or a bite to eat and utter frustration. Through necessity travelers develop empathic listening skills.

In the end, travel creates executives equipped to achieve synergistic results through heightened awareness, empathic communication, and out-of-the-box thinking. With practice, these individuals can be shown to make quality decisions given limited information. Now that’s a leader worth hiring!

Matthew K. Sharp is the co-founder of Inertia Interrupted and is currently trekking, volunteering, diving and photographing the world with his wife, Luz. You can connect with him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

Tags: personal experience, re-entry, resume, top-feature
Posted in Featured Posts, Re-Entry | No Comments »

Itineraries with Purpose: Serving in Natural Disaster Areas
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

Wise people have said that the highest levels of happiness come from giving back and helping others. This inspired me to add a service component to my world adventure. Not just another trip, not just a long vacation, but more worth, more substance.

I decided I wanted to focus on areas that have been affected by natural disasters, with a few in particular in mind: New Zealand, Japan and Chile. My goal is to serve in at least six regions over my 11-month adventure.

So far, I have served in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Ishinomaki, Japan.

Christchurch is a city where there used to be a city (as someone there put it), having suffered major damage from the 7.1 and 6.3 magnitude earthquakes that rocked the area on September 4, 2010 and February 22, 2011, respectively.

There I got hooked up with a local organization called Gap Filler, which “aims to temporarily activate vacant sites within Christchurch with creative projects, to make for a more interesting, dynamic and vibrant city.” They do all sorts of different projects, from a temporary movie theater operated by stationary bicycles, to artwork, to music venues. Instead of a vacant lot, there is something there.

The first project I worked on was simple but clever: a life-sized chess board that anyone can stop in and play at their leisure. Most everything was already there, we simply had to remove heaps of recycled glass (broken down and used for filler, like sand) and replace it with gravel (the glass had unfortunately been cutting a few people).

I also spent a couple days helping the staff build and set up the new Gap Filler headquarters, painting a mural and installing solar panels.

Considering the state of the city, a few days’ work felt pretty insignificant, but this outfit now has over a dozen gaps filled throughout the city. And with so many vacant lots, it’s nice to lay eyes on something beautiful, useful or peaceful instead of weeds and rubble.

In the northern hemisphere, Japan was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. This was not one town or city. Miles of coastline were affected, from small fishing villages to moderately large cities, ports and harbors. Many of these towns were at or slightly below sea level, protected by seawalls sometimes 20 feet high. Most of these places now, especially the small villages, are just flat, open spaces.

I got connected with an organization based in the town of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, a coastal area in northeast Japan that was hit particularly hard. It’s Not Just Mud (INJM) started with one person who went up to Ishinomaki after the tsunami to help in the recovery effort. As he started blogging about his experiences, others began to join him, and the group expanded over time to become an official volunteer non-profit organization.

INJM started with helping people clean up and restore their homes – those that were still standing – that were damaged by the tsunami. In these cases the homes were typically filled with up to 12 inches of mud and muck. INJM would go into a house, remove the debris, walls, floor boards, and completely gut it out, scoop and shovel out all the muck, and slowly rebuild the house. The name of the group alludes to the people who they work with and the lives that have been changed – that it’s really more than just mud. During my first days working with INJM, we finished such a house.

Another day, our team cleaned up trash and debris, separating glass, metal, and other materials. There was no telling what we would find: roof shingles, glassware, silverware, CDs, appliances, clothes, and anything else you can imagine. Picture a giant wave pulverizing your house, crushing everything in a giant washing machine filled with houses and mud, then draining the water out as everything sinks into the earth.

Reflecting on these experiences so far I’ve discovered a few things.

First, the most overwhelmingly positive part of these experiences so far has been the people who I’ve met while volunteering. I connected with people on both projects who I expect to remain friends with for years to come. In fact, of the people I met, I’ve already stayed with two of them while traveling and met another in his home country, two months later.

As great as the connections have been, finding service opportunities in foreign countries has been challenging. You’d think it would be easy; at least I did. There was a major disaster, there is limitless work to be done, there should be plenty of places to get involved, right? Not so much.

