GoPro

For Christmas I got an awesome present from my mom: A GoPro HD Hero2 video camera.

This tiny little camera takes amazing HD footage and can be mounted on your head, your chest, your wrist and every piece of sporting equipment you can imagine.  Hopefully videos will help make our blog more dynamic in the future and we hope to capture some pretty cool stuff while travelling.

Here's the GoPro promo video to give you an idea of how great this thing is:

Life

If I've learned anything in the past couple of years it's that life is hard. Life seriously sucks sometimes. I've also learned that life is precious.  It can be beautiful, it can be excruciating, it can be stressful, it can be exhilarating. Life is short and it's about, well, living.  I look back over recent years and can hardly fathom how much has changed.

The biggest change for me was the loss of my father.  As we approach the two year anniversary of his death (January 25th) I am still finding out that life has a way of throwing curveballs at you at every turn. I never could have imagined that life would have turned out like this.  In the past two years since the accident I managed to finish school a semester early, write a Summa thesis, graduate with the highest honors my University awards, buy my first home, get married, get my first post-college job, and so much more.  All of these things are wonderful accomplishments that I am very proud of but I never in a million years imagined that my dad wouldn't be there to see them.  He couldn't walk me down the aisle (although I was honored to have my mom fill this role).  He couldn't give me advice on the joys and horrors of homeownership.  He couldn't tell me he was proud when all my hard work paid off at school.  So many life changes that should bring so much joy but are always shadowed by the fact that he isn't here to see them.  I miss him every single day and still have a hard time imagining my life without him.  He won't know his grandchildren or be here to see what his children become. However, even though he cannot be here in person, everything I do is touched and affected by my dad.  I fill with pride whenever I recognize a part of him in me.  I miss him watching football in the living room on Sundays.  I miss him getting excited as he talked about his trips.  I miss him bragging about us kids to his friends.  I miss his hugs, and pats on the back, and "I love you, Meggy"'s.  But everything I accomplish is for him.  Everything I want to achieve is for him.  I want to make my dad proud, whether he is here to physically see it or not.  I would have loved for him to tell me I looked beautiful in my wedding dress, and I would have loved to tell him about my travels.  I would have loved to tell him my plans and for him to see what I eventually become.  But I am ready to take on life because of him and his love and dedication to our family provides me with so much inspiration as I move forward.

And now, after so many changes, I am preparing for even more.  I want to attend the Josef Korbel School for a graduate degree in International Development and Humanitarian Assistance.  This means applications, letters of recommendation, taking the GRE and adjusting to a whole new university. We are planning the move to Denver, Colorado and looking at new apartments, jobs and moving services (Moving is expensive! Yikes!).  This also means selling our first home and being a renter again.  In our relationship we call Solomon the settler and I'm the wanderer.  Renting, moving, change, change and more change is all exciting to me.  It keeps more looking forward.  I love to plan, to organize, to take steps forward.  It helps me to keep on living and to take control of my life after so much has been uprooted. It helps me to feel alive and fulfilled. Sol likes to settle, to nest and to make a home.  Hopefully we will find a happy middle somewhere.

Moving also means living much farther away from family, something that breaks my heart even if they may not think so all the time. It means not being able to go home on the weekends and feelings of guilt that I'm abandoning my ties here in Minnesota. It means I will miss them horribly. I am hoping that eventually everyone I love will be able to understand and accept the decisions I make in my life because nothing is more important to me than the people I love. We have struggled together through physical and emotional recovery from the accident and have celebrated accomplishments together.  As I muddle through the logistics of moving and starting a new chapter in our lives, I am forever grateful for my family and friends. We have too little time with our loved ones as it is, and I'm hoping, if nothing else, that the distance will make me appreciate our relationships that much more.

Sometimes travel means visiting a foreign country.  Other times it means moving to a new state.  Other times it means looking back and realizing just how far you've come.  Our journeys are ever unwinding as we get lost and find our way again.

How about a few words of wisdom from my favorite quotable man to help us through?

“When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways--either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.” 
― Dalai Lama XIV


“There is a saying in Tibetan, 'Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.' 
No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that's our real disaster.” 
― Dalai Lama XIV

“If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry.” 
― Dalai Lama XIV

Bucket List

This is a list of things we'd like to do with our (our being mostly Megan with some input from Sol) time on earth.  Seems like its going to be hard to limit this list but let's start with no more than 500 things. Many of these are travel related! And in no particular order...

