Land Of Marvels

A Travel Blog

Travel Tips : Traveling for Work

I started doing work travel very early in my career and whether it was hopping from island to island in Hawaii for projects or making the trek to Korea often, I learned very early on that work travel is an entirely different experience than traveling for fun.  This last trip to Korea made me think about all the work trips I’ve made there and all the things I’ve learned and would love to tell my younger 22-year-old self all those years ago.  I’ve had some interesting experiences traveling with colleagues over the years and it’s definitely something that I’ve learned a lot from, so here today are my tips for anyone heading out on their first trips for work or that might do some travel for work in the future.  It’s important to be aware and remember different things when traveling for work, so here are my tips!

1.  Do research about the location before hand.
It’s really important to know a general lay of the land for the place you’re traveling to, particularly if you’re headed abroad.  This is important if you’re going alone and need to grab a taxi when you land, or if you’re out with colleagues and decide you want to go back to your hotel before them, you need to know where you’re going.  Do some research on your location, where you’ll be, where your work is there so that you’re prepared.
2.  Know when to say no.
I’ve had some work trips throughout the years when colleagues wanted to do things I didn’t want to do when out and about.  It’s really important when traveling for work to be able to say no to things that you aren’t comfortable with.  Know what your limits are and stick to them.  There is nothing wrong with going back to your hotel instead of out with colleagues when traveling, just be honest and know your limits.
3.  Be polite, but don’t let yourself be pushed.
Especially when traveling to other cultures, it’s important to be polite but also to stand up for yourself and not let anyone push you into anything you don’t feel comfortable with.  If you don’t want that next glass of Soju (they drink a lot in Korea, more than I’m often used to), then just say no nicely.  Be nice, but don’t let anyone push you into anything.
4.  Be professional always.
Being professional is always the key on work trips.  This begins with how you dress on the airplane, how your luggage looks, the information you bring to meetings, how prepared you are and so forth.  Being professional in how you act and look will leave a great impression no matter where you are in the world.
5.  Be willing to try new things.
Traveling for work is different than traveling for fun in lots of ways, but one of the major differences is that you aren’t choosing what you do and eat and where you stay.  Be open minded, whether that means a new food that your colleagues order for you or a hotel you might not necessarily pick to stay at.  They are all new experiences, just treat them as that and be open minded.  I’ve found some amazing things about Korea from my work trips because colleagues of mine have introduced me to them, things I never would have tried on my own, so be willing to try new things!

A Travel Photography Pre-Shot Checklist

A Travel Photography Pre-Shot Checklist
Most of you are aware by now that the majority of the photos on these pages are by my husband Nick who has a wonderful eye for creating gorgeous images.  And Nick is back guest posting today, offering tips and tricks he’s picked up over the years through our travels.  From some of his favorite lenses to travel with to what he carries in his travel photography camera bag, he’s talking through today what his pre-shot checklist is for amazing travel photography!

All the tips from Nick for setting up a pre-shot checklist from Nick:

Many of the images taken while I’m traveling are what I would consider more editorial in nature and come from walking around and snapping images “off the cuff.” I keep my camera in my hand so that when I see something interesting, I compose and shoot.  The other portion of my images are more what I would call my “setup” images which I would define as more fine art style photographs.  For these images I take a lot more time composing and making sure everything is ready to go. Many times I will be shooting from a tripod, switching lenses and adding filters to get the effect I’m looking for. I tend to take fewer of these images when traveling, but the ones I do take tend to be my favorite images when I look back on the trip.  Because I take a bit more time on these images, I thought it might be a good idea to share how I setup these images and share my “pre-shot checklist” with you. 

Disclaimer: This is how I think and how I approach the scene. Everyone is different and my methodology might not be as effective for you as it is for me. My hope is that you pick up a tidbit that might make your images better.
 
1. Take a moment to look. 

When I’m shooting a setup shot I commit to taking my time. I put my bag down (if it’s safe) and I look around the scene. What is interesting? What is my favorite part about the scene? Don’t be afraid to take your time taking in the scene to really understand what you like and what you want to shoot.

