Canada's Adventure Couple

CN Tower Edgewalk – Taking on The World’s Highest Sky Walk
Top 10 Things To See and Do in Wisconsin
Moroccan Cuisine – Foods to Try and How to Eat Them
8 Things That Can Make or Break Your Hiking Adventure
Travel Blog Gold! Honored to win Two Years in a Row
10 Expert Tips to Ease the Stress of Holiday Travel
What My Kids Learned from Living in the Dominican Republic
Antarctica Photography – 8 Easy Tips and Tricks
7 of the Best Mix and Match Travel Clothes for Women
Solo Traveller Confessions – Amusement and Self Discovery in Kyoto
How Travel Helped us Live a Full Life
Create Lasting Memories in your Own Backyard

CN Tower Edgewalk – Taking on The World’s Highest Sky Walk

Posted: 06 Nov 2015 05:42 AM PST

Are you nervous? “No, it’s just a walk around the block.” That was the reply my dad gave me when I asked him if he was nervous as we prepared to go on the world’s highest sky walk. The CN Tower Edgewalk, may be the highest hands-free circular skywalk in the world, but it’s more than just a walk; It’s Toronto’s most extreme attraction!

CN Tower EdgeWalk

We met at the base of the world’s third highest tower for our safety briefing. My mom was a nervous wreck thinking about all of us going outside up in the air, but she was able to watch us get ready from behind the glass wall. And once we were outside, there are cameras that broadcast the skywalk to videos in the CN Tower Observation deck.

The 3 Muskateers taking on the EdgeWalk

After signing our waivers and watching the video of the previous group, we left mom and started to suit up for our adventure ahead.

Read about the Calgary Tower

Dad signing his life away

We all changed into our red jumpsuits and took off anythings that could possibly fall off our bodies.

Dad and Dave in their EdgeWalk Jump Suits

There’s no jewelry (even wedding rings need to be taped) no hairpins or combs and no cameras allowed. Your guide wears a camera on his helmet and shoots photos and videos of the adventure so you are free to enjoy each and every moment of your time over Toronto.

Hands Free

After checking to make sure we hadn’t been drinking, doing a final check of our harnesses and signing our lives away on the waiver form, we were on the elevator climbing to the 116 floor of the 147 story structure.

Feeling confident after a few tests of the nerves

I felt nervous of how I’d react standing on the edge of the steel platform looking down on the city below. I’d seen photographs of people leaning over the edge and I wasn’t sure if I’d like it or not. Dad on the other hand, was cool as a cucumber.

Like doing things like the CN Tower EdgeWalk? Check out our Adrenaline Junkie adventures

Dad is cool as a cucumber on the EdgeWalk

Dave had broken his pinky toe that morning (I’m not joking!) and was worried about doing the walk, but he sucked up the pain and was thrilled that he didn’t drop out. It’s an adventure of a lifetime that you don’t want to miss!

Dave is happy he came!

Check out the Video of our CN Tower EdgeWalk

Like the CN Tower EdgeWalk Video? Subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly travel videos

We all walked out single file and our guide made Dave the anchor man at the back of the pack. Walking out was no problem at all, and we all hoot and hollered once we were standing in a line looking over Lake Ontario. Everything was fine as we got used to settling into our harnesses and feeling the wind in our faces. But I’m not going to lie, when we had to do our first nerve test, I felt a bit shaky.

The View of the Rogers Centre Below

All we had to do was walk to the edge and put our toes over the side, but my knees felt a bit weak as I shuffled closer to the side of the CN Tower. I had to chuckle when I think back to how slow everyone in our group of 5 walked to the ledge. You could see everyone’s minds saying “this isn’t normal”

Check out: The Best Adventures in New Zealand for Thrill Seekers

But the adventure around the 360 degree walk builds slowly and you are tested to try different maneuvers. The toes over the edge eventually moves to a lean over the edge and a pop up onto your tip toes. Soon you are leaning backwards and waving your hands in the air and feeling completely confident at you dangle 356 m / 1,168 ft in the air.

Hey Adrenaline Junkies: Read: Top 5 Thill Seeking Things to do Around the World

Our Group is feeling pretty comfortable!

The 30 minutes outside is well worth the $195 fee. The time outside is the perfect amount to view the city below and it’s enough time to settle your nerves so that you can really enjoy yourself high up in the sky. I wasn’t wishing for more or less time. As Goldie Locks would say, “it was just right.

Dad and Deb celebrating accomplishing the EdgeWalk

As we all stepped out of the elevator, we felt like heroes as the crowd below said to us, “Did you do that?” Yep, we’re a bunch of brave souls facing our fears dangling over the edge of the world’s highest skywalk. The fun didn’t stop there either. With your EdgeWalk pass you also given access to the Lookout, Glass Floor, SkyPod and other attractions.

Enjoying the view from inside after our EdgeWalk

Book yourself a meal at the revolving restaurant, and you could spend the entire day at what was once the tallest structure in the entire world while having an adventure that you can brag to your friends about for years to come.

Congratulations to my dad, Jim Corbeil for surviving his first adventure with ThePlanetD. He made it look so easy and is ready for more. He told us afterwards, he’s ready for skydiving!

Dad conquering the EdgeWalk

The EdgeWalk goes all year long (weather permitting) and should be booked at least a couple of days in advance. The cost is $195 CAD for the 90 minute experience. (30 minutes is spent outside) The cost also includes access to the Observation Deck, SkyPod, Glass Floor and attractions. For more information visit the CN Tower for Details.

10 Things to do in Wisconsin

10. Learn Magic Tricks from Houdini

Appleton, Wisconsin, is such a welcoming city that Harry Houdini adopted it as his own–even though he was really born in Budapest, Hungary. So, it’s no surprise that the city returned the favor by honoring Houdini with exhibits covering his life and magic tricks. The collection is housed in the History Museum at the Castle, a fascinating rough hewn stone building of Norman Revival architecture originally built as a Masonic temple. The best thing about the Appleton’s Houdini room is that it’s interactive, so you can give your own magic shows. Me, I levitated a table (with a little help from magic).

Glass fusing project

9. DIY Art at the Fire Art Studio

I love do-it-yourself, or DIY, home improvement t.v. shows, but I’d never heard of a DIY art studio before visiting The Fire Art Studio in Appleton. What happens at a DIY studio? Well, anybody can walk in off the street during business hours (Closed Mondays; open until 8 every other night but Sunday) and create their own masterpiece–with a little help, of course. After all, I knew absolutely nothing about glass fusing before selecting it from my list of options (pottery, mosaics, and more). The glass fusing was a hands-on experience with owner, Freddie Haas, there to guide me. From showing me how to safely use the tools to cut the glass, to tips on gluing the colored bits into a pattern, to “cooking” my work in the super-hot kiln and mailing it to me a week later, Freddie was an awesome teacher.

