The plan is to spend about 3 months in Haiti. Although I reserve the right to cut that time short if the humidity and bucket showers are making me homicidal. I’ll be working with Hands On Disaster Response in Léogâne. I’m expecting a lot of hard work in a really bleak place. So we’ll see how that plays out. I haven’t really had to work hard for a few years, so that too will be interesting. It sounds like a lot of the projects we’ll be doing will involve clearing rubble and the such. At least to start.

I’ll do my best to get in some posts on what it’s like in Haiti. I’m sure my spare time will be unreliable though. If there is anything in particular you’d like to hear about or see from the area certainly let me know. Ted Beatie is also down there right now, so if you’re interested you should definitely check out his accounts of the scene.

After Haiti I hope to get to the Dominican Republic and Cuba. I’m betting that both those places will be great. Especially after months of labour. Then it’s up to New York for a few days at the end of June then… who knows. I kind of have my eye on Oktoberfest, but it’s just too far away to tell for certain.

As I said, I’ll be sad to leave Victoria. It really is a lovely city and well worth a visit if you have the opportunity to do so. I’ve met several great people in the past month here and had a lot of fun. So that’s pretty much the state of the union  for me. Keep on truckin’.

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- T-Minus 3 Days To Haiti is a post from: Rerunaround

We had walked past countless sailboats and it was just another morning in the harbour. All the proverbial chat topics were going on, “ohh that one is pretty” and “I could sail around the world on that baby”, and so on. Then amongst all the fancy boats this little beauty suddenly caught my eye and ignited my day dreaming muscles.

She certainly isn’t anything stunning to look at, I admit. I know the photo is a bit busy with all the rigging in the background and it came off my phone so the quality isn’t hot. How often do you see such a cute little sailboat like that though? Definitely older since she’s all wood construction. And even a wood burning stove chimney. You sure wouldn’t get anything like that these days. She isn’t fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but she sure has personality.

I have no idea who lives on there or what the boat’s story is. However, I’ve spent plenty of time imagining how if she were my boat I’d get up early to warm up the stove. Maybe have afternoon projects like replacing some rigging here and there or sanding down the deck for a fresh coat of stain. I wonder how she would sail. Probably fairly heavy compared to newer boats, but I bet she’d be seaworthy enough to go plenty of places. Maybe drift into a quiet inlet for the night. Nobody around but some dodgy looking seals and a random gull.

I have no idea what this particular boat’s name is. I think I’d name her Ingrid though. It sounds about right to me.

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Look At This Boat! is a post from: Rerunaround

I originally saw this charger on Gadling a few months ago and have been using it exclusively ever since. I make a point of having only the most efficient gear in my pack, and this little thingy definitely meets my standards.

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// shawn

Edit: This baby is $36 at Amazon.

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Review: Macally iPhone Charger is a post from: Rerunaround

It’s so warm and sunny today that the closest thing to snow here is the layer of cherry blossoms lining the sidewalks. I had taken completely for granted that I was walking around clean, safe downtown streets. Passing great architecture, interesting shops, and several tempting little cafes. I got to further considering the amazing amount of activities in this region and all the great spots to see. Just in this small, yet beautiful, corner of the world there’s more things I want to do than I can comfortably list.

To illustrate my original point a little bit, here’s what Victoria looks like from that random spot where I paused to let the photographer get his shot. Taking this hasty photo gave me something to do while I waited. It’s by no means the most picturesque spot in town. In fact, it’s a bit average. Which is what I find really exceptional.

No, I’m not canceling my future trips to instead stay here and partake in the myriad local experiences. I am however clear in my mind that as I continue to travel around, I’m not looking for something better, but am instead simply looking around.

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Is The Grass Greener? is a post from: Rerunaround

No Real Issues

I don’t know how many Air Canada flights I’ve taken over the years. Lets call it dozens. I’ve never had a flight arrive more than 15 minutes off of the scheduled time. I consider 15 minutes to be a pretty acceptable buffer.

