Whether I’m traveling or running errands, I carry a leather Moleskine journal for jotting down notes, dialogue and observations. It’s a journalist’s habit that hasn’t yet yielded to my otherwise digital lifestyle.
But there’s an art to keeping the type of journal that can provide a transformative lens through which you can learn to see yourself with greater awareness.
I recently teamed with career and life design consultant Kendall Dudley to teach a storytelling workshop and when he told me he was leading a 12-day Morocco Journaling & Life Design Adventure (October 8-19, 2014), I was immediately intrigued and eager to share.
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".
Do you wish you could bring your yoga instructor on vacation? Have you vowed to continue your practice when you travel only to find that you don’t? Then check out this new Kenya Yoga Safari with my friend Whitney Bushnell, a private yoga instructor and travel professional.
This spring (May 16 - 24, 2014) Africa safari specialists Extraordinary Journeys and Whitney have teamed up in Kenya to offer a unique safari experience featuring exciting wildlife, bespoke luxury, breathtaking landscapes, authentic cultural engagement and exclusive yoga instruction.
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".
The world’s only earthquake-themed festival, fireworks, horseraces, dances, parades, parties, Machu Picchu and more, are among the highlights of six new active adventures into the cultural heart of Peru with tour company Culture Xplorers. Focused on the culture, heritage and living traditions of Peru, each small group departure takes in a range of activities and coincides with a vibrant local festival.
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".
Winter is here and Yellowstone National Park has some exciting new adventures designed to introduce you to its snowy magic.
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".