Orchard Country

8. Try Out the Cherry Pit Spit With Cherries I Picked

Okay, so this one sounds more like a tongue twister than something you can do on vacation, but it was a lot of fun! Picking the famous Montmorency tart cherries at Orchard Country Winery and Market in Fish Creek was a great introduction to all that Door County has to offer during its summer cherry season. Equipped with a pail and enthusiasm, my morning in the orchard showed me why agritourism is gaining so much popularity. Then, of course, there was the market visit with all the tastings from salsa to fresh baked cherry pie to the Lautenbach family’s Cherry Blossom wine. And if you’re wondering, nope, I didn’t win the cherry pit spit!

Goats on the Roof

7. Watch Goats on the Roof

Along with a thriving cherry industry, Door County has a strong Scandinavian heritage that’s celebrated with everything from food to summer events, like the Scandinavian Festival weekend on Washington Island or the Fyr Bal Festival in Ephraim. Visitors flock to Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant and Butik in Sister Bay for its great traditional food–and the opportunity to see their goats grazing on the sod roof of the restaurant. As they’re quick to tell you, the goats just graze up top during the day, but spend their nights on the ground, and their winters elsewhere too.

Rowleys Bay Resort

6. Dine at a Traditional Fish Boil

I don’t know about you, but I’d never heard of a fish boil until I visited Wisconsin’s Door County. There, I learned a lot about this traditional Scandinavian meal–along with the history of Sturgeon Bay–from a local storyteller masquerading as Peter Rowley, a curmudgeon who’d lived in the area in the mid-1800s.

As Peter spins his tales, he gradually adds the ingredients for Rowley Bay Resort’s first dinner sitting (the resort does two per evening). Onions are first into the large cast iron pot of water simmering over the open fire. Peter tosses in red potatoes next, and finally, chunks of white fish. The real excitement, though, comes when the oils from the boiling fish are burned off. Peter does this by pouring kerosene over the fire–not into the pot–and letting flames engulf it! Within minutes, all the fish oils floating on top of the pot boil over from the excess heat, doing a much better job than I ever have on my kitchen stove!

Then, when the entertainment is done, guests all eat dinner. In addition to the fish boil, Rowleys Bay Resort provides a buffet with additional items on the menu. And the fish? Well, it was surprisingly tasty!

General Store

5. Hike High Cliff Park and Visit the Historic General Store

When I plan an itinerary, it has to have opportunities for exercise and discovering local history–High Cliff State Park has both. The park is situated on Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin’s largest inland lake. It wasn’t, however, always a park, but was once a small thriving “company town” built around a limestone quarry that operated from 1895 to 1956. For me, the most fascinating part of my visit was talking to Cindy Muller, the park naturalist whose grandparents had lived in town. I thoroughly enjoyed her guided tour of the historic general store brick building, hearing stories about the original fixtures and artifacts. The hike was scenic and a moderate workout, with lots of views of the limestone cliffs and the lake, the Indian mounds, ruins of the old quarry, and a climb to the top of the 40 foot observation tower.

Giant muskie

4. Meet a Giant Muskie 4.5 Stories High

The giant muskie at the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum isn’t from a dinosaur era, but it sure looks like it could be. Made of fiberglass, concrete and steel, it’s a giant that dominates the park–although there are plenty of other larger-than-life fish statues to see on the grounds too. I found the whole complex impressive, much more than I’d ever anticipated seeing at a fishing museum. In fact, it has over 50,000 sportfishing artifacts, 300 mounted fish, and 1000+ boat motors.

Log rolling

3. Roll Logs Like a Lumberjack

Lumbering is hard work–but it’s also a traditional skill that’s alive and well in Hayward. I found Fred Scheer’s Lumberjack Show not only great entertainment with its humorous cast of young lumberjacks, but also a fascinating recreation of history. It’s always amazing to me when a sport grows out of an industry, especially one that has changed dramatically with technology, creating a way to keep generations of skills still relevant. With Wisconsin’s long history of lumbering, it’s no wonder that Hayward also became home to the Lumberjack World Championships. If you have log rolling somewhere back in your own family’s genetics, you can always join one of the weekly open log rolls to try your skills. For me, it’s all about the size of the splash I make when I fall, not how many turns the log will make!

Beer Factory

2. Visit a Beer Factory

Like log rolling, beer making is another traditional skill that’s making its way back into popularity in Wisconsin. There are numerous microbreweries popping up all over the state, but my favorite was the Appleton Beer Factory. Visiting the Beer Factory puts you right in the middle of the business, since the huge “beer train” of shiny vats is in the beer hall where the tasting also happens. The owners, Ben and Mairi Fogle, run a 20 barrel system with seven staple beers ranging from blonde ale to oatmeal stout. I found the black ale, a malt roasted to near charcoal, had an amazing taste with a surprisingly smooth flavor. Besides sampling the beer there, you can also have a meal, and what goes better with beer than pickled eggs with tabasco (I enjoyed a crock of Reuben chowder too)!

Kayak Lake Michigan

1. Kayak to Horseshoe Island

Kayaking is one of those sports I find more exciting with every new lake or river I try. Peninsula State Park, on Lake Michigan, provided me with the perfect opportunity to pretend I was an explorer with a one-mile paddle out to Horseshoe Island and a one-mile hike along a rustic path onshore. A friend, Mirei, and I picked up our kayaks at Nicolet Beach Rentals, then set out across the bay. I’d mostly done river kayaking before, so the wide–and deep–expanse of water seemed like an ocean to me, but I was up to the challenge. And so was Mirei, who I captured with both arms raised to celebrate her first ever paddling adventure! We both agreed it was a perfect way to spend a Wisconsin afternoon.

Divine Moroccan Cuisine: A Cooking Course in Marrakech

We spent an afternoon preparing and cooking an incredible multi-course meal at Riad El Cadi in Marrakech. When we arrived they had tea and appetizers waiting for us. The appetizers consist of fresh nuts, olives and tea.

Love Moroccan Food? Check out a Local’s Guide to Marrakech

Dave enjoying the Moroccan Cuisine

Once we settled in, we got down to business and spent the afternoon learning about and cooking Moroccan Cuisine. Our night ended with a candlelight feast. We could tell you all about our day, but instead, why don’t we show you! It was one of the best afternoons we had in Marrakech. If you go, make sure you book a cooking class of your own.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for Weekly travel videos

Read more about our cooking class at Moroccan Cuisine: A Feast for the Senses

The Best Moroccan Foods you must try

Ingredients for a Moroccan Meal

When eating Moroccan Cuisine, be sure to use your right hand. Often times you’ll be scooping up dips, stews, and salads with fresh bread. Some of the cheapest eats are on the streets, so be sure to go to the market or enjoy a kebab at a street side stall. My recommendation is to look for a spot filled with locals and join in. Moroccans are friendly people and they’ll be happy to help you out if you look confused. I never shy away from asking, what’s good?

Moroccan Cuisine – What to Eat and How to do it

To help you decide what dishes to start with when you do sit down at a restaurant, here are some must try Moroccan food dishes to get you started.

Tagine

Deb shows off a Chicken Tagine before it hits the oven

Tagine is probably the most popular entre you’ll order in Morocco and it is magnificent. Tagine can either be chicken or lamb and it is a dish slow cooked in a clay pot with a myriad of vegetables, spices, and meats. The flavours infuse during cooking and everything comes out tender and delicious.

