All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail. That is the talisman, the formula, the command of right-about-face which turns us from failure towards success.”
~ Dorothea Brande

Failure is impossible!

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If only it were so easy, right? If all we had to do was “act as if”, then why would anybody still be stuck in that state of inertia and frustration? Why wouldn’t we all be exulting in abundance and joy? A simple look around shows that’s certainly not true!

Yet, something so simple and paradoxical really does have power behind it.

“Acting as if” means putting all our efforts into this focused direction, without holding back, and continually thinking “maybe this really won’t work”, or “maybe I’d better not”, or “what if I can’t do it?”. How much mental effort is normally wasted worrying about things that never do go wrong, and visualizing worst case scenarios? If you can focus your mental state forwards instead of circling in endless worries, you can make progress a lot more easily.

“Acting as if” means trusting that solutions to issues will appear, and that you will figure out how to make things work, even if you don’t know all the details yet. This helps avoid the “analysis paralysis” syndrome, where you spend so much time trying to analyze every possible problem up front, that you never move on to getting things done. If you wait for all the answers first, you’ll never go anywhere.

“Acting as if” means heading in your chosen direction, confident this is the path to the success you want. It’s not about going a few steps down this path, then deciding “no, maybe I would be better off going that way instead”, then later still “probably safest to go back the way I came and start over”. This leads to starting down many paths, but never getting far on any of them! If you act as if, you can continue down a path long enough to see the results.

“Acting as if” means visualizing the success of our venture, visualizing the good things that can come from it, and getting that feeling into our bones through the process of acting. It helps us to achieve that winning mindset, seeing ourselves as successful, rather than losers. That helps develop confidence, which in turn can help us develop real results. Confidence leads to better results, leads to more confidence. It’s an upward cycle, and you can jump start it with a little acting.

“Acting as if” means taking risks, as you would if you knew it was impossible to fail. Every undertaking requires risks of certain sorts — whether it’s financial risk, risk of trying something new, risk of being different than your friends, risk of looking foolish, etc. If you’re afraid to take the necessary risks, then you’re afraid to move forward. Act as if it’s impossible to fail, and you take those risks, and get on the way.

“Acting as if” means pursuing your dreams instead of settling for normal, realistic, or status quo. It means that you get out there and go after what you want. Don’t let anybody – family, friends, experts, or even your own negative thoughts, tell you that what you want is impossible. Of course it is if you never get started! But if you “act as if”, and start moving down that road… Well, that’s the way to get there!

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People often ask me how I started Adventurous Wench, or how I got to be so lucky to have a job that lets me travel all over, meeting people and doing cool things. It all starts with an idea, and then you have to turn the idea into reality. There’s a definite leap of faith — that critical period at the beginning, where you have to start “acting as if”.
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I finally watched the 1950 Jimmy Stewart movie, Broken Arrow. I say “finally”, because I’ve been meaning to for years, ever since I first went to Sedona, Arizona.

On our Sedona trips, you have the option of taking a rugged (and I mean rugged) jeep tour. The route I like best is the Broken Arrow tour, so called because it goes right through the area where this movie was filmed. I’ve known that for years, and finally got to see the movie that is the jeep tour’s namesake.

The Sedona jeep tour is an exciting ride - get ready to hold on tight!

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This Jimmy Stewart “Broken Arrow” movie (not to be confused with the totally different John Travolta movie by the same name) is obviously a period western. However, given the time in which it was created, I was pleased to see the balanced approach that it took, acknowledging that there were two sides to the “Cowboys vs. Indians” story, and that in fact not all the Cowboys were good, nor all the Indians evil. In fact, this movie is credited with having “a decisive impact on popular consciousness and effectively amend(ing) the ground rules of the genre.” Guess that makes it more important than I realized!

The classic western, Broken Arrow

Based on fact, the movie is the story of ex-army scout Tom Jeffords (played by Jimmy Stewart). He is distressed at the way the war against the Apaches is going, and does his best to see if everyone could just get along together, and live in peace instead. In his efforts, he makes friends with the Apache chief Cochise, who is sympathetically portrayed as a wise leader doing the best for his people in a difficult time.

The main problem I had with this movie was the scenery. I mean that’s one of the things I love about it, too — the spectacular Sedona scenery! So why is that a problem?

Sedona, Arizona was a big place for making movies, especially back in the days of the westerns. The thing is, for decades they were making movies here, and never calling it Sedona! In movie after movie, they’d use Sedona as the location for filming, and pretend it was somewhere else. In this movie, it’s supposed to be the area in southern Arizona near Tucson, where Cochise had his stronghold.

So I was sitting in Tucson, watching this movie that was clearly happening in Sedona. (Once you’ve been there, you simply cannot mistake Sedona scenery for anywhere else!) And everything would be going along fine, until they mentioned that they’re in Tucson. Every time that happened, I did a double-take. Tucson? They’re not in Tucson!