2. Walk around with the camera.
After I’ve decided what I like about the scene I then need to figure out how I’m going to showcase it. To do this I like to walk around with my camera. I walk around to a couple of different spots and see what the scene looks like to the camera. Maybe the subject is a little cramped and part of it is cut off therefore I need to go wider. I can either walk farther back or put on a different lens, both will have a different effect to the image. I do this until I find the spot I want to shoot from. 
 
3. Set up the camera.

Figure out what the scene requires. Do you need a tripod, any filters?  Take a moment to think about this. Maybe your scene has a lot of reflections and a polarizer might help cut down on the glare. Look at the settings on the camera. Make sure the Aperture, ISO, and Shutterspeed all make sense. Maybe you cranked the ISO to shoot in a dark church earlier in the day and now you are outside. Get your camera set up as close to the shot as you think. 

Taken at the Taj Mahal – Agra, India
4. Scene Check.
I like to take a last look at the scene before shooting. Look around the edges of the scene and make sure there isn’t anything ugly or distracting you didn’t notice before. Believe me, there are times when I’m taking photos and I forget to do this. I’m really excited about a shot and get it on the computer at home and suddenly am shocked about that trash can that magically appeared in corner of photo. When I was taking photos my mind was focused on the beautiful sunset, church or whatever and ignored that garbage can or telephone pole sticking out of the corner.  I like to use the back of the LCD screen to do a scene check because the LCD screen is a lot bigger then the viewfinder and I can zoom in and out and pan around to get really good look around. 
 
5. Fire away and then do it again.

Now that I’ve set up of the camera, I can take a picture. After I take the picture I like to make some adjustments to the camera. See what it looks like when the Aperture is big or small. What if I adjusted a little to the left or right?  How does that effect the scene?  Keep shooting until your happy, then once you’re done pick up and move to another spot. Hopefully you get a great shot, though sometimes you don’t. The keepers are hardly ever from my first spot. Don’t be afraid to work the scene and keep shooting. 

Taken at the Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur, India

As I said at the beginning of this post, this is how I approach a  photo when I want to take my time and really flush out a great image. It doesn’t mean photos taken off the cuff are bad, they just are different. I tend to get better images when I take my time and go through the checklist in my head. Sometimes this process goes quickly, other times it takes longer. It all depends on day and scene.

Travel Tips for Getting Around Seoul

tips for getting around Seoul

Seoul is a huge metropolis with millions of people that call the city home, as well as added US military population and tourists, which make the city very crowded.  Seoul can also seem incredibly overwhelming to people visiting, with a sprawling land area and divided into more than 20 districts in the city itself, it’s massive.  Because of its sheer size, it can be daunting how to figure out how to get around the city, to be able to see the areas you want to see and make your experience easier in this South Korean city.

These following options for transport are definitely not the only options but they are the easiest for me when I’m in Seoul and the options I am most familiar with.  Once you figure out a few options and some tips for each one, it makes it much easier to explore the lovely city of Seoul!

tips for getting around Seoul
If you know where you’re headed and your destination is close by (within a mile or so), I would recommend walking.  It’s the best way to get a sense of the area, to take in the unique shops and restaurants along your route and to get a feel for the local culture.  It’s also one of the best ways to blend in and it’s one of my favorite ways to just spend a few hours, just wandering and taking in the sights.
Tips for Walking in Seoul
-Watch out for motorbikes as they drive on the sidewalks and often won’t stop for pedestrians.
-Wait for the pedestrian lights at crosswalks, don’t jay walk.
-Pay for the international data on your cell phone when traveling to Seoul so that you can use Google Maps on your phone while out and about, you’ll need it!