Zalouk

Eggplant Zalouk

When we prepared our Moroccan meal, our feast started with many salads. If you are vegetarian, you are going to love dining in Morocco. We had so many different salads ranging from cabbage base, carrots and even lemon and oranges to our favourite salad , eggplant (aubergine) zalouk. The eggplant is slow cooked and then puréed into a flavourful dip with garlic, spices and tomatoes.

Couscous

spices are a large part of Moroccan Cuisine

Couscous is the staple side dish in Morocco similar to rice or quinoa. However, Moroccans mix flavours in their couscous including raisins, spices and vegetables. Remember, Morocco was a part of the spice route, so when you visit the country, be prepared for meals filled with flavours like you have never had before.

Chickpea Stew

Moroccan Stews

Moroccan cuisine must be the healthiest in the world. It’s filled with endless vegetables, spices, and legumes. I love eating the array of stews with fresh bread. For the vegetarians out there, chickpeas are an excellent source of protein. Slow cooked with tomatoes and potatoes, this is the perfect dish served over couscous.

Mint Tea

Delicious Mint Tea

So it may not be Moroccan food, it is a staple in Moroccan cuisine. Morocco is a Muslim country so you won’t find a lot of alcohol (although, Westerners will be able to drink wine and beer at restaurants and riads) The mint tea of Morocco is fresh and filled with leaves. We had the best mint tea at the main market of Marrackech (Djemaa el-Fna) where they put blocks of sugar cubes on top of min leaves. Once you order a cup, they pour hot water over the ingredients melding them all together.

Harira Soup

Dining Moroccan Style

Harira Soup is a popular starter dish in Morocco, but it is often eaten at lunch on its own as it has everything you need for a well balanced meal. This tomato based soup is filled with chickpeas, lentils, vegetables and meat. Add some bread to that dish and you have yourself a hearty and filling meal.

Nuts and Olives

You’ll be able to order starters of olives at any eatery and often nuts are on the menu or easily picked up at supermarkets. Olives are usually tossed with spicy ketchup or preserved lemons. But the way we like them, is with nothing at all. Make sure to indulge in pistacios when in Morocco, they are so expensive everywhere else in the world. It’s a treat to be able to munch on them at will.

Brochettes or Kebabs

If you are looking for a quick eat, stop at a streetside stall to enjoy a kebab. These skewers of chicken, beef, or lamb are spiced to perfection. They’re quick, cheap and delicious. It’s Moroccan fast food and a kebab will tie you over between meals.

Baklava

moroccan cuisine

Baba ghanoush

Baba ghanoush has always been one of our favourite dishes, even before visiting Morocco. This eggplant based dip is mixed with onions, tomatoes and various Moroccan spices. It’s a delicious starter served with breads for dipping.

Briwat Rolls

Dave is very content after his Moroccan Meal

Briwat Rolls are layered filo pastries stuffed with sweet or savoury ingredients. They can be served as appetizers or deserts depending on what you put in them. These bite sized snacks come in different shapes like triangles, long spring rolls or squares. Speaking of desserts, make sure you try Moroccan dessert, there are plenty of delectable snacks to be had and they know how to enjoy a good sweet.

Moroccan Cuisine is some of the best in the world. If you get the chance, try to eat at a local’s house. I said it earlier, Moroccans are very friendly, so don’t be surprised if you are invited home for dinner by a friendly local. If you don’t feel comfortable eating with strangers, there are many tours that offer home cooked meals as a part of their itineraries. I suggest booking a food tour or a cooking course like the one we did at Riyad El Cadi.

Make the most of your hiking adventure

This was decades ago, and I still remember that hike as one of my worst ever. Not to get into the nitty gritty of everything we did wrong, but the trip was a disaster.

And now I am sitting here, hitting these plastic buttons so that I can get a message over to you, a novice hiker, on the DOs and DONTs of a hiking adventure.

So, let’s dig in…

1. Be diligant now so that you relax later – my list obsession

It was after that hike in the Alps that my “list obsession” started. In the years to come, before every hike, I would make a list of everything I need to do and prepare before I set foot on that trail.

I would block out the rolling eyes and the sighs of my friends, take my time and calmly put together THE LIST. I was quickly becoming known as the dull one in the group, but I didn’t mind.

I didn’t mind because I was the one who, on the trail, was able to relax, breathe in the fresh mountain air and the beauties of the trails, only occasionally interrupted by the tired voices of my friends asking me if I had a Band-Aid or an extra bottle of water.

The list soon became engraved in my brain, and I didn’t need to actually put it on paper, but it was one of the good habits that made all the difference. I was always the best-prepared person in the group.

2. Think height, not distance

hiking adventure

A common mistake amongst the newbie hikers is to judge the difficulty of the trail by its distance. What the years have thought me is that length of the trail speaks much less about the difficulty than the difference in height between the start and the finish point. You might dismiss this thought the moment you read it but before you do , ask yourself one thing – why do the signposts on the most serious trails show hiking times, not distances.

3. Start early

In my early days, hikes would often feel like a school field trip.

On holidays and weekends, the most popular trails will have people walking in squared columns. If you were ever in a situation like this, think back and try to remember what you enjoyed most about the hike.

It’s very likely that the first thing you’ll remember is the thought, “Let’s get this over with.”

4. Make sure you know how to read a Top map and use a compass

Learn how to read a compass

I know, I know, you have a GPS, and you have the signposts, but a true hiker will learn how to read a Topo map and how to use a compass. It will make your experience more pleasurable because you’ll feel more like a real adventurer and more connected to the nature surrounding you.

More importantly, it can save you from getting lost. Yes, I’ve seen it happen to people with GPSes, too.

5. The Apple Pie effect

Just before I leave for my hike, I take a minute or two in the privacy of my bedroom, sit on the floor, breathe deeply and repeat the thought, “Today, I’m not going to think about my problems.”

I’ve had this before-I-go ritual for as long as I can remember, but it’s just recently that I started calling it the Apple Pie. If you’ve seen Men in Black 3, you can probably understand what’s the idea behind the name.

You’ll agree that these days we go through our lives on autopilot. I know too many people walking the trails and talking about the stock market. That’s a wasted day and a wasted hike.

If you don’t feel calmer and have a changed perspective on your life and problems at the end of the day, you’re doing something wrong. Hiking is about getting away from the rat race.

If you are having problems with letting go and need a rational reason to do it, know that your brain is working on the solution to your problems even when you are not actively thinking about them.

If you haven’t seen Men in Black, let me explain the gist of what I’m talking about. There’s this scene where the two main characters chasing a guy who is out to destroy the planet (as they always are in these movies) take a moment to go to a diner and eat some apple pie. They talk about things completely unrelated to the problem at hand, but the solution simply comes to them through the conversation.

My point is -your body is on that trail, but your mind might still be in the office. Condition it to leave the office and follow you into the wilderness.

Prepare like a pro and expect the unexpected

hiking adventure

Aunt Hypothermia is disciplinarian like no other. Trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way.