Then I’d get lulled back into the Sedona scenery until the next time they called it Tucson!

You can find the movie on Amazon or Netflix. If you’ve been to Sedona, or are thinking of going, it’s a great movie to watch. You get a little Arizona history along with Sedona vistas… even if they are mismatched!

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If you do the jeep tour in Sedona, you might even recognize some of the views from the movie! We’ll be back in Sedona (or is it Tucson??)for our Sedona getaway trips in April, May and October of 2010.
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The British Virgin Islands are a paradise for sailing, snorkeling, diving, swimming, sunning, beachcombing, relaxing, and tropical drinks. Getting to the BVI isn’t too hard, but there are options to consider. Here are some tips on how to get to the BVI.

Overview

• The British Virgin Islands are very close to the US Virgin Islands, and you may end up visiting both on the same trip. You can fly into either set of islands on your trip to the BVI.
• The largest island in the British Virgin Islands is Tortola, and the capital, Roadtown, is on this island. If you’re doing a sailing vacation in the BVI, chances are that it starts somewhere on Tortola.
• The largest island in the USVI is St. Thomas, and its capital city is Charlotte Amalie. Many large cruise ships dock here.

Decision – Where to fly

Arriving in the BVI by ferry

You have two options on flights when you want to get to the BVI. Most British Virgin Islands sailing vacations leave from somewhere on the island of Tortola. Our BVI sailing trips usually leave from Roadtown, but make sure you check your own trip details, since some yacht charters do leave from different locations.

1) Fly to Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The simplest thing to do is to fly into Tortola / Beef Island airport (airport code EIS). The airport is on Beef Island, which is attached to Tortola by a short bridge, so even though it’s a separate island, you can get a taxi from that airport to anywhere on Tortola.

Advantages: It’s simple, with no ferry schedules or layover hotels to coordinate. Once your plane lands, you can just take a taxi to where you’re going. Tortola is a pretty safe place, if you want to walk around or go out for dinner (though use normal caution, of course).
Disadvantages: Beef Island is a small airport, so there is a limited selection of flights going here.

2) Fly to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.  You can also fly into St. Thomas airport (airport code STT), in the USVI. If you land in St. Thomas, then you take a ferry from there over to Tortola. There are quite a few ferries, and it’s not complicated to do, but it does make one more leg to your journey.

Advantages: St. Thomas is a bigger airport than Tortola / Beef Island, so you can often find better flight schedules or fares by flying here.
Disadvantages: The ferries don’t run very late, so if your flight gets in after mid-afternoon, you could have to spend the night in St. Thomas. Charlotte Amalie has a higher crime rate than the BVI, so if you’re staying here, you don’t want to be walking around at night.
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How to get to the BVI, Tortola option

• Book your flight to Tortola, arriving at Beef Island airport (airport code = EIS)
• When you land in the BVI, you will need to go through immigration and customs.
• After you’re through that, you can get a taxi from the airport to wherever you’re going on Tortola
• Taxis in the BVI tend to be large vans

How to get to the British Virgin Islands, St. Thomas option

• Book your flight to /St. Thomas (airport code = STT)
• Check the latest ferry schedules before you go (see links below), to see if you’ll get there in time to catch the ferry to Tortola.
• If you can get the ferry the same day you arrive, then take a taxi to the ferry terminal.
• Taxis in St. Thomas are large vans, and you will generally be sharing with a number of other people who are headed the same way
• If you arrive too late for the ferry to Tortola, then book a hotel on St. Thomas for the night. One near either the airport or ferry dock will be most convenient, then you can get a taxi to the ferry the next morning.

Ferries to the British Virgin Islands

It can be confusing knowing which ferry to take to the BVI, but they’re not bad once you know how it works.

Ferry ticket counters in St. Thomas

• There are different ferry companies that run ferries from St. Thomas to the BVI. At the ferry dock, you’ll see a ticket counter for each of them.
• When you arrive at the ferry dock, you may find that a helpful person asks where you’re going, and takes your luggage to put it in a particular stack. While they will get you where you’re headed, it may not be the option you want. He’s there to steer business to his company.
• Some ferries to Tortola go to West End, stopping at Soper’s Hole. Some BVI ferries go direct to Roadtown. Some will stop at West End on the way to Roadtown.
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  Catamaran ferry to BVI

  If you are going to Roadtown, the fastest one to take is the Roadtown Fast Ferry. This is a fast boat that travels direct to Roadtown.