There were a few things I found helpful in searching. First, local universities are often home to volunteer student groups, which can be a good place to start. Community centers can usually point you in the right direction as well. There are also several service/outreach organizations that coordinate international volunteer efforts, including All Hands Volunteers, Go Abroad.com, Ecoteer, and ReliefWeb.

I feel fortunate to have had these opportunities. It hasn’t been earth-shattering so far – especially considering both locations, where people have been there for a year or longer in the trenches and I’ve only been able to help the effort for a few days – but it’s been great nonetheless. If you’re planning your trip, consider adding some service; you might get more out of it than you expect.

Chris Healy graduated from Fresno State University and spent nearly seven years working for the Sigma Nu Fraternity national headquarters office, traveling extensively throughout the United States for business and leisure. He left in January to embark on an 11-month, 5-continent, 25+ country adventure around the world, focusing on growth, connection, service and fitness. You can read more about Chris’ adventures at www.followchris.me.

Tags: inspiration, personal experience, volunteering
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Homestay Hits and Misses
Monday, May 7th, 2012

As I prepared for my career break and considered the different things I would do along the way, staying in a home stay was high on my list. Everything I read indicated that homestays would be a great way to connect with locals and immerse myself in a different culture – exactly what I was hoping to do on my travels.

I imagined a homestay as being a true cultural exchange.

I did my first homestay almost right off the bat, just two weeks into my journey through the former Soviet Union. It was part of a volunteer program that had me living with a family in St. Petersburg, Russia and tutoring the children in English. Unfortunately, the situation was a huge disappointment. Not only were the living conditions not as had been represented to me, the family didn’t even seem to want me there. The children had no interest in being tutored and during the entire four weeks I was there, no one in the family asked me a single thing about myself or opened up anything to me about their lives. I just felt like I was in the way.

My next homestay was part of the same volunteer program, this time living with a couple in Moscow. Overall, it was an improvement, but still not ideal. Living with an unmarried couple younger than me created an interesting dynamic and, as they were both working professionals, they had little time left over to spend with me.

Several months later, I took the plunge again, living with an elderly woman in Kiev while I took language classes. That was pretty much a disaster, with the woman just yelling at me in Russian every chance she got. I lasted two weeks.

Finally, I arrived in Armenia last month to volunteer again and try another homestay.

The fourth time must be the charm, right?

And it was – I lived with a couple about my parents’ age who went out of their way to make me comfortable and patiently practice Russian with me. Their son (who didn’t live with them) spoke fluent English and checked up on me weekly. I even introduced them to my parents back in Minnesota via Skype. I was sad to say goodbye to Stella and Martin when I left after five weeks.

After such a mixed experience with doing homestays, there are a few things I wish I had considered beforehand:

? I assumed that all homestay hosts are motivated by the “right” reasons – a desire to share their culture with foreigners and an inclination to learn about others. However, it became apparent to me that in reality some may just be motivated by the money they earn for being a host.

? I never really thought about balancing the atmosphere of a homestay with my desire for independence. In Kiev, my host always asked a lot of questions about where I was going or where I had been and she tended to watch over me as I was coming and going. I had to ask to use the washing machine and I couldn’t use the kitchen until after she had finished her meal. In Armenia, I sometimes felt like I was living with my parents again – something I haven’t done since I was 18. While I had a key to Stella and Martin’s place and they insisted I could come and go as I pleased, the homestay rules technically provided a curfew of midnight. Sure, I shirked this on occasion but I felt horribly guilty doing so.

? I wish I had thought more about the potential location of my homestays and pushed for more information before my arrival. Only my homestay in Kiev was centrally located. When I arrived in St. Petersburg, I discovered I was staying about an hour and a half outside of the city center, in an area that doesn’t even show up on maps of the city. Similarly, in Moscow, I was on the outskirts, about an hour out of the center, and in Yerevan, my homestay was in the hills north of the city center, a 30-40 minute ride into town by marshrutka (shared taxi). In each case, I received limited information from my hosts about how to get around and the groups that organized the homestays didn’t even provide a map for me in advance. I would have felt much more comfortable right off the bat if I had that basic information before I arrived.

