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Travel Talk With Travel Pod’s Louise Brown

2010-03-17T18:34:03Z

Travel Talk is a new Sosauce blog series in which we chat with our favorite travel experts about celebrating the saucy side of travel. With such successful experiences in travel media, we want to highlight their journeys from turning a passion for wanderlust into a profession, their travel plans for 2010, and how they document and share their own travel experiences.

You can read our previous traveler spotlight interviews on Sosauce here.

This week we chatted with Travel Pod Community Manager, Louise Brown. Louise is a fierce traveler, having visited 18 countries and shared more than 2,700 travel photos, plus 345 entries on more than 50 travel blogs. If that doesn’t qualify you as a Travel Geek, then I don’t know what does. Read our interview with Louise below to find out what motivates her to keep on traveling, what it’s like to be a community manager for a top travel blog, and how she keeps her travels saucy.

Louise and dog in Iqaluit

How is 2010 treating you so far? What upcoming travel plans do you have in store this year?
Well! This year I want to go on an epic train journey. I’m competing in Off Track Planet’s Eurail contest, so I’m crossing my fingers and hoping to head to Europe for a train journey with my dad. Whether or not that works out, my dad and I are going to hop on Amtrak and do a big “upside down L” – west across the northern states to Seattle and south to California.

When did you begin sharing your travel experiences online?
I started my blog in November 2007, but I have entries from as far back as 1996, when I went to Mexico with Girl Guides. I tend to write my blogs on paper when I’m traveling, and then when I get back, just type them up. If you carry around a notebook, it’s amazing how much time you will find during the day. When you are traveling you’re always waiting around for something, whether you’re meeting a friend, catching a bus, or ordering a meal. I always find time to write what I am thinking.

Recreate and share your travels with Sosauce! Create your own travel journals, upload hi-res photos, write destination reviews, and connect with other Travel Geeks. Join us at Sosauce.com

Any tips for aspiring travel bloggers?
Read lots and write lots. Use all five senses when you are doing it. Talk to people, take their pictures, tell them what you are doing. Make sure you give them your blog URL before you part ways, the people you write about in your blog will be your most dedicated readers in the future.

Looking to expand your travel writing portfolio? Become a guest Travel Geek blogger on Sosauce. More info can be found here.

“I try to impact the planet with the smallest footprint possible.”

You’re a big fan of being environmentally friendly and eating healthy. How are you able to keep these practices up when you’re traveling? Any tips for other like-minded travelers?

Ahhhhh, my vegetarianism usually goes right out the door when I travel. I have had some incredible veggie dishes all over the world, but I just can’t pass up the opportunity to try local and traditional meals just because there is meat in it. On top of this, I couchsurf a lot. When you are couchsurfing and/or accepting a meal at someone’s house, it’s a lot easier to graciously eat what they provide and steer the conversation away from militant vegetarian discussion. It might not be PC to operate that way, but I believe it facilitates a better relationship with your host.

To cut down on carbon emissions and pollution, I also use rideshare a lot and travel and local, land-based transportation. Two years ago, I broke down and bought a motorcycle because there were a lot of smaller towns nearby that I wanted to visit. I believe it was a compromise, because a motorcycle is A LOT more efficient than a car is. So, I’m trying to strike a balance between exploring the countryside and environmental friendliness. In addition to this, the dollars that I spend in the small towns I visit really need it, and I would not have ever gotten there had I not bought my bike.

“Types of people I enjoy: people who appreciate the journey more than the destination.”

What interested you in joining Travel Pod? How did you become Community Manager?

Couchsurfing! I was really active in our local group, in Ottawa Canada, and my boss posted the position in our group. I applied and that was that.

Your home base is currently Ottawa, Canada. Are there any other places you would like to live in?
Believe it or not, I’ve lived in Ottawa for 10 years! I’ve always wanted to live somewhere where transportation is a lot cheaper. A place like Toronto or Montreal would be ideal. On my last trip to Boston, I saved $100 on the Greyhound just because I left from Montreal rather than Ottawa. Amazing.

You’ve traveled quite a bit to attend music festivals and concerts. Who are some of your favorite musicians and what’s the sauciest experienced you’ve had at a concert?
My absolute favourite band is Smashing Pumpkins, and I saw them two years ago at Virgin Fest on Toronto Island when they were doing a double headline weekend with Bjork, The Killers, Interpol, M.I.A., K-Os, Kid Koala and tons more amazing bands. I guess I would call this a pretty saucy experience because I met my ex-boyfriend there. We’re both insane Smashing Pumpkins fans and even though we’ve since parted ways, I think meeting him really enhanced my life.