1. Celebrate Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
2. Go whitewater rafting
3. Start our own business or entrepreneurial endeavor
4. Join the PeaceCorps
5. Spend a year or more travelling the world
6. Sleep in a hammock on a beach
7. Float in the Dead Sea
8. See the Pyramids
9. See Machu Pichu
10. Go to the Galapagos Islands
11. See the Bolivian salt flats
12. See Iguazu Falls
13. See Victoria Falls
14. Spend time in some off the map village
15. Visit a Buddhist monastery
16. Get a job working in the travel industry
17. Live and work in a foreign country
18. Take the GRE
19. Get a graduate degree
20. Learn a new language
21. Create a picture wall/ art wall in our home
22. Decorate a home based on books, art, travel, and environmental sustainability
23. Adopt a child
24. Get a tattoo
25. Learn more about world religions
26. Read a book about Buddhism
27. Read a book by/ about the Dalai Lama
28. Learn to meditate
29. Create a meditation routine
30. Be "regulars" at a local bar
31. Donate $1000 or more to charity
32. Volunteer for a local NGO/ non-profit
33. Volunteer for an international NGO/ non-profit
34. Write a travel guide
35. Have a well-followed travel blog/website
36. Start a charity
37. Go fly fishing (Solomon)
38. Climb a fourteener
39. Camp by/ swim in a mountain lake
40. Swim in a natural hot springs
41. See the Dalai Lama
42. Get a hot stone massage
43. Make a video about our around the world travel
44. Make a video about our bucket list
45. Own a home with a library or art studio
46. Own a home with an inner courtyard
47. Renew our wedding vows
48. Go on a "staycation"
49. Take a road trip
50. Read every book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
51. Go to Vietnam
52. Take a pottery throwing class
53. Own every single Lonely Planet guidebook
54. Go skiing at Vail
55. Attend a concert at Red Rock
56. Celebrate Day of the Dead in Mexico
57. Stand at the corner of the Four Corners
58. Visit all 50 states
59. Go Couchsurfing
60. Host a Couchsurfer
61. Buy the World Heritage Sites book
62. Visit all 851 World Heritage Sites
63. Visit all places on at least one 7 Wonders of the World list
64. Go island hopping in the Caribbean or Southeast Asia
65. Learn to ski
66. Get scuba certified
67. Ride on a zip line
68. Climb a volcano
69. Go volcano boarding
70. See some monkeys
71. Hike through the jungle
72. Snorkel with stingrays and tropical fish
73. Visit a white sand beach
74. Visit a black sand beach
75. Take a boat down the Amazon River
76. Explore the Amazon rainforest
77. Stand on the banks of the Nile
78. Move to a different state
79. Go on a safari
80. Learn to Latin dance
81. Visit Havana, Cuba
82. Get TESL/TEFL certified
83. Have $500,000 in savings
84. Buy groceries/ day to day supplies in a local shop or outdoor market
85. Live in an open-air home
86. Have a home with solar panels
87. Live in a walking culture
88. Live in a slower paced, more social culture
89. Complete Rosetta Stone Spanish
90. Complete Rosetta Stone Arabic
91. Have a small, close knit group of friends to share everything with
92. Furnish a room with floor cushions
93. Learn to belly dance
94. Fill an entire sketch book
95. Make a reading list and finish it
96. Visit the North Shore in winter
97. Visit the Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar
98. Climb a 14er
99. Travel to Buenos Aires
100. Paint the Granada cathedral

101. Travel to Turkey
102. Travel around South East Asia
103. Travel across North Africa

1000 Places to See Before You Die (Patricia Schultz)

Many of my experiences that I truely treasure are not on this list but it is an interesting way to gauge travel experiences against a static list! My biggest complaint is that the list oftentimes sums up cities into one item on the list when, in my opinion, there is SO MUCH to do in each city that one could spend weeks just in one place. Here is where you can see all 1000 places listed out as they are in the book: http://listology.com/openstacks/list/places-ive-been-patricia-schultzs-1000-places-see-you-die

And these are the one's I've been to (not very many on this scale)!