In the end, while my experiences tended toward the negative rather than positive, I can’t say I wouldn’t recommend trying a homestay during your career break. Do your homework ahead of time, ask a lot of questions and think very seriously about your own personality and whether you will truly be comfortable living with a family for a week or two or longer.

Katie Aune is in the middle of a career break, in which she is spending a year traveling and volunteering in all 15 countries of the former Soviet Union. She is a former attorney, event planner and fundraiser who recently joined Meet, Plan, Go! as managing editor. You can follow her adventures at Katie Going Global.

Tags: homestay, lessons, personal experience
Posted in On-the-Road | No Comments »

Itineraries with Purpose: Food Pilgrimage
Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

When I stared out the terminal window at the silver American Airlines Boeing 777 that was going to fly me non-stop to London, I gathered my thoughts and tried to conjure up a description of my career break mission. I gave up and instead just tried to picture how I would feel when I came back.

I have yet to come back.

From London, I boarded a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa and met up with a bright yellow Safari truck to spend the next month rumbling on dirt roads through Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. That part of my trip was planned, and I had saved the money to do so. I had negotiated with my long-time employer for their blessing and promise of a job to come back to. But I didn’t intend to come back, and I haven’t.

I was determined to find a life abroad; find a way to perpetuate a travel lifestyle while spreading my passion for food culture, cooking and cuisine. See, I believe that a good meal shared with good people is about all you need in life, and that seeking out food culture would be the best way to see the world. I tried to convince myself that if I just kept talking and asking questions, that my travels would expand themselves without my having to know every step in advance.

Delusional? Perhaps…

So how does one go about making a vocation out of traveling the world in search of great food? Well, I had a head-start. In my old life of being an architect, I was lucky enough to write a technical book that my publishers liked. They liked it enough to give me their blessing to write another book, about anything I wanted. And so I decided that along with the small amount of money I had saved up, I would use my meager royalties as a cushion as I jumped from one place to the next, asking anyone who would listen where to find the greatest food on offer. And then I wrote about my experiences.

In Africa, I ate at roadside fish stands and canteens in dusty townships; I ate in family homes and waited out the heat of the day at makeshift bars.

What I discovered, is that as soon as you ask someone about food, you have a friend, and you create an aficionado. Nearly everyone, everywhere, when prompted to think about what they want to eat next, will weave a story full of detail and direction, and will do anything to help you along their suggested path. In this way, my journey was as much about discovering people as it was about discovering food. It was in these conversations and along these paths that I would decide on each subsequent destination.

After a month on the safari truck, eating anything and talking to anyone, I arrived in Cape Town with a hand-drawn map and a list of “must-visit” passionate foodie contacts all over the world.

And so I was off. First to Spain; Barcelona, then to Andalucia. After dining on tiny fried fish and platters of paella, stopping in at every tapas bar I could find, I followed my map to Northern England, where a foodie host showed me the life of pubs; cask conditioned ales, Sunday dinner and the great agricultural heritage that manifests in steaks, chops and roasts of all sorts. I was treated to garden culture and the prize-winning vegetables that the English take such great pride in.

From there, I set sail for the Mediterranean, stopping in Naples for divine pizza and traveling through Tuscany to eat Wild Boar before moving on to Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina for an eclectic mix of European and Arab cuisines.

But the point is much less where I went, and much more how I found myself with hosts and guides and passionate suggestions of where to go next. I think many people plan their “big travel” with a specific itinerary in mind and a plan that requires worrying about missing out on something. The great thing about the world once you step into it, is that everyone has ideas of where you should go and they really want to help you get there. This is the true spirit of traveling; letting the people who inhabit the world outside of your own inform you and guide you. Ask questions, tell people what you are after, get people involved, and be ready to accept their generosity and hospitality.