• There’s also a Tortola Fast Ferry, which can be confusing, but this one does not go direct to Roadtown. Make sure to ask at the ticket counter.
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  Blue ferries to BVI

  Depending on which ferry you’re taking, it might look like one of these blue boats, or like one of the bigger catamaran ferries. While I like the more authentic feel of the blue ones, and hate to see everything turn into big business, this big white one is the Roadtown Fast Ferry, and may be most convenient.

• Whichever ferry you take, you will need to go through BVI customs and immigration on your arrival.

Here are a couple of good resources for more information:
BVI ferry schedules and FAQ’s
Ferry schedules from the BVI
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Getting home again from the BVI

When your sailing vacation ends in the British Virgin Islands, you need to know how to get home again (although you’ll be wishing you never had to leave)!

If you are flying out of Tortola / Beef Island, this is easy. Just take a taxi from wherever your trip ends to the airport and you can fly out directly.

If you are flying out of St. Thomas, while your sailing vacation ends on Tortola, then you need to check your scheduling to see how it will work with the ferries:

• What ferries can you catch after your trip ends?
• How long will that take to get you to St. Thomas? The fastest ferry from Roadtown arrives in Charlotte Amalie in 45 minutes, and some ferries take longer than that.
• You will need to go through immigration and customs when your ferry docks, so allow some extra time for that
• Add time for a taxi to the airport, and then plan to be at the airport at least 2 hours before your flight.
• If you don’t have time to do all of this on the day your BVI sailing trip ends, then you’ll need to plan on spending an extra night somewhere.

More questions?  Let me know in the comments, and I’ll find out answers.  Other tips?  Let everybody know in the comments too.  Thanks!

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We just finished up our BVI sailing vacations for this year, and we’ll definitely be back! We do these sailing trips every winter, and it’s one of our most popular trips. If you try it once, you’ll want to come back again!
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It’s one of the greatest feelings in the world. You step through the door of the airplane, out onto the metal stairs. Sultry tropical air greets you, heavenly after the chilly plane. Palm trees sway against a bright blue sky, and in an instant, you realize “normal life” is gone. You are now on a tropical island.

This is my vision of one of those perfect moments in life. Now in order to recreate this, there are a few key things to include.

Love the old-fashioned stairs

First of all, the stairs. I love stepping out onto old-fashioned roll-up stairs instead of a jetway. You get the immediate impact of your new location — taking one step gets you outside right away, instead of wandering through yet another airport hallway. It’s an obvious difference from all the other airports you fly through. And there’s something special about the stairs that reminds me of the old days of travel. Walking down the stairs seems more romantic and exotic, and I can picture being in an old movie… Walking down a jetway doesn’t have the same effect at all!

Next, the weather. It must be balmy. Arriving during a record cold snap or a drenching rain storm could be an interesting experience in its own right, but it just doesn’t fit with this vision. In the perfect moment I’m envisioning, it has to be balmy.

Airplanes are almost always freezing cold, so the contrast between stepping out of the cold plane, into the marvelously warm tropical weather, is fabulous. You know you’re somewhere wonderful when you have to immediately start shedding layers. Ditch that extra sweater you wore for the plane. You’re in the tropics now!

Nothing says tropics like palm trees

Then there are the sights. There’s nothing dull or grey about the tropics, it’s all about bold, vivid colors. And you need palm trees. Now I know that not all tropical islands have palm trees, and that some places have palm trees even though they’re neither tropical nor islands! However, it’s my vision and I love palm trees, and even cartoonists know that a palm tree indicates a tropical island.

There’s nothing that says tropics quite like palm trees waving in the breeze. Add a wide blue sky, some turquoise water, and splashes of colorful bougainvillea, and you have a brilliant, beautiful welcome as you step out of that plane.

Whether you’re in the Caribbean or the South Pacific, savor that first moment. It’s right then that you know you’ve arrived. The “real world” of normal life becomes a distant memory, as this island life takes its place. The rest of your vacation is bound to be wonderful too, but that first moment is one of the greatest.

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I’m in the British Virgin Islands now, on one of our BVI sailing vacations. Sure enough, stepping out of the plane in St. Thomas was just like this — a perfect introduction to the islands.
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About a third of the way down the coast of Argentina, there’s a large peninsula that juts out into the South Atlantic Ocean. From an aerial view, it looks like it should have been an island. The thin strip of land that connects it to the mainland is so narrow, that when you drive along it, you can see the sea on both sides. The desert here runs right up to the sea, giving brilliant contrasts of brown and blue. This is Peninsula Valdes, and it’s a major wildlife preserve in Argentina.

Peninsula Valdes, on the coast of Patagonia

In honor of Veteran’s Day, here’s a different type of remembrance ceremony than most of us are used to.

At Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, tribal officials of the pueblo honor America’s military veterans with a procession through the pueblo. On this day, it’s good to remember our many brave military people, who came from all regions and walks of life.

