I’m going to be honest with you: I would have never guessed that at the age of fifty I’d be a nomad.
Here’s the thing: I’m a homebody at heart and up until a few years ago I viewed the contentment of home and the thrill of exploration as mutually exclusive destinations.
Then my husband, Hank, and I set off on a multi-year journey with a vague plan of temporarily inhabiting Latin America and the adventure opened my eyes and heart to new truths about myself and the world around me.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
A few weeks ago I was eating breakfast with my friend Sandy. When talk turned to travel, I quickly realized how skilled she was at sleuthing out great travel deals. “You should be a travel agent,” I told her.
As it turns out, I’m not the first friend to have told her this. So, when Sandy admitted that she secretly harbored a desire to become an agent but had no idea how to get started, I offered to introduce her to respected Virtuoso travel advisor, Susan Kelly, owner/agent at Luxury Adventure Trips and my personal go-to gal for trip planning for the past fifteen years.
Have you ever wondered what it would take to get started in a career as a travel agent? I asked Susan if she’d be willing to share with Sandy her thoughts on how, if she were starting today, she would go about it. In typically generous Susan style, she not only encouraged Sandy to go for it, but also allowed me to publish her insider tips and recommendations.
Luxury adventure travel advisor, Susan Kelly, on safari at Okonjima/Africat, Namibia.
Editor’s note: What follows is an e-mailed reply by travel advisor, Susan Kelly, to a reader’s question about how to become a travel agent.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
How can you use GPS to track a lost passport? What is the best way to make free phone calls, video calls or send text messages anywhere in the world? Why is a water bottle that turns local tap water into safe drinking water one of the most valuable things you can pack? Learn how to travel smarter in 2014 with these 10 travel app and gadget recommendations by technology expert Melissa Thompson.
Viber App + (friend with) Viber App = Free Calls (Seriously)
The Viber app allows users to make free phone calls, video calls or send text messages, over 4G or WiFi, anywhere in the world, free of charge (as long as both users are connecting through the Viber application). The app is available on all mobile devices and with 200 million active global users, has become one of the largest disruptors in the online global communication space.
(Free; runs on: Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Phone)
GPS for your passport
Despite the finger scanners and facial recognition currently in use, travelers cannot travel internationally without that antiquated booklet. Avoid the last minute, “I can’t find my passport!” craze with a DIY digitization. Tile, one of Kickstarter’s hottest projects of the year, is a matchbook-sized, thin, white plastic square. This self-adhesive device, equipped with GPS, allows any item to be tracked using the owners smartphone app and Tile’s low-Bluetooth technology. Can’t find your passport? If prepared and equipped with a Tile affixed to the passport’s back or case, the owner can located the passport on a map and remotely send the device a signal to emit a sound, hopefully putting an end to the search-and-rescue. This simple device is the “find my iPhone,” for all physical items. Tile, which does not require battery changes or charging, can be pre-ordered for summer 2014 delivery. Tile for travel could keep your passport and checked-luggage always in your pocket. ($19.95 for one Tile, $59.85 for four Tiles, thetileapp.com)
Rove hands-free, with your automated travel diary
The next time relatives ask to hear all about your trip? Just “Share” from the Rove app and email a link to the trip’s timeline. This free app is an automated timeline, which tracks users’ movements through GPS, estimates the method of travel, and inserts pictures, maps and locations into a timeline. The result is a beautiful visual travel journal– no inputs required. Want to keep Rove personal? The app is 100% private unless users choose to share. (Free in the iTunes store)
Stay hydrated and healthy with TSA approved LifeStraw by Vestergaard
Described as “one of the ten things that will change the way we live” by Forbes, take this (empty!) water bottle on the road, mitigate the risk of illness, and turn local tap water anywhere in the world into safe drinking water. The filtration technology integrated into the LifeStraw Go water bottle reduces the risk of bacterial and parasitic water-borne disease transmission. Through advanced filtration technology, water is forced through fibers that only allow the clean water to pass through, keeping contaminants away from consumption. ($34.95,buylifestraw.com or at select retail stores)
Bring extra juice
There are many options on the market to pack power for on-the-go charging. Dark Reservoir’s sleekly designed device is on the higher end of the price rage, but with the pocket-sized device you can quadruple the power of your portable device and charge anything with a micro-USB charger.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Depending on your temperament, trip planning is a process nearly as much fun as the vacation itself, or it’s a daunting task better left to professionals. If you’re like me, it involves a bit of both.
But no matter where you stand on the topic, here’s the truth: modern trip planning = technology.
From booking flights and finding the best places to eat and drink, to staying informed with mobile alerts for flight changes or delays, technology is changing the way we travel.
And with new apps and digital travel tools being released daily.
How can travelers keep up with it all?
Discover my recommendations for 10 Travel Technology Tools for Easier Trip Planning now online at TheWayfarers.com.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
I asked Wildland Adventures’ South America Program Director, Kirsten Gardner, what she carries in her travel bag, and why. Learn her list of must haves.
“I travel frequently, both for work and pleasure, and my jaunts are usually of an active nature (think camping, hiking, mountain biking, etc), says Gardner.” “Whether I’m preparing for a trek in the Cascades or the Andes, these five items are in my suitcase.”
Hard at work, Kirsten Gardner
If candle lit nights, questionable drinking water, remote paths, or lengthy transits on public transportation are in your travel plans, read on for Kirsten’s top five trekking essentials.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
From reindeer racing, midsummer pagan rituals and camel beauty pageants to crazy street carnivals, leg rowing races and even Ernest Hemingway’s favorite fete, global celebrations offer travelers unique opportunities to experience a country’s culture, cuisine and spirit.
To help you discover some of the planet’s biggest parties, custom travel company Kensington Tours has crafted a collection of trips exclusively designed to get you behind-the-scenes of the world’s best festivals.
Leg-Rowing Festival, Inle Lake, Myanmar
by yeowatzup/flickr.com
Cruise the waters of time back to a celebration evocative of Southeast Asia centuries ago with a pilgrimage to Phaung Daw Oo – otherwise known as Myanmar’s Leg Rowing Festival. Held upon the shores of Inle Lake, a trip to this spiritual 18-day pageant is true cultural nirvana. Watch as a golden barge holding four Buddhas is towed by ornamented leg-rowers from private boat with expert guide. Take part in the eclectic festivities, from magic shows, dancing, leg rowing races and fireworks to fortune tellers, spiritual blessings and Burmese banquets. To amplify your experience, plan your visit to coincide with Thadingyut, the festival of lights.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".