Elite Status: A little loyalty goes a long way, especially in this day in age where airlines are continually adding fees and taking perks away left and right. One group of people has been relatively unaffected. In fact, they have been catered to even more! Who are they? Elite flyers — those who have earned status with an airline from meeting mileage thresholds within a defined period of time. I have been elite for five years now and life is good. In addition to the on-the-ground perks like priority lines and no baggage fees, I often get bumped up to first class, even when flying internationally, due to oversold flights and empty seats in business class. How can you get to elite? Pick an airline to fly with (remember, you can fly their partner airlines and earn miles too, in most cases), find out what the threshold is (total miles flown or segments, typically) and then get moving! There are often other promotions affiliated with credit cards that can help you earn additional miles for your elite status.
Fare class: When you ticket a flight, you may notice a letter indicating your fare class. Airlines have a variety of fares from deeply discounted to full-fare first class. Within the economy cabin, the ticket with the most seniority is full-fare economy and offers you the ability to make changes without a fee. This privilege, of course, comes at a price. But, it does look the most tempting to a gate agent who needs to select a passenger to upgrade. Combine a higher fare with elite status and you are golden!
Day & Time: When you fly can also have an impact on the upgrade status. Monday and Thursday are probably the heaviest business travel days which have both an advantage and disadvantage. You may have an oversold flight which could prompt them to upgrade more but you probably have a long list of frequent flyer ahead of you. Less people fly on days like Wednesday and Saturday which could mean more seat availability. In these cases, you may find airlines offering rock-bottom deals to upgrade your seat.
Flexibility: When you’re flexible, good things usually come. Give up your seat on an oversold flight and the airline will give you compensation for a future flight and maybe even upgrade you as a way to say thanks. Or, if you are okay routing through a different hub, opportunities can also await. I have had this happen to me once before. My mom and I were flying from San Francisco to Singapore via Hong Kong. As we waited in the check-in line, they made an announcement asking if anyone had a final destination other than Hong Kong. We raised our hand and they asked us if we’d be willing to go through Tokyo instead and be upgraded to business class the entire way. Oh course, we didn’t mind!

Look the part: I used to dress in tracksuits or pajamas to go to the airport. No one took me seriously in the business traveler world. Then, in about 2005, I decided to re-invent “Airport Kristina.” This overhaul included wearing actual clothing (something that is comfy but looks put together), applying make-up and putting some effort into my hair and trading my backpack in for a roller-bag. All of the sudden, I slowly began being accepted into the world of frequent flyer. Not only does it help with upgrades but it also helps me look legit when I am in the airport lounges which I now regularly patronize.

Written by DIWYY’s Kristina Wegscheider who regularly enjoys free upgrades thanks to her airline loyalty.

The search for a job teaching English abroad can be done in several ways. It mostly depends on the country where you are interested in teaching. Developed countries will have more requirements for being hired and will usually have more visa requirements as well. Whereas developing countries typically do not have as much red tape and make the search a little bit easier.

The Internet is going to be your key to finding a job abroad. If you Google the phrase: “teach English abroad” you will get six million results back, so I suggest making your internet search a little more specific. If you can determine a few cities you think you would enjoy being stationed in, then it will make your search a bit easier. At the same time though, you need to be flexible. If you have your heart set on one city, it might take you a while to find a job, or you could be disappointed when you only find listings in other cities.

If you are interested in teaching in a developing country, I usually suggest packing your bags, buying a plane ticket and just showing up in your country of interest. This sounds incredibly scary and risky, but is worth it for a few reasons. The first time I left the country to work abroad, it sounded like it would be a great fit, but I quickly found out upon arrival that the city I was going to be living in was not ideal for me. Throughout my stay in Thailand, I was constantly offered teaching positions everywhere I went. I realized that I could have just wandered the country until I found a suitable location, and then accepted one of the many jobs offered to me.

If this is an option you might actually consider, then you need to be a very proactive person. Sometimes being offered a job is as easy as mentioning that you are an English teacher to the right person, but if you are avidly looking for a job, you might need to be a little more aggressive than that. Tell everyone you meet abroad that you are an English teacher looking to settle down in that area. Most people you will meet know at least one other English teacher or school, and this can lead to important connections. Schools can’t hire you if they don’t know you are out there looking for a job. Make sure you let people know you are interested. Networking is your best friend in this type of search, not the Internet.