England: Windsor Castle, London

Ireleand: The Book of Kells

Austria: Vienna

France: Paris

Italy: Rome, Sistene Chapel

Netherlands: Red-Light District

Spain: La Catedral de Toledo, Madrid

Czech Republic: Castle District, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square

Morocco: Essaouira, Place Djemma El-Fna

United States: The Grand Canyon in Arizona, the Pacific Coast Highway in California, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, Walt Disney World Resport in Florida, Oahu in Hawaii, the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois, Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts, East Hampton in New York, the Badlands and the Blackhills in South Dakota, Pike Place Market in Washington

Mexico: Acapulco Bay, Taxco

Puerto Rico: Old San Juan

Other places I have been and experiences I have loved (that aren't on this list!):

Swimming with stingrays in the Cayman Islands.

Spotting quetzals in the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica.

Lounging in the hot springs underneath Volcan Arenal in La Fortuna Costa Rica.

Mountain climbing and rooftop relaxation in the blue medina of Chefchaouen Morocco.

Seeing the setting for the Sound of Music in Salzburg, Austria.

Walking down to our own private beach in Olbia, Sardinia (Italy).

Noting the proximity of the McDonalds to the 'isolated' mountain hotel from The Shining in Estes Park Colorado.

My plan is to add blogs about each of these trips retroactively, wish me luck!

Next trip planned: Nicaragua and Costa Rica 2012

New Year's Resolutions

The next three posts are going to be a lot of lists. And our first list is....some goals for the year 2012! 

1. Practice/ brush up on Spanish
2. Draw and paint more
3. Successful move to Colorado
4. Read more
5. Get a climbing gym membership and go climbing once a week
6. Go backpacking in Colorado
7. Pick a destination for our 2013 trip
8. Try flyfishing
9. Try skiing or snowboarding
10. Fight less

Movies that will touch your soul and open your eyes

“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.” 
― Dalai Lama XIV

1. Beyond Borders: A movie about a young woman who oscillates between domestic life in London and life as a humanitarian aid worker. This contrast provides quite a unique perspective on some of the world's most pressing humanitarian crises.

2. Trade: A movie about sex trafficking in America. Young girls trafficked through Mexico City to be sold in the US.

3. The Road to Guantanamo: A true story about the destructive reality of Guantanamo Bay.

4. Under the Same Moon: A movie about the plight of illegal immigrants in the United States. A mother and a son desperate to reunite.

“World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.” 
― Dalai Lama XIV

Social Awareness Posts: A Preface

Dear Readers,

This genre of post needs a bit of prefacing before writing.  Those of you who know me know that for my job I spend my time reading about human rights abuses around the world.  Because of this I come across many, many horrifying crimes committed against innocent people every day. While some may find this very difficult to do on a day to day basis, I believe that awareness is one of the most powerful tools to stopping these violations.  Once in awhile a certain pattern of crimes or type of crime really stands out to me and hits me right at my core.  Something so horrifying and systematic that I just have to turn around and let others know what is happening on our very planet.  That is what these posts will be about.

You may be wondering, why is this on a travel blog? For me, travel is about understanding the human experience.  It is about seeing and feeling the lives of our fellow man, woman, and child.  It is about realizing that there are people out there who live lives completely different than our own.  It is about appreciating what we have and reaching out to help those who need it.  It is about cultural understanding and appreciation of all things "different" from our daily reality.  In order to effectively travel we must understand the world around us.  Travel has taught me nothing if not the fact that the world is so full of beauty.  There is so much...life and vitality in every new place I see.  Everything is pulsing, living, breathing, new, different, and so much the same. Nothing strikes me more than going on what for me is a vacation, and just taking a moment to realize that these are people just living. Going to work, feeding their families, spending time with friends, passing the time.  Same as we do at home. There is so much beauty in the simplicity of that understanding. That everything and everyone has its place. Every little thing means something, if not to you, than to someone else.  I believe that the majority of people are good and want to do good for themselves and others.  However, amid all the beauty there is evil and there is pain. 

Sometimes when reading reports of human rights abuses I find it hard to remember that it is just people, human beings, fathers, sons, sisters, who are committing such atrocities against their fellow man.  They eat and drink, laugh and cry, feel fear and confusion, just like the rest of us.  These perpetrators aren't some new breed of monsters, they are just people.  How, then, can they torture, rape and kill another human being? How could they possibly get to that state of mind that they could orchestrate horrific acts of violence?

