Why the best souvenirs are stories
For someone who doesn’t consider herself much of a shopper when I travel, I’ve managed to bring back a lot of stuff for our house. But this kind of ‘stuff’ comes with something much more valuable than a great exchange rate at some foreign department store – these objects comes with stories, and because of that, they have become my personal travel artefacts.
Vacations are easy – travelling is a WORKOUT!
Before Zumba, there was Jane Fonda’s Workout Record. And before backpacking for two months carrying a 40 pound load on my back, that album became my 80's version of a ‘personal trainer’. Thirty years ago, I went on my first big travel adventure – a 2-month long backpacking trip to Italy and Greece with a girlfriend. I put a lot of thought into the planning, read countless guidebooks, did...
50 is the new 35
"My goal is to visit 50 countries before I'm 30!" the young woman declared. "How old are you now?" I asked. "23", she responded, "and I've already done 19." I didn't know whether to feel jealous or merely ancient. At that moment, I felt both. I was in the travel writing section of a bookstore. A young woman employee had seen my lost expression at the stacks and asked if I needed help. This...