It is with this spirit that I found my travels expanding out before me. My only plan was to live as thoroughly as possible and write about it to inspire others to do so. I kept writing and writing, striving only to translate passion, with no clear picture of how it would fund or perpetuate my travels. Well… writing led to a blog, and although the blog didn’t lead to any meaningful income, the blog led to an offer to host a radio show and invitations to write for notable food and travel publications. The blog also formed the bridge that will become that second book that I promised my publisher.

Traveling is something that not everybody gets to do, but everybody loves to dream about. If you have a passion for your adventures, share it; write about it; photograph it and create a way to spread it to your audience. In this manner, you are letting the world know what you love to do and the opportunities and invitations to keep doing it may just find you.

I’m settled in London now, with an address and a dining room table to work at as I write and get to know my new town and its food characters. I’m busy finding enthusiastic food folks with whom to trade passion. I certainly had no clear road map to get here, but here I am: A laptop, a digital camera, two books in the works, a bunch of deadlines for articles and a radio show to dig up guests for.

When I set off, I planned and saved money for the first moves only to help me find the adventures and the people that would inspire the second and third and fourth moves. It was passion and the intention to be aware and soak up every experience that truly funded my journey. It was the willingness to share my desires with the people I encountered and the dedication to keep sharing with my new-found audience that has kept this adventure going. Ask questions, Share your desires, engage with the locals and always be on the lookout for the next step to your adventure. Planning and money are important, but realize that neither are absolutely necessary. Don’t let the pursuit of a perfect version of either delay for too long, your taking that first step.

Sage Russell is a normal person who took the leap and found out he didn’t want to go back to his desk job as an architect. He is now proud to call himself a food and travel writer and a novelist. You can follow his food-centric travel adventures and short stories here. His popular Food Pilgrimage Manifesto has created Food Pilgrimage converts all over the world by showing how to break out of the “Consumption” routine to create a life of passion and pleasure through food.

Tags: inspiration, itinerary, personal experience
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Itineraries with a Purpose: Photographing Food Markets Around the World
Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

Wok the Dog is a long-term photo-documentary of food markets around the world. The project began as an exploration of childhood fears. Clean, brightly lit supermarkets didn’t exist in Taipei in the early 80’s. The markets were dark, full of pungent smells; floors were slick with blood and water. At three feet tall, I was afraid of getting lost in the crowd, taken by the butcher, caged, and sold.

At 18, I returned to Taiwan and to the markets, wanting to see what had made me so afraid.

What was once fear turned into an examination of the commerce of life: the death of the animal sustains our lives and the livelihood of the vendors. I realized how purchasing packaged meats, “pink in plastic,” makes me forget about where food comes from.

There is an honesty in the lives of the vendors who have surrounded their days with death. The sanctity of death and the fragility of life are honored by experiencing both in the most fundamental way, day in and day out. Through the vernacular of food, markets and animals, we can discuss the larger issue.

Wok the Dog is about the cost of living.

The sterility of the 24-hour superstore renders us blind to the impact we make on the natural equilibrium with our food purchases. Convenience permits us to avoid our own mortality. Our detachment makes the food less special, and life less precious. We would not eat as we do, or waste as we do if we really understand what it takes to produce a six-ounce steak. Recognizing the truth enhances our humanity; the beastliness lies in our avoidance.

I’ve been photographing Wok the Dog in various parts of the world for 15 years now.

I love the road but what I love more is to travel for a specific project. When I travel with a purpose, I begin to filter each experience through the main objective and my purpose begins to dedicate and influence each and every one of my experiences. With it, the traveling becomes more focused, it takes on a different tonality and can be a grounding force when I feel like I am aimlessly roaming the world.

The first questions I ask at any hostel I check into are:

Where is the market?

and

What time does it start?

I start my next morning at the market, shooting, discovering and infiltrating local kitchens. I love the markets on my travels, as the market is never for the traveler or the tourist. Sure, there are markets where the tourists frequent but those tend to be handicraft markets and not bloody meat markets. The market is created by the locals, for the locals. It is a view of the local economy and its culinary culture at its best.