Small tweaks to your preparation can make all the difference on the trail:

make sure you know the basics of the trail and what you might expect
think of a worst case scenario and what you might do if, God forbid, it happens
research the weather “moods” of the trail and come prepared, no matter what the weather man predicted for the day
rain gear and a hat are hiking essentials, don’t let anybody tell you otherwise

My backpack almost always includes these essentials: a headlamp, an emergency whistle, a water purifier and a firestarter (waterproof), duct tape and my trusted multi tool. Anything beyond that depends on the trail I’m taking on.

Check out: 8 tips for Safe and Comfortable Winter Trekking

Your feet are your best friend

Get the right boots

If there’s one thing that I’ve seen ruin hikes it’s not choosing right when it comes to hiking boots or shoes, whatever the trail calls for. This is especially true for a novice hiker.

Again, do your research on the trail, what kinds of terrain conditions you are facing and what the best hiking shoes, boots or sandals for the trip might be. Read reviews of hiking boots or whatever you need and choose what suits your needs best.

Your feet are one of the few priorities. You want to think about the beauty of what’s around you, not your painful blisters or cramps.

Finish like a true hiker

I have the “Apple Pie” to kick off the trip and I have a post-hike ritual to celebrate the day. It keeps that feeling of joy and achievement going long after the hike is finished.

It can be anything from a few cups of hot chocolate or beer to a plenteous dinner with your fellow hikers or family.

No matter how tired you are, when your hike is finished, and you start thinking about the post-hike, it gives you a burst of energy. If you haven’t tried it, your next hike is a chance to give it a go. It rounds up a pleasant day outdoors perfectly and brings it to a perfect closure.

At the end of the day, deep, refreshing sleep is guaranteed.

Final thoughts

I hope that this guide on getting the most out of your adventure has a little something for everybody, from a novice to an experienced hiker.

For a novice, I hope it can even serve as a reference to taking your experience to whole new level and for the more experienced ones – I’m happy if I provided small bits to think about and use to spice up your next adventure.

Safe trails

Read more from James at : Sleeping in the Cold, 5 Tips to Keep you Safe

—————————
Author Bio:

James Menta is an experienced hiker and outdoor enthusiast. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of SoleLabz.com where he reviews and rates best hiking footwear.

You can connect with James on: Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and Facebook.

Travel Blog Gold: The PlanetD

Check out the awards video! It feels like the Oscars when we watch it, and to see our names announced is beyond exciting! The Travel Blog Award is the first up so you don’t have to wait long, our category is announced at just 42 seconds in. We get a nice little cameo appearance as an interview that we shot with Garine Tcholakian for Travel and Escape is featured in the video!

The Lowell Thomas Awards are considered the most prestigious in travel journalism, and for us to be recognized as the best travel blog for 2014 and 2015 is an enormous honour. There are so many incredible travel blogs on the Internet today, and standing out amongst the crowd is becoming more difficult each year. We’ve worked hard to continue to evolve and stay relevant in a highly competitive market. Our love for travel and having the privilege of doing something we love together has kept us inspired to keep learning, developing our skills, and embracing an ever changing landscape.

It was a thrill for us to read the judges comments when the winners were announced:

A word from the judges:

“Even the world’s most remote destinations feel well within reach when reading “The PlanetD.” Readers can sense the passion of this blog’s owners in every one of their carefully crafted posts. They combine a light-hearted, conversations writing style with stunning photography to create one of the most authoritative travel blogs on eh market today. “

ThePlanetD Travel Blog

It has been a wild ride running our travel blog these past 7 years and we want to thank all our readers and followers for their support and encouragement. It has been the personal emails, private messages, and comments and tweets that have motivated us to continue to prove that ordinary people can live extraordinary lives.

Ordinary People Can Live Extraordinary Lives

If you asked us 10 years ago what we’d be doing now, we would tell you we’d still be working in the film business dreaming of retirement so that we would have the freedom to one day travel the world. It has always been our mission to inspire people to live the life they want. It took us a long time to find our calling, but we never stopped searching and we hope that you too are either living the life you want or will continue to follow your dreams.

Read: How Travel Helped us live a Full Life

Thank you to the SATW for this huge honour and thank you to Mitch Canter for helping us with our new web design this year. Last year’s website was good enough for 2014, but the Internet changes quickly, and without this new design, I don’t think we would have won two years in a row. We feel that our new website captures our personalities better than ever, it’s easier to navigate and showcases our work. We love it and we love travel blogging.

Read: Our Journey from a Travel Dream, To Professional Travel Bloggers

A big thank you to everyone that has supported us and most importantly a huge thanks to my mom and dad, Jim and Marlene Corbeil. We couldn’t have achieved so much without your support and encouragement.

Here’s to another 7 years of ThePlanetD. Who knows where the future will take us, but we can say one thing for sure, we are going to definitely enjoy the ride!

Tips to Ease Holiday Travel Stress

Take Away your Holiday Travel Stress

Our travel tips will help you east the stress of holiday travel and let you get on with what's important about the holidays. And that is enjoying the time spent with the ones you love.

Ease your holiday travel stress by also reading about how to stay healthy abroad

Use the right app like TripIt Pro

The key to having a pleasant trip is to be informed and up to date about any changes or surprises. Knowing when you are flying, where you are sitting, exactly when you can check in, or when you can choose or change your seats makes everything so much easier. The TripIt app alerts you of all flight information including delays, gate changes, and when better seats become available. Once you've given TripIt permission to access your travel information, it does the work for you letting you concentrate on what matters like, how many shoes you need to take with you.

Dave gets an update from TripIt

Arrive Early

It sounds so easy, but we see people all the time scrambling at the airport. We're frequent fliers and we still always arrive early. The more we travel, the more we realize that anything can go wrong at anytime. We've seen people standing at the parking lot complaining about waiting for the shuttle because their flight is leaving in less than an hour. All I want to say to them is "why are you here so late?" If they gave themselves the suggested 3-hours they wouldn't be stressed or worried.

We always arrive early

If you want even more convenience, utilize the valet service. We always use ParknFly (a popular airport parking lot in Canada) in Toronto (we see there is a U.S. ParknFly as well) and buy our parking online. For a low fee of $20 we upgrade to valet service getting us closer to the airport with more frequent shuttle buses. We never wait more than 5 minutes. It's worth it to us to have ease and convenience. Check with your airport parking service to see if they offer Valet upgrades.

Check in online

The TripIt app will alert you the moment you can check in, and checking in online will save you a ton of time at the airport. You can print out your boarding pass or upload it onto your phone and bypass the long lines at check-in. If you travel carryon only, you can go directly to security. If you do have luggage, many airlines now have a luggage drop-off desk for those travelers savvy enough to have already checked it. It moves faster and more efficiently than the regular checkin line.

Skip the security lane

ease the stress of holiday travel by arriving early

get through security fast to enjoy your day

There are many premium credit cards that allow you to use the fast lane. Or if you are like us and loyal to one airline, you will most likely have membership status that lets you go through a separate security lane. The regular holiday travellers will be standing in the long security lines filled with people who don't quite know all the rules thus slowing everything down. If you have the right travel credit card for your airport (ours is American Express Platinum for Toronto) you can bypass the pubic line and join the frequent fliers. Check with your credit card company to see which premium card gives you travel perks.

