Americans= uneducated travelers

I recently found this on the internet and couldn't stop laughing. These are TRUE stories provided by travel agents. I feel this qualifies my job as a travel writer to educate people about the world. Please don't be like these people! Pick up a travel magazine or try Google before expanding your horizons. 

Why Americans should never be allowed to travel

Enjoy!

#1 Most Beautiful Beach in the World

The poll has been closed and the results were as follows: 1-Mexico, 2-Hawaii, 3-Brazil, 4- Tie between Philippines and Bermuda. However, public opinion was incorrect!

The correct answer is BRAZIL. 

Fernando De Noronha, is is an archipelago of 21 islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, around 220 miles offshore from the Brazilian coast.Probably the most beautiful beaches in the world where only a few people know about it. Fernando De Noronha is one of the Unesco World Heritage Site's described as “the most beautiful marine park in the World”. Now that you know about it you can visit this paradise in peace and quiet since not a lot of people know about it. 

Out of ten the Philippines is the fourth, Bermuda is the fifth, Hawaii is the seventh, and Mexico is the ninth in the world. 

Travel Writing for the 21st Century

Travel Writing Lives!

Many believe travel writing is dead. I may have a biased opinion on this topic but I think this article sums up how I feel about travel writing. 

"The ways our best writers have found to narrate the experience of journeying through our world have never been so alive" - JOSHUA JELLY-SCHAPIRO

 As a travel writer my job is to use surface color to explore deeper structure. I do more than just describe the "exotic" places this Earth has to offer. 

Stilettos or Nike 3.0

My mother recently took a girls trip to New York City for the first time. She was so excited she kept asking me which shows to go to, where to shop, and the names of good restaurants. The first time I went to NYC was in 2005 so I barely remembered the specifics of the city. 

After she got there I kept receiving pictures of her enjoying the vivaciousness of this intriguing city. If you have seen a movie set in NYC you pretty much get the sense of this beautiful city. People are always in a hurry to get somewhere. Women are wearing either stilettos or running shoes. Men carry briefcases or an instrument. 

If you have never been you are truly missing out not only on great entertainment but the essence of this city itself. There is nothing like it anywhere else although Las Vegas does give it some competition. Of the many place to visit the one that impacted me the most was Ellis Island. Being able to see all of faces of those immigrants really touched my heart and reminded me that we are all immigrants here. We are all different yet we come together to make up what we call America; the land of freedom.

My Hometown

Being from Texas I have sufficient pride in my state unlike other Texans I do not have an obsession. I do however like to boast about the great city of Houston. The downtown skyline is what most people are familiar with but I am here to tell you there's more to this city. A heterogeneous community full of color, life, and southern hospitality. Most Texans do have accents, cowboy boots and hats, some wear tight Levi jeans and we say "Y'all". That of course isn't the majority of the population. We don't ride horses to school and tumbling weeds don't go rolling down the street. However, cops do ride horses downtown (it's just easier to catch those drunken hooligans) and you can only find tumbling weeds a few hours outside of the city.    

Food is our specialty. A mix of Mexican, Soul Food, Indian, Chinese, Korean, Thai and other food types fill every street corner. Within each block you can find any type of restaurant to fill any insatiable craving. However, don't be afraid to go up to the Mexican stands on the corner because they are just as good as any restaurant. 

There is amazing shopping either downtown or pick one of the many outlets in the surrounding area. Houston is a big city and you can just about find anything you want either cheap or high priced...take your pick. I love the Katy Mills Outlet Mall and the Houston Premium Outlet. 

Yes, it is hot and humid down there because we are 45 minutes away from the gulf. On a hot day spend it by the pool, go to Galveston Beach, Kemah Boardwalk, or stay inside where it's air conditioned. During these hot summer days I like to go watch the Astros play. 

There's a lot more to a Metropolitan city like this one but you have to visit to know for yourself.

Healthy Travel

 

I realize most people don't associate health with travel because when you think vacation most think "fast food, junk, and little-or-no exercise. Still I think that it's possible to keep a healthy lifestyle while out on vacation. There are plenty of work out rooms available to guests at hotels as well as gyms around the area. If there isn't well here is a list of things you can pack to avoid sliding into a slump during your vacation:

1. Jump Rope

2. Exercise clothing

3. Athletic shoes

4. Swimsuit

5. Music and headphones

6. Tennis racket

7. Exercise DVD

Just because you are on vacation doesn't mean you can neglect your health. Take a quick swim in the ocean or pool. You could also jog for thirty minutes along the beach or boardwalk. Even walking to your destinations gives your body some physical stimulation which is better than nothing at all.

Driving the speed limit

Have you ever gotten a ticket during a road trip?

I get one just about every other road trip I take. Let me clear the air I am no speed demon. I just seem to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Take for instance my road trip to Houston, Texas this past summer. It was a 26 hour drive from Provo, Utah. I was excited to see my family and we were almost there. We entered Wichita Falls city limits and BOOM I see a cop on a motorcycle following me signaling me to pull over. We were on US-287 where previously the speed limit had been 75 but then dropped to 70 once we were in city limits. I had the luck of some huge truck blocking this ONE AND ONLY speed limit sign so I was going with the flow. Before I knew it I was being pulled over and trying to weasel my way out of this ticket. The cop was quite proper very polite and he seemed to sympathize with my plead BUT for whatever reason he gave me the ticket anyway. Oh he did let me slide because I didn't have one of my stickers (the car inspection sticker) since I had been in Provo for the last three years! 