Comfy & Clean

There have been times on other airlines where I’ve had visible food smudges on my seat, trash in the pocket, random stickiness, you name it. Air Canada planes always seem to be pretty clean. And to me, clean is half the battle of comfy. I can’t get comfortable in a dirty seat. The seats on Air Canada flights are probably about average for comfort I suppose. Plus I can cross my legs without any coxal bone contortions.

Video On Demand

I’m generally appalled these days when I’m on a plane with those little TVs hanging from the center of the ceiling. They always seem to have that one worn out VHS copy of Harry and the Hendersons where the audio cuts out right when he chases Harry back into the woods. Every Air Canada flight I’ve been on in the past few years has had the seat back LCD with a full catalog of movies, TV, music and games on demand. Not even crappy shows either!

USB & Power

Smack dab right beside said video on demand screen are a USB plug and a power plug. This is as good as it gets in geek land. When my flight is just the first part of my trip it’s so nice to be able to have my MP3 player charging while I listen to it. So the battery doesn’t die on me in the middle of a train ride the following day.

Snacky Snack Snack

Yea, Air Canada still gives you a snack with the beverage service. How nice is that? I love the snack! Usually it’s some kind of nuts, or chex mix or a chewy snack bar. So the one time I decide to take a phone pic of my snack for the purpose of this post it’s Bran Crunch. Which sounds pretty crappy, but it was surprisingly tasty.

Mobile Boarding Pass

When I check in online, from my phone, or even at the airport kiosk, I have the option to receive a paperless boarding pass sent to my phone. This is very cool. I just show the bar code image on my phone to security and at the gate and that’s it.

Canada

I’m a big sucker for patriotism, so just the fact that they’ve got Canada in their name makes me like it. If there was Canada brand gum, underpants, or chocolate bars I would buy the hell out of them. Are you reading this Canadian gum entrepreneurs?!

Star Alliance

Air Canada is a Star Alliance member, which means their flights have a strong partner list for connections and the such. Plus their mileage points will quite easily get you anywhere in the world. After reading Frequent Flyer Master I know just how important that really is.

Nice People

I like nice people. Generally, there’s no good reason to be rude to people. If someone working for a company is rude, I unintentionally take it as a negative aspect of the entire company. I’ve never had any rude interactions with an Air Canada employee, and they always seem to be quite nice.

Napkin?

Okay yea, this one at first sounds like filler to bump this list to an even dozen. Basically, one small change they’ve made that I noticed is that the napkins no longer have the dyed logo on them. They’re just white with the white logo stamped on them. There’s been a few little things they’ve done like that to be more environmental, and I appreciate those types of things. Especially when you consider the scale of each small step they take to be greener. Imagine how many napkins they use worldwide every day.

Haitian Relief Efforts

There have been some really touching stories in the news about Air Canada sending multiple flights full of relief supplies and people into Haiti, and bringing home orphans and refugees. I feel really good about supporting a company that is a generous global citizen.

The Beautiful People

No, I don’t mean the flight attendants are foxy. Oh, but I’m not saying that some aren’t either! I mean they are well groomed, healthy looking people. I’ve been on some airlines where the sickly and sloppy looking attendants turned me right off of my free orange juice.

Well anyways, those are my dozen reasons for preferring Air Canada. I suppose not all of those reasons appeal to everyone, but they are what they are. Do you have a preferred air carrier? Or is brand loyalty dead in favour of saving a dollar or two?

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// shawn

ps: This post is dedicated to Jeannie.

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- A Dozen Reasons Why I Prefer Air Canada is a post from: Rerunaround

Along comes Abby. Working as a writer from Costa Rica, Abby Tegnelia knows all about drowning deadline worries with a margarita and getting sun tan lotion on your keyboard. Fortunately for me — and I suppose by association, you too — Abby was willing to answer some questions about her experience. Read on to learn about a really cool woman, doing interesting work, from a pretty damn nice location.

All right Abby, let’s start off with a quick introduction. Where are you from? Where are you now?

