Find your travel buddy.

The only way to travel is with your best travel buddy. Trust me: I love my best friend to pieces. But if you stick us together 24/7 in close quarters for a few weeks in another country, we are both ready to strangle each other (sorry Ann...you know it's true).

Get me stuck in the middle of nowhere with my best travel buddy (Gare Bear, you know I'm talking about you), and I'll have the time of my life. So what is the difference? Why do I butt heads with Ann and not Garet on my trips?

A great friend is brutally honest, will never leave you behind, and is always there for you. A great travel buddy will use honesty, deceit, or whatever necessary to push you to be your greatest when traveling. While your best friend is often so similar to you that you can finish each others sentences, your best travel buddy is often the foil to your traits. They fill in your gaps and support your weaknesses, and you fill in and support theirs. Your strengths push them to be better as their strengths do you. I am a morning person, Garet is a night owl. I'm a conservative with risks, Garet is willing to do anything once. I'm more extroverted in public, Garet is a bit more introverted. I wake him up at 7 AM with coffee, he keeps me up 'til 2 AM with gin and tonics. He makes me more adventurous, I keep him safe. I introduce him to new people, he keeps us away from strangers. He's the perfect travel buddy.

Choose your travel buddy wisely; your trips will be infinitely more memorable, infinitely more fun, infinitely safer. If you choose wrong, don't worry. There are always more trips. Travel safe!

Travel Tools: Kayak.com

Why do I use Kayak.com when planning trips? Kayak is simply the best travel site for planning trips. No contest. It's the best search engine for finding flights when your dates are flexible. While Kayak has always allowed easy trip planning for flight flexibility within a week of your desired travel, they recently upgraded to a new style that also lets you search weekends near your trip dates and an entire month around your trip dates.

When using these features, Kayak generates a unique, easy to read chart detailing the prices of your tickets based on possible departure and return dates. While other travel sites have similar "flexible searches," most do not offer results in an easy to read format or they require additional user interactions to find the actual prices (Expendia.com >:-0 ). If you desire to search other travel sites for tickets, Kayak allows you to simultaneously search Priceline, Expedia, Travelocity, CheapOair, and Vayama without entering any more information. In addition to all this, Kayak saves previous searches for later, and remembers your home airport. 

Kayak, saves you money on tickets, while saving you time on searching.

5 ways to concrete your travel memories

I got a memory like an elephant, erm...or maybe it's a goldfish...I forget. It's definitely not a steel trap, more like a sieve. If that isn't bad enough, I only exacerbate the situation when I travel and start my no-sleep, sensory-overload marathon of a trip. If I only knew how many travel moments and memories I've lost, I'd probably cry. They're not easy to get back either ("You remember, talking with that old man in Japan who knew where West Virginia was?" "No, but I do now."); so, how do you remember those lost moments or keep from losing them in the first place?

Take picture: The pictures don't have to be the exact moment you want to remember (trying to capture the moment with a camera can ruin the atmosphere), but taking pictures around that moment will jog your memory enough for your situational memory to kick in and fill the gaps.

Write in your journal: A journal entry can tell you so much more about the moment than you would ever imagine. Is your writing shakier than normal? Is it smoother and more relaxed? Did you make more mistakes than usual? All these are tell tale signs of your mood at the moment you write. Journals are a great way to supplement your memory, in an old-fashioned but relevant way.

Take home a momento: A shell from the beach where you met her, a pressed flower from outside your hotel, a bottle of fresh mountain air. A concrete reminder of the place you were will get those gears turning.

Souvenier: Similar to that momento, a souvenier is something concrete to remind you of what you did. Maybe it's a painting of the area, maybe it's some kitschy touristy souvenirs, maybe it's just a postcard. Unlike a momento, purchasing a souvenir will support local merchants while establishing your memory.

Blog: Combine words, pictures, and videos into the ultimate scrapbook of your travels. It doesn't have the exact feel of the journal, but the extended features make it better in some ways. This allows other to experience your memories, too (if you desire to publicly blog). Unlike the rest of the ways of concreting memory, a blog is hard to lose and is posted somewhere you can access at any time.

Those are my ways of plugging up the holes in my memory sieve. Did I forget anything?

Traveling sickness - Making the best of a bad situation

I've taken a short hiatus from travel blogging for some satire, some writing tips, and some personal stuff. And after a terribly timed cold this week (during project crunch time), I was inspired to jump back into the world of travel script.

I hate being sick. Okay…everyone hates being sick (right?!). And what’s worse than getting sick? Getting sick while traveling. I’ve had my fair share of travel bugs: malaria, food poisoning, “runny stomach,” colds, allergies. Each made worse by the fact that I was thousands of miles away from home, thousands of miles away from the solace offered by a familiar bed, home-made chicken soup, and cold medicine in a package printed in English.

