Travel Stories
Words from world wanderers, words from on location around the world.
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Culture: A Cure for Reverse Culture Shock- Become a Tourist in Your Own Town
There’s a bus that trundles through my neighborhood several times a day. I’m not sure where it stops or where it’s going, but I’m going to get on it. I’m craving an adventure. I’ve just returned from my longest trip (so far) and am reeling in the monotony of getting back to reality. Any seasoned traveler can empathize, I have a bad case of reverse culture shock and I need a cure! My home just can’t compare to Paris, Venice or Istanbul, a few of the cities I have just explored. There is something so exciting about arriving in a new city, hopping on the local subway and navigating to…
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Travel Story: The Bells of Notre Dame
Paris is such a magical city. The monuments are icons known world wide; the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, L’Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame. Regardless of where I am, I can close my eyes and picture these sites. So when I opened the door to our rented apartment in Paris, how enchanted I was to look out the kitchen window and see the Notre Dame. It was something straight out of an opera set of Verdi’s La Bohème. Roof tops galore, rows of chimneys, windows into other people’s worlds, and the Notre Dame. But that’s not all. Later that afternoon as we relaxed in our new surrounding the real magic began.…
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Travel Story: The Art of Packing
I have never been a light packer. Although I’m not that crazy lady with 3 bags and a suitcase for cosmetics, I do tend to pack my fair share of clothes for a trip. On past vacations to Hawaii I’ve easily filled a large 29″ suitcase. You know, the kind with the extra zippers to expand. Yes, that’s pretty big for a trip that only needs a bathing suit, shorts, some shirts and flip flops, but somehow I managed to fill it up. I have never really had to lug it far either, mostly just through the airport, to a rental car, and then plop it in the hotel. I…
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Travel Stories: Peru, South America, Map of Day One
My family’s adventure to Peru last summer was amazing. Our kids were quite the troopers– up before dawn many times, long travel days, and even educational seminars… and they still had a blast. The first day of a trip can sometimes be the hardest, though. Although everyone was so excited for the adventure, exhaustion from travel, and acclimatizing to our new environment was harder than expected. I decided to illustrate this first day as a map (above) to show of our adventures. Here’s our story. Day One: South America: A Rough Start Leads to a Little Piece of Heaven Lima, Peru: Adventures don’t always start out as planned. [After a full…
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Travel Stories: Schooled on Schoolhouse Rock
Two summers ago, my family road tripped through Southern Utah. After much debate on what type of family trip to take, we finally decided we were ready for more adventure. The kids were old enough, and my husband and I missed the athletic and outdoorsy trips we used to take before having kids. Southern Utah was a great way to introduce them to this. Hiking, rock climbing, horse back riding, river rafting and more, we were going to do it! The kids dove right in, literally. Our hikes were not all whines, but instead filled with enthusiasm and energy. Our river rafting day was much of the same. When we…
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Wanderlust Bookclub: Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder and the Amazonas Theatre
Although I have not traveled to Manaus, Brazil, when I read Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder, I felt immediately transported to this exotic city, located at the convergence of 2 rivers and the gateway destination to travels on the mighty Amazon. Ms. Patchett’s writing drew me into a city filled jungle bugs, unbearable heat, and third-world conditions, yet, glaring out with irony and wonder was the majestic classic colonial opera house, the Amazonas Theatre. With a glistening gold leafed interior and Verdi classic being sung, this opera house seems to be quite a contrast to it’s neighboring world of the jungles of the Amazon. State of Wonder is the story…