 

tips for getting around Seoul

The subway in Seoul is a great system and connects the whole city.  I’ve used it on multiple trips and it’s always really useful and efficient.  And with the intense traffic in many areas of Seoul, the subway will also save you a great amount of time from one place to another.  I took it from Dongdaemun to Gangnam this past trip (which would probably take 45 minutes by car) and was there in 20 minutes on the subway.  The trains are clean and modern and the stations are as well.  The nice thing as well is that the ticket machines in the Seoul subways have options in English which makes it super easy to use.

Tips for using the Subway in Seoul
-Print off or buy an English subway map before you go.  The ones in the stations are only in Korean.
-Don’t block the escalators.  If you’re standing still on the escalators, stay to the right and don’t block the path.  People will be walking past you if they are in a hurry.
-Don’t sit in the handicap seats on the train.  These are strictly reserved for older people or people with dissabilities.

tips for getting around Seoul

If it’s too far to walk and you’re not sure enough of where you’re headed to take the subway, taxis in Seoul can be a good option.  But remember, you’ll sit in traffic in a taxi so be sure you have enough time.  Also keep in mind most taxi drivers there won’t speak any English so be prepared for that and have a sense of where you’re headed beforehand.

Tips for taking Taxis in Seoul

-Before you leave, ask your hotel for a location card.  Most hotels there have small postcards that show the hotel address and location in Korean, so when your driver doesn’t speak English, you can hand them the card.
-Learn how to say hello (Annyeong-haseyo) and thank you (gamsamnida) to be polite.
-Keep an eye on your route so that if you’re headed in the wrong way you can ask them to stop.

Traveling to South Korea?

See all of my posts on the country!

Seoul Favorites from a Frequent Visitor

My Seoul Favorites from a Frequent Visitor

Seoul has always been a city I enjoy and a place that has so much to offer.  I loved getting to revisit so many of the places and areas in Seoul I enjoy on this recent trip and it reminded me of all my favorite things to do and see while in the Korean city.  Seoul is huge and sprawls a large distance, but it’s surprisingly interconnected and while each area has its own unique feeling, it also has a very true sense of where you are.  So today, here are some of my favorite things to do and see in Seoul!

Seoul Favorites from a Frequent Visitor
Seoul has an incredibly interesting cityscape, with modern high rises covered in glass right next to run down old markets and housing buildings.  The juxtaposition of old and new, modern and outdated, colorful and neutral adds a fascinating edge to the city of Seoul.  For such a huge metropolis, the city also has spots that feel like a small town, like wandering through the stalls of markets on Dongdaemun which is only a few minutes away from the  large crowded modern avenues of Meyong-Dong.  Seoul seamlessly blends old and new in a very unique way and it’s so interesting to stroll the streets and see where the two come together.

 

Seoul Favorites from a Frequent Visitor
Like many Asian cities, Seoul does not disappoint with the bright colors throughout the city.  Nowhere in Seoul will you find only neutral color schemes, from signage to street markings to rooftops, Seoul is filled to the brim with color.  The artistic quality of the Korean alphabet also adds to the playful, artistic feel of the city and the colors that burst from its seams.

 

Seoul Favorites from a Frequent Visitor
Korea in general is one of those places I look forward to visiting for the food, often above many other reasons!  From Korean BBQ to Bibimbap to ramen, Seoul (and Korea in general) has it all.  I indulged in all of the previously mentioned food options during my trip and am still craving them now that I’m home!  And in Seoul, it’s often the off road places, in the back of an alley that have the best food, so make sure to go off the beaten path!

 

Seoul Favorites from a Frequent Visitor
Korea has a gorgeous landscape and from North to South, the country is filled with rolling mountains, deep valleys and jagged cliffs.  One of the things I love most about Seoul is that regardless of its sprawl, the city is surrounded by beautiful mountains and even from the distance, you can see a ridge in the distance from almost any point in the city.  It makes you remember that the metropolis only goes so far and beyond that, the landscape of the country takes over.