If you’ve been to Taos on one of our Santa Fe trips, you’ll recognize most of the sights, though it looks a lot chillier here in November, with snow on the mountain behind!

Video is from Nov. 11, 2008 at Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, USA.
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We visit Taos Pueblo every year on our Santa Fe trip. It’s at least 800 years old, and people in the town follow traditional ways of their ancestors. It’s tranquil now, but hasn’t always been so.
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The San Juan Islands are beautiful from land and sea. Whether you’re hiking, biking, kayaking, sailing, or just riding the ferry, you can’t help but be struck by that. But what about from the air?

This video is primarily about the plane, but I like it because it gives you a real sense of what soaring over the islands in a small plane would be like.

It’s an amphibian plane called the Nardi FN.333, which first flew in 1952. Out of the 26 such aircraft built, only half a dozen are believed flyable today, and it’s a very cool looking plane!

It really makes me want to go find a small plane, and fly around the islands, landing in little harbors here or there. How incredibly cool that would be!
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We wrapped up our San Juan Islands tours for this year back in August, and I’m already looking forward to going again! And if I ever lose that feeling, I’ll just watch this video again.
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This video is from the Rio Pueblo Gorge, near Taos, New Mexico. This river comes from Taos Pueblo land and runs into the Rio Grande River. This is a deep gorge, but not as deep as the Rio Grande Gorge, which is a spectacular gash across the high desert — almost shocking when you first see it.

On our Santa Fe trip, we go rafting on the Rio Grande. Even though this is a tributary canyon, the video is nice in that it gives you the feeling of the land there. The warm, languid, relaxing feeling you’d get sitting on the side of the river, just enjoying a sunny fall day. It’s the same feeling you get floating downstream — in the calm spots, when you’re not paddling the whitewater, that is!

Lovely Taos Pueblo Flute Music from WindWalk: Music of Blackhill Albino Lujan of Taos Pueblo

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We’ll be back in Santa Fe and Taos for our women’s trip to New Mexico in September. I can hardly wait! It’s a captivating place, and each time I’m here, I wish I could stay longer.
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OK, I’ll say it right up front. We do NOT go scuba diving on our San Juan Islands trips! I’m a wimpy warm water diver (think British Virgin Islands)!

However, even though that water looks pretty chilly to me, it’s fascinating to know what lives down there! The undisputed rulers of the local seas are the orca whales, but there are a ton of other lesser-known, and much less-seen species that live on rocks, walls, and tidal areas around the islands.

When we go kayaking, you can see some underwater stuff, but only a few feet down into the water. Think starfish, mussels, clams, kelp, and seals (who visit any depth they want, and look like they’re having fun doing it!) This video takes you further down than we can see from our kayaks, to give you a deeper glimpse of “what’s down there”.

Me, I’m happy to stay above the water, peering in to see what I can see. Maybe someday global warming will warm these waters up enough for me…  But then, everything that lives here now would be dead.  OK, let’s not do that, OK?

In the meantime, have a look at some underwater video shot by other, warmer-blooded souls!
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Our San Juan Islands trips for women run every year in August. If you’re on the trip, and newly inspired to try the scuba diving, I bet we could arrange for you to join a dive with one of these groups. Just let me know!
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So there we were.. ready for our medieval feast

If you visit during this time, you’ll find quite a different place than normal! The townspeople are all dressed in medieval garb, and the locals are very much into the spirit of the event. As you wander through the streets, you’ll find all sorts of unusual activities underway, from falconry, to blacksmithing, to paper making.

The town is historically divided into four quarters, “Le Gaite”. These neighborhoods compete against each other in different events as part of the festival, and there’s a real rivalry between them. Archery is one of the events. Watching the contestants in their tunics engaged in this traditional endeavor, can really take you back. Just pretend that the spectators are of a different era, too!

One of the competitions is cooking, and that’s where our banquet comes in. For this, we all got to dress in character, and attend an authentic medieval feast. There were jesters and musicians, and food and drink appropriate to the time.

“Appropriate to the time” has a very specific meaning here. It must be “food as it was prepared and served between 1250 and 1350, in this region of Italy”. They’re very particular about this authenticity when it comes to judging. A dish could be eliminated from competition if it used a type of apple that wasn’t grown at that time! Somehow I expected this historical food to be bland, but I was surprised by how delicious it was. I was fortunate enough to be given a cookbook with the secret recipes from Gaita Santa Maria.

You can see photos of the town at Excursion to Bevagna, taken at a quieter time of year, without all the medieval activity!

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I’m not sure when we’ll be back in Bevagna, but looking at this makes me hope it will be soon. We’ll have to start planning another Tuscany and Umbria trip before long… That was so much fun!

PS. The guy in the middle looking like a happy Friar Tuck was our driver, Massimo. His true calling should have been opera singer — what an amazing voice!
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