To me in life there are some "non-negotiables".  Some things that are just wrong or right no matter what.  Some circumstances in which "everyone is entitled to their opinion" no longer applies.

Torture is bad.  Killing is bad. Rape is bad.  Non-negotiable.

Every human life has as much value as the next.  Non-negotiable.

NO ONE should be deprived their human rights to live their lives free of pain and fear. Non-negotiable.

Knowing that these things still occur, perpetrated by simple human beings, nonetheless, makes me feel pain that is hard to describe.  I weep thinking of what my fellow human must endure at the hands of others.  Things that I cannot imagine having the strength to endure.  

These things are important to understand for anyone going out into the world to travel and understand the human condition.  We must spread awareness of the horrible things so that we can savor the beauty that much more.  We must understand the terror that some people face every single day so that we can do anything in our power to help them along the way.  We must stop on our vacation or journey and think about those around us and how we are impacting them with our presence.  That is why I want to write these posts.

Now, all that being said, I know these realities can be hard to face.  I would not recommend my social awareness posts for children as they should not be troubled with the real life villains just yet.  If you do not want to read them, that is your choice.  I will try not to be graphic but the very nature of some of these atrocities are horrific and I know that many people do not wish to read about such things.  That is your prerogative. I will label the posts accordingly but please be forewarned that any Social Awareness Post will not be about pretty sunsets and fun times with locals and make your choice to read accordingly.

Sincerely,

Megan

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.” 
― Dalai Lama XIV

TripIt

This will just be a quick post about my favorite travel planning website: TripIt

This handy website (and phone app) is amazing! Just forward all your reservation confirmations for flights, hotels, rental cars, buses, etc. to TripIt and it compiles a customized itinerary with all the information you need for your trip.  No need to carry around 30 sheets of paper with all your reservation information on it.  TripIt includes confirmation numbers, check in times, maps to hotels and airports, phone numbers, flight information and everything else you need to stay on track while travelling.

The Android app is my favorite because you can just click on your hotel and immediately have it entered into your GPS or with another click, call and confirm your reservation. 

Additional features include seeing where your friends are and have been, tracking your mileage and trips on a cute little map, and saving all your past trip itineraries for future reference.

So useful and so much fun to play with--- definitely would recommend this for the organized traveler!

Budgeting Overview and Tips

Now for some specifics on what we spend on a trip.

First of all, the way we prioritize saving for a trip goes like this:

at the end of every month we look at how much we earned and subtract that month's expenditures. With whatever is left over (no matter how little) we put 1/3 into a travel fund and 2/3 into long term savings. Since our expenses are fairly consistent, we have a basic goal of what we want to put into our trip fund every month. This is what we use to estimate how long it will take us to save up enough for our next trip and this is how we know when to book our plane tickets.

Plane tickets we have a habit of buying way too early. Rick Seaney, the FareCompare.com CEO, recommends buying tickets around four months ahead of time and towards the beginning of the week. He notes that Saturday is one of the cheapest days to fly while Sunday is one of the most expensive (see article here). Tips like these are available all over the internet.

However, if you're like me and are too excited to wait to buy tickets when you decide on a destination, try some of these tips.

• My airfare booking website of choice: kayak.com
  
  This site is easy to use and compares flights from all different carriers quickly and allows you to see the full price of your ticket (with fees, taxes, etc.) quickly. It also lets you compare with sites like Travelocity and Orbitz instantly so you cover all your bases. Additionally, Kayak allows you to set your dates with complete flexibility so you can find the cheapest month, week, or day to travel if you have a pretty open schedule.
  
  The "Explore" feature helps you decide on a destination by showing you prices all over the world from your designated home airport. The "Buzz" feature allows you to find the cheapest time to fly to a given destination.
  
  This is pretty much a traveler's dream as it gets rid of the rigidity of other fare searching sites and allows your travel dreams to wander.
  
  In addition to all this, Kayak allows you to set price alerts. I would HIGHLY recommend doing this even if you don't think you will be taking a trip for awhile. With this feature you get the lowest prices to certain destinations emailed to you at set intervals. Even if you do not end up booking these trips it gives you a great idea of what a ticket should cost and what would be a good price to aim for. Knowing this ahead of time will get rid of that "I have no idea if this is a good deal or not!" feeling when searching for airfare.

