Tackling the Globe…

On our last night in Orlando last week, there was a rocket launch from Cape Canaveral. None of us would have had the slightest clue were it not for my dorky fiance who scours a dozen or so space sites a day because he’s a space geek like that. So we packed up the Lumpmobile—our uglier-than-sin rental car—and drove east to the coast.

But some pretty menacing storm clouds delayed the flight. So we waited.

And took photos, like we’re often wont to do.

Some scarier than others.

And we ran on the beach.

And played like we were kids again.

And jumped.

And jumped some more.

Because jumping photos never get old.

Then when we got tired of that—or rather, our joints started to ache, as none of us are spring chickens these days—my sprightly sister turned the sand into her tapestry.

Scott’s “cage” says “Caution: Rabid Monkey.” Mine says “Resting Beauty.” Smart girl, she knows who to butter up.

Then, gave him some love, because let’s be honest, he puts up with way more from three crazy ladies than most men would.

In the end, the launch never happened, but that’s OK, because we (clearly) found ways to amuse ourselves otherwise. Happy Fourth of July (AKA Scott’s 35th birthday!) to you all!

*Yes, I realize it’s not Friday, but I figured I’d get on this a day early, as tomorrow is a working holiday for most.

**Pictures are an assortment taking by my mom, Scott and me, all with a Canon XTi, 10-20mm and 28-135mm lenses.

I think this video from our trip to Magic Kingdom last week requires little explanation.

Magic Kingdom 2009 from krysleigh on Vimeo.

And in case our extreme cheesiness wasn’t already glaringly obvious, we entered yet another contest—67 Days of Smiles, which ends today and, if we were to win, would land us in Florida for 67! Whole! Days!—because a week simply wasn’t enough for us to even cover a fraction of what we wanted to do in Orlando.

(Also, because getting paid $25,000 plus all expenses to ride roller coasters, dive with dolphins, get pampered, try out restaurants, etc. etc. etc. just sounds pretty rad to both of us.)(If you’re extremely bored, you can view our video submission here.)

*Ironically, one of the few rides we didn’t go on, thanks to the 90-minute-plus wait the entire afternoon. Oh well, when we win the smile contest (ha, I wish), we can ride it every day for 67!

I often get asked, “where does the girl who travels all over the world go for vacation?” Well, I have an answer for you: Disney World, of course!

(Not the answer you hoped for expected, huh?)

My parents have owned a timeshare right near the parks since I was a wee thing, and we haven’t made use of it since 1998. So, we all decided to convene in Orlando for a week at the ideal time of year: height of summer, height of high season, height of school being out, height of heat. (Smart, that we are.)

I’m actually a huge proponent of Disney—all the Orlando parks, really. They were such a part of my childhood; we’d come down here several times a year—summer, Spring Break, Thanksgiving—to park hop. Scott, however, had never been (can you believe it? such a deprived childhood he had!), so it was fun to take him on his first visit to the Magic Kingdom, even a week shy of his 35th birthday.

I have no problem embracing my five-year-old self, as if I haven’t made that evident time and time again.

In fact, the majority of rides we rode were of the kiddie variety: Peter Pan, the Astro Orbiter, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean (one of my all-time favorites), Haunted Mansion (scary, wooo) and the Carousel.

And since my last visit, there was a welcome addition: An Aladdin attraction, featuring none other than my favorite animal!

I was super bummed that the Alien show is now defunct and that we didn’t get to ride either of my favorite rides: Splash Mountain was a 90-minute wait (we picked up our Fast Passes around 1pm, but they weren’t valid until 6:30pm, and by then the daily afternoon storm had shut down all the rides); Space Mountain was closed until further notice. WHAT? I almost asked for a refund, as that’s one of the main reasons I chose Magic Kingdom over MGM (excuse me, make that Hollywood Studios…which, speaking of, what’s the deal with the name change in the first place?). Oh well, guess we’ll just have to go back! (67 Days of Smiles people, call me!)

In a totally random aside, we have these friendly avian creatures waddling around our unit each day. They even come up to say hi. Can anyone tell me what they are? Pretty please?

*All photos taken by Scott van Velsor with a Canon XTi, 10-20mm lens (eventually we’ll get our 17-85mm back from the Canon factory so every single photo isn’t distorted so!).

**For more Photo Friday fun, visit Delicious Baby.

It’s a wonder Beth Whitman and I didn’t cross paths sooner—we share a lot of the same acquaintances, run in parallel travel writer groups, have similar goals and passions. Then, right around the time I stumbled upon Beth, she also came across my blog and sent me a message seeing if I’d like a copy of her book. I had just decided to start a monthly travel book review segment beginning with, coincidentally, Beth’s neighbor in Seattle Thomas Kohnstamm, so it seemed like fate.

