Sharing Travel Experiences

Finding Serendipity on the Road

ser•en•dip•i•ty (srn-dp-t)
n. pl. ser•en•dip•i•ties

1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.
2. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries.
3. An instance of making such a discovery.

Isn’t serendipity a fascinating word? Where did it come from? What experience first caused someone to use it?

I love to imagine. One thing is certain, serendipity is one of the most lovely occurrences that you can bump into. On the road, it takes on an almost fateful quality. It’s as if you were meant to be in a far off place just to stumble upon that brilliant sunset, take the ride with the singing cab driver, discover an out of the way tapas bar, or to make a great new friend. Serendipity travel: it’s the stuff that holiday memories are made of.

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Alone on the Beaches in the North of Brazil

This article was submitted anonymously.

I was put on assignment by my company in Campinas, Brazil with less than 3 weeks notice. But I was younger and single and it thus was a cool adventure. Plus I was living in a city I do not like, so getting away was even more appealing. My lease was up anyway, so I put my stuff in storage and started a life without a fixed address… literally “homeless.”

My assignment lasted a little over 3 months. During that time, I’d learned enough portuguese to express interest in a lovely young lady and for her to express interest in me. But I knew my assignment would be ending, so I stayed the gentleman and took no steps to advance the relationship. On my last night there, she was truly shocked that I was leaving permanently. That stunk.

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Finding Your Creativity in Travel

This article on creativity travel is by Camilla Clark.

Definition of holiday: a day of freedom from labor, a day set aside for leisure and recreation

Definitions of travel: to make a journey or journeys, go from one place to another

Definition of art: creativity of man as distinguished from the world of nature

In this article I going to look at the above three words combined and look at the benefits of traveling to new destinations to further your creativity and artistic flare. Of course everyone loves to holiday, but deciding on what kind of holiday one goes on really is a personal choice of what one likes. Beach holidays, ski-ing holidays, adventure holidays, bird watching holidays, mountain climbing holidays…the list is endless, and there are thousands of popular sports and leisure holidays out there.

For some, it is an obvious decision to combine a specific passion or hobby with a holiday, for others it is simply looking for the next new thing to do or challenge for them.  You don’t need to be an professional artist to enjoy expressing yourself in a new medium; regardless of your profession or need for creativity, travel can offer you the opportunity to bring a new creative perspective into your life.

Painting by Andy Walker

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Some Things In Life Can Only Be Learned Away from Home

This article was written by Sara Duncan Widness.  It is the first in a series of features where we highlight individuals whose lives have been altered by travel.

Over the years I have become accustomed to luxurious, sybaritic travel. My work requires taking journalists to elegant hotels and resorts, work that is cushioned by expense accounts and hovering hosts. So imagine this summer the surprises of a four-week foray to China to teach English to Chinese youngsters – an adventure laden with flies, probably fleas, grain-stuffed pillows, kids who spit in the classroom and bad chalk. I didn’t realise at the time, but I was the one being taught a lesson – that some things in life you only learn while travelling.

Forewarned that this would be a difficult journey, the only concessions to “haute” that tagged along were an expensive backpack on wheels and a black leather carry-on embossed with a client’s emblem. This carry-on, a client’s gift to me for good work done the previous year, was to become a reminder of past lives.

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Travel Where You Want

Aim before you shoot.

So, you’ve decided that 2010 is going to be a travel more year. That’s great. But where?

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Epic Travel Alters Your Perspective

Today’s article is by Devin Licastro.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the world of travel, it’s the immense power it has to change our perspectives on life. When you travel more – that is,  spending a good deal of time experiencing or living in another country, you can’t help but expose yourself to a wild array of perspective altering things that can change and expand your entire view of life and the world.

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Make 2010 a Travel More Year

What travel is on your horizon?

As we come up to the New Year, many people start thinking about resolutions, like losing weight, travelling more, or chasing other dreams. Others reject resolutions, saying that they just set up unreal expectations and that the change in the calendar means nothing other than the advancing of time.