My absolute sauciest experience was crashing the artist after party at NXNE in Toronto two years ago. I found what I thought was a random flyer on the ground in a hotel for an after party. So I went bar hopping until the festival was over and when 2 a.m. rolled around, I checked out the after party that I had a flyer for in my pocket. What could it hurt, right? I walked by the venue twice, assuming the sign on the door saying “private party” was not meant for me. When I double checked the address, I noticed I was in the right place. I sat down beside the editor of Now Magazine, chatted him up and ordered a beer. When I didn’t have to pay for said beer, I realized where I was. I spent the rest of the night partying like a rockstar with up and coming indie bands like Hollerado and such. I didn’t get back to my friend’s place until well after the sun came up. It was stupidly crazy.

You feature top travel blogs daily on Travel Blog Sites. What is the purpose behind Travel Blog Sites and who have been some of your favorite bloggers to interview?
At TravelBlogSites.com, we want to showcase the best and the brightest of the web’s independent travel bloggers. There are a lot of great collaborative bloggers out there, but we want to shine a light on the DIY-ers, people doing it themselves. It’s a tough slog, and they deserve all the recognition they get, so we’re trying to give them what we can. So, we created a weekly top 100 list that breaks it down in what we think is a fair and accurate way, using Alexa and Compete.com information.

My favourite blogger to interview is a toughie! Everyone has such neat stories, but I’m gonna have to go with Corbin Fraser of ibackpackcanada.com. He has an incredible passion for my favourite country, and he just jumped right into the roadtrip lifestyle. Anyone who’s sold everything and driven across the Saskatchewan prairie gets tons of respect from me.

Read Travel Blog Sites’ feature on the Sosauce Travel Geek blog and learn to travel with a purpose.

Based on your travel experiences thus far, you’re a certified Travel Geek. What do you think makes you stand out as a Travel Geek?

I’m always looking at new ways to hack my travel. I recently used my Aeroplan points for a virtually free trip to Iqaluit, Nunavut. I had to spend about an hour calling back and forth between Aeroplan and the airline, but I finally managed a flight. They normally cost anywhere from $2,000-$3,000, but with a little bit of legwork, I got it free.

I’m also constantly checking airfarewatchdog.com and the rideshare section of Craigslist and Kijiji to find myself new and exciting cheapo weekend trips and destinations.

What is your dream destination and why?
It WAS Nunavut. As of last year, this was the only Canadian province/territory that I hadn’t visited yet. When I went there in September, it was literally a dream come true. I’m a patriotic Canadian so I feel very blessed to be able to traverse this giant country on my own. One hundred years ago, nothing like that would’ve been possible in such a short period of time, and with such ease. The diversity and harshness of the land is simply amazing. I’m constantly in awe of this place.

My new dream destination is California and Seattle, but also Portugal and Spain. Can you believe I’ve never been to California? I’m hopefully going to all four of them this summer with my dad on our giant train trip.

*All photos provided by Louise Brown.

Thanks to Louise for loving the Sosauce Travel Geeks and chatting with us about her saucy travel experiences. To get involved with Travel Pod or Travel Blog Sites, be sure to connect with their communities at TravelPod.com.

Build a better travel blog with Travel Blog Success. Join Sosauce in becoming an affiliate – explore premium membership options, read expert advice, and create action plans for your travel blog. Learn more here.

Daily Photo: Wednesday, March 17th

2010-03-17T17:12:46Z

The Perfect Pint by Sean

In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I had to indulge and show one of my own photos, the pouring of the perfect pint of Guinness in Dublin. This truly is an art, made up of the glass, the angle, the pour, the head, and the top-off. You can read Brewmaster Fergal Murray’s detailed account of what the perfect pint entails. Though the Guinness here in America doesn’t come close to Ireland, as they say, “it just doesn’t travel well,” let’s raise a glass and celebrate the ol’ Irish!

Do more with your travel photos: print your favorite photos on Sosauce and show them off! Visit the Sosauce Store to get started.

Travel Tuesday: Traveling By The Numbers

2010-03-16T17:35:00Z

How do you compare to the world’s most-traveled man?

According to last month’s article in The Guardian, Charles Veley is a “strong contender” for the world’s most-traveled man, visiting over 800 countries in the past decade.

“My philosophy for travel is this: always plan as if you are going to do a Japanese-style tour and every second is accounted for,” said Veley. “But on arrival, abandon all that and do whatever feels right.”

The article struck a chord with one of our Travel Geeks, The Mathematical Tourist aka Graeme Taylor. In a recent journal entry he responded to Veley’s “competitive traveling,” raising some key questions:

There are discrepancies over how many countries and destinations are legitimately recognized by Veley’s “Most Traveled People” database, the Traveler’s Century Club, and even the UN.

Which organization is the most accurate and how does one qualify as a competitive traveler?

What does it mean to “visit” a place?

As Graeme asked, “Is simply clearing the border enough? Is it enough to take photos? To eat local food? Should you stay until you have a story to tell, or have made a friend?”

According to Veley’s story, country hopping is easier when “there’s always a bar.” This leads Graeme to further question Veley’s real motivation for traveling. Read what else Graeme had to say in response to the world’s most-traveled man in his Sosauce Journal entry below:

What are your thoughts on the concept of “competitive traveling”?

Should one’s motivation to travel be more than to just collect passport stamps?

How do you stand with the Most Traveled People?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Daily Photo: Tuesday, March 16th

2010-03-16T16:03:05Z

Very Talkative Man, Very Small Airplane by Haldun

Up close and personal. Nothing like being able to chat up the pilot, or better yet, rub shoulders. I wonder if they make you take off your shoes before boarding a flight like this.

Flying in a small propeller jet to a remote destination, exhilarating or excruciating?

Do more with your travel photos: print your favorite photos on Sosauce and show them off! Visit the Sosauce Store to get started.

Photo Essay: Jumping ‘Round The World

2010-03-15T20:31:40Z

Dvir is one half of a round the world couple. He and his wife, Loreen, have embarked on a year-long honeymoon adventure circling the globe. So far, they have been to more than 20 destinations, each time showcasing amazing photos of their travels on Sosauce.

Today’s photo essay is a tribute to Dvir’s famous “jumping” photos. He’s got a knack for jumping in just about every country he visits. Take a look:

Vietnam

South Africa

Zimbabwe

Tanzania

Peru

You + Photo = WOW

Upload your travel photos in hi-res, post to other sites, share and embed, and import from Flickr. Upgrade to a Sosauce PWR account and you’ll receive unlimited photo storage, discounts on photo prints, plus a new portfolio view! Get started at www.sosauce.com

Daily Photo: Monday, March 15th

2010-03-16T16:38:05Z

Baby Monk by Xochitl

Humorous to say the least. We especially love the drool coming out of the baby monk’s mouth. Reverent or irreverent?

Do more with your travel photos: print your favorite photos on Sosauce and show them off! Visit the Sosauce Store to get started.

Got Passion? Join the #PassionBoard Group

2010-03-12T19:09:14Z

I’m a Travel Geek driven by multiple passions in both my personal and professional life. So it is always a thrill whenever I get the chance to talk about what I love and meet others who share in my interests.

Recently I discovered the Passion Board project created by the folks at Got Passport. The objective of Passion Board is to “discover and unleash your passion through art and creativity.” It’s a fun project that shows people what you’re all about in a way travelers may not think about. It’s bringing back the idea of jotting down your thoughts on pen and paper, not just conversing online. Here is how Passion Board works according to Got Passport:

Passion Board Round up
- We invite EVERYONE to participate.
- Once Passion Board is created: take a picture and write a post about it on your blog
- Tweet/Share your post: Please include #passionboard and mention @GotPassport in your tweet
- Encourage others to participate: Tag and Invite 5 additional friends to join the Round up!
- If you are NOT on Twitter, not a blogger, email us at GotPassport [at] Gmail [dot] com: send us a picture of your passion board and include a sentence or two about the passion board

I couldn’t help but participate in such a unique project, so I took it upon myself to create my very own Passion Board!

Alisha’s Passion Board

There are a few key things to know about me that reveal my passions or obsessions that I included in my Passion Board:

1. New York City is my playground
2. Sosauce is where I share my travel dreams
3. I’m always online
4. I love meeting new people
5. TV is my guilty pleasure

As you can see I mixed all of the above in a paper collage pictured above. Now I’ll explain further:

New York City is my playground
I live and breathe the New York attitude. I have lived in this state my entire life and cannot imagine myself living anywhere else. New York City is where my dreams have come true, and it is also where I face the most obstacles. I have yet to actually live in New York City but I have been working here practically my entire adult life (yes I know I’m still young). The sticker “I Can’t Afford to <3 NY” is meant to represent my constant setbacks on trying to move to the Big Apple. There are so many factors preventing me to make the big move, but no matter what I keep pushing forward.