When you hit upon a town right before a high holiday or during market day, it comes alive with vividness like nothing you’ve ever seen. It is one of the most authentic and rewarding travel experiences. Often you will find many delicious and inexpensive treats at the market and, at the very least, you will be able to pick up fruits and vegetables to compliment your meals.

When you travel for a particular project or a purpose, you will go out of your way to ask questions and find opportunities to complete the project. You will make a greater effort to meet the locals, leave your guide book behind and be open to one of a kind experiences. Traveling with a purpose can bring focus to your trip and add new skill sets to your career break resume – for example:

“I spearheaded negotiations with tribal chief and facilitated a young couple’s marriage with the chief’s blessing and a roast goat for the whole village.”

Charlie Grosso has yet to kiss a pirate or climb Mt Kilimanjaro, but she has traveled to many faraway places and logged more hours on buses, trains and boats than she cares to admit. You can follow her adventures at SpyTravelogue or see more of her photography at Wok The Dog.

Charlie’s next adventure is the Mongol Rally, driving from London to Mongolia this summer to raise money for the Lotus Children’s Centre in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.

Tags: food markets, personal experience, photography, purpose
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MPG Panelists – Inspiration Part 1
Monday, October 10th, 2011

We love sharing career breakers stories to help inspire your own career break. And with our upcoming event, we are so impressed and inspired ourselves by our 70+ panelists. So we thought we would share some of their stories and hopefully you will find yourself close to one of their cities to meet them in person.

Angela Petitt

“If not now, when?” Unable to shake the nagging desire to travel and live life to the fullest, Angela took a step of faith and quit her corporate IT job in August 2009 to go on sabbatical. In spite of being in the throes of the recession, she decided that she would rather take a chance on her dreams to see the world instead of continuing on in the ordinary daily grind. When she made the decision, Angela really had no clue what was next. But, a few days after her last day at work, she was on a plane to Italy! From that point on, she found herself on a different adventure every month!

Angela’s sabbatical has enabled her to enjoy new experiences such as playing golf, horseback riding, flying a small airplane, climbing the Great Wall in China, narrowly escaping the earthquake in Japan, zip lining in Cabo, cave diving in Punta Cana, and freezing with bone-chilling temperatures in Siberia. She has also traveled to Egypt, Israel, Greece, Colombia, Nicaragua, Germany, Turkey, Panama, and many other amazing destinations.

The adventure continues as she is currently pursuing her Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership…but the travel definitely continues. When not traveling, Angela makes her home in Houston, Texas.

Website: Sabbatical Scapes | Twitter: @angelwings1723

Want to attend the Austin event?

Janet Riley

Janet is just returning from a career break year. Following a layoff from her programming job, Janet accepted a volunteer position at a children’s hospital in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Janet spent eight months working on a software project, and missed one of the snowiest Boston winters in memory. When not working, she visited Phnom Pehn, got her scuba certification in Sihanoukville, and visited Bangkok with other expats.

Shortly before leaving for Cambodia in September, Janet attended the first Meet, Plan, Go! in Boston. She entered the MPG raffle, and won the Conversation Corps prize donated by 2010 sponsor GeoVisions. The Conversation Corps program focuses on cultural exchange through English conversation practice with a host family. On the way home from Cambodia in June, Janet stayed with a family in Lyon, France. In addition to conversation practice, Janet got to attend a wedding, visit a first grade class, meet the family’s friends and relatives, and watch and discuss the fine points of the Simpsons, It was an invaluable chance to learn French and experience everyday life in another culture.

Website: Janet Riley

Want to attend the Boston event?

Keith Savage

Keith spent nearly eight years as a writer at a high-tech electronic medical health software company before trading it in for a shot at his passions: travel and writing. Though married and saddled with a mortgage, Keith and his wife Sarah refused to give up his professional happiness and plotted a course to make a new lifestyle work. After more than a year of strict budgets and hardcore saving, Keith was ready to take the plunge.