You can also apply for Global Entry (for Americans) or Nexus (for Canadians) and be granted access to the express security lane for frequent fliers. Believe me, every little bit of time saved adds up.

Find out How the TripIt App Makes Travel Easier

Be prepared for security

Going through security is the biggest hassle of airport travel. There are so many rules it's difficult to keep up and with each airport it changes. I am simply prepared for all situations. I keep a separate tote bag handy before going through security with my computer and liquids already separated. That way I don't have to rummage through my carryon roller looking for things. All liquids are less than 100ml and already separated in a plastic bag. When it gets to my turn, I whip out my computer and liquids, put them in the tray and then set my bag either in the bin or on the belt.

I prefer to wear slip on shoes for quick security checks and instead of asking if they need to be taken off to go through security, I just take them off anyway and put them in the bin with my sunglasses, purse, and sweater. It's just easier that way.

Once our bags go through, I put everything I had in my tote into my suitcase and conveniently roll it away.

Check out more travel tips at : 7 Steps to Stress Free Travel

Go to a lounge.

holiday travel stress made easy in a lounge

Enjoying the tranquility of the lounge

This is your holiday and time to invest a bit of cash to make your time at the airport enjoyable. Lounges aren't just for airline membership status members anymore. Anyone can pay a fee to stay in a lounge. Look for lounges that are not associated with an airline. We have Priority Pass through our credit card and have free access to more than 600 lounges around the world. If you don't have Priority Pass, you can buy a day pass. Lounge passes cost anywhere from $25-$40 and are worth every penny. There's unlimited alcohol (although we don't recommend drinking too much when flying) hot food, quiet areas, free Internet, charging stations and lounge chairs. Often times there's even a shower to freshen up between flights. While chaos is happening outside in the public part of the airport, you'll be listening to relaxing music or watching TV in a tranquil setting.

Create a Care Package for the flight

I love having everything I need at my fingertips. Before boarding the plane, I make sure to have a small tote filled with anything I may need during the flight. There is nothing worse than having to rummage through your carryon bag stuffed away in the overhead bin to search for an item you need. Instead, I have a small package containing must have items.

My care package consists of:

Headphones, eye mask, Advil, earplugs, Chapstick, small tube of moisturizer, a pen and a sweater in case I get cold. It fits conveniently under my seat and if I need anything, I can get to it easily.

Pay a extra for a Premium Seat

As a frequent flier I can attest that premium seats make all the difference. While it's difficult for people who don't have airline status (meaning you fly a lot) to get an upgrade, many flights offer premium economy seats that make your flight just a little more comfortable. The premium economy seats are located near the front of the plane, there's extra legroom, and seats are usually wider. That extra space makes all the difference during the flight and being near the front of the plane lets you be one of the first off the plane, so you can beat the lines to immigration.

Download your own Entertainment

Many airlines are now charging for entertainment and often times if they do offer inflight entertainment, it doesn't work of the selection is awful. We never rely on others for entertainment; we download our favourite TV show or a few movies on our iPhone and have hours on stress free entertainment.

Enjoying our own entertainment

Stay over at the Airport Hotel

And finally, if you want to start your holidays a bit early, book a night at the airport hotel. Many hotels offer parking packages where you can book a night before your flight and leave your car for up to two weeks in their parking lot. You can then catch their free shuttle to the airport in the morning. It takes all the stress out of holiday travel and gives you an extra bonus night for your vacation. When we travel for short periods, we always use an airport hotel. Many times, the nights' stay is the same as booking a parking space for a couple of weeks.

Sign up for the TripIt app for your smart phone now and start making your travels easier. New customers receive a 30 day trial of TripIt Pro

This article is in partnership with TripIt but like everything on ThePlanetD, we would never endorse or recommend something if we don't use it and love it ourselves.

Read the original post 10 Expert Tips to Ease the Stress of Holiday Travel on The Planet D: Adventure Travel Blog.

What My Kids Learned from Living in the Dominican Republic

Posted: 23 Oct 2015 02:00 AM PDT

We are in our 5th year of living in the Dominican Republic with our two babies that were born here, on this beautiful island. I know, immediately you think we live the life of tropical dreams: kids with messy, salt-water hair that knew how to surf before they knew how to crawl, coconuts for snacks, and piña colada happy hours. While some days absolutely look like this, it hasn’t all been easy. Parenting never is. Parenting abroad is even trickier.

What We’ve learned Living in the Dominican Republic

With that being said, there has been a lot we’ve learned from living abroad and, specifically, a lot that our kids have learned as a result from living in DR, all by the tender age of 4.

The world is their playground

When you’re living in the Dominican Republic where there is no need to check the weather because the forecast is sunny and sunnier, there isn't much inside time. We spend our days at the playground or the pool or the beach or our courtyard or the basketball court or… well, you get it – and because of that our kids live their lives outside, endlessly playing in a continual summer. They live most of their waking hours exploring the outside world and it’s fabulous.

Living in the Dominican Republic

They Learn How to talk to everyone

Dominicans are a social culture. People hang outside and talk with their neighbours. Strangers chat in line at the supermarket. A gas attendant once stood next to my car window the entire fill-up time asking me about one of my dogs in the passenger seat. I wasn’t even sure one could talk that much about a dog to a stranger. This isn't a culture that shies away from interaction so when my daughter strikes up a conversation with a guard at the U.S. embassy I'm not all that surprised. My kids have learned that communication is an essential skill to connecting with others and they are outgoingly fabulous because of it.

Read: 8 Must Try Caribbean Water Sports

Outgoingly Fabulous Living in the Dominican Republic has also taught them to see everyone as the same. They say hi to the Haitians working construction or the nanny with the umbrella walking in the opposite direction of us on the sidewalk or the businessman they pass in the mall- to them there is no difference. Manners, simple hellos and thank yous, are not reserved for the affluent families that they see everyday at my husband's school; they are for everyone they come in contact with. Living in Santo Domingo has showed them to accept people of all places and levels and statuses.

You can buy COCONUTS in the supermarket but why when they grow on trees?

I can’t think of a time when I was a kid that I just found a random apple tree whose apple I could eat, unless it was autumn and we went apple picking at an orchard. Not the case here. We have, our complex, several coconut trees, a Guayaba tree, a banana tree, and a mango tree. All with pick-able, eat-able fruit.

Check out: Why I travel for food and show should you!

Coconuts

Learn how to be kids

Living in the Dominican Republic, kids (and pregnant women) are mini gods, like cows in India but in human form. People stop their cars and let you cross the street when you’re pregnant. They let you cut lines in the bank and grocery store. And kids have the same right of way. Our kids get gushed over by older Dominican grandmas, 20-something-year-old skater boys, middle-aged Domino players, young mothers, or Catholic nuns alike. If they’re running or making noise, no one looks at them and rolls their eyes. They don’t look at us either and wonder why our kids are acting like kids. This is a culture that loves kids, that embraces children and it shows in mine. They are fearless in public, assuming that people will love them… and people do.