Things can be much more complicated if you are looking to teach in a more developed country. For example, South Korea requires that you send them your diploma, a background check, and transcripts from your university. Not only do they need all of these items, but they also need you to be in your home country during the application process. So it would be a poor idea to show up in South Korea and hope to get a job.

If you are leaning towards teaching in a developed country or don’t want to show up in a developing country looking for work, then your next question is “How do I find a job on the internet?” Before you start googling, let me warn you that many of the ‘jobs’ you will find listed are not in fact jobs. Many times they will ask you to pay them to come teach English.

Volunteering is wonderful and I am sure that there are pay-to-volunteer programs available that put a lot of the money you pay towards helping the organization you work with, but unfortunately there are many that don’t. Sometimes the organizations that will set you up with a teaching position if you pay a couple thousand bucks are just scamming you. For one of my previous jobs I worked with volunteers who came through a rather large name in the pay to volunteer business, and I can say without a doubt that almost all of the money went directly into their pockets and did not reach our organization. So if you choose the pay-to-volunteer route, make sure your money is going where you want it to.

Remember what I said in my previous post as well, TEFL and TESOL certification is not completely necessary to teach abroad. Before you spend the money on it, make sure you absolutely need it.

Sifting through the results that your search engine will turn up is definitely a process. Idealist.org is a great website for the global job search. This website allows you to search by country, language, categories, job type, etc. If you are interested in teaching English in South Korea I recommend going to Dave’s ESL Cafe and checking out the listings there. I wish I had a list of websites for prospective teachers for every country, but I don’t. If you know of a great website for teaching abroad in any country, please comment below. Let’s compile a list of helpful websites for prospective English teachers!

Written by Danielle Koffler. Be sure to check out her blog, Wake Up and Dance.

Even though I typically travel alone, that doesn’t mean I am once at my destination. The triathlon community is warm, friendly, albeit competitive group. Each time I’ve stayed at the host hotel or nearby, I’ve quickly found a group of good friends for the weekend. The weekend then passes too fast and destination races are the only things on my mind. The same has happened when I’ve traveled just to train. Even in Spain, I met several cyclists while out on rides. However, the language barrier and not having a phone hindered meeting up for rides in the future.

Cycle to the Sun – Maui

Of course, this phenomena isn’t exclusive to triathlon. It’s likely the same for any group of like-minded individuals. There are festivals all over the states and world that I’m sure would peak your interest. Don’t be afraid to go it alone, in fact, I recommend you do! Sometimes traveling with friends isolates you from meeting new people. I’m not saying that’s the case every time, but probably more often than not.

Do a search for a list of the top ranked festivals around the world that pertain to your interests and see what catches your eye. It would be a great way to meet new people, while exploring a new place. It’s the best of both worlds!

I had been hoping for a European vacation later in the summer with the idea of heading to the north, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Not having tons of time though I decided just to travel to Denmark and Sweden and it perfectly worked out that the dates I would be visiting Denmark were the same dates as Chris from the Aussie Nomad.

I am pretty sure we did as much as physically possible in Copenhagen in a 48 hour period (minus the Carlsberg brewery and a few museums because they are closed on Monday’s and partly due to too many other things that we were doing).

Getting to the city center: I flew into the Copenhagen Airport (CPH) from London and it could not of been easier to find the trains to get to the city: just follow the signs and you can’t miss it. I took the train a couple stops from the airport to the Copenhagen Central station which only took 10-15 minutes. Chris took the train from Germany using a Eurorail pass and it dropped him off right at that same station.

Accommodations: I had a hard time deciding where to stay in Copenhagen as the internet was full of bad reviews for every place and all of them seemed more expensive than other hostels throughout Europe (FYI: Denmark is one of the most expensive European countries). My final choice for a hostel was based on location and I stayed at the Danhostel Copenhagen Downtown hostel right in the middle of the city a 2 minute walk to Tivoli and about a 5 minute walk to the train station. A weird thing about this hostel is that they asked the guests to clean everything. Now I understand cleaning up after yourself but there needs to be a certain amount of upkeep on their behalf which was lacking and foam pads and metal bars on beds don’t mix well together. Chris stayed at the Sleep in Heaven hostel on the outskirts of town but he seemed to get around by public transport easily and I’m pretty sure he enjoyed the free wi-fi a fair bit.