Since November 2010, Keith has spent one month in Argentina and two months in Scotland under the moniker Traveling Savage, where he blogs. Currently, Keith spends 3-4 months each year traveling around Scotland searching for the perfect dram of whisky and those unexpected liminal moments of transcendence. Otherwise, you can usually find him in Madison, Wisconsin catching up on his writing and enjoying a green smoothie.

Website: Traveling Savage | Twitter: @TravelingSavage

Want to attend the Chicago event?

Jim and Wendy Pearson

Jim and Wendy have been intrepid travelers since they married in 1997. A motorcycle adventurer at heart, Jim’s dual-sport escapades have taken him across Alaska, Central America and even the Australian outback. Wendy’s less dusty travels have landed her in place as diverse as Russia and Manila, Brazil and Singapore. Together and apart they’ve traveled the Americas and beyond, but each time with one pesky restriction: two week trip maximums.

After many years of feeling of being held hostage by their lifestyle of “live to work, work to live,” they decided to make a change. In November 2011, Jim and Wendy are leaving corporate America and embarking on a three-year around the world trip by road. They are packing up their 2006 Ford F550 camper, giving away all their belongings, renting out their house and taking their marketable skills on the road with their dog Neva. Not sure what they will find, they are taking stock in the fact that whatever it is will bring them happiness and growth.

Website: Global Road Trekker | Twitter: RoadTrekker

Want to attend the Denver event?

Diana Edelman

In 2010, Diana decided she needed a change. She was no longer satisfied with her career in public relations, she had always dreamed of traveling the world so, on March 7, 2010, that is exactly what she did. Diana put her belongings in storage, drove her car back to Maryland and parked it in her parent’s drive, strapped her backpack on, and headed over to Europe and Africa. For seven months, she backpacked solo, writing about her adventures on her blog, D Travels Round.

When she returned, she relocated to her former home, Las Vegas, and accepted a position with MCC Hospitality Group as the Director of Communications for the company’s many restaurants in Las Vegas and LA. She still writes for her blog and is also a contributing travel writer for OneTravel.com.

Website: D Travels Round | Twitter: @dtravelsround

Want to attend the Las Vegas event?

Doris Gallan and Jacob Frank

Doris and Jacob quit the rat race in 2006 to pursue their life-long passion of traveling. The two left their corporate jobs, sold their Los Angeles-area home and everything they owned to travel the world for five continuous years. The couple went around the world twice, visiting all seven continents and 50+ countries.

The first ’round-the-world trip lasted 26 months, spread through 42 countries on six continents (including Antarctica), and used up three backpacks. The second RTW voyage was less ambitious: a dozen countries on three continents over two and a half years. The much slower pace was due to the decision to live nine months in Mexico, six in Costa Rica, and a year in China where Doris wrote books while Jacob taught English as a foreign language.

Website: Baby Boomers Traveling | Twitter: @boomertraveling

Want to attend the Los Angeles event?

Check out all of our 17 event locations on October 18th!

Tags: inspiration, meet plan go, personal experience
Posted in Contemplating | No Comments »

A Career Break With A Purpose
Monday, July 25th, 2011

When preparing for a career break, a big question is always “what to do?”. Some people use the time to learn a new skill and others may volunteer. For Lisa Dazols and her partner Jenni Chang, they wanted to bring some meaning to their break. They will be traveling for a year across Asia, Africa and South America in search of gay people who are creating change for the LGBTQ community and they will feature a collection of their conversations on their website, Out and Around. By telling the stories of these Supergays, Out and Around hopes to inspire the gay community, decrease homophobia, and raise awareness on gay issues in the developing world.

As if taking a year off to travel the globe was not enough of a thrill, Jenni and I decided to give our trip a little something extra. Overachievers by nature, we wanted to use our year abroad to accomplish something meaningful.

What began as a conversation with a friend who spent a year interviewing healers around the world for her PhD has now turned into an ambitious project to tell our story as a lesbian couple and interview gay people across the globe. We named our project Out and Around: Stories From a Not-So-Straight Journey and launched a website to tell these stories. Our latest goal is to raise $6,000 to make an educational documentary out of our journey

During our travels through sixteen countries, we’ll be on the hunt for the Supergays – individuals who are leading the momentum on the LGBT movement. Supergays may be directly involved in community organization, or they may be using their influence in politics, health, arts, entertainment, or business to raise awareness and make progress on gay issues.