Need Inspiration? Read “Kids Who Inspired their mom to step out of here comfort zone”

Being Born

You say Hola, and I say goodbye

It was never a doubt that I wanted my kids to be bilingual. As the first generation, Cuban -American of my family, I wasn’t always confident in my second language of Spanish but I knew how important being bilingual was… and is. I made the decision to only speak to them in Spanish before they were born; living in Dominican Republic has made it easier, and since my husband works at an English school, learning both languages has been natural. Getting to watch them navigate between the two languages is – to put it lightly – freaking awesome. They know who to thank in English and who to give gracias to in Spanish and they don't bat an eye switching between the two. P-r-etty cool. Now, they’re working on mastering Spanglish.

Enjoy: 11 Fun and Not so Obvious Things to do in Cuba

You don't need a reason to celebrate

It's Friday afternoon so we have friends over with their kids. People bring snacks, we order beers from the colmado*, we play some YouTube playlist and it's a party. We do the same thing Saturday mornings for brunch or on Sundays afternoons… or on Monday because it’s the beginning of the week. It doesn't have to be someone's birthday or a special occasion to have a good time with friends here. Dominicans love getting together; they love music (the louder, the better) and rum drinks and laughter. There is no “right” reason to celebrate when everything is a reason to celebrate. Life is one big party if you keep dancing.

Celebrating and Dancing

* tiguere is Dominican slang for a hustler or street smart guy.

* colmado is a corner store, like a bodega, that is found everywhere in DR.

Jen has been a storyteller since she was a kid, though at that time, she was telling stories to get her out of the principal's office. Now, she uses storytelling to author her ambrosial life abroad as an expat, island wife-mom. Jen writes at Drinking the Whole Bottle (a metaphor for life… and a confession) about savoring every moment, every last drop, of life. She has been featured on the Huffington Post, Matador Network, Elephant Journal and is a contributor for Women Who Live on Rocks.

Besides storytelling, Jen loves fireflies, her rescue dogs, and celebrating with fermented beverages. She hates cockroaches, bullies, and regret. In her next life, she hopes to come back as the Dos-Equis Man but as a bigger and badder woman version. Currently Jen lives “Somewhere,” that place where it's always 5 o'clock… You could find her drinking – metaphorically speaking – on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Antarctica Photography – 8 Easy Tips and Tricks

Antarctica Photography Tips for great photos

Giant ZipLock Freezer Bags

This may seem like an odd tip to be number one, but this inexpensive item will keep your camera gear safe from breaking down part way through your Antarctica Cruise. Condensation ruins cameras. After a few hours outside your camera gets really cold, I used really large ziplock bags to put all my gear in before I went back inside the ship. This allowed the cameras to warm up at their own speed without forming condensation. Make sure to put the camera in the bag and zip it up before going inside and dispell all of the air out of them. Your camera will thank you.

Bring 2 Camera Bodies

The last thing you want to do is change lenses outside in the elements. So be prepared for any situation with your 2 lenses of choice mounted on 2 separate bodies. I used Canon 5D MKII and Canon rebel T4i. That way I could shoot the massive landscape scenery, but quickly change cameras to capture a whale that unexpectedly surfaces or a penguin off in the distance.

Bracket your shots

Antarctica Photography Tip: Bracket your shots to help capture the right exposure and white balance.

Getting the right exposure in snowy locations can be tricky. Usually you cameras meter has a hard time reading snow and this can lead to the dreaded “grey snow”effect. In order to avoid this situation try bracketing your exposures. Usually 3 or 5 brackets at an interval of 1 to 2 stops will cover you so that you can get that crisp white snow. If you are unfamiliar with this process try and use you cameras spot meter. It will give you a more accurate reading.

Think of showing Scale

Antarctica Photography Tip: Show Scale.

With large icebergs and massive land formations showing a sense of scale can really give the viewer a sense of what it is like to be there. By placing kayaks, people or wildlife in the frame it will help to translate the sheer size of the environment you are in. You can also use the ship or zodiac to relay this information. This shot with the seal and the ship in the background really gives you a sense of how large those surrounding icebergs really are.

Get down low to photograph penguins

Antarctica Photography Tip: Get low to photograph penguins

You are going to see so many penguins that finding an interesting way to photograph them can be difficult. I found that getting as low as you can and placing them against the background works really well. Most people use a long lens to accomplish this but if you are patient enough and let them come to you then you are able to use your wide lens and capture more of the surrounding area and give the vier a sense of place. This is a perfect example of that where I was down on my stomach with a 16-35mm lens.

Bring a dry bag

Antarctica Photography tip: Bring a dry bag. You could face all kinds of conditions

Protecting your gear from the elements is imparative especially in Antarctica where weather can change in an instant. I remember heading out on the zodiac when the sun was shining and 45 minutes later is was snowing and then that turned to rain. Combine that with the salt water and it can ruin your camera. I made sure to bring a dry bag to store all my gear when I was on the Zodiac but also had my cameras in an Op/Tech rain sleeve which are very cheap and do the job. If you can’t find those then a Ziplock bag with a whole cut in it would do in a pinch.

Know your settings

Antarctica Photography tip: Know your settings. You don’t want to miss shots like this.

A little trick I always do is take some test shots in the environment I am in before the action starts. This means that while you are on the zodiac heading out for the day and before the humpback whales start surfacing, make sure you have your camera on the right settings. I used shutter priority mode at 1/200th of second or faster if I was shooting from the Zodiac or Kayak and used Aperture Priority mode when I was on land. The last thing you want to do is have that humpback whale show his fluke in front of an iceberg and the shot be blurry. Knowing your camera and how to use it in different situations will help you bring back the best shots possible.

Bring Filters

Antarctica Photography Tip: Bring Filters

I do recommend bringing 2 types of filters. A UV filter to protect the front of your lens from the elements and a polarizing filter which will help reduce glare on the water and can help saturate the colours as well. A word of warning is to make sure you know when and when not to use the polarizer. It can really over saturate the sky if you are not careful and give an unrealistic look to your photos. So test out how you are going to use it before you leave.

That should do it. These Antarctica photography tips not only helped me capture some great images but they have also helped me keep my camera safe when we are in all kinds of different weather situations.

Do you have any tips for polar travel photography? Share them in the comments below

Read the original post Antarctica Photography – 8 Easy Tips and Tricks on The Planet D: Adventure Travel Blog.

7 of the Best Mix and Match Travel Clothes for Women

Posted: 19 Oct 2015 02:00 AM PDT

It’s difficult to pack light and look good at the same time. While the cost of excess baggage goes up, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to travel carryon only. There are many benefits to packing light, like not having to stand around waiting for your luggage to arrive when your plane lands, or not having to worry about lost luggage while in transit. But how can you pack everything you need into one small rolling suitcase? Well, the best way I’ve found to pack lighter is to mix and match my clothing. So I’ve rounded up my best most versatile pieces of travel clothes for women that I’ve been wearing the past few months of travel by TravelSmith.

best travel clothing by TravelSmith: Sporty Zip Skort with Voyager Knit Drape Neck Shirt

PlanetD Readers Save 15%Travel Gear by TravelSmith when you spend more than $50. At check out use PlanetD promo code Click here to start shopping.