Whatever your attitude it, resolutions or no resolutions, I think you should have some fun this coming year. And since you’re reading Sharing Travel Experiences, I can only assume you like to travel, so put fun and travel together and spend 2010 getting to know the world a little better.

Dreaming

In “Twas the Night Before Christmas” the children have visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads. As someone who loves travelling, I have other visions – of New Zealand, Las Medulas, or Costa Rica – dancing in my head. Some are near to me, some are far away. I might not get to them all in 2010, but by constantly thinking about new adventures, I’m never at a loss for where to go next.

Do you know where you want to travel to? What distant lands do you yearn to discover? What inspires you? What fills you with the excitement of the unknown?

Don’t forget about what’s close to you. We can sometimes become blind to our own surroundings, but I’m certain there are many things you can do on day trips or even in a single afternoon right near you. For example, here in San Sebastián, Spain, we have an island in the bay that I’ve yet to visit even though I see it every day. We also have hidden beaches and small villages within a one hour drive from the city.

So, while you dream of distant lands, remember that local delights exist as well.

Planning

While I’m not a big fan of plans (because planning can substitute action), when you dream about travelling more, you need to save the money, research the destination and book flights and accommodations well in advance (especially in a high tourist season).

Try to keep your planning to a minimum, however, and let the delight of discovery happen while you’re actually at the destination. Of course, use Sharing Travel Experiences to find out what’s good to do where, but remember that travelling is all about relaxing – don’t let yourself get too stressed out.

And then when it comes to discovering what your immediate area has to offer, be spontaneous! There’s no need to plan a day-trip. Just decide what day you’ll go, then after a quick check to make sure any attractions are open, hop in the car or on the train and go!

One of my best spontaneous discoveries was Rochester, New York. I was living in Toronto, Ontario and woke up one morning deciding I wanted to go somewhere I had never been. I picked up a friend an hour later and we drove around Lake Ontario to Rochester. We discovered great little shops and had a wonderful meal at a Cafe Cibon, an amazing European bistro with a real funky flare.

Travelling

And speaking of hopping in the car and going, that’s the final part of a Travel More year – and life – actually going through with your plans and getting out of the house. Whether it’s across town to the local Science Museum or around the world to a completely foreign culture, until you actually step outside the house, all your dreams and plans mean nothing.

Some people find travelling a scary experience, whether it’s a fear of flying or a fear of the rest of the world. The thing is, the world isn’t a scary place. Yes, there are some places that are less safe than others, but for the most part, if you keep your head on your shoulders and your wits about you, travelling is as safe as going to the local park.

To make 2010 a travel-more year, you need to start now. Figure out where you want to go, decide how much money you’re going to spend, start saving and at the right moment, make the booking. It’s that simple, honestly!

If you really want to be well taken care of, check out the STE concierge services and for those who prefer more spontaneous travel, check out the super specials.

Happy New Year and may all your travels be delightful!

You Deserve Time Off, Really

You deserve to be here!

I recently took at look at the legislated vacation time for almost 40 countries (see list at the bottom of the post) from around the world and learned something scary. In the supposedly “civilized” West there are two countries that don’t mandate holidays – the United States and Australia. And Canada mandates only 10 working days.

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Why You Can’t Afford Not To Take a Vacation

Sharing Travel Experiences is off on a new journey – exploring the lifestyle design side of travel. Yes, travel isn’t just something you do without thought when you have some time away from work or school. Deciding to travel, where to travel and what sort of travel experiences you want to have all need to fit with who you are.

For example, Andy often travels alone on several week trips. That’s not something I would enjoy or even consider doing. I’ve tried traveling alone and don’t like it. I also prefer to travel in short bursts, returning to my home base after at most three weeks.

In a new series of posts, fellow lifestyle design expert DeeAnne White and I will explore the non-practical side to travel – the reasons for, the thrill of and the blocks to discovering the world beyond your armchair.

Get out of that armchair!

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Travel Inspired by the Charmed Life

Today’s post is by DeeAnne from Living the Charmed Life.

I adore travelling. However, to do justice to my love affair, I think I should begin with a bit about the background of Live the Charmed Life, as a way of explaining the ideal marriage of the two.

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