 

Seoul Favorites from a Frequent Visitor
Seoul has some of the best shopping in the world, everything from high street to local shops to high end couture.  One of my favorite spots to wander the streets and do some shopping is in Myeong-Dong.  You’ll find everything here from Zara to Louis Vuitton, plus a plethora of restaurants (even some Western ones like Jamba Juice and California Pizza Kitchen).  It’s a great area to just wander and spend an afternoon shopping!

Traveling to South Korea?

See all of my posts on the country!

A Return to Seoul

return to Seoul

I returned from Korea this past weekend after five days in the country for work (the majority of the time in Seoul) and after four years since my last visit, I was anxious to see how I felt about my return trip.  While I was living in Hawaii a few years ago, I went back and forth regularly to Korea.  In that time, I got very familiar with the country and in particular with the city of Seoul, finding places I enjoyed, restaurants I liked, coffee shops, shopping, everything I needed, I came to find places in Seoul that became my “regular” spots.  I spent a great deal of time wandering the streets, enjoying the culture, and finding myself growing very much in love with the country.  Yet during that time as well, Seoul provided something for me I couldn’t get elsewhere in my life at that time.  It was a constant, a place that offered me much time for soul searching, a place that gave me the space I needed from an otherwise difficult few years.  Seoul (and Korea in general) will always be the place I credit for many of my life decisions that have gotten me to this point today, a place that I would sit in a coffee shop writing or looking out my hotel room window at night and planning my next steps, learning what was important in my life and what wasn’t.  Korea was also my first taste of international travel again after a many year absence and with that, it will always stay close to my heart for the reason that it ignited my passion for the world again.

And so after four years between my last and this most recent visit to Seoul, I was anxious to see how I felt about returning.  Would I still love it?  Would I feel the same way I did about it as I did before?  And the answer I realized is more complicated than that.  The last time I was in Korea (before this trip) I was only 24 years old, not yet married and Nick and I had been doing long distance for a while.  I was at a point in my life where I was sort of drifting, a point where I hadn’t quite realized what I wanted or who I was fully.  This trip made that all the more clear and as I look around me now, I’m almost 28 years old, in a completely different phase of life, happy with my choices, with what I’ve built.  And yet this trip still proved my love affair with Korea will always be strong, I still love the chaotic streets, the delicious food, the landscape, the people.  Yet I also realized that Seoul doesn’t necessarily hold the same meaning to me that it used to.  It will always be a place I credit much to in my life, a place I will always hold dear, but I realized on this trip that while some places mean something to you in specific phases of your life, over time, that significance changes.  It doesn’t mean it’s any less significant, but it brings out different things in you, it changes you in different ways.

My return to Seoul was eye opening and helped me really grasp how much I’ve changed in the past four years.  I felt a different sort of pull this trip, a different kind of emotion, much more sure of who I am and how the city was significant in my life.  My return to Seoul proved that places can mean different things at different times in our lives, that they can teach us more than we might think and that those places that fall into our lives (often by random circumstances) are there for a reason.  My return to Seoul made me realize that Korea will always be a place that teaches me, that allows me to pull from it the emotions I need at whatever point in my life and a place I’ll be eternally grateful for experiencing.

Traveling to South Korea?

See all of my posts on the country!

Denver : Larimer Square & LoDo

After spending the morning in the city center of Denver, we ventured down to Larimer Square and LoDo.  Larimer Square is a really cute few blocks of Denver with amazing restaurants, strings of lights hanging over the streets and renovated brick buildings filled with character.  We wandered the area and decided to stop for lunch at Osteria Marco.  I had read about this restaurant before going, but wasn’t sure our schedule would permit us to get to eat there.  It ended up perfectly for a late, leisurely lunch while we were in the area and it was hands down some of the most delicious Italian food I’ve ever had.  Order the burrata, the spinach salad and a homemade pizza and you won’t be disappointed!