Dave and I travel full time, so I want to give full disclosure that we do not travel carry on only. Our carryon bags are filled with camera gear and computers, but when you look in our backpack, you’ll see that the least amount of items we bring during our travels are clothing. We don’t have a lot of clothes because we like to pack other things to be prepared for any situation. Just a few shirts, pants, shorts and skirts and we’re good to go. We’ve received a lot of emails lately about our travel bags so we thought a good first post to address some of your questions would be to start with sharing 5 must have mix and match items that can be used for several situations during your travels and you’ll look great too!

Voyager Knit Short Sleeve Drape Neck

Best Travel Clothes For Women by TravelSmith

If you want to scale down your packing, think about items that have a duel purpose. I could easily go away for a week with just these 7 items in my backpack and be prepared for most travel situations.

Read: 8 Great Travel Organizers for Better Packing

Sporty Zip Skort

I love the sporty zip skort because I can go for a walk in the woods or a night on the town wearing this piece of clothing. If I put on a pair of running shoes I can go on a hike or I can dress it up with some strappy sandals and be dining out by candlelight in a fine restaurant. It’s comfortable, quick dry and light meaning it won’t take up a lot of room in your suitcase.
Zip Pocket Jeggings

They’re like tights, but thicker and more durable. You can wear them as jeans on their own, or put a long shirt or dress overtop for a more elegant look. This versatile piece of clothing is great for sightseeing at the Eiffel Tower or shopping at the market. I like wearing my jeggings on the plane. Their so comfortable and soft, I can sleep like a baby, but still look great walking through the airport.

Slim Fit Bermuda Shorts with Watercolour Floral Tie Front Top

Classic Fit Slim Station Pull on Bermudas

Perfect for a safari or a walk in the park. I love these shorts. They are stretchy, comfortable and slimming. I can dress these up or down. Little heals with a blouse and they look so cute. Hiking boots and a t-Shirt and I’m ready to hike. These lightweight shorts are durable and easy to wash too.
Indispensable Skirt

Since you have the skort already you don’t necessarily need this skirt in your travel bag, but I love it so much. I wear it everywhere. When I go out for a night of high end dining or a romantic walk on the beach, this is the skirt for me. I lounge in it, I live it. Hence the name Indispensable.

Watercolour Floral Tie Front Top

I use this top to dress up my skirts or leggings. I even wear it with shorts when I know I’ll be out for a day of sightseeing in museums or art galleries. It dresses up any outfit, but is ultra light and so easy to clean.

Enjoying my list of best travel clothes for women? Check out the Most Complete Travel Packing List You’ll Ever See

Cap Sleeve Easy Tee

Every wardrobe needs a T-Shirt and I like the Cap Sleeve Easy Tee because if it’s worn with a pair of shorts, it looks sporty. If I wear it with a skirt or my leggings, it dresses up. If I want to play some sports, go kayaking or just hang out, this easy tee is comfortable and looks great. Everything I have in my suitcase can be worn for many different situations. I never have one item that can only be worn in one situation.

Voyager Shirt

I like trekking in long sleeves and when traveling to many parts of the world, it’s important to keep your shoulders covered, that’s why something like the Voyager Shirt is an excellent choice for travel. Because it is lightweight, breathable and quick drying, it’s perfect for a mountain trek or jungle hike but it also looks great with a pair of jeans, or my jeggings for a night out.

Voyager Knit Short Sleeve Drape Neck

I wanted to add one more pretty T-Shirt. I love it because it’s wrinkle free and it can be dressed up or dressed down. It also scrunches into a little ball and I look very thin in this piece of clothing. It hangs well and the poly/spandex blend even makes it good for hiking. I just look like a fashionable hiker.

Ballet flats

The ballet flat is a new addition to my travel bag and I love them. I like wearing them on the plane because they slip on and off easily making going through security a snap, but I can also wear them sightseeing. Because of their non-slip soles, I wore them while exploring the rocks of Peggy’s Cove and felt very sure footed.

If you like any of my choices for best travel clothes for women travellers, make sure to visit TravelSmith where PlanetD Readers Save 15% off Travel Gear when you spend more than $50. At check out use PlanetD promo code Click here to start shopping.

Solo Traveller Confessions from Kyoto

Making friends when you’re traveling by yourself is extremely easy. Especially if you're staying at a hostel. Whether it's while sharing your life stories over a drink or brushing your teeth at the same sink, striking up conversations within a hostel is very easy. Yes, even for an introvert. And as an introvert, I usually have a game plan on how to make friends/strike up conversations. First is finding someone else who is traveling by themselves. Once found, invite said person or persons for a drink. Then, sit back and let the socializing and life-lasting friendships happen.

Interested in solo travel: Read how being a female solo traveller made Jessica Festa Stronger

First thing I noticed when I got to my hostel in Kyoto was that there were absolutely no solo travelers. Everyone was part of a big group. Huh—my game plan didn't take this variable into account. Okay, there might have been other solo travelers there but maybe they felt the same vibe and did exactly what I did, which was hide. With the realization I may not make any friends, the wheels of the loneliness train I call Ole Anxiety were oiled.

Left: Awesome hostel bunk. If you’re short like my I highly recommend asking for the lower bunk. Right: Groups of people, definitely not solo travelers.

Being alone and feeling lonely are two completely different things. One can feel loneliness while in a room full of people. One can also be alone and not feel loneliness. For me, it was a double whammy. I was alone and I felt lonely.

Worried solo travel? read: 8 Myths of Solo Travel and What Really Happened to me

The climax of this loneliness happened my first night in Kyoto while I was walking to a ramen place I found on TripAdvisor. It was late, it was dark, I was alone. This reads like the start of a horror/thriller story. It’s not. But the half-mile walk from the subway station to the ramen joint, partnered with my 40mph walking speed, made for a lot of internal monologue time. Boy, do I love internal monologues.

By this point I had been in Japan for four days. Not too long, but long enough for me to miss my family. And Mexican food. I also missed conversations in my native tongue. I missed the ocean breeze of home and the game of "will I stop by In N Out at 1am for a shake or won't I?" I always did. When I was younger I would spend my summers with my dad in Northern California. I was fine the first couple days, but by the fourth day, always the fourth day, I would be crying and begging my dad to send me back to my mom and brother because I missed them so much. I thought I had outgrown that. Apparently not. Only now, I miss my mom, brother, and Mexican food.

I made it to the ramen place. Ordered with my signature smile and awkward pointing to the photo of ramen they had on their menu. It was delicious. When I was done eating, I sat there, already dreading the walk back to the station. Dreading the loneliness. On my way out of the restaurant I turned back with the intention of snapping a photo. But I didn't. I was feeling so down I didn't even want to take a photo. That's how I knew it was bad. But then the woman who worked there came to the glass door and gave me the most genuine smile and hand wave ever. It hit me then. I could be alone and choose to let the feelings of loneliness and missing home overwhelm me, or I could be alone and enjoy the company of the new and exciting world around me. Wouldn’t it be great if I chose the latter? That would have made a great blog post. Yeah, I definitely didn’t do that. I definitely had myself a pity party all the way to the subway station. But then I took a photo of a McDonald’s and posted it to Facebook with the caption “eating authentic Japanese food”. And then I laughed because I’m HILARIOUS.

