The World is My Oyster.

Day 30: BootsnAll Indie Travel Project

Today’s Prompt: 2012 Ticket – Where are you going in 2012? Why is that place great for indie travelers?

The start of a new year always excites me; the prospect of meeting new people and traveling to new places makes me giddy with anticipation. There is nothing more exciting than the unknown. And that’s exactly what my travel plans for this year are…unknown. But, I am not a planner, and I book my travel relatively last minute, so I’m not worried about what lies ahead.

While I don’t have any plans as of yet, I do have a few travel goals that I’d like to work towards in the new year. Here are three of them:

Travel Makes Life a Daring Adventure.

Day 29: BootsnAll Indie Travel Project

Today’s Prompt: One Word – What does travel mean to you in one word?

Thailand 2011.

Adventure is the one word I would use to explain what travel is to me. When I think of travel, Helen Keller‘s quote immediately comes to mind, “Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

Something to Make Me Feel at Home.

Day 28: BootsnAll Indie Travel Project

Today’s Prompt: Gear – The right gear can make or break your trip. What is your favorite/must-have gear item?

It’s no secret that I am a light packer. For me, the less I bring the better, which is why I don’t carry too much extra gear.

But, the one item I always make room for is a blanket and pillow that I bought a few years ago from Old Navy. The blanket zips up perfectly into a pouch that becomes a pillow. While on the plane, I take the blanket out and put the airline pillow into the pouch. I’ve heard that they don’t properly clean airplane pillows and blankets, so bringing my own ensures that I’ll be germ-free. Also included with the blanket and pillow was an eye mask, something I can’t fly without.

Not only does this item come in handy while flying, but it’s also perfect for layovers, waiting in bus stations, bus rides, and hotels. It may not be too advanced as far as travel gear is concerned, but it’s something that makes me feel home while I’m far away from home.

Dreaming of Thailand.

Day 27: BootsnAll Indie Travel Project

Today’s Prompt: Wanderlust – Share a photo or video that just makes you want to GO. RIGHT. NOW

Chiang Mai.

Thailand is a country I dreamt of visiting for years, for so long that I cannot remember feeling otherwise. This photo, at a temple overlooking the Thai country-side, serves as a constant reminder that my dream became a reality.

As I was touching down in Bangkok, alone in the plane from Hong Kong, the excitement filled up within me. I felt like I was arriving in Disney World for the first time. Finally, I would be fulfilling my dream.

A View of the Adriatic.

Day 26: BootsnAll Indie Travel Project

Today’s Prompt: Photo – Post a photo of your favorite place and tell us what you love about it.

Croatia.

On the island of Cres, in tiny town called Štivan, at the end of a long and winding road on a pebbled beach lies the Adriatic Sea. One of my favorite places in the world is this beach in Croatia. It’s secluded and serene, and to me, it is the perfect place to spend a summer morning.

We’re Not Lost, We’re on an Adventure.

Day 25: BootsnAll Indie Travel Project

Today’s Prompt: Family – Family shapes who we are, but sometimes the family we create plays a bigger role in our lives than the one we were born into. Tell a story about how either of your “families” have impacted your life and your travels.

1984.

Traveling with Technology: To Unplug or Plug in?

Day 23: BootsnAll Indie Travel Project

Today’s Prompt: Technology – Where would today’s travelers be without smartphones, GPS, iPods, iPads, or even the internet? Share one item of tech you can’t live without or tell us how technology has changed the way you travel.

I strongly believe that travel is meant for us to connect to new places, cultures, and people. I also feel that nothing drives us more apart from places, cultures, and people than technology. True, technology makes the world a smaller place, but often we are so connected to this other world that we ignore those around us.

This can be especially true while we travel the world. If we, as travelers, keep our headphones in and our heads in our phones, laptops, or tablets, how can we really expect to experience the world? It’s simple, we can’t.

“Our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.”

Day 22: BootsnAll Indie Travel Project

Today’s prompt: Transit – The word travel comes from a French word meaning “work” and sometimes, getting there is work. Between crowded buses, long airline delays, overnight trains and crazy rickshaw rides, transportation can be stressful, but it can also be a rewarding part of the trip. Tell us about a time when the journey became more important than the destination.

American novelist and poet, Don Williams Jr., once wrote, “The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet, our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.”

A Hopeless Romantic Abroad.

Day 21: BootsnAll Indie Travel Project

Today’s prompt: Love Affair – When we travel, our senses are heightened. We feel more alive and we’re more free to do things we might not at home. We can be who we want. There’s an air of urgency to everything we do – we know our time here, in this place, and with these people, is limited. If we want to do something, we have to do it now. It’s no wonder then that many travelers have relationships on the road. Tell us about a “special someone” you met while traveling.

Mui Ne, Vietnam: the setting of my story.

At this point, it’s no secret that I’m a hopeless romantic, or that I am dreaming of meeting someone special on the road. I’d love nothing more than to fall in love while somewhere exotic with someone exotic. But, more importantly, I’d like that love to last long after the trip.

First off, I’m no stranger to falling for people while traveling. In Bermuda, it was an American. In Fiji, I fell for a guy from the Czech Republic. In San Francisco’s airport, on my way home from Fiji, it was an Italian. In Scotland, it was another American. And, most recently, as I wrote about in A Love Story Set in Vietnam, it was an English-Ugandan in Vietnam.

Drink. Drank. Drunk.

Day 20: BootsnAll Indie Travel Project

Today’s prompt: Drink – Just as the cuisine of a place reveals clues about its culture and history, so does its signature local drink. What’s the best drink you had on the road, and did the drink have any connection to the place where you drank it or the people you drank with?

Miami.

Beer: it’s my drink of choice on the road. Actually, it’s often what I look forward to. One of my favorite aspects of traveling would have to be sampling local beer. Plus, you can have a cocktail anywhere around the world, but most of the beers I’ve had on my excursions aren’t available in the States. This makes them even more appealing.