When people hear that we’ve been traveling around the world, they often imagine the two of us relaxing on a beach, drinking mai tais and reclining under flaming tiki torches.
Sure.
In reality, it’s no wonder that the word “travel” is derived from the French word travail meaning “to work hard, to toil.” While we may occasionally indulge in beachside cocktails here and there, our days are typically filled with on-the-fly problem solving in ever-changing contexts: finding decent places to sleep, negotiating safe transport, and keeping ourselves well and well-fed so that we may focus on understanding the places we visit and the people we meet.
But this makes independent travel sound like something of an exercise in endurance. Much more than that, it facilitates the development and sharpening of a rather specific set of life skills that not only come in handy on the road but also translate in the real world (you know, the place where tiki torches are replaced by fluorescent track lights). Continue Reading »
- The Joy of Living Deliberately: 7 Questions
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Travelers
- Two Years On, What Have We Learned?
- Are You a Stuff Junkie or an Experience Junkie?
- How To Travel Outside Your Comfort Zone
- Living Outside Your Comfort Zone
Filed Under: Personal Growth, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
69 Comments | 29 September 2009
The driver carved his way across northern West Bengal through territory unknown to most, including the mapmakers. Our SUV eventually rolled to a stop at the end of a dirt road where a group of village women dressed in their best and brightest saris were seated in a semi-circle on the ground. They had been waiting for hours.
And they were waiting for us.
Continue Reading »
- The Face of Microfinance in Guatemala
- Microfinance Panoramas from Guatemala
- Microfinance Diaries: Seeing is Believing in West Bengal
- Machu Picchu? Not Yet. A Slideshow of the Other Peru
Filed Under: India, Perspectives by: Audrey Scott
10 Comments | 19 September 2009
Filed Under: Central America, Food by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
20 Comments | 11 September 2009
As we close out our reflections on Central America (don’t worry, food comes next), we are reminded of the places and moments — the good, the bad, the idiosyncratic, the illustrative — from our zigzag chicken bus journey across Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
Let’s dig in. Continue Reading »
- The Golden Plantain Awards: Central America’s Best and Worst
- The Golden Plantain Awards: Best of Central American Food
Filed Under: Central America, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
8 Comments | 5 September 2009
