Monthly Archives: January 2008
My Amazing Wander Is Better Than Your Amazing Race
I’ll go ahead and admit it right now—I used to want to be on the Amazing Race. In fact, I wanted to be on it so much that I actually applied—video, forms, the whole nine yards. But I didn’t hear a word. It was crushing. Not so crushing, however, that I didn’t try again. I figured that Jeff, whom I first applied with, was the weak link, so I ditched him and applied with my brother Gregory. And though I …
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Country Face-Off #1
When you’ve got the travel bug, you always want to go everywhere, see everything and do everything. This, unfortunately, does not gel too well with the real world and it’s limitations of money and time. With that in mind, we need to start trimming some of the fat off of our trip. And what better way to do that then by enfranchising you, our readers? In an series of intermittent and in-no-particular-order face-offs, we will be asking you to help …
Want to Help Educate Kids in Cambodia?
Today Jeff and I received an email from a friend of ours from college. Maryann was my roommate during the summer I interned in DC, and throughout college we spent many afternoons together watching Rice baseball. Since graduation, she’s been doing amazing things–teaching English in Japan as part of the JET program, working as staff abroad the Peace Boat, and most recently dedicating herself to PEPY, an organization in Cambodia that merges voluntourism with a mission to improve the lives …
Travel Take Two: Egypt
Welcome to the first entry in what we plan to make a recurring series here on Lives of Wander in the run-up months to our actual departure. I mean, you did come here to read about travel, didn’t you? What we’ll be doing in our Travel Take Two series is take a second look at some of the trips Jeff and I have gone on together. We’ll recall the highlights—the events that make travel the wonderful adventure that is. We’ll …
A Setback, Literally
The start date for our trip has always been fluid, tied not to a date on the calendar but to an event, namely Jeff’s completion of his PhD. As anyone who has ever worked toward a PhD or anyone who has lived with a PhD seeker knows, nailing down a graduation date can be tricky. The finish line can be squarely in sight, seemingly so close, but then as you’re about to pump your arms in triumph at completing this …
I’m happy to be a Swede
When I was in college, we went to Sweden one summer, not unlike a number of other summers of my childhood, since my mother is from a small town in central Sweden. On this particular trip, however, my mom, dad, sister and I all stayed for three weeks in one hotel room in Uppsala, while my sister and I took a language course. With European hotel rooms being what they are and at that time in my life, let’s just …
Travels Through Our Own Backyard
Whenever Jeff and I travel—whether it be a weekend trip to a nearby destination, a week-long vacation around the U.S. or abroad, or our upcoming RTW trip—we always devote some time to figuring out what it is we want to do at our destination. Skimming guidebooks and scanning websites, we make lists of attractions that interest us and take notes of restaurants others are raving about. Lord knows we don’t want to visit a place and miss the best spots. …
A Boring Post About Insurance (Who Said There’s No Truth in Advertising?)
We met with our local Allstate representative on Friday, because the completely useless DMV decided to further complicate our already busy lives. While there, we checked the official DMV records with our agent and the proof of insurance they threatened to fine me for not sending them was in fact in their database already. Silly DMV. Anyway, we thought it would be a good opportunity to ask a few questions about our travel related concerns in regards to insurance. Anyway, …
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Volatility
Sometimes change seems to happen at a slower than snail pace. Other times change seems to burst forth suddenly. The world can be a staid place. It can also be extremely volatile. For many years, Kenya has been considered one of the most stable countries in Africa. Sure, Nairobi is a fairly dangerous city, and many Kenyans suffer from a lack of things we would consider basic necessities. Undoubtedly, Kenya is part of the developing world. But politically it has …
Happy New Year!
Allow me to echo the sentiments of the rest of the internet/Western world and wish everyone a Happy New Year! I, for one, enjoy the holiday, though not for the overpriced parties. It’s always a time of renewal, redemption, and hope. Anyway, as is the tradition, I had my period of reflection and self-assessment, otherwise known as the New Year’s resolution. There are two big ones, and everything else is trivial by comparison. (1) GRADUATE! (2) Get our trip organized …
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