The funny thing is we aren’t writers, photographers, web designers, or filmmakers. We’re a social worker and a business manager. Overwhelmed by the steep learning curve ahead, we started to prepare by taking classes in writing and photography. We involved our friends with a range of professional backgrounds who guided us. Then when all else failed, we Googled our questions and watched how-to videos on YouTube.

We learned that when you want to make something happen and follow your passion, people reach out to support and guide you. We’re very ordinary people who found extraordinary support.

In our everyday lives in San Francisco, we are fortunate to live in a supportive “gayborhood”. We know how lucky we are. We live in a city that not just tolerates difference, but celebrates diversity.

At the same time, no one is free from the sobering properties of homophobia. As a social worker, I chose to work in HIV to accompany individuals who struggle with the devastating mental and physical impacts of stigma and discrimination. Meanwhile, Jenni fights the good fight at home trying to educate her devout Evangelical parents who are adamantly against her relationship with me.

Our vision for this project is fueled by our desire to seek out individuals who have struggled and succeeded across the world. Increasing visibility as lesbians traveling abroad also empowers us. The positive responses we have already received from the LGBT community fuels our passion even more. As we prepare for the big trip in July 2011, we are giddy with excitement and we hope this project helps to act as a meaningful ripple in the larger LGBT movement.

You can follow Jenni and Lisa’s journey on Out and Around, on Facebook and also on Twitter.

You can also learn more about their documentary and fundraising efforts.

Tags: personal experience
Posted in Preparation, What to Do | No Comments »

Posts Tagged ‘personal experience’

Regrouping on the Road
Monday, June 4th, 2012

The Only Way Out is to Jump
Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

Travel Makes Better Executives
Monday, May 14th, 2012

Separate the Wheat from the Chaff

Mystic Connection with Nature

Super Human Hops

Stomp Out Insecurity

Multiple Perspectives

Itineraries with Purpose: Serving in Natural Disaster Areas
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

Homestay Hits and Misses
Monday, May 7th, 2012

Itineraries with Purpose: Food Pilgrimage
Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

Itineraries with a Purpose: Photographing Food Markets Around the World
Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

MPG Panelists – Inspiration Part 1
Monday, October 10th, 2011

A Career Break With A Purpose
Monday, July 25th, 2011

Categories

Recent Posts

Career Break Guide Table of Contents

Posts Tagged ‘personal experience’

Regrouping on the Road Monday, June 4th, 2012

The Only Way Out is to Jump Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

Travel Makes Better Executives Monday, May 14th, 2012

Separate the Wheat from the Chaff

Mystic Connection with Nature

Super Human Hops

Stomp Out Insecurity

Multiple Perspectives

Itineraries with Purpose: Serving in Natural Disaster Areas Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

Homestay Hits and Misses Monday, May 7th, 2012

Itineraries with Purpose: Food Pilgrimage Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

Itineraries with a Purpose: Photographing Food Markets Around the World Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

Photo Friday: Career Break Timeline Friday, February 17th, 2012

MPG Panelists – Inspiration Part 1 Monday, October 10th, 2011

A Career Break With A Purpose Monday, July 25th, 2011

Categories

Recent Posts

Career Break Guide Table of Contents

Regrouping on the Road
Monday, June 4th, 2012

The Only Way Out is to Jump
Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

Travel Makes Better Executives
Monday, May 14th, 2012

Itineraries with Purpose: Serving in Natural Disaster Areas
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

Homestay Hits and Misses
Monday, May 7th, 2012

Itineraries with Purpose: Food Pilgrimage
Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

Itineraries with a Purpose: Photographing Food Markets Around the World
Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

Photo Friday: Career Break Timeline
Friday, February 17th, 2012

MPG Panelists – Inspiration Part 1
Monday, October 10th, 2011

A Career Break With A Purpose
Monday, July 25th, 2011