I live in Playas del Coco, Costa Rica, in a tiny house, in a tiny little beach town. I moved here from LA, where I lived for a year. Before that? Las Vegas, Austin and NYC, where I did grad school. I grew up in Virginia, Florida and New Mexico.

You’re a freelance writer?

Yes! I write for about 15 magazines world-wide, mostly celebrity gossip. I also do a lot of Las Vegas travel stories and any other side project I can get my hands on, including some freelancing on the ABC.com news/entertainment desk.

Costa Rica doesn’t exactly seem like a hotbed of Hollywood dirt.

No, it’s really not! I’m in constant contact with people in LA and NYC.

How difficult is that?

It’s fine. Central America is good time zone wise, so it’s mostly just a matter of getting people used to sending more emails and talking on the phone less. I have terrible Skype reception, so it always drops calls. And when I sit outside to get better signal, it’s super-hot, the roosters are loud, and I can’t really see the screen. Email, I’m good on email.

Is it harder in other ways working from home in the tropics than the familiar idea of working from home? Above and beyond the usual challenges of staying focused, and finding that separation of work and personal life…

I don’t think so! And it’s definitely cheaper. I get the “I could never work from home” line a lot, but honestly, if you have a deadline, you get it done. All of my friends here work, too, so it’s not like I’m being pulled to the beach during work hours. The biggest hassle here is internet access. It can be really slow and goes out more often than at home. Our electricity is hydro-powered, and we had virtually no rainy season this year. So we have entire days with no electricity. All the gringos tote their laptops to the restaurant that boasts the town’s one generator. Also, my BlackBerry seems to have problems here all the time, so if someone’s trying to reach me, it doesn’t always work out.

How about timing? Is the amount of time it takes to get something done remotely pretty much the same as if you were in an office? Or, the same as if you were at home, but in the same town or area?

I’ve spent about half of my career working from home, so I’m used to it. I work faster alone! I’m known for just plowing through work if there’s no distractions around me, like in an office. But it does get lonely! Costa Rica is kind of the best of both worlds. We all work remotely, and our little houses are all very close to each other. I can yell across the dirt road to my neighbor for a break whenever I want!

Were there any “gotchas” that lost you time or money while getting started with working from Costa Rica?

Sure! But none that really stand out. For every one assignment I miss here, the same thing could’ve happened in LA, if I’d disappeared into a movie theater or something. I write news stories, so there’s some volume there to pad the ones I can’t get to in time. The biggest misses happen when an editor needs something right away, and I’m sleeping. I work mostly out of Europe, and some Australia, so the time change is a factor. I’m actually two hours closer than when I was in LA!

Do you have some clever tips that you’ve learned that might help other folks looking to work while traveling? Such as not eating after midnight or some such thing?

Well, when the economy tanked, and the prices for freelancers hit the floor, I knew I had to target Europe. They were still paying decently for celeb news, and I had my eye on those euros and pounds. But I had a really tough time breaking in. I can’t blame them: I was a stranger far away in LA trying to sell celebrity gossip items that they had to believe were true. So, I asked someone I knew working in Europe if she could start throwing mine in when she was pitching hers. It saved me months, even years, of pitching and pitching to editors until they started hiring me. Now, she acts as my agent, and I have reporters in LA and NYC who feed me most of my original content. But you don’t have to turn it into a business like I did. Just remember that if you are trying to sell in a new market, and you have friends who are already well known in that niche, you might be able to use them as a foot in the door. It’s as easy as that person saying to an editor, “Hey, I ran across this idea a friend of mine had, and I thought it was perfect for you.” They work more diligently on your story ideas if you give them a little cut! It just takes one successful assignment to start working for a new publication.

Knowing what you do now, would you start another project working remotely while traveling again?

I have no choice! I’m a writer who needs to make a living. The fact that I can do it from anywhere is a gift.

—

Thank you, Abby for your valuable time and for the real world insight. Be sure to follow along with Abby’s Costa Rican escapades on her blog, The Jungle Princess.