I also am a huge fan of the New York City food scene. I am known for scouring the streets of this city in search of the best burgers – that is where the “eat out” and “Grub Street Digest” stickers come into play. You can also always find me flipping through New York magazines, blogs, and newspapers finding the latest and greatest in budget-friendly bars, restaurants, and activities to entertain myself when I’m in the city – hence “Guide to NYC.” Bottom line: New York City is the greatest city in the world.

Sosauce is where I share my travel dreams
I’m the Travel Geek newbie around here so I don’t have tons of stories to share. I have only been out of the country once and spend most of my time traveling in the northeast US for road trips based around friends, concerts, and food. But that doesn’t mean I don’t nerd out over traveling. Since joining the Sosauce community my view on traveling has completely changed. I once thought that in order to travel you had to be someone with tons of money and time to kill, but having met and talked with so many travelers in the last two years, I have learned that traveling at my age, in my situation, is closer to reality than I thought. Between my first trip to Italy and my time here at Sosauce, I have officially been bitten by the travel bug. With that, I am about to embark on my first solo trip to Spain this May – a dream vacation I have been obsessed over for more than a year now. As my TV hero Liz Lemon once said, “I want to go to there.” With my camera in tow I plan on tasting the delicious food Spain has to offer, mingling with locals, and documenting my experience along the way. Thanks to Sosauce, I have a place to recreate and share my travel dreams.

I’m always online
As I write, I have multiple windows open on my Mac, my back hurts from leaning on my desk, and I have all of my social networks synced and active. Being digital is all I know. I am constantly thrown into social media, practically an expert on social networking by now, and being plugged in is the only way to operate in my mind. Having an online presence is not only part of my career, but part of my personality. Online is where I feel the most comfortable – where interacting with others is a breeze, and spreading the word about my passions has proven successful. Everything I love can be found online – my music playlist, my favorite sites, my friends, news and entertainment, my portfolio, and more. To not be online would be just plain weird.

I love meeting new people
I’m a people person. I have an outgoing personality and am very talkative in person. I find that the best part of my job is getting to meet amazing people from all over the world. That’s why I conduct so many interviews (“Small talk with big people”), am an avid networker (see my growing Address Book), and am the first to RSVP to local events. To me, being surrounded by positive and talented people is the best way to spend your time.

TV is my guilty pleasure
I am a huge TV nerd. I won’t admit how many hours I spend watching TV or how many shows I’m currently addicted to but let’s just say if you bother me on Thursday nights from 8-11pm, you will suffer the consequences. I take my television watching very seriously. I even live blog shows as they air and try to incorporate lines from my favorite shows on a daily basis. I just cannot and will not live without television, especially comedy. My biggest TV obsession? The Office. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Now that you have learned about me and my passions it’s time to pass on the torch. I nominate Kerri from A Wanderluster, Andrew at Sharing Travel Experiences, Diane of Away From Africa, Cailin at Travel Yourself, and Monica from A Pair of Panties and Boxers to create their own passion boards next!

Daily Photo: Friday, March 12th

2010-03-12T14:28:24Z

Backpacker Hotel by Mako

A familiar sight to all of us travelers and a great way to end the work week. Have a great weekend everyone.

Do more with your travel photos: print your favorite photos on Sosauce and show them off! Visit the Sosauce Store to get started.

Excerpts From A Gypsy Feet Travel Journal

2010-03-11T19:36:51Z

Stephanie Beron has us addicted to her travel journals on Sosauce. Originally from Connecticut, Stephanie spent the holidays on a month-long volunteer trip in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala and documented her experience on Sosauce. Stephanie guides readers through her trials and tribulations, strange exchanges with locals, language studies, and moving anecdotes. We love her Journal so much we wanted to share a few excerpts from her experience with other Travel Geeks.

Follow Stephanie’s journey through Guatemala at her Sosauce Journal, “The Guatemala Chronicles.”

In her first entry, Stephanie introduces us to her trip ahead:

“Once I arrive, I’ll meet my homestay family: a grandmother (abuela), father (padre), and 9yr old boy, Pablito (niño). No internet in the home but I’ll have limited access at my Spanish school the afternoons I’m not volunteering. Class begins at 8am, 5 days a week, 4hrs a day (ay dios mio!). I’m excited, nervous, and sleep deprived.”

Welcome to Guate.

Stephanie experiences culture shock – both good and bad – amongst her first few days of arrival:

“Diana is Guatemalan; she studied English in Boston for 9 months. During our conversation she said Guatemala is very beautiful but the injustice here is very ugly. The ride was long careening our way up las montanas. The countryside of Guatemala is beautiful. . . I learned that woven throughout the cloth are very specific patterns carrying gender, social, and cultural significance.”

