The Travel Thief

Fair warning that there is nothing specifically travel related or useful in this post. Still bored enough to read on? Have at it then ;-) I just woke up from a travel dream (Ok...nightmare) that combined all of the travel missteps into one swirling mess. This is probably because I have been stressing about emailing the lodge in Belize for the 100th time about changing the dates of our stay...each time thinking that it is going to be the final one.  It starts when getting off the plane. The seats are so close together that I can barely squeeze through and instead of waiting for people to get off in order, it's everyone for themselves. I keep hitting the people still seated with my backpack even though I am trying not to. The seats themselves are red patterned and that fuzzy fabric you find on buses. I make it out into the terminal and it is the generic look of metal, sunlight and plants. Somehow, I had collected more items in getting off the plane. I was desperately stuffing them in...

So, I have become more active with birding and identifying birds during the past year during the pandemic, but it's been recently to look back on now birding adventures and see where birds fit in. In my memories from 9 years ago, a picture of me holding a falcon in Dubai at a desert experience outside of the city popped up. Additionally, I came across images and a story from a Saudi Prince who booked 80 seats on a commercial flight for his falcons. Did you know that they all have to have passports?!  https://www.cntraveler.com/story/saudi-prince-bought-airplane-seats-for-80-falcons And, if you are like me and wondered why falconry is so important in the UAE, take a look at this article. https://www.emirates247.com/lifestyle/falconry-an-ancient-tradition-report-2017-09-29-1.659646 As for me, I'm just excited for this weekend's Great Backyard Bird Count to help round out some Northeast US winter weather quarantine.

Roundabouts. Something I hate in the US because no one really knows how to drive in them. Though...I did get used to them driving in Iceland. Faroe Islands. Something no one really knows where they are. 😆 So here is a post about an underwater, roundabout in the Faroe Islands because it is simply that beautiful. Faroe Island Roundabout And, if you look at the links to the other article recommended at the bottom of the post about roundabouts on the BBC you will not be disappointed.....hashtag man living in a roundabout

Hello, can you hear me? I'm in Pennsylvania dreaming about who we used to be When we were younger and free I've forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet Hello from the other side. ...well, not quite the other side yet, but that Adele song is so appropriate. I have been heartbroken. I lost my travel job back in March 2020. After over 13 passion filled years in the industry, and seeing what my peers in tourism are going through has me gutted beyond belief. Even though I am happy in my new career, there is still a little nagging twinge knowing that I am not returning to the industry.  My resolve to go back through and finally post all of my past adventures while having the opportunity to not be distracted by an upcoming trip didn't happen.  That being said, I'm finding ways for new adventures, local excursions and still travel thievin' on a much smaller scale. I've always been an advocate for people to get out and travel or explore on any scale and n...

As much as I travel, I have never, and plan to avoid, going on a sea cruise. This post shows the dark side of cruising. NCL ran into bad weather that drastically changed their cruise routing. Their fault? No. Could they have handled it better? Possibly. But the real thing is being around hundreds of angry passengers working themselves into a mutinous mob. Trapped. At least when things go wrong on land, there are more opportunities to escape, but I can't imagine being around all those people with no way off or to unwind.

Before this Fiji trip there was some, um... let's call it "unpleasantness" in my life. I had a lot of hurt and anger brewing from multiple things and lost motivation to devote time and energy to things that I loved.  I was even at a point that had I not sunk so much money into the Fiji trip on non-refundable hotels and flights, I would have considered cancelling it altogether and staying home. As the departure date drew closer, I started to worry that I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself by holding onto these feelings. Unlike most struggles in my life, I couldn't let it go. A week prior, I started to at least look forward to the trip, deferring my angst until I returned. But then, on the day before I was set to leave, I woke up and all that emotion had washed away. Without any further effort on my part, I had let it go. I was relieved. Someone knowing a portion of my stresses said to me "Pack Light" in reference to the emotional baggage. It resonate...