Sightseeing: The top tourist attraction in Copenhagen hands down would have to be the famous Little Mermaid statue (Den lille havfrue) which sits in the harbour just off of Langlinie Park. The statue was originally commissioned by the founder of Carlsberg Beer after being fascinated by the fairytale which he saw portrayed at the ballet based off of the famous Hans Christian Andersen’s story. It’s a nice scenic walk from the city center to where the statue is located especially if you walk along the canals and harbour which some may argue is the longer way to get there, but it is worth it. You get to pass by the Danish Stock exchange with its unusual three dragon spire, you get a nice view of the Spire from the Church of our Saviour near Christiania, the Amalienborg palace (the future home of the Crown Prince Frederik and family) and you can see the multi-color buildings of Nyhavn Harbor and why not enjoy an ice cream from one of the many ice cream shops along the way?

Another must see/do item in Copenhagen is Tivoli Gardens. Located in the center of the city, Tivoli is said be the 2nd oldest theme park in all of Europe, opened in 1843. Inside Tivoli there are theme park rides and roller coasters, lots of games to play, a lake to stroll around, a few concert areas and many places to eat and drink. Chris and I both agreed it is definitely a great place to go on a first date, or a romantic night on the town while on the road.

Unique features: Copenhagen is also famous for a small area of the city called “Christiania” which is also known as “the Freetown”. Regarded as a commune, it is an old military area that was taken over by squatters in the 70’s and is run by its own rule with no policing by the Copenhagen Police inside its walls. A very colourful place, not only from its shockingly crazy graffiti, but also from the people who live there. We were told by a few people to visit here including a lady at the tourist information desk, but aside from it being a “must see” we didn’t know much about it. As we walked through part of the compound we were taking photos and a little video but not too long after we got there we were told by some residents to put our cameras away. There is a street in Christiania called “Pusher” street, since there are no Police here, drugs are legal and everyone sells them on tables and stands on this street, just as if they were as normal as hot dog stands.

Shopping: Although Copenhagen is very expensive it would be a shame not to take in some of its fabulous shopping, even if you are just doing it from the window. Be sure to visit the pedestrian streets of Købmagergade and Strøget where all the big brand names are squeezed in between the fabulous boutiques.

Everything is located very close to the city center — easily walkable or just a quick bike ride away. The city has many bicycle paths and there are many options of bikes to rent for a day or even just a few hours.

More than 24-hours? I also recommend checking out the Copenhagen Zoo if you have time. The highlight of the zoo in Copenhagen for me was seeing the Polar beers and the low-light for Chris (the aussie nomad) was of course seeing Australian animals. However an interesting fact, the Copenhagen Zoo is the only place in the world outside of Australia where you can find the Tasmanian Devil. The Tasmanian Devils found here were actually donated from Australia on the birth of Danish Prince Frederik and Princess Mary’s (originally Australian) first son.

Written by Cailin O’Neil who visited Copenhagen, Denmark in May 2010. Be sure to check out Cailin’s website, Travel Yourself.

Whenever I visit a new city, I like to do some sort of city tour to get acclimated. From free walking tours to organized coach tours, this gives me some sense of direction and a way to see the city highlights. But, being the adventurer that I am, I like to see the city in unique ways too. So, when I discovered that GoCar, GPS-guided tours in little cars you drive around the city, were available, I grabbed my friend Anna and we explored a little gem right in our own backyard of San Francisco.

The GoCar certainly isn’t a normal car; I would equate it more to a motorcycle with regards to how you drive it. No foot pedals, everything is controlled by hand. That concept thoroughly frightened me so I graciously let Anna, who had just returned from doing a motorcycle trip up the coast of Vietnam, take the reigns. Once you get your helmet strapped on and cargo stowed, you head out into the public streets of San Francisco.

At first, it can seem a little daunting. Cars darting by, tour buses passing on your right and the steep streets that make San Francisco famous. But, take it in stride and enjoy the city from a different perspective. Also, as you photograph the sites, be prepared to become part of other people’s vacation photos. The cute little yellow GoCars are quite an attraction and people will definitely engage with you at stoplights. In fact, one time, Anna and I pulled over to snap a photo and a family asked us, in all seriousness, if we were a taxi. We looked at each other, laughed and apologized that we couldn’t take him and his family for a spin.