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Interview With Abby Tegnelia: Writer, Traveler, and Jungle Princess is a post from: Rerunaround

Earlier this week I had a great night in Vancouver meeting my favourite travel blogger, Jeannie (nomadicchick.com). Fortunately for me I procrastinated long enough and she wrote up a little something about the meeting and such. While you’re there, be sure to read the rest of that post too. And while you’re on her site go ahead and read the whole damn site, you won’t regret it. Sweet.

I’ve always been a fan of the public transit system in British Columbia. Of the various cities I’ve visited or lived in over my many years, the transit system in Vancouver and Victoria are easily amongst the best I’ve ever used. Since I landed here on Tuesday, I’ve been relying on the public transit system extensively, and it’s been nothing but super handy. Consequently, I enjoyed this tribute to public transit from around the world over on Uncornered Market.

This week over on Everything Everywhere Gary started a cool series of posts on street food. It’s a really cool read so far. I recommend starting with day 1 here.

Do you love animals? And do you not totally hate the idea of volunteering? Then take a gander at this super cute list of baby animal volunteering opportunities around the world over at Off Track Planet. I have the list saved and I hope to try a couple of these.

I’m really happy that I finally remembered to take a Laviator photo this week. So I’ll be emailing that to Heather! Oh, and did y’all see this review of sleepphones? I am really tempted to get some. They seem awesome! Anyone try them?

Alright kiddies, I hope everyone has a great week. I’m off to watch zombies. Keep on truckin’!

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Week Sauce: Zombie Edition is a post from: Rerunaround

The sore point for me is watching this great scenery sail past while I have no photography skills at all. So a few days ago, I stood on the deck of the seventh floor, right up at the bow and tried my best to get a good photo. With it being a chilly February afternoon, high up on the bow of a fast moving ship, it wasn’t exactly crowded. I have a very tough time taking photos; I don’t feel comfortable taking them, plus I don’t have much of an eye for it. So excuses aside, here are a few that I got which seem fairly nice to me. Let me know what you think!

Unfortunately, photos alone don’t do much to capture the beauty of the area. You’ll just have to go there as well and experience it for yourself.

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// shawn

photo credit: The top photo of the ferry wasn’t taken by me, it links through to the source wikipedia article.

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- The Vancouver to Victoria Ferry Photography Experiment is a post from: Rerunaround

I really like the style of those roundtable posts they do at Where I’ve Been. Comparing the different answers from various travel folks gives a different sense of perspective on the topic. Plus it’s neat when all three of the contributors give the identical answer to a question. Then you know there must really be something to it beyond personal opinion. This is actually the second one I’ve contributed to and with some luck I hope to do more in the future. Anyways, check it out!

Oh, Canada: In a few days, epic NBC Winter Olympics montages will remind the world that its rugged environs have provided us photogenic landscapes, hockey, poutine and moose for decades. And while Bob Costas and co. might boost interest, Canada remains a remarkably overlooked tourist destination. Why?

Continue reading Travel Tuesday Roundtable: Canada on the whereivebeen.com blog.

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Visiting Canada? is a post from: Rerunaround

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to preview the Travel Blog Success (TBS) site. I can readily say that I learned quite a bit about travel blogging there. It’s made starting this blog much easier and quite a bit more rewarding. TBS is a good deal for a certain type of travel blogger. And possibly not as much for others. Instead of just generally recommending the site to everyone I would like to try and clarify who will really get the most benefit.

I figure there are three classifications of travel bloggers out there.

1. The “Look Mom” travel blogger: These folks are sharing their trip with family and friends. It’s a fancy, public journal and when their trip is done, so is the blog.

2. The “Read Me” travel blogger: These folks get their main travel blogging joy from being read and sharing their experience. The joy of having people read your posts. Traffic and comments are king.

3. The “Lifer” travel blogger: These folks are in the travel blogging/writing scene for the long haul. They’re the career changers that want the freelance contracts, the promo trips, the site revenue, plus everything the “Read Me” folks want.