After lunch we headed a few blocks further to explore the LoDo area (nickname for Lower Downtown) and both of these spots were my favorite areas of the city.  LoDo reminded me a lot of Portland’s Pearl District, an area where they took old warehouses and renovated them into lofts and townhouses, complete with restaurants and shops on the ground floors.  While LoDo has a much more “Western” type feel than Portland’s Pearl, we really enjoyed walking around the area and taking in the brick buildings and Denver’s beautifully renovated Union Station.  The area was bustling on a Saturday afternoon, restaurants packed and lots of people out enjoying the nice weather.  


We finished the evening with dinner at Cholon Bistro, another must-eat spot in Denver.  The Asian fusion restaurant was delicious and while we were entirely too full after our meal of wanting to try everything, it was well worth it!  As the sun started to set we jumped on the Free Mall Ride bus again and rode it up to Civic Center Park as I mentioned yesterday, then headed back to our hotel for an early night in, in preparation for our early flight home the following day.  

Overall I really enjoyed seeing Denver and having a day to just wander around the city.  I really liked LoDo and Larimer Square and would focus more of my time there next time, but overall it was a great weekend trip and I’m happy to add Denver as a place we enjoyed exploring!

Denver : City Center & Civic Center Park

I’m in Seoul, South Korea currently for work but today I’m reminiscing about our quick weekend trip to Denver a few days ago.  In August Nick and I discovered we needed just a couple thousand miles more to make our MVP status again with Alaska Airlines, so we jumped on Alaska’s Fall fare sale and decided to check out a city thats been on our list for a while.  So…we ended up spending a day in Denver and really enjoyed it.

We started our quick trip to Denver with a morning walk through the City Center to meet friends in the area for breakfast.  On a Saturday morning, we were quite surprised with how quiet this part of the city was, though it did seem to be mostly business buildings, we were surprised that the majority of this part of Denver would only be busy during the work week.  In Portland, our downtown is busy all the time and merges the live/work scenarios, so I’m always surprised when we visit other places that still have such a divide.  


We had breakfast with friends, then walked up a few blocks to the Civic Center Park where the Capitol building and Denver USA Mint buildings are located.  Along with a couple small parks and beautiful old architecture, we spent some time exploring.  Walking a few more blocks, we came upon the Denver Art Musuem, complete with large sculptures of various things and took in the interesting architecture of the museum and surrounding areas.  


We spent the rest of the day exploring other areas of Denver (more to come on that tomorrow) but at sunset we decided to head back up to this area, as Nick wanted a sunset shot of the large Colorado Capitol building with its classic architecture.  We grabbed the Free Mall Ride bus (an amazing perk of Denver) and took it all the way up to the Civic Center Park.  We spent a bit of time enjoying the cool evening and the sun setting over the city while Nick finished up his photos and we headed back to our hotel.  

While this wasn’t my favorite part of the city, it was definitely worth seeing and experiencing.  The high rises in this part of Denver are so different than the areas like Larimer Square and LoDo (which I’m touching on tomorrow), that the contrast is interesting to experience and explore.

How To KEEP Your Job & Travel the World

I’ve seen so many posts recently about how to quit your job, travel and live out of a suitcase in order to see the world.  I’m always wary about that topic when I read different posts because that doesn’t work for the majority of people and for me, it’s never appealed to me for a number of reasons.  The first, is that I like to travel a certain way and to do that, I need to earn money, which in turn means I need a job.  Secondly, I happen to love the profession I chose and love my job as an Interior Designer and my career is still a priority in my life.  Thirdly, I enjoy having a home base (which I’ve talked about here) and I enjoy the life I’ve built here in Portland, enough that I don’t want to just give it up to live out of a suitcase.  The thing is, it’s still entirely possible to hold a successful job, to have a home life in your city of choice and to still travel often.  And today I’m here to tell you that you can indeed keep your job and still travel the world as much as you want.