Keeping all your attention on the road is important and GoCar makes that super simple as all directions are given via GPS. Despite the road noise and wearing a helmet, we could still easily hear the turn-by-turn instructions while learning fun facts about San Francisco.

Next time you’re in San Francisco, check out GoCar which has three locations to pick-up from. Not heading to SF? No worries! GoCar actually offers the same experience in Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid, Miami and San Diego. Visit GoCar Tours for booking info.

Written by DIWYY’s Kristina Wegscheider who  (let her friend Anna) take the GoCar for a spin in June 2010.

Have you read Danielle’s other posts on teaching abroad?

After you’ve found a potential teaching position, you will be overwhelmed with excitement and ready to pack your bags. Before you sign a contract or buy a plane ticket, make sure you question your future employer about all of the following topics.

The Terms of Your Contract

Make sure you understand everything in your contract before you sign it. Ask about anything you are unsure of. This may seem like a no-brainer, but I can’t emphasize enough the importance of this step. Find out if it’s okay for you to tutor on the side for extra income, if you have a Christmas vacation, or if there’s a dress code.

Salary

Before you agree to getting paid a certain salary, make sure you have an estimate of how much it is going to cost you to live in that country. Also try to research what the standard salary for a foreign English teacher is in that country or city. Teaching English is a really great thing to do, but things can go downhill fast for you if you aren’t able to pay your bills.

Visa

Find out what kind of visa you will be getting and how you need to get it. Many developing countries will allow you to apply for a work visa from a neighboring country, but sometimes things are a little more complicated. Employers may ask you to work under the table and use tourist visas instead of work visas because they are much easier to obtain.

There are a few downsides to this for you, the teacher. The first is that you will most likely have to leave the country every couple months. If this is the case, make sure that the school is helping you fund these trips or are at least paying you enough so that you aren’t paying out of your savings. Secondly, governments usually frown upon working in their country with a tourist visa. It is unlikely you will get caught doing this, but you have to decide if you want to risk it. I worked two different jobs like this and never had a problem. It did make me a little nervous at first though.

Student-Teacher Ratio

Ask about your average class size. Find out the maximum number of students you potentially could be teaching. Take it from me; trying to control 30 twelve-year olds in a public school in Thailand, where they only understand about four percent of what you’re saying, can be more than exhausting. The smaller the class size, the happier you are going to be at the end of the day.

Also find out if there are going to be any other teachers teaching with you. This can be great if you are trying to control a classroom, but it can also make the actual teaching process more difficult sometimes, especially if that teacher isn’t a foreigner. In that situation they might speak to the students in their native tongue, which can defeat the purpose of even having you there.

Other Foreigners at the School

Ask how many other foreigners teach at the school. I know teaching abroad isn’t necessarily about meeting other foreigners, but about immersing yourself in the culture of one specific place on the globe. But here is the other side to the story, if you don’t have a support system, then you might crack. I lived for five months without much access to other foreigners and it was extremely hard on me emotionally. The locals in the area will be lovely, but being able to bond over the little things, like constantly being stared at, with another foreigner is key. You don’t need to teach at a school with a ton of foreigners, but a few will make your quality of life a little better.

Contact a Foreigner Teaching at that School

Before you agree to sign a contract, contact another foreigner at that school. Ask your interviewer for an email address of another foreigner teaching there. This is a good way to find out exactly what you are getting yourself into. Ideally you could get two email addresses, but some schools might find this offensive. Tell your contact that you are so excited to go teach there, but just want to make sure you are choosing the right school.

Ask them what their experience has been like, if they get along with their fellow teachers, and what a standard day or week is like for them. This is also a good time to ask questions about the city you will be living in. A great question to ask is whether or not the school pays you on time. Also ask how many people have left before their contract was up and what the circumstances were. This is a great way to find out whether or not other people like it there without directly asking.

You can also ask if there is anything you might not be able to buy or find in the country you are teaching in. The answer to this question will help you when you are packing. I will cover some of these key items in my next post.

Written by Danielle Koffler. Be sure to check out her blog, Wