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Musings and Misc

What’s Stopping Your Travel Plans?

I’ve found that often times the number one reason people do not go on a trip is because they are sweating the details. These days there is an overwhelming wealth of knowledge to be had about any given destination. Whether you are a Lonely-Planet-lover, TripAdvisor afficionado, or an Afar.com social-travel-network-er (or all of the above) the research alone could render a trip quite cumbersome. Just the thought of parsing through the information, making itinerary decisions and musing “what will I really feel like doing while on the trip?”, can be repellant. Oh, and then there is the worry about making the wrong decisions that may cause us to subsequently be inconvenienced or not have as good of a time as…

Is It Really about Getting Outside our Comfort Zones?

I™m sure you™ve heard people talk about getting outside our comfort zones as a positive way to challenge ourselves. They say, œyou’ll be surprised what happens when you do it. But there is something about that phrase, when applied to travel in particular, that makes it feel undesirable to me. Frankly, that phrase doesn™t make me want to travel. It makes me wonder, what kind of discomfort am I in for? And why would I want to be uncomfortable on my vacation? At the root of it, the phrase is telling us to try something new, do something different, and go somewhere we™ve never gone before. Now, that sounds exhilarating and wonderfully escapist – not uncomfortable. When you are in…

Breakfast at Home in Paris (VIDEO)

Here’s video #2 from my series, Local Knowledge: Paris. The series gives a surprising inside look into Parisian life from dating and making friends to shopping and getting around. This episode reveals what goes on behind French doors at breakfast time. What torture! I want to be back there right now huddling around that table. What is your favorite French breakfast baked good? Next, I meet up with a Parisian to talk about making French friends.…

Tripping with Mom or Dad

In a recent post, I wrote about the benefits of traveling with friends on girlfriend-getaways, “mancations” and the like. They allow us to disconnect from the stresses of daily life and more importantly, reconnect with friends in ways that other gatherings don’t. So what about reaping the same kind of benefits by traveling with a parent? Last year, I went to Costa Rica with my mother and got to experience the positive effects of such a trip for myself.…

Traveling + Friends = GOOD

Our friendships are a very important component to our lives that is all too often pushed down our priority list. Maybe it is because we are overwhelmed at work, plunge into romantic relationships, have children or move away. Whatever the reason, many of us have a nagging feeling that we would like to reconnect with our friends. And the question is, what do we do when a comment on Facebook – or even a lunch date or a drink – just doesn™t feel like enough? That™s right. It™s time for a girlfriend getaway or œman-cation or whatever term suits the gender of you and your friends.…

The New York Times Travel Show 2012 (VIDEO)

Over the weekend before last, I attended the New York Times Travel Show. I’d describe it as speed dating for lovers of travel. And for a travel addict like myself, it was exhilarating and exhausting all at once. Here’s a taste of the experience… By no means was that a comprehensive report of the event. Here is a little more about it… On the expo floor, you could also try the local cuisine from various destinations, play with exotic animals, go scuba diving in a portable pool, actually book travel, and enter to win vacations and other prizes. There were also all-day seminars where travel industry professionals spoke about travel-related topics. From Travel Channel hosts like Samantha Brown and Adam…