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Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Daily Skimm: Back again.
Monday, December 28, 2015
Canada's Adventure Couple
Canada's Adventure Couple |
| Greenland – The “It” Destination of 2016 Posted: 28 Dec 2015 05:00 AM PST National Geographic Traveller and Lonely Planet have it on their top destination lists for 2016. And Dave and Deb of ThePlanetD have been touting Greenland as the hot “it” destination for two years now. Glad you could join us LP and NatGeo! Yes, we are ahead of the curve when it comes to travel trends. (Insert smiley face here) But in all seriousness, we’ve been in love with Greenland since visiting with Quark Expeditions in 2013.  Massive Iceberg overlooking the Arctic Tundra Greenland is that destination that makes us feel excited about travel. Very few tourists visit the country, Greenlanders still cling to their ancient culture, and the mountainous scenery and polar ice-cap is awe-inspiring. I can still picture the massive icebergs dwarfing our ship as we looked on from our kayaks while exploring an uncharted fjord.  Kayaking in through the Incredible Greenland Scenery Greenland – The Hottest “It” DestinationGreenland is one of those places where people’s eyes widen when you mention you’ve been there. What’s it like? They ask. Is it similar to Iceland? We always say, “A little, but not really.” Thinking of an expedition? Check out Arctic or Antarctica, How to Choose Your Polar Expedition  Greenland settlement Compared to Iceland, Greenland is bigger, bolder, and untamed. There are no roads connecting villages. You either must travel it by plane or on ship. A small expedition ship is the way we travelled down the West Coast along the South Shore and over to the East. Our ship’s captain navigated through fields of ice taking our small group of 50 passengers deep into fjords to view enormous glaciers and giant icebergs.  Incredible Greenland Ice Love this Greenland Photography? Check out 23 Epic Photos of Arctic IceEach day was spent hiking along the Arctic Tundra, exploring smaller inlets by zodiac, and kayaking to the hardest to reach places. At night we’d watch the Northern Lights dance in the sky as we sat on lounge chairs bundled up in our warm parkas. Greenland leaves a lasting impression.  Dave and Deb enjoying the Northern Lights Greenland Tours and Savings
Enjoy Greenland Adventure VideoSubscribe to our youtube channel for weekly travel videos Greenland ToursThere are shorter 10 day trips for those who don’t have a lot of time where they can fly North and South to trips lasting up to 21 days where you can really delve into the magnificent destination. Greenland offers you the chance to spy polar bears, musk oxen, and whales. You can hike on the tundra, climb mountains, or take a more relaxed cruise to watch from zodiacs and the ship’s deck.  Hiking on the Arctic Tundra Greenland is the final frontier, and Quark is making it easier for anyone to visit. Greenland is still one of the most isolated regions in the world making independent travel difficult. But this also makes it one of the most interesting and untouched regions of the globe.  Our ship in Greenland The smaller expedition ships led by Quark allow passengers access to remote villages where you can meet the local Inuit and learn about their fascinating culture. Many villages see very few people each year and they look forward to ships coming in. They allow you into their homes, welcome you to their community, and even play a game or two with you.  Playing a game of soccer with the locals There are so many things to do on a Greenland tour. Our days were never boring. In fact, they were a bit tiring. But as we say, you can sleep when the trip is done. If you want to learn more about what it’s like on a Quark Expeditions trip to Greenland, enjoy our video below. Greenland, a Day in the LifeThis post is in partnership with Quark Expeditions. All opinions are our own. For more information on polar travels visit the Quark Expeditions Website. Read Next: Antarctica Expedition ExplainedRead the original post Greenland – The “It” Destination of 2016 on The Planet D: Adventure Travel Blog. |
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Daily Skimm: Guess who's back?