Side Note: If I was the headmaster of a wizarding school I would give Social Media 10 points. Having family and friends (and that one guy from high school I never talk to) comment and like my post gave me a small sense of the familiarity I was missing. Social media, if used correctly, is a great tool.

Yes, I was lonely. And yes, I chose to wallow in it for a bit. But during my trip I was also amused, excited, scared, cautious, tired, and a bunch more adjectives I can’t think of because Thesarus.com isn’t working right now. I experienced a multitude of feelings while in Japan and I wallowed in every single one of them.

check out: Solo Travel in India – Tips from an Indian Female Traveller

Growing up we are constantly told to be happy but not too happy. You can be sad but not sad enough that it makes other people sad. We’re taught to control our feelings. Not necessarily a bad thing. But should we have to control our feelings when we’re with ourselves? Should we have to censor ourselves to ourselves? I don’t think so, and this trip to Japan was a big lesson in that. I hate to use the word ‘self discovery’ because it sounds like something they would say in a trailer for a Hallmark movie, but, man, I can’t think of a better word (Thesaurus.com is still down). Okay, how about this. This trip wasn’t really about me discovering myself, but instead me realizing there was a ‘self’ to discover. Kind of like, “Oh, wow, adult Sam is very different from ten years ago Sam. Hi, it’s nice to meet you”. And maybe a little bit of “Hey, it’s been awhile. I’ve missed you”. I bet some of you who are reading this (Hi Mom!) can relate.

Traveling is awesome. That's not an opinion; that's a fact. I spent thousands of dollars to go to grad school, so you can trust me on that. Traveling is awesome. Traveling by yourself is life-changing. But, with our world full of Instagram accounts and blog posts full of the excitement and adventure found in traveling, it's easy to overlook the emotions on the other end of the spectrum. Fear, loneliness, anxiety, tiredness. All that plus more is experienced when traveling. Isn't it great, though, that we can experience all that? That's what makes traveling the absolute best. You can live so much in such a short amount of time. Go out there and live!

Much Love. Always

-Sam

Samantha Jeet is an aspiring travel photographer, writer, and storyteller. She was raised on islands in the Pacific and currently resides in San Diego, California where she works as cartographer and lifestyle photographer. Samantha holds a B.S. in Health Care Administration and an M.S. in Geographic Information Sciences. She promised her mom she would mention that.

Check out her website samanthajeet.com or follow her on Instagram @samjeet

Travel Helped us Live a Full Life

When Abbott approached us to ask how we learned to live a full life, we went back to our travel roots. Travel changed our lives and it was through our travels we fulfilled our dreams.

Thailand changed our lives

It was during our trip to Thailand that we discovered our passion for adventure and exploring new cultures. We had lived sedentary lives working long hours in the film business and for the first time in years we were outdoors enjoying all nature had to offer. We had been unhealthy living on four hours of sleep, while working extremely long days. We had been consumed by our jobs and our health had suffered because of that. Through travel, we realized that adventure could be not only exciting, but a fun way to keep in shape.

Travel also helped us discover jobs we were passionate about. Dave learned that he loved taking photographs of the scenes and people he saw each day, and I loved writing about our experiences in my journal and sending long emails home to family and friends. This time alone on the road gave us the peace and solitude we needed to look deep into ourselves. We knew we wanted something more.

It was during that trip that we realized life isn’t only about making enough money to sock away a few thousand dollars a year for retirement. We’d never get ahead at our rate of savings and would end up working well into our golden years at jobs that made us feel empty inside. There had to be something more. We needed to feel complete. That trip to Thailand showed us that we had to start focusing on living rather than just working.

We had to focus on living rather than working

When we returned, everything changed, we started to focus on living rather than working. We looked at our film careers as a way to make enough money to do what we loved rather than just living for work. We joined a rock climbing gym, and signed up for scuba diving lessons. We bought mountain bikes and started going for weekend rides out to the country. We were in the best shape of our lives, we were the healthiest we’d ever been. Plus we had more energy than ever before. Even after long hours of work, we could now suddenly find the time to do things on our days off. Travel inspired us to get fit and live a fulfilled life outside of work.

We spent time traveling the world

The next few years were spent splitting our time between work, adventure, and travel. We no longer scrambled for the next job once our contract was over; instead, we said, “Let’s take some time off to explore the world.” We sold our house and kept our expenses at a minimum to have more money for travel and adventure. Our relationship had never been stronger. We found each other inspiring and exciting. We had so much to talk about and we wanted to be together every spare minute we had.

When we weren’t traveling, made sure to do something exciting every weekend. We joined an outdoors club, and we tried every new sport we could think of. We tried our hand at orienteering, kayaking, and adventure racing. Even in the winter we didn’t slow down. We went snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and got a snowboarding membership. We didn't have to be travelling to find fulfillment, we could find it anywhere at any time. Plus, we didn’t know it yet, but we were honing our skills for our future careers.

Read more about how to live a full life at our tips to getting started

Dave with School Children

We were slowly realizing that in order for us to live a fulfilled life we needed to take doing what we love and somehow turn that into a career. That way we never feel that we are working a day in our lives. We had always yearned for a career that made us happy and left us feeling that we were making a difference. Having a purpose in life is important to us and our purpose is to do something meaningful.

But what does a fulfilled life mean to others around the world? A full life could be very different to someone else from another country or culture. There's no right or wrong answer, everyone has a different view of what it's like to live life fully.

That's why Abbott has made it their mission to ask a million people around the world, "what does living fully mean to you?"

dave and deb antarctica

Dave and I want to hear it too. Have you ever really thought about that question? I think many people don't take the time to be still and think about what a meaningful life means to them. For us, travel gives that stillness we need to truly find what we are looking for. But whether your passion is traveling or painting, jogging, or anything), it’s so important to make time for the things that help you live fully.”

Take the Quiz: How do you Live Fully?

We have never regretted following our dreams. It was difficult at first, It took time to build a travel blogging career. But unlike our careers in the film business, we could both see ourselves doing this until we’re 90 years old. If it took years to find success, so be it. As long as we followed our hearts and pursued our passion, we could manage to make things work.

Making the dollar stretch in India

Stretching our dollar in places like India, Sri Lanka and South East Asia, allowed the odd advertisement sold on our blog to get us through another month. We kept focused and worked harder than we ever worked in our lives, and over time, we started to make a living out of a job we knew nothing about when we started. It was because we focused on our passion and strengths that we found success. We pulled from personal experiences and let people realize they weren’t alone. We only have one shot on this planet and we should make the most of it.

What is a meaningful life to you?

live a full life infographic

Are you living a fulfilled life? Head over to LifetotheFullest.Abbott to tell your story, and take the quiz. Tell us your Mission to live a full life, and show us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #Fullosophy. We vow to work on fitness again. After Dave broke his back in the Amazon, we've let ourselves go again, and need to get back into optimal shape. This post has inspired us to start today!

Saturday, November 7, 2015