Choose a profession you enjoy that you don’t want to escape from.
I think one problem many people face is that they choose a profession or job that they don’t enjoy, which in turn takes its toll and makes you want to escape from it.  And while I definitely have days when the last thing I want to do is work or when I’m beyond frustrated with job-related things, the majority of the time I love what I do.  If you choose a profession or job you enjoy, it will make all the difference.  The first step to being able to travel and keep your job, is to love your job enough that you don’t want to quit it to travel.

If you want to change jobs, look for jobs with travel opportunities or good PTO.
If you are, however, in a situation where you don’t like your job and it’s making you think about quitting, then I would suggest, in order to keep a home base and travel, that you look for jobs with travel opportunities (there are actually a lot more out there than you think that involve travel) or that have good paid time off options.  My company offers both (travel opportunities and PTO) and I take full advantage of both whenever I can.  There are also many companies out there that offer sabbatical time or personal leave time as well which can come in really handy for trips.

Set aside money each month for travel and don’t use it for anything else.
Nick and I have been doing this pretty religiously ever since we started traveling a lot about 4 years ago.  We put aside any extra money into a savings account that is deemed only for use on travel related items.  This includes all reservation expenses as well as spending cash while we’re traveling.  Almost the entire amount of money I make from my side business as well goes into this account.  It’s an account we don’t touch for anything else, which helps it build up quicker than if we were often drawing from it.  It may even be as little as $25 per paycheck, but over time that can really build up if you don’t touch it except for travel.

Use every holiday and weekend at your disposal + vacation days to travel.
The question I get asked most often is how can we take so much time off of work to travel.  I know it may look like we’re out traveling constantly from this blog, but if you watch my Instagram feed or know me personally, you’ll see we only travel on weekends or holidays for our small trips.  For larger trips abroad, we use the vacation days we’re allotted, no more, no less.  In the US, we’re given around 15 vacation days a year (this varies a bit per company but that’s what ours end up around).  We use all of them but it takes planning and research to make everything work as well.  That’s why at the beginning of the year we sit down and plan out our travel year ahead, that way we can make each vacation day, weekend and holiday count as much as possible.  You’ll be able to add a lot more travel to your normal day to day life when using holidays and weekends to your advantage.

Learn to see more in a short period of time.
Another thing I hear a lot of is how we see so much in a short period of time.  People always say to me “you’re going there for only a day? You need more time to see it than that.”  And the fact of this is that everyone is different.  Nick and I don’t need to linger a long time at a place, we like getting there, seeing what we want and moving on.  If we love it, we’ll go back another time.  If we don’t, we saw what we wanted to and experienced it.  To be able to fit a lot of traveling into a normal working life, it’s important to take advantage of even small chunks of time to see what you want to see.  People thought we were crazy when we went to Iceland for 3 1/2 days, but you know what, we saw a lot of the country and it is still one of our favorite trips to date.  You can make short trips work to your advantage if you’re willing to take advantage of the time there.

Plan ahead.
This is perhaps the most important part of being able to keep your job and your home and still travel: planning.  Without planning ahead, you won’t be able to take advantage of time off or the best deals to save money.  I suggest sitting down at the beginning of the year and looking ahead, planning where  you want to go and when it will work best for you.  Plan out your days off, plan ahead on how much it will cost and go from there.

*Note – I’m not touching on the financial aspects of this lifestyle in this post but have in other posts previously.  But I will say that it is entirely possible (with hard work) to live in the US and travel abroad frequently if you choose to do so.  

You can read about some of the budget savings strategies I’ve outlined for financial tips to travel often here:
How to Travel To Europe (from the US) on a Budget
How to Get Around Europe (On a Budget)
Easy (& Less Known) Ways to Save Money While Traveling
How to Add More Travel to Your Life




10 Foods You Must Try Around the World

One of my favorite things about traveling is trying different kinds of food all over the world.  It’s no secret that Nick and I both love to try different food, even here at home in Portland, and it’s something that makes travel so fun for us is to find amazing food around the world.  So far in our travels, we’ve had some incredible meals around the globe, food we still crave to this day and when we look back at some of our trips, some of our favorite memories are the food we had there.  So today, here are the 10 foods you must try in your lifetime, from all around the world.  Obviously this list is only comprehensive of places we’ve been so far and will grow over time, but for today, here is the list (from places we’ve been so far) of the foods that have changed how we think of certain destinations.

Whether it’s croissants, macarons or tarts, France has some of the best pastries in the entire world.  Many other countries try to replicate what France is famous for, but very few stand up to the test so spend your time in France tasting every pastry you can find.

Even though my extent of time in Japan is to a few hour layover at Narita Airport earlier this year, one thing I can tell you is that ramen in Japan (even in the airport) is nothing like it is anywhere else in the world.  I’ve had a lot of ramen in my life in places with heavy Asian influence like Hawaii, but the ramen we enjoyed in Japan (and I know it wasn’t even the best that Japan has to offer in the airport) was amazing.

One of the meals Nick and I still talk about regularly, the Cambodian BBQ we had on our last night in Siem Reap is one of the best meals we’ve had traveling, ever.  This BBQ/noodle soup was seriously incredible and I crave it often.

You really can’t go to Italy and not have gelato because it’s pretty amazing.  The texture and flavors are not easily replicated elsewhere and I had gelato for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert during our few trips through the country.  I’m partial to Stracciatella but all the flavors are delicious!

One day while in Marrakech, Nick and I had lunch at a little restaurant near the Koutoubia Mosque.  We ordered chicken bastille and devoured it.  A few hours later for dinner, we ventured back to the same restaurant and ordered it again… it was that amazing.  This layered pie type dish is filled with ground chicken, nuts and spices, wrapped in filo dough and then covered in powdered sugar and cinnamon.  It’s one of those dishes that really shouldn’t work, but it just somehow does.

If you like Indian food, there is obviously no place to have better Indian food than in India itself.  My favorite dish, Aloo Ghobi, is a mixture of spiced potatoes and cauliflower and I devoured the dish many times on our trip to India earlier this year.  Nick is still asking every Indian restaurant we go to if they have Butter Naan like we had in India and to his disappointment, no they don’t.  I’m not sure what they did to it, but the butter naan we had in India along with Aloo Ghobi was simply incredible.

One thing my time in Korea was not short on was food.  My coworkers would take me out to eat a lot while I was there working and one thing we had a lot of (which was totally ok with me) was Korean BBQ.  I’ve never tasted meat like that before (or since) and something about the small side dishes served with the BBQ’ed meat was just irresistible.

On our last trip through the UK last November, we had Sticky Toffee Pudding almost every night there.  This incredible dessert is hard to find in the US but one of my favorites.  Served with clotted cream or ice cream and caramel sauce, it’s hard to not love this rich dessert.

One thing that could get me back to New Orleans (which wasn’t my favorite city all together) are the beignets.  I couldn’t get enough of these fried dough shapes covered in heaps of powdered sugar.  

I don’t eat a lot of lobster but I couldn’t pass up the chance for a lobster roll in Maine last year.  It was everything I hoped, moist lobster on a fresh roll and a butter sauce making it sweet.  You can’t pass up a chance to sample this famous dish while in New England!

