The Art of Receiving
Why is it harder to receive than to give? If you’re a woman, especially, you’re trained from a very young age to be a caretaker, of your friends, then later on, your partner, your children, your parents as they age. We feel uncomfortable in the receiving role, uncomfortable even in taking care of ourselves. We fear we’re being selfish. So we give until we’re all burned out. What does this have to do with travel? I am putting myself in the receiver role, when I couchsurf, or stay with friends, or housesit (although housesitting at least...
read moreHow to Surf a Couch
What is Couchsurfing? Many people have asked me, “What’s couchsurfing?” so I thought I’d give a brief explanation for those of you who want to travel, but think it’s too expensive. There really is a couchsurfing website, and you can join for free, or for $25, get verified, which means potential hosts or visitors can rest assured you are who you say you are. You create a profile, much like with Facebook, and include a little info about yourself, as well as some photos. And then, you can travel and stay with people in their homes all over the...
read moreThe Country I’m Leaving Behind
The US may have its faults, but it also has places of stunning beauty, much of which can be accessed for a song in the form of our National Parks pass. $80 gains you entry for a year, and is one of the best deals in our country in my book. Over the past couple of years, while criss-crossing America between my adopted state of California and my birth state of Michigan, I was fortunate to see some of these astonishing places, including Zion, Bryce Canyon, Joshua Tree, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Mesa Verde, and more. I’d like to share a few photos...
read moreTraveling on the Cheap
How can anyone afford to travel long term if they’re not rich? One way is to not have a house or apartment. There are many reasons traveling can be cheaper than having a home, here are nine:
1. You’re not tempted to buy “things” because you have no place to put them other than on your back, and your backpack is probably already full.
read moreTo Pack or Not to Pack
Now that I’ve booked my ticket to Australia comes the daunting task of what to pack for a year. It would be a whole lot easier if I wasn’t trying to fit it all into one carry-on sized backpack! Since I will be trying to follow the summer, I can eliminate the bulky heavy stuff, however hiking is one of my main forms of exercise and entertainment, so some hiking clothes and boots are involved. Which brings me to my greatest challenge, that most women can relate to: which shoes to take?
read moreFollow Your Dreams
It’s amazing how one can go from feeling lost and depressed to feeling excited and en route to fulfilling your life’s calling in a matter of months. And the big difference? Following what you feel you’re truly meant to be doing vs. trying to fulfill society or relative’s or friend’s ideas of what you should do.
read moreWhen Everything Falls Apart
I’m committed. Not to an insane asylum, although some of my friends and relatives may think that’s were I should be headed, but to a new career and life as a long-term travel blogger and writer. I plan to leave the U.S. and travel around the world for a year, or however long my retirement savings lasts, couchsurfing and house sitting to make things more interesting and affordable. It’s where I’ve wanted to go for a long while, but fear, lack of funds, concern over what others might think, and a need to follow the norm,...
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