• After you book your ticket, sign up for a free account with Yapta.com. This site tracks the cost of your flight and alerts you if you are eligible for a refund from your airline if the ticket prices drop lower than what you paid.
  
  For our tickets from Minneapolis to San Jose, Costa Rica (with no overnight layover this time, thank God) we spent about $600 each. I have seen them go as low as $500 but as high as $900 since then.

After buying a ticket it is important to make a budget for the rest of your trip. While this might seem a bit premature, it is easy for pre-departure expenses to get lost in the shuffle. We like to count things like guidebooks, luggage, and travel gear into our trip budget so we get a better idea of the real cost of our vacation.

• For Costa Rica- Nicaragua we are planning on spending $600 a person for 16 days. This includes food, lodging, transportation, activities/ tours, souvenirs, the works. That's $37.50 a day.
  
  As you can see, plane tickets are a HUGE part of your expenses. Time at the destination is actually quite cheap (depending on where you go). You may actually be thinking "Whoa, I spend more than that living HERE!"
  
  During our trip we will post daily budgets to show what we spend where and to see if we make our budget goals.  It's always important to have more money than you budgeted for your trip in case of emergencies but so far we have completed every trip on (or very close to) budget!

• From past experience, lodging can cost the most but if you travel with another person, it is cheaper than two individuals traveling alone.  In other words, travel for two (or more) is not equivalent to double the expenses for one. You are able to share rooms, transportation costs, food costs, etc. which makes a huge difference.

• Also, as much as we enjoy trying local cuisines, we always look for hostels with shared kitchens.  Going to the grocery store can be a cultural experience in itself and you can save so much money by not going out to eat for every meal, even just for breakfast.

So we will see just how close we can come to our budgeted goal...

Gear, gear and more gear

One of the fun things for us about traveling is buying all the cool gadgets that make it that much more enjoyable.  Here is a list of gear we have amassed for our upcoming trips.

• Packs (REI Crestrail 70 for Solomon, Gregory Jade 65 for Megan, and a sweet 70s backpacking pack for Nick)
• Sleeping pads (Thermarest Z-Lites)
• Tiny inflatable travel pillows (Cocoon Ultralight Air-Core and Cocoon Hyperlite Air-Core)
• Travel towel (Sea to Summit DryLite)
• A universal sink stopper for doing laundry in sinks
• A clothesline
• A first aid kit
• A camp stove (MSR Simmerlite)
• Rain ponchos
• Anti-bacterial hand wipes
• Mosquito netting
• Duffel bags to cover packs for checking at airport (REI Airporter)
• GoPro video camera
• Money belts
• Power adapters/converters
• Sleep sacks for hostel beds (sleeping bag liners)

What we still need:

• Water purifier
• Travel locks for our baggage

Now, not all of this will be dragged along to Central America and some of it is for use exclusively in the US (like the stove).  When we pack for our trip I will make sure to give you an updated packing list of what we are bringing along to help anyone else prepare for a similar 16 day excursion.

Itineraries: A Work in Progress

In planning our itinerary for Costa Rica-Nicaragua 2012 (now only a little over 2 months away!), I've tried to stay flexible while maximizing our time.

Here's what I have come up with so far:

Arrive March 18 San Jose, Costa Rica around 1pm
Stay at Aldea Hostel in San Jose (close to the bus station to grab the early bus to Managua)
March 19- Get on international bus to Managua around 5am (if tickets were successfully purchased the day before)
9 hours later arrive in Managua and get on mini-bus to Leon, Nicaragua

After this it gets much more open ended: From Leon we will head to Granada, from Granada we will make our way to the Isla de Ometepe, from there to San Juan del Sur and then back into Costa Rica.  Our last stop will be the Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica before heading back to San Jose for our flight out.

The logistics of all of this isn't quite figured out, but this is the plan thus far. 

We are currently working on getting travel vaccinations and prescriptions. For Nicaragua the CDC recommends getting Typhoid, Hepatitis, and Rabies shots.  In addition they recommend anti-malarial drugs for certain regions in addition to insecticide treated bed nets.  Medicine to treat travelers diarrhea is also suggested.   Phew, sounds like fun.  Finding a travel clinic open convenient hours is almost just as fun.



Stay tuned for more specific details of these adventures that will hopefully help any future travelers navigate pre-travel preparations as well as in country transportation.