The Truth About Traveling : How You Change When You Travel

I’ve talked a lot on this blog about the places that I’ve learned incredibly valuable lessons while traveling, the moments I’ve had in places around the world that have changed me, but I’ve never actually mentioned all the ways that travel changes you in your daily life when you come home.  After that trip is over, when your bags are unpacked and all the laundry is done and you get to your normal day to day life, where in your life do those lessons you learned while seeing the world come in?  The truth is, they sneak in in different ways, they merge into your daily life, sometimes without us even really knowing it.  The lessons the world, and travel, have to teach us, often times become so ingrained in our lives that we don’t even realize their origin.  But no doubt, their origin is what is most important, their origin are all those places we’ve seen as travelers, all those places that have left such marks on our souls and those people we’ve met along the way all around the globe.  Travel changes you, there is no doubt about that, but the ways that it changes you are more complex.  And the lessons travel teaches and how it teaches them to you will change the way you live, for the better.
You realize how small the world is and how what is going on on the other side of the globe, really does affect you too.
I’ve had some perception of this notion since the day I was born, the consequence of growing up as an expat in a foreign country half way around the world from my native country.  I grew up knowing that the world was a lot smaller than we give it credit for and that only rapidly became a popular notion when the internet came into existence and we could suddenly connect with people anywhere on the planet at all hours of the day instantly.  That notion, if you really think about it, is pretty incredible but it also creates a network around the world that means what happens in a particular place at a particular time, affects us too wherever we are.  If a stock market collapses in Asia, it affects us in the US.  If a war or conflict breaks out in Africa, it affects us in the US.  Everything is connected and therefore everything affects us in one way or another.  Whether that is a good or bad thing is a topic for another day, but it’s something you realize a lot more after you travel and see how all these countries around the globe are connected.
You look at your own country differently.  
My belief systems have changed a lot over the past 10 years since I turned 18 and started thinking about our political systems and how my country is governed.  And while my general ideologies remain the same, I have found that after traveling and seeing how people live and govern in other parts of the world, I am more critical of certain aspects and more grateful for others in my own country.  The things that I once felt were so vital to our country, no longer feel as vital.  And the things that I once didn’t know much about, have become more vital to what I believe.  You will look at your country and its leaders much differently after you travel, for better or for worse.
You look at our environment differently and want to protect it.
If you’ve wandered the smoggy streets of India or experienced sand storms in the Middle East, you realize very fast that climate change and global warming is a very real thing.  Often in the West, we don’t realize a lot of what’s happening around the world environmentally because it doesn’t affect our day to day lives.  We don’t see how taking a shorter shower or not running the water while we brush our teeth affects our planet, we don’t see how our millions of giant cars in the US (often with only 1 person inside of them) are creating a layer of smog the world over, we don’t see how that styrofoam container we’re using is polluting our waters, never disintegrating and killing wildlife.  Those are things that we’re told, things that we never actually lay our eyes on.  But when you travel the world and see how much of that is affecting societies elsewhere, when you breath in the horrific smog for yourself or see rivers polluted, you realize first hand how much damage we’re all doing to our Earth and what we can do to help protect it.  
You are grateful for necessities that you’ve always taken for granted.
I’ve never had to walk miles for a bucket of water or wonder if I’m going to have dinner tonight.  I’ve never had to worry about having a roof over my head or be able to get medical attention if I need it.  But the fact is, those things we take for granted in the West, are things that much of the world still doesn’t have.  We have necessities in my home country that people dream about around the world.  It’s when you travel to places like India or Morocco where you realize that there are lots of countries, beautiful and enriching countries, that don’t have those things we take for granted every day and it makes you appreciate what we have and not take them for granted.
You realize that life is meant to be lived. 
There is no better way to learn that life is meant to be lived than through traveling.  Once you escape the ideology that we’re just supposed to work every day, make money to put in a bank, get married and have kids because we’re supposed to and just keep doing the same thing day after day, you realize that this life we have is supposed to be about living each day to the fullest, opening up our eyes to things that sometimes we don’t want to see, seeing this planet we call home with our own eyes and never waiting until tomorrow to accomplish something we believe in, you realize that traveling has a way of opening our souls.  It has a way of showing us parts of ourselves we wouldn’t have found otherwise and pushing us to be better people, more mindful of ourselves and the world around us.  

Travel

Travel Tips
Truth About Travel
Destinations
What to Wear

Life

Portland
Thoughts
At Home with LOM
Expat Kid in Saudi Arabia

Favorite Destinations

Paris
London
Iceland
Tokyo

Travel Reviews

Hotel Reviews
Restaurant Reviews
Activity Reviews
Airline Reviews

Disclaimer

All content on this blog, including photos and written words, are my property and may not be taken without my written consent to do so.