thoughts
Throwing in the Solo Travel Towel?
Over pancakes and bacon and coffee the morning following the funeral of a cousin, my two older brothers and I reminisced about her life and our own childhood while lamenting the fact that we weren’t as close as we’d like to be. As a step toward cementing our filial bond, I invited them both to join me on my cross-country roadtrip when I moved west.
Unstuff’d: On Travel and Learning to Live with Less
With the arrival of the holiday season comes my least favorite time of the year. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the holidays; it’s just that our culture of consumption kicks into overdrive mere moments after a holiday when we gather with friends and family to express gratitude for the things that matter most. Thanksgiving, meet Black Thursday.
Coming to Terms with the Urge for Going
The list of destinations I want to visit just keeps growing. On days like today when wanderlust feels like a fever running hot in my veins and a tight, anxious fist in my chest, I start to wonder–how will I ever see it all?
You *Do* Actually Want to Travel, Don’t You?
While blogging about travel over the past two years, I’ve made a basic assumption: people who read this blog want to travel and possess the same level of near-crazed wanderlust that I do. Turns out that maybe I’m wrong about that…
Confession: I Am a Travel Chicken
Even after having traveled solo for years, I still feel that small twinge of fear every time I set out on my own. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that the first step to getting over your solo travel fear is taking a first step.
Forbidden Photography – A Tale of Travel Temptation
I know I shouldn’t have done it but I couldn’t help myself. Climbing the old stone staircase to the second floor of the Gruuthuse Museum in Brugge, Belgium, I am struck by the sunlight streaming through the nearby stained glass window, landing on the steps in a cascade of color. In only a moment I am utterly entranced. I want… [Keep reading...]
Haagen-Dazs, Shoes, and the “Between Travel” Blues
It doesn’t usually hit right away. In the hours and days right after returning from a trip, you’re still coasting around on a cloud of euphoria, filled with the excitement and pleasant memories of the past few days or weeks. And then, after about a week after stepping over your still-packed suitcase for the umpteenth time, the lightness begins to… [Keep reading...]