For two months, the book has been sitting on my desk beckoning to be read, but work duties and guidebook deadlines loomed. I finally had the chance to pour through Beth’s book, Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo, ironically during a solo trip to Helsinki a couple weeks ago, and found it a delightful fusion of travelers’ tales, guidebook-like reviews and Beth’s own tips she’s picked up through her decades of globetrotting. More than anything, it hit home—hard. I’ve been predominantly flying solo for the past seven years, since I was just 19, and am often met with looks of astonishment, and sometimes even suspicion. B-b-b-but, how? Isn’t that dangerous? Why would you even want to go on vacation by yourself? Sure I’ve had the odd occurrence—that stowaway with the gun in my train cabin in Italy, for example; the time I found myself lost and alone in the gritty underbelly of Paris’ Moulin Rouge district past midnight, with no clue which direction was out—but 99 percent of the time, it’s all been peaches and cream.

Confession: I actually enjoy traveling by myself. Gasp! I know! Sure, I wish Scott could go on every trip with me—that would be ideal—but if he’s not free, as often he’s not (some people do have normal jobs that require them to be around 50 weeks out of the year, I’ve come to find), I’ve realized that my second best option for a travel companion is…me. I like being on my own time, getting to choose what I want to do, making all of the decisions myself. Call me selfish, but that’s just the way I roll. Beth hits the nail on the head by saying, “While it can be a relief to leave the travel planning to others…you often give up what you really want to do when (someone else) makes the decisions.” Bingo! I learned this early on when I took a trip to Ireland with three close pals, three close pals with strong personalities and varying travel styles. By the end of day one, we were already at each other’s throats (a hangover resulting in an all-nighter in Edinburgh after the MTV Europe Awards the previous evening paired with a 5am flight didn’t help matters any).

Beth also points out how limiting it is to travel alone, insofar as the people you meet on the road. It’s true: When thinking back to all of the travels Scott and I have shared, while they have all been amazing and memorable, we’ve never really met any locals. Sure, we met some cool dive couples in Honduras last fall, but no locals. In Romania…Portugal…Spain…it was always the same story: A lot of bonding time, but little cultural immersion. Yet when I went to Iceland by myself two years ago, I had the most amazing experiences couchsurfing with the locals and allowing them to cart me all over the country to sites I would have never been able to see otherwise. Some of my travel soulmates with whom I will always keep in touch, like a pair of charming Aussie designers I met in Prague four years ago, have come from shared hostel dormitories, and I wouldn’t trade those experiences for a penthouse suite at the Four Seasons.

There’s a lot of service-y advice in this book—the ever-burning question of hostels vs. hotels vs. pensions vs. B&Bs vs. home swaps—as well as tips on responsible travel, how to pack right, how to immerse yourself in the local customs and how to reacclimate post-trip. Beth also includes numerous websites on various topics, sites I’ve never even heard of but will no doubt prove useful in future travels.

I guess the only thing I really wish had been covered in Wanderlust and Lipstick that wasn’t is specific destination advice. Sure, this isn’t a guidebook per se and Beth couldn’t have written about every country on this massive planet—then her book would have been 1,258 pages instead of 258–but I really would have liked to hear places she recommends for a novice solo traveler, for example, or countries that are definitely off limits if you’re going at it by yourself (like, I don’t know, North Korea or spots in the Middle East). Still, all in all, a great resource for every woman—whether you’ve been traveling alone for years or are contemplating going at it for the first time.

Beth kindly took the time to stop by and answer some burning questions I had. Read what she has to say below, then head over to her site, Wanderluster, and scour her archives for all sorts of great travel candy.

*****

In the book, you say every woman has her own idea of where is “easy” to travel, but in your opinion, what’s a good spot for a first-time solo traveler to break in her pack and get her bearings?

I would suggest traveling to a country where her language is spoken as a good starting point. If she’s not interested in leaving the country, I recommend traveling to another region of her own country to visit friends/family and then set out from there on her own. These are little steps that can lead to far more adventurous trips.

You travel to Bhutan often. That’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to go, but a destination that’s very hard to reach for many reasons. How did your travels to Bhutan first begin? What sparked your interest in the country?

Actually, I was offered the opportunity to lead a trip there and OF COURSE I couldn’t turn that down. Free travel! I’m hooked now and am offering my own tours to both Bhutan and India. Bhutan is an amazing country that is still relatively untouched by the outside world. They just allowed TV into the country about 10 years ago and, as you can imagine, it’s having a deleterious effect on things but in the big scheme of travel, it’s still pretty much a virgin country.

You stress that travelers need to get out of their comfort zones. I feel like my first trip to Cuba was just that—a completely nerve-racking, yet character-building venture outside of my box. What’s an example of how you’ve exemplified this suggestion?

I hopped on a motorcycle and rode 7,000 miles over 9 weeks from Seattle to Panama. Solo. I really wanted to take the trip and to prove to myself that I could do it. I was pretty nervous setting out but the trip was magnificent. That’s probably the most out of my comfort zone I’ve ever been.

Any plans on a follow-up to Wanderlust and Lipstick?

Well, I do now have 3 books in the series including the 2nd edition of The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo, For Women Traveling to India and Traveling with Kids. I’m now working on an anthology of women’s adventure stories that is due out next year.

*****

Leave a comment below on anything—your own adventures traveling solo, whether you’d ever have the nerve to do so, what you had for dinner—by 5pm EST Friday, and I’ll pick one random commenter to win a copy of Beth’s book!