Constant State of Motion

One more piece…

constantstateofmotion — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:31:53 +0000

I just randomly decided to check the Sheboygan Press Website this morning to see if they accept freelance pieces. A friend of mine just opened a new lounge near downtown, and I figured I could write a little something and submit it. THIS was the front page photo of the website this morning – and it serves as ONE MORE PIECE of evidence that solidifies my commitment never to return to this place.

Not really sure who these people are or what they are doing, but SERIOUSLY? THIS was the choice for the cover of an online newspaper?

The Importance of Family.

constantstateofmotion — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:34:12 +0000

I know the whole point of this thing is to highlight my ADD-fueled travel inspirations and the like, but there is one thing slightly off topic that I feel needs to be touched upon. When you are out and about travelling, whether it be to Europe or South America or Africa, in the back of your mind you always need to have one small iota of hope that in the event everything turns sour tomorrow, you have a home to come back to. Family is more incredibly important than you know – beyond anything tangible or emotional – knowing that you have a safety net (and a warm bed) to come home to means exponentially more than your next destination or your scandalous fraternity abroad.

That one small iota of hope I had has just shut it’s door on me. Like a minute ago. And as I stared at this blank “Add New Post” screen barely able to balance my head on my shoulders and completely deflated of any possibility of emotion I thought I’d share.

Good night.

WWOOF

constantstateofmotion — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:48:40 +0000

Hopefully you didn’t expect me to bark or something. Actually, WWOOF-ing as it is so affectionately called, is the participation in work in exchange for room and board on organic farms throughout the world. Not only is this a perfect way to get experience living and working in a different country – but it also allows those passionate about sustainability and natural foods a means to pursue their hobbies. In a recent article about a first timers guide to WWOO-ing, the author invites us to her lessons learned and hardships survived as she decides to give it a go.

WWOOF-ing was something I considered, but have recently forewent. Not really my thing…

Sometimes…

constantstateofmotion — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:37:32 +0000

It occurred to me lately that even though you are travelling, and often times having the time of your life – there are certain things that simply can’t be pushed to the periphery, blocked out of your mind or otherwise ignored. That being said, I stumbled upon this article that introduces us to a little how-to do the whoo-whoo when you’re away.

I liked the article – I like even more that you can tell it is written by travel writers who have stayed at hostels and know what the best spots are when you are staying in 12-bed dorm and stumble home drunk with someone who most likely wont make it through the night…

Speaking of nights, and for those of you who know the story – they conveniently left out those small little alleys in Tuscan hill towns that fall eerily dark and desolate after sundown…

Moving to Paris Broke as Hell

constantstateofmotion — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:01:28 +0000

The more and more time I spend on this website, the more I am falling in love with it. In a recent article titled “How to Move to Paris with No Money,” author Tom Dibblee introduces readers to the mandatory steps to settling into the City of Lights without a dime in your pocket. He has lived in Paris, so he would know a couple of things beyond my personal experience, but the recommendations that he makes are tremendously helpful and effective at moving to Paris and setting up shop without immediately even having a place to stay.

Although I praise his ingenuity and his ability to think outside the box in terms of what it takes to successfully move to one of the most expensive cities on the globe, I’m not so sure Americans – especially people without the inherent traveller mentality – are going to willing to do what is necessary to accomplish their goals of settling down in Paris; like eating only carrot salad and a bag of peanuts…I like how he mentions Franprix though, because they are pretty interesting little shoppes that litter Paris with inexpensive eats and the daily necessities of life in a big city, kind of like a big Walgreens – but I’m not sure I would necessarily grocery shop at them when the Sunday Markets can be a huge source for everything you need for the week at a fraction of what it would cost to shop every day.

Again though, these options aren’t necessarily the most glamorous. He mentions that you can pick up 150g bag of peanuts and a carrot salad for 1.5E, which doesn’t make all that much sense to me when I bought a couple of 2-foot long baguettes and about 3/4 inch of pate for only 3.5E at the market on Sunday. If you aren’t off-put by a liver pate and baguette, it kept me full for almost three days, which is a small price to pay – and much more flavorful than carrot salad and peanuts…

I enjoyed the article, but I think it could have potentially been a bit more comprehensive. For example, sure couchsurfing works, but it is so tremendously temporary that it is more of a place to land and crash for a couple of nights and adjust to the time difference rather than a place to stay for 2 weeks while you find a flat to rent. Also, preparing yourself ahead of time with something like a TEFL Certificate will GREATLY improve your chances of landing a job and he fails to mention anything of that.

Travel Abroad, why not Study there?

constantstateofmotion — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:29:24 +0000

So I have recently become a fan of the Matador Network. More specifically is the Matador Abroad page that I just linked to, which is a collection of all kinds of interesting stories about expats abroad and the issues that often impact people travelling abroad, especially those that aren’t staying at the Ritz-Carlton and eating at Joel Robuchon for dinner every night enjoying the 1984 Vintage of Bordeaux. I really an enjoying the site, so much so that it made it to my bookmarks list, which is pretty impressive – I’m kind of picky.

An article that is interesting me now more than ever though, is the one on attending Grad School abroad.

Right now I am at a place in my life where I am not quite ready – or prepared financially, emotionally – to jump into an entry level position somewhere doing someone elses bitch work, going out for a beer after said job only to complain about it with my friends. So as I start to organize the next chapter of my life, there are a couple of things that inevitably I would like to include. The Masters Degree, Europe and Dog are the top three right now.