Take a look at those and honestly determine where you want to be. I’m personally a 2.5 right now because I’m not yet convinced I have what it takes to make life as a 3 work. I guess we’ll see. Anyways, if you’re a “Look Mom” blogger you’re free to go. There isn’t enough value for you in the TBS program. You can only have so many moms so you’re already all set. If you’re a #2 or #3 then yes, you can get really good bang for your buck out of TBS and here’s why.

Travel Blog Success worked really well in my personal case for a number of reasons.

I’m Busy Like Borscht

Despite all the napping, I actually have a lot of things to do as I wrap up my old life and start up my new life. I wanted to get this site started even though I had limited time and resources to dedicate to it. At times while traveling, I also have really busy spells.

Travel Blog Success is divided up into logical segments. They’re bite size and they’re in chronological order. So when I have fifteen minutes to sit down and check out the next step for improving my blog, it’s easy to do. I know it will be a topic or tasks that I can get done in a realistic amount of time. For example, SEO is easily the most boring topic in existence. Seriously, try and name something more boring. Exactly. I had honestly planned to skim or maybe even skip the SEO section of TBS. When I sat down to look at it I found that I was able to learn all I needed to know in about 10 minutes. I walked away with three tasks to improve my SEO and all the info I needed to complete those tasks. I don’t think it was more than another fifteen minutes before I was all set. I was shocked and very pleased.

I’m Not Evil

I dole out kiss for all the kittens, smile at puppies and don’t manufacture weapons of mass destruction. I also cringe and whine at the thought of self-promoting and marketing my site. I don’t want to be one of those twats that just markets themselves like soulless robots. So I assumed I was hamstrung in my ability to succeed in the travel blogging scene.

Apparently the cure for this is options. Plenty of options. Oh, you don’t like to do such-and-such type of site self-promotion? Well here are myriad other ways to help get yourself involved in the travel community. Armed with options, ideas and data on why different approaches work for different reasons, I wasn’t even miserable. I like not being an evil whore and/or miserable.

I Don’t Care

When the cards are all on the table, it really comes down to the fact that I don’t care enough to dump those countless hours into researching and trial/error stumbling my way around. Maybe you’re an insatiable masochist for those “69 tips & tricks to blog billionairedom” articles. Not me, buddy. My time is very valuable to me. I did very well in the corporate world because I clearly understand the Return On Investment bell curve that everything I do has. After a certain amount of wasted time it is no longer worthwhile for me to struggle with something.

The time and energy I saved from using TBS was far greater than the cost of the product. Everything you do has an opportunity cost; what else could you have accomplished with that time and would it have been worth more? That ultimately boils down why TBS is a great deal for travel blogger group #2 and #3.

I Like To Yap

The best guidelines in the world still won’t cover every possible thing. Plus sometimes you just want to vent or see what folks think of your new idea. Beyond the information that TBS presents, I’ve gotten some priceless feedback, ideas and motivation from the other folks in the TBS forums. It’s all good to learn new things, but it really gels when you have the chance to chat about it with your peers. There’s also seasoned travel blogging veterans on the forums, so getting their feedback on your ideas is really helpful.

What It Isn’t

While TBS does give you easy steps to get a more rewarding experience from travel blogging, I want to clarify that it doesn’t do all the work for you. It’s not a miracle tonic button that lets you win and get all the ladies. It simply takes the things you need to know and makes them digestible. You still have to work at all this stuff, you just don’t have to waste time working on the wrong stuff.

Okay, You Can Go Now

Well I got more than a little long winded and random throughout this review. So please don’t hesitate to use the comments or my email (rerunaround at gmail.com) to ping me with any questions you have. I want to clarify that I have an affiliate account for TBS. So you should take that into consideration when basing your decision off of what I’ve said. I’m biased. Although, I do honestly think it’s a really good value for the right folks. Otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered with it myself.

There’s two ways to pay for the Travel Blog Success membership. Check them out here: One Payment or Three Monthly Payments

If you’ve signed up also, then how do you like it? Leave a comment and share your opinion.

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Review: Travel Blog Success is a post from: Rerunaround