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Saturday, December 26, 2015
Canada's Adventure Couple
Canada's Adventure Couple |
| How Travel Got Me to Finally Let go of Being a Control Freak Posted: 26 Dec 2015 02:17 AM PST I've had meltdowns at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Conniption fits in the snowy streets of Amsterdam. Battles of will with my husband in international airports. Hello, my name is Susan, and I used to be a terrible traveler. It all begins with my incessant need to have everything go my way. Control freak. Type A. Anal. Whatever you want to call it, that was how I lived for most of my life. Then I started traveling, and those skills really came in handy, or so I thought. I'd spend weeks researching every place I wanted my family to go, using Google Earth to check out the neighborhood we would stay in, and making spreadsheets to organize all my OCD information.
The problem was, once we got there, nothing went the way I'd planned. Our delayed flight would cause us to miss our next flight at the layover. We'd get lost on our way to one of my meticulously-planned activities. I'd get sick as a dog from eating snails in Barcelona and spend the night in a dehydrated fugue, ready to curl up and die. I should have gotten the memo years ago. After dating only three months, my then-boyfriend-now-husband threatened to leave me in Paris because I was whining so much. I can't remember what I was peeved at specifically, but it was probably something like my wanting him to visit yet another long-dead author's home and him (logically) refusing. The Turning Point
It wasn't until I got serious about travel writing that I knew I had to change how I traveled. I was making the people around me miserable with my need to control every situation, and I wasn't any happier. If I wanted to build a career around travel, I'd have to reduce the stress it was causing. Earlier this year, we started planning a 5-week trip to Provence. My husband already knew what to expect. We'd worked out a metaphor to help me deal with my need to control, and he used it then: "So…you ready to let me drive this trip?"  Provence Changed it all Letting me drive was our code for me to metaphorically hand over the keys and sit in the passenger seat quietly while he navigated us through airports, customs, and general travel. Whenever I was able to hand over those invisible keys, I found myself enjoying travel more. Still, it took this conversation to really shake me into changing. Me: "Yea, sure, that's fine. Totally cool." My 10-year-old son chimed in, "You don't want it to be like the time you cried at the Eiffel Tower, Mama."
And suddenly, I saw myself through their eyes. Fierce. Angry. Unable to let serendipity just wash over me and enjoy the experience. I didn't want my son growing up regretting every trip he took with me, and I wanted there to be many trips. I didn't want my husband to leave the hotel room under the guise of buying groceries just to get away from my ranting. I wanted to be a person who was pleasant to travel with. In addition to being a control freak, I'm also willful. So as soon as I decided I needed to make some serious changes in how I traveled, I set to work on them. I named my controlling self Uptight Ursula. I spent time understanding what motivated her, and why she felt like she needed to have things go her way. I understood I didn't need her, and in fact, would be happier without her. So I locked her up and threw away the key. Sure, it was a silly visualizing exercise, but it worked.
As anyone knows, changing ingrained habits (especially bad ones) is pretty challenging, so I won't say that I was an angel in Provence. But it was a lot more fun. When we got lost, I opened my eyes to see where we ended up. It was often better than where we'd planned to go. When I was hungry, I let my husband choose the restaurant. I'd ask my son what he wanted to do. We all got to experience the Provence we were interested in, and we shared those experiences.
I didn't get a medal for my good behavior from my family when we got home, but the real reward was finally letting go and finding a way to let travel happen to me, rather than molding it to fit what I wanted. I now understand travel better. The reason I travel is to experience the unfamiliar. Yes, it's uncomfortable, but if I wanted comfort, I could stay home and save a hell of a lot of money. Travel requires being flexible and open to whatever comes, and I finally get that. When I try to control my experience, I limit it, and I don't see a destination for what it is: a magical slice of life in another place. About the Author
When Susan Payton isn’t running her marketing company, she’s traveling and writing about it on The Unexplorer. She’s written several books (business, as well as travel) and has been published on Forbes, Mashable and other sites. Follow her on Twitter: @unxplorer, Instagram: @unxplorer, or Facebook. Read the original post How Travel Got Me to Finally Let go of Being a Control Freak on The Planet D: Adventure Travel Blog. |
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