“Let me tell you about magic hot chocolate… it tastes like liquid chocolate heaven and it feels like a wonderful little chocolate cloud in your mouth. Not gritty or powdery. Not syrupy or intensely sweet. It’s a chocolate miracle in a cup. Muy delicioso. Martina speaks little English and I’m still working on my Spanish but we were able to enjoy basic conversation. She invited me to Salsa class on Weds. and I accepted.”

As the holidays approach, Stephanie is immersed in Guatemalan tradition. Her host family invites her to help prepare for a Christmas dinner as they share in table games and exchange stories of their homeland. Stephanie distributes photos from New York City around the table and her host family is immediately intrigued. The next day a special moment rises:

“I saw Cessie the following morning as I was waking up over my corn flakes. ‘Thank you for the post cards.’ ‘De nada,’ I said sort of sleepily with a smile and a shrug of my shoulders. To which she replied, ‘Thank you for giving me a dream.’ Wow.”

Some time has past and Stephanie is trying to assimilate to Guatemalan culture. This includes tasting and adapting to local cuisine such as the daily offerings of street food. But to her shock, Stephanie learns an uncomfortable fact her friend Jeff reveals:

“During a long drive through the countryside with his brother and girlfriend, he stopped at a roadside cart for a bite. The old women whipped together a sandwich with seasoned carne, peppers, and queso in no time. He said the meat was ‘todo, todo, blanca.’ He tapped his finger on the white plastic table, ‘Como este.’ So, he asked the old woman, ‘Es carne de cerdo?’ [Is this pork?]. In hindsight, he recalls the woman’s hesitation and darting of the eyes before she answered simply, ‘Si, si.’ Famished, he bit off a mouthful. Chomp, chomp, chomp. Hmmmm. He paused. Hard swallow. Neurons started firing; his taste buds were sending the brain an SOS. At that moment, Jeff recalled hearing that in the rural areas it wasn’t uncommon for roadside chefs to make use of the stray dogs downed by vehicles. He pulled the bread apart to examine the carne blanca, reluctantly lifted his head, and asked the woman, ‘Es perro?’ She didn’t reply. It didn’t matter; he already knew the answer. His psyche moved quickly to sound the alarm notifying the stomach to trigger the release valve. The Spanish word for vomit is a cognate so it’s easy to remember—vomito. And so he did.”

Traveling alone, Stephanie has time to reflect on her experience in Guatemala. As she “people watches” in Parque Central, Stephanie starts to realize not everyone in this country practices the same level of human compassion as her:

“The people here are welcoming and kind, the culture is rich, and landscape beautiful. I However, for a bleeding heart this can be a difficult place that at times, if you allow it, can drive you inward. Such is true for much of the world I suppose.”

Despite troubling observations, Stephanie follows her curiosities to learn more about local culture in Quetzaltenango such as funeral processions and cemetery fires, which are meant to commemorate the dead.

Stephanie’s volunteer trip is coming to an end and consequently having mixed feelings about her departure soon. A quick reflection wraps up her emotions from her life-changing experience in Guatemala:

“When Martina and I were packing at the Lake to return to Xela, I caught myself thinking, I can’t wait to go home. Home in Xela. Don’t get me wrong, I miss everyone in the States, (and wish Shane, Stevie, and Stella were here) but I’m really sad to leave Xela and shortly after, Guate. I can speak the language. I know my way around. I know how to catch a chicken bus. I know what drinks to order and what eateries to avoid. I’ve mastered bartering. I eat hand-made tortillas everyday and everyday I intermingle with (or at least gaze sight upon) ancient customs that survived time. I’ve become accustomed to round-the-clock bombas. I’ve made great friends. My homestay family has taken me in as one of their own and I’ve reciprocated. . . Jeff once said that it takes a lifetime to get to know oneself. Well, I have Guate to thank for leaps and bounds in that process.”

Stephanie is currently working on sharing her post-trip thoughts and is back home in the states. To see her Guatemalan volunteer trip in completion, check out her Sosauce Trip below:

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Daily Photo: Thursday, March 11th

2010-03-11T15:47:56Z

Orientalism by Hachi

Great composition. The melancholy expression of the solitary subway performer combined with the inauthentic joy of the ads behind him creates an interesting contrast.

Do more with your travel photos: print your favorite photos on Sosauce and show them off! Visit the Sosauce Store to get started.