So now here I am listening to this stupid song about how to stay out of big trucks "No Zones" to avoid collision. Its has taken me about a month to finish this online course on "Defensive Driving", as they call it in Texas, to dismiss this ticket and keep my insurance rates from going up (daddy pays for my insurance...lucky me). So the total cost of being unlucky comes to a grand total of $245 (that includes the ticket plus the course). I hope the city puts my hard earned money to good use. So here are some tips (I learned the hard way) to avoid getting a ticket when you are traveling:

1. Drive 70 mph on the highway no matter what

2. Take 15-minute rest stops between each two hours of driving

3. Wear your safety belt

4. Avoid distractions (music too loud, messy types of food, cell phone, etc).

5. If you're not familiar with the area take a GPS so as to not call attention to yourself

Etymology of Travel

According to Wikipedia (take this as a reliable source or not) travel is the movement of people between relatively distant geographical locations for any purpose and any duration, with or without any means of transport. Travel also includes relatively short stays between successive movements. 

Travel can be for recreational purposes, for tourism, to visit people, for business or for commuting, and may occur for numerous other reasons, such as to obtain health care, migration, fleeing war, etc. Travel may occur by human-powered transport such as walking or bicycling, or with vehicles, such as airplanes, private transport, public transport, automobiles and trains.

The word originates from the Middle English word travailen ("to toil"), which comes from the Old French word travailler ("travail"). A person who travels is called a traveler.

People have been traveling for centuries. It is a way to see the world and experience different cultures. For those who can't travel there are people like me who write about it. There are pictures to show the beauty of the landscape. One important part about travel writing, in my opinion, is to be able to convey the grandeur of the location or subject so that others will be persuaded to visit this place. I hope thus far I have done that. My inexperience reveals my faults as I try to make this point but that will not be the case after a few years of traveling the world.

Dream Job

In case I haven't mentioned this or you haven't noticed I love to travel thus my goal is to become a travel writer after I graduate (which is pretty soon and quite scary yet exciting). I came across a blog on travel that led me to this discovery of a perfect job. The blog is called Gran Tourismo   so the job description: travel the world and write about it. She even gets to have her husband come along for the ride. They are currently in Costa Rica (learning how to surf...how fun is that?). They have a year to visit 24 different destinations and countless memories together to appreciate when they are old looking out at the world from their front porch. It's more than just traveling and getting paid to do it. Lara and Terence are learning to live like the locals and enjoying living in these different countries while giving back to these places. Usually a vacation means self-indulgence "Me Time" but these two travel writers are volunteering at each destination to help give back rather than just taking. 

Have you done any volunteer work while on vacation? Leave some suggestions so that we may all give back instead of just taking during our vacations.
 

Just Cruise

I realize that my very first post was about my cruise to the Bahamas but I failed to mention the specifics of the cruise itself. This was my very first cruise and it was amazing. We had this promotional deal with Ramada Inn and their new cruise line Bahamas Celebration (which I highly recommend). It wasn't very long but by the end of the cruise I was pretty thankful for this matter; my reasons being that I had no cell phone reception (my BlackBerry has become an extension of my body, it goes wherever I go), there was way too much free food, lucky for us the waves were calm had they not been I'd put this as another reason, and our rooms looked like jail cells and that includes the bathroom (if you turned around in the shower you'd be on the toilet).  

The service however, was excellent we got free delectable chocolate covered strawberries from Jacque (he had a sweet spot for my friend), one night we came back to our room to change and to our amazement a pig made out of towels wearing my sunglasses was sitting on my bed, the list goes on and on; you get perks. The fun thing about cruises is you meet people from all around the world, there's different languages being spoken, you could even find people from your hometown. I think it's a wonderful experience and everyone should try it at least once unless you have a bad one and then you just have to keep going until you have a good experience.

The Winner: France

Thank you for voting but the poll has been closed now and most chose France. A romantic, cultural country I am not too surprised. I was hoping with a more exotic result such as India. I know most you might not think exotic and India belong in the same sentence but I beg to differ. But that's another post so I will get back to my original goal: showing you France as I see it. I have never been there but I can still hear my mother's voice smooth and intrigued by this country "I want to eat cheese sitting outside while looking at the Eiffel Tower". Someday I hope to make her wish a reality but for now I will just paint a picture with my words. 

I imagine bright lights but not like the ones you see in Vegas, no I see sparking diamonds lighting up the way as cars drive down the road like a well rehearsed ballet dance. Couples sitting outside delicately sipping tea as they discuss politics and theater. I find myself watching gorgeous women strutting down the sidewalk in stilettos pretending they are on the catwalk. The air is crisp and I can smell winter right around the corner. The warmth of each smile that passes by provides evidence of the tenderness of a stranger. Different colors, sizes, shapes yet they are all the same. Romantic words escape the lips of a man expressing his love for a woman. Although the words are incomprehensible his body language is clear; he is proposing a lifetime of shared memories. Beautiful colors make up this country they can be found at the Louvre, in the pastures of the country hillsides, on plates, and in the chapels. 

You can take my word for it or you can visit France and paint your own picture of this exquisite country.