Turisto 2.0

Nothing like one bad apple ruining the whole barrel

2008-03-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

Corra Daily Planet had an interesting article about the recent bad employee situation where an employee deleted the entire database for an architecture firm because she feared they were going to fire her. She heard that they were looking to hire someone else and she just assumged she was going to be fired. Turns out the company wasn't going to fire her, but now they are.

Reminds me that it's is important to always take a vacation every year as part of your proper work life balance. It's easy to worry about what your bosses are doing, especially in a time of economic crisis. Are they going to lay me off? Part of the adventure of traveling is the unexpected: you can only do so much to be ready. Sometimes its is adversity in life than makes the lessons so more more vital. The lessons of backpacking is carry a light backpack. Don't get so entrenched into your job, especially if you are not the business owner. Keep up your contacts with recruiters, keep networking, take vacations. you'd be surprised how many better work opportunities arise on vacation. You meet other professionals on vacation, and more importantly you meet winners on vacations. Meet them. Learn from them. Get the new job when you get back.

After watching Hostel, can you ever ride a train again?

2008-01-28T17:25:00.001-08:00

Remember this guy from Hostel? The sexually-forward Dutchman eating a salad with his fingers on the train to Bratislava. Last night at dinner a couple girls in our group started chatting up these two older guys sitting next to us who were dutch. They were nice enough guys, but it got me wondering whether the actor jan Vlasák from Hostel gets a kick out of riding trains now. I mean, I remember that creepy communist-era train station in Prague and I know I would be freaking out if I saw Jan Vlasak hoping on a train there. What do you think?

Hostel Movie
backpacking
Prague Travel
Jas Vlasak

Plan your backpacking trip now

2008-01-22T16:29:00.000-08:00

Students, want to take your first backpacking trip? Miami Herald has provided a quick list of must use website for planning and scheduling your overseas trip.

Remember to plan ahead. Knowing when and where to wing it is essential. You don't want to end up in a small Italian village at dusk with no accomodations and then it starts to rain.

Student Youth and Travel Association (SYTA), 800-509-SYTA, www.syta.org.

STA Travel, 800-781-4040, www.statravel.com.

Contiki, 800-266-8454, www.contiki.com.

Semester at Sea, 800-854-0195, www.semesteratsea.com.

Scholar Ship, 410-962-7344, www.thescholarship.com.

Rail Europe, 877-257-2887, www.raileurope.com.

Hostelling International, (011-44-1707) 324-170, www.iyhf.org.

Hostelworld, www.hostelworld.com.

EasyJet, www.easyjet.com, (011-44-870) 600-0000.

Ryanair, www.ryanair.com, (011-353-1) 249-7791.

Why sharing experience matters

2005-12-19T21:44:00.000-08:00

During my second european trip, I was in love with a girl living in California. I wrote emails to her everyday and spent hordes of cash on stupid phone cards calling her. My trip was a personal epic; the places and people were wondrous and beautiful, and yet something didn't seem quite right. I was missing her and, more to the point I wanted her to see everything with me. I wanted to share my experience. Now, don't get me wrong, I made dozens of friends along the way and loved everyone, and yet I didn't have that special special someone in a special place. I was in the garden of Eden with no Eve. Remember that Adam was alone at first, and I believe it was God himself who said, "It is not right for man to be alone."

Today I received a call from a friend, who was lying on a beach in Thailand. She said that she was in heaven and why, you bloody bastard, weren't you here? I am in heaven, so why aren't you here with me? I mean, she was really upset. I remember that same painful longing, that visceral angst when I happened upon one of the most gorgeous places in the world, and the person I wanted to share it with was sitting at a workstation 8000 miles away, drinking coffee.

Why is it that we feel compelled to share our experiences? In Shadowlands, a student tells C.S. Lewis "my father said we read to know that we are not alone. "

Is that why you are reading this now?

Koh Samui

Longing

2005-12-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

I realized I haven't travelled in a long time. I've been working every day on this business and there is no time or money to go anywhere. I just got a call from a friend who's flying from Bangkok to Ko Samui right now. She spent yesterday at the floating market tour, followed by massages, and then a night of mojitos and now flying out of the crappy Bangkok smell and into the island life. I wish I was there.

I realize I won't be there for a long time.

ko samui