After reading that article, I have no idea why I wouldn’t at least explore the possibility of getting a masters degree abroad! I didn’t even necessarily know that it was possible without all kinds of Visas and Red Tape, but apparently the University of Barcelona is offering a ton of degrees in postgraduate education that not only would interest me, but would be a huge benefit for me back home – because of course I would like to return to the US eventually – probably to teach. SO not only can I get a degree while living and working in Barcelona for two years, but I would be able to wake up every morning in a climate that is outstanding, with beautiful people everywhere – run everyday an, oh yeah, get a DOG!!

I’m kind of excited. I need to do more research, but if the University of Barcelona teaches my degree in English rather than Spanish – consider myself as officially finding a Graduate Program I am interested in…

Ever Heard of the Samana Peninsula? Neither Have I…

constantstateofmotion — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:51:41 +0000

I just got the most recent issue of Budget Travel Magazine and the front cover immediately caught my eye. “Secret Islands,” it claims, with an insider’s guide to Oahu, Thailand without the tourists and caribbean hotels. What caught my eye the most however, was “The Wild Side of the Dominican Republic.”

Dominica is supposed to be the least travelled and adventurous island of the caribbean – but the island with the closely related name is more famous for white-nosed sunburnt Americans inundating all-inclusives. The Dominican Republic never crossed my mind on that account – I like to get away, not relocate to a sunnier America where the food is stale and the people are LAME.

After reading the article, which highlights the Samana Peninsula off the northeast coast of the island, I am genuine intrigued and would actually love to visit. Apparently the Europeans have beat us to it, because you are apparently more likely to bump into a french expat or tourist at the fruit stand than an American.

It is refreshingly hard to find as well; clearly marked street signs or paved roads simply don’t exist and ATV’s are the preferred method of motorized transport. A huge plate of grilled shrimp costs US$9, and a cup of coffee is US$.50.

Sounds like my kind of vacation. I’m ready. You can check out pictures and the entire story by clicking here.

Key West 2010

constantstateofmotion — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:40:26 +0000

Shortly after posting the Key West idea, a friend of mine and I had a conversation about our 2008 adventure and she is completely on board with a repeat.

I am posting this on my blog because we are going to need 5 people total. 5 like minded mildly insane individuals who:

Don’t mind passing out in a Van, but otherwise essentially being street people
Will ultimately have to shower (and shave) in pirated hotel bathrooms and beach showers
Know how to party – and can hold their own (alcohol)
Don’t get annoyed with close quarters, being exhausted or terribly hungover for 3 days straight

Itinerary.

We plan to leave on a Saturday at Midnight.

Arrival is at midnight Sunday. Sleep a bit.

Party Monday All-Day

Party Tuesday All-Day

Party Wednesday All-Day

Leave around 900a Thursday Morning (Departure time flexible, depending on Wednesday Night)

Arrive in Milwaukee 900a Friday. Sleep. Work at 400p.

Cost.

Van Rental (Unless someone has a Van) $389 ($400)

Gas $585 ($600)

Total: $1000/5 = $200pp

Extraneous expenses could be about $100 per person for food and booze, but if we bring our own and pre-game it on the street, the cost at any pubs will be significantly less. Not to mention we will have a cooler, so we can pack our own food. And yes, they have a Taco Bell if all else fails.

Dates and other details will be posted soon.

Key West?

constantstateofmotion — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:02:35 +0000

So initially I was thinking about doing a cruise for the couple of days that we’re off in January because the restaurant decided to install new kitchen floors. Wrong idea. There really isn’t anything about a cruise that gets me all that excited to be honest – and they cost a LOT of money compared to other similar vacations. Sure, the price for a cruise right now is pretty affordable, but I’m on HOLIDAY, which means some serious intoxication, and because alcohol isn’t included in the sailing price, it just doesn’t make any sense.

Not that there isn’t more to a vacation than binge drinking, but when you are on a cruise, which means no driving, nothing necessarily to look forward too the next day and essentially no such thing as “bar close,” it would just suck to have to settle a $500 bar tab at the end of a 4 day sail.

It can be done. Laura, Brittany, Heather, Dory and Me living in a van and partying all night in Key West.

That being said, and taking into consideration my incessant need to for travelling cheap and making an adventure out of everything, the only thing that I can think of to do for five days in January that wont cost a ton of money is to get a bunch (5) of people together – rent a Minivan, and drive to Key West. Of course the hotels and bars in Key West are going to be insanely expensive that time of year. Solution: party all night until you get kicked out of the bars, pass out for a couple hours in the Van until the beaches open, and spend the day on the beach recovering with a LOT of water. Alcohol is expensive too, so you leave Wisconsin with a cooler in the back packed to the brim with bottles of whatever, ice it when you hit Miami – and you’re ready to roll for the next couple of days.

This might actually work.

Couchsurfing.

constantstateofmotion — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:41:26 +0000

For the official website of the content posted here, please visit this link.

As an addendum to the earlier post about travelling cheap, couchsurfing deserves mention.

There are hotels of course, with lavish lobbies and amazing rooms with all the creature comforts of home, and then there are hostels, which offer dormitory style accommodation that may or may not be for everyone. Of course they cost considerably less, and offer a more cultural experience meeting people and making friends, but nothing beats couchsurfing, where you are staying literally on some persons couch in the city you are visiting. It costs nothing, although it is good etiquette to buy a round of drinks or somehow show gratitude through a gift. Not only then do you get the ultimate cultural experience of staying with a local who knows the best bars, nightlife and sights, but it doesn’t cost anything, and “hosts” are the coolest people you have ever met.

It’s worth considering for sure. I have posted the link above for you to check out, I couchsurfed once in Belize, and plan to do it on my return trip to Europe this spring…It’s the ultimate cheap travel option for accommodation.