Travel Experts

For many people, the past few years have been full of uncertainty, turmoil, and the word “no”. No to family vacations, ski weekends, or beach house rentals. Women especially have said no to themselves, prioritizing kids, parents, and spouses over themselves when it came to anything involving scarce financial resources. Kid’s soccer camp won out over mom’s yoga retreat weekend, as the guilt got in the way.

Enter 2011. After 2 years of saying “no”, women are starting to say “yes” – to themselves. With the stock market no longer teetering on the edge of a cliff, and layoffs seeming less…

It’s about that time.

That time of year when planning, watching, and a little praying starts to take place. No, I’m not talking about getting ready for Christmas morning. I’m talking about pre and post Christmas holiday air travel.

In years prior, the Grinch arrives early for me, in the form of blizzards, mechanical failures, and delayed flights, wrecking havoc on my holiday travel plans. Last year, I didn’t even make it to my parent’s home in Virginia thanks to a cancelled flight on December 23rd. The first flight the airline could rebook me on was December 27th. Bah humbug!

S…

Have you ever returned home from a trip a wondering, “Where did the time go?” or “Wow! That week went fast!” My most recent trip to Nepal has made me a believer in time travel – or more like time going by at warp speed. My last visit to the country was in 2003, when I was volunteering in a government school as an English teacher that 85 Broads had funded the construction of. A lot had changed in 7 years in this rural country – demonstrating the power of motivation and the willingness to change.

My return to Nepal was in conjunction with “Call of the Wild’s”:[callwild.com] trek t…

As I was moving boxes the other day, I came upon my collection of travel journals. When traveling, I often keep a journal and spend time in the evenings, at the beach, or on the bus writing my thoughts down about the world around me. My journals aren’t fancy, leather bound books. Usually they are simple notebooks I dig out of my desk drawer before I leave or purchase at a paper goods store once I arrive. When backpacking, it can be as simple as 2 sheets of paper that I use every inch of real estate on over the course of the week.

When reading through my travel journals, I am always st…

It’s easy to forget a few things when you are frantically packing your bags for yet another trip that involves many stops, five types of transportation, and meals that may likely come from a snack stand on the corner. One item that you should be sure to remember to include for every trip is compassion.

This past week, after seven days on the road in six different cities, I was heading back into San Francisco on a jam packed flight out of Chicago. As the drink cart came through, I decided a Bloody Mary was warranted. Freshly made and ready for consumption, I watched my drink slide off …

For the third time this past summer I traveled through an area of wilderness known for its beauty, remoteness, and dense forest. This pocket of forest is wedged between a series of other more popular areas with easier access, higher profile vistas, and better maintained trails. I think of this area as almost the wildest place I know – not because it is remote and often empty, but because the maps of the area haven’t been updated in over 40 years – and today are wrong.

The first time I got lost in the area, it was early in my hiking days and I met my husband 4 hours later than planned. …

Earlier this month, I was on a Call of the Wild women’s backpacking trip in arguably the most scenic – and challenging – part of the California Sierra mountains. This world class backpacking vacation attracts women with a spirit for adventure and an attraction to high places. Traveling 10 miles a day (or more) over steep mountain passes requires top physical fitness, as well as a strong mental desire to see it through.

After 6 amazing days on the trail, while climbing up a scenic river canyon, we came across a group of 4 men eager to talk and hear our story about what a group of women w…

This past week I spent 7 days on the trail with a group of 12 women backpacking with Call of the Wild. Now, 12 women anywhere can draw attention. 12 women on the trail carrying 40 lb. backpacks crossing 11,000+ ft. mountain passes can really draw attention. You see, in the wilderness, more often than not, women are the exception rather than the rule. Men make up the majority of hikers, trekkers, backpackers, boaters, etc. When I travel solo in the wilderness, I am acutely aware of just how few women are out the trail with me, and that my likely life support in case of emergency will be…