Current location: Florida, USA A big welcome to the 33 new subscribers who recently signed up! |
Hello
It's Tuesday and it's time for a travel newsletter! from my life Physical therapy and travel. At this point, I can start dreaming of travel again. After my hip surgery almost 3 weeks ago, my progress was recently confirmed by my surgeon and physical therapist. I've begun to wean myself off the crutches and I've been instructed to spend time each day exercising (very basic exercising but it's something). My next follow-up appointment will be in early April and if all goes well, I'll be cleared for traveling at that point. I won't be able to take on any intense adventures yet and I'll need to keep my activities somewhat limited for another month, but I'll be able to leave the country. And again, it's a start. Where will I go once I'm cleared to travel? I'm working on that and will let you know! Where are you headed for your next trip? Mindfulness. We all have issues. And I think I've narrowed some of mine down to mindfulness. WIth so much going on, it's easy to get lost in thoughts, ideas, hopes, plans, worries and so on and completely forget about the present. Travel helps a great deal because it's hard to ignore the endless new experiences that come your way. This forces us to focus on the present moment quite often. But now that I'm 'stuck' in one place after this surgery, I'm finding it difficult to focus on the moment. I'm finding it real easy to get caught up in the endless internal stories playing out in my head. It's something I'm going to work on. 1,100 comments. I never thought that my most popular social media post, with over 1,100 comments, would be when I asked, "Is there a country that you absolutely don't want to visit?" I asked that last week. My main goal with the post was to hopefully create a discussion that helps us re-evaluate why we do or don't visit certain places. Such a discussion happened, sort of, along with a huge list of countries that people avoid and the reasons why. The post got a little out of control. Matcha on camera. A huge thank you to everyone who has been asking about Matcha (the kitten I found in Bali and took to the US, and who is now cared for by my sister). While Matcha has not been found yet after running outside two weeks ago, she was spotted by two people and also on a camera that was set up in a forest close to my sister's home. So there's definitely some progress! travelcon
At the end of April, I'll be speaking at TravelCon in Memphis, Tennessee!
TravelCon is a conference put together by Matt Kepnes of NomadicMatt.com. With so many great speakers and sessions, it's designed to help anyone who is interested in creating a career in the travel industry (blogging, writing, photography, videos and more). It's also an excellent opportunity to network with hundreds of other people in the travel world! travel gear
Every now and then, companies send me products to try out. I never accept anything if they require me to say something good about the product. I'll try things out, but only if the company is okay with me giving my honest opinion. Over the past month, here's some gear that I've received:
Technigadgets Blaine sunglasses: I was skeptical when they sent me the link to these Blaine aviator sunglasses. Bright red? Listed at an odd 43% discounted price? When they arrived, it took me all of 15 seconds to realize that these are just a very, very cheap pair of sunglasses with an attempt at "cool" marketing. Nothing about them says quality and they would probably last 2-3 weeks of everyday use when traveling. WearGraphene Jacket: Now this one is interesting. It's an all-season heated jacket. It's surprisingly thin, made of graphene and also looks quite good. It seems durable, it's water resistant and machine washable. With the press of a button, heat is distributed to warm you up. I've worn it a couple of times and I really do like this jacket. But it sells for $395 USD (I know!) which I do think is quite steep, even with the benefits. If it is something you'd like though, they did give me a code "EARL10" that gives you a 10% discount. around the globe
Around the World for £1035
Yes, using budget airlines, it is now conceivable to fly around the world (with 12 destinations) for around £1000. Check out the itinerary, it's quite remarkable. Endurance
If you've never read Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, I highly recommend it. It's one of my top 3 favorite books of all time. The ordeal that Ernest Shackleton and his crew faced, and how they handled it, makes for a riveting and inspirational adventure. And the ship, The Endurance, was found last week 107 years after it sank in Antarctica. The Last Ski Maker of Scotland
Jamie Kunka is the only ski-maker in Scotland. This short video shares his inspiring story. The Story of Wilfred Thesiger
Born in 1910, Wilfred Thesiger traveled extensively to say the least, at one point becoming the first foreigner to cross empty Arabian deserts. His life story is a wild tale of one eye-opening adventure after another. Walkable Rollercoaster in South Korea
If you're ever in Pohang, South Korea, you can now go for a wander inside of a 230-foot high walkable rollercoaster. It's called SpaceWalk and I'd love to do it.
Beautiful Canada
Two travelers spent a year hiking around the Canadian wilderness. These stunning photos are the results of what they encountered. Yap
Has anyone been to the tiny island of Yap in Micronesia? I'm now dreaming of visiting this place!
A big congratulations to Naomi, Dominic, Daniel, Anthony, Anne and Hemang for guessing the exact location of last week's photo!
The image is of Brno, Czech Republic, with the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in the background. All I can say about Brno is that I feel it is one of the more underrated cities in Europe. While it might not have the overall appeal of some of the more popular destinations, this smallish city provides a great opportunity for a more local experience. Bustling local markets, welcoming cafes, public squares, plenty of nature, quaint nearby villages...it has it all, but without the masses of tourists you'd find in Prague. And now... This week's photo Where in the world is it? The Rules
1. Try to figure out where the above photo was taken. 2. Reply to this email with your guess.
3. The more specific the guess, the better!
4. The location will be revealed in next week's newsletter.
Good luck :) |
Thank you so much for reading!
Derek
(my middle name is Earl) *If you received this email from someone else and want to sign up to A Life of Travel, simply click the button below: |
Travel Insurance:My personal recommendation for affordable and reliable travel insurance is |
|
|