Traveling puts you in a vulnerable situation should you fall ill. But surely, the risk of suffering a cold without your mom to rub Vick’s on your chest and tuck you in to bed isn’t enough to avoid a trip, right?

So, there you are in beautiful Rome in early summer, and all of the foreign pollen irritates your allergies. Maybe you’re in the Caribbean for spring break, and the first day on the beach, you come down with the cold being passed around your engineering class. Or maybe you’re spending some time in West Africa, and your stomach churns and growls like your breakfast is about to explode from your bowels. Now what?

The first rule of travel sickness is to tell someone as soon as you think something is wrong. It is much better to catch diarrhea when your stomach growls strangely than when you need a bathroom more than I need a suitable metaphor to end this sentence. Tell your travel buddy, tell your tour guide, tell a local. Please tell someone. Everyone gets sick, and even though it may seem embarrassing to talk about, I promise it much less embarrassing to tell someone you are sick than to vomit on them. They can keep an extra eye on you or seek help should you be disposed of.

Second, if you are sick, ensure that you always have someone with you. I speak from experience that being sick and alone screws with your mind in ways you cannot imagine (me in Ghana awake in my bed at 2 a.m. with food poisoning, holding my phone with Patrick’s number pulled-up, ready to dial, yet somehow unable to make the call). In addition to boosting your mental clarity, having someone around means you have someone to care for you while you are sick, accelerating your recovery.

Third, get comfortable. Whether you need to fly cross country or you have the luxury of a few days in the same city to rest, spend the extra money to make sure you have everything that you need to recover. Drink some juice, buy some tissues, take some cold medicine, get your favorite magazine, eat your favorite candy bar. Do the big and the little things that will comfort you.

Above all, seek help just as you would if you were at home. If you are violently ill, forget the flight home, get to a hospital. It shouldn’t need to be said, but rescheduling a flight, hotel, or excursion is worth saving yourself or your health.

Big Sis

Big Sis

Dedicated to my big sister Lauren

You're the best, and I'm proud of you for all you do.

Your color was pink, or was it sparkly pink?

Either way, mine was too.

If you only knew

How cool you were then,

I'd give anything to be just like you.

And when you were with your friends,

I was sure to be outside your door.

Sitting, listening, waiting for you;

Ears perked, I sat silently,

All to hear more.

You'd talk and you'd play

Nearly all day, brother sitting outside your door.

Yet on you played, as I laid, silently there on the floor.

Peeking through the crack 'neath your door,

Never wanting to let you be,

Waiting for big sis to come play with me.

Untold Truths and Untruths Told

Liar, Liar! Pants on Fire!
I don't care, I don't care! I'll just buy another pair!

Something unusual happened today. I told a lie. I didn't want to, and I didn't really have to. I just did to save time, avoid an uncomfortable situation, and hopefully, keep from hurting someones feelings. Such an unusual occurrence made me ponder the value and validity of lying. What is a lie? Is it ever okay to lie? Is there value in lying? Do the rules of lying change based on the form of communication?

To lie is "to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive" or "to create a false or misleading impression." The first definition is pretty clear, deceiving someone on purpose by giving information known to be false. This is the standard definition of a lie. The second definition is where lying gets a little hazy. A vast amount of situations fall under the umbrella of a "false or misleading impression." Omitting information. Letting someone act on a idea that you know is false. Lies? They can certainly be interpreted as such.

In most occasions, it's not okay to lie (planning a surprise party, it's probably okay). You shouldn't lie to friends, family, or people you respect. In general you shouldn't lie to anyone, but it is a helluva lot easier to lie to someone who you don't know well or don't respect. How many times have you been asked by a homeless person if you have any money and replied, "No, I'm sorry," even with a pocket full of coins or a wallet full of cash? Every the freakin' time for me. In many cases instead of lying, it's probably best to say, "I'd prefer not to talk about it."

There can be value in lying. Although we most often recognize the value for the liar, a lie can hold value for the ly-ee, as well. Take for example a sleazy used car salesman. Lying about features and prices of cars boosts his sales and profits. Now take for example a parent lying to a child about a dead pet. This lie has no real value for the parents, but it saves emotional turmoil for the child. Less obvious, the value of "white lies" is often saving face or saving time. In general, it is easier to tell lies that have value. Conversely, there can be cost to lying. Getting caught in a lie causes a liar to lose credibility, which is an enormous cost as it is difficult to regain trust. That sleazy car salesman caught in a lie will lose customers. The parents with the dead pet will have to deal with an angry or devastated child.

The rules of lying don't exactly change over different forms of communication, but it is much easier to lie through text, email, Facebook, or dating sites than it is in person (I lied over text). The same rules should apply (you shouldn't lie to someone over text that you wouldn't lie to in person), but often don't.

It is probably best lie sparingly if at all, and when you do, be prepared for the cost.

Liar, Liar! Pants on fire! Hanging from a telephone wire,
Squirming, squirming, pants are burning. When I lie my hips start turning.

Cool it.

Ten ways to be cooler than the average person:

• Write in a journal regularly
• Know how to cook a few really good meals
• Be able to hold your liquor
• Learn a second language
• Take good photos
• Wear clothes that fit and look good on you
• Be on time
• Write thank you letters
• Text only at appropriate times
• When you notice something you like about someone, give them a compliment

And five cool ways to gain respect from those around you:

• Stop to help someone change a tire (or at least ask if they need help)
• Offer your seat to someone on a bus, subway, or train
• Listen to others, instead of waiting for your turn to talk
• Remember the names of acquaintances
• Thank those who have served or are serving in the military

Beard Season

Ladies, have you caught a real man this beard season?

A real man (scientific name, Taldarc enhansom) can most easily be identified by his broad shoulders, deep voice, and gentlemanly manner. He is a prized catch when he has his full winter beard, a mane covering his lower face, jaw, and neck. Once thought of as a means of keeping warm in the winter, the beard is an evolutionary tool which makes the real man appear larger and stronger, cushions his face from blows, and hides scars from previous altercations. It is also thought to offer the real man a reproductive advantage over his non-bearded counterpart, as the most fertile females of his species (scientific name, Phittsmart enbyutiful) seem to prefer his mane. Scientists studying the real man in his natural habitat have reported wide variations of fullness, length, color, and grooming of the beard across the species. However, there are no conclusive links between beard variation and a man's rank within his social pack.

When tracking and hunting a real man, it is important not to alert your bearded prey of danger. Be certain not to wear too much make-up as this may bewilder, confuse, or frighten a real man. It may be tempting to hunt a real man at his favorite watering hole, but these areas are often crowded with the species and prone to displays of dominance; all too often, the hunters become the hunted. Certain areas may allow the use of bacon and beer as bait, but be sure to check your local laws and regulations before use. For certain men, a relationship may be the most effective trap, but not all men can be caught this way. Adjust your hunting techniques accordingly.

Beard season ends in early spring as the men shed their winter mane. So ladies, hurry up and bag your man before the season is over. Happy hunting.

Effective editing

Communicating clearly and concisely is extremely powerful. Writing clearly and concisely is nearly impossible. Good writing starts as an unintelligible mess of thoughts on paper. It is from this unfinished slab of writing that editing will sculpt your Venus de Milo. There is something to be said about taking a big, unwieldy, and almost incomprehensible paper and trimming it down, shaping it into something simple and elegant. However, editing is not a skill that many people do well.

For most, it's pressing spell check once or twice and reading the whole paper through from start to finish. Your first step in editing is using the spelling and grammar check, and the last step is reading through the paper from start to finish, but the process is much more. After spell checking the paper, read through each section once or twice. Your job is to identify grammar and spelling errors, awkward wording, areas that need clarification, and areas that need to be re-ordered to flow well. Identifying grammar and spelling mistakes takes time and a keen eye. If grammar isn't your thing, try reading Eats, Shoots & Leaves; it'll pique your interest with some humor and get some grammar rules stuck in your head. Awkward wording is easier to identify. If you misread a sentence when reading it at full speed, it's awkward; reword it. If you get that feeling that something "just doesn't sound right," it's awkward; reword it. Areas that need clarification are also easy to spot. If you have to read a sentence more than once to grasp its meaning, so will everyone else; rework it. Change the wording so that you convey your message clearly. For me, the hardest part of editing is making sure everything is in the correct order. In creative works, your climax is at the end to build anticipation. In technical works, your climax is at the beginning to convey the most important information quickly. For both, the writing must be continuous so that each sentence flows into the next and supports those around it. Good luck fixing these errors; there are almost infinite possibilities for the order of paragraphs, sentences, and words, and the best/most pleasing order isn't always cut and dry.

Keep in mind that there is a great deal of room for personal preference in writing style and editing, and editing will vary based on what you are writing for. Editing my blog is an entirely different beast than editing my engineering reports. Additionally, know that it is harder to edit your own work because you often read what you thought you wrote, rather than what is written. If you must edit your own work, you need to put it down for a day or two before editing to do a good job. For a good paper, editing will probably take much longer than writing.

Finally, remember: When writing, don't hesitate to include it; when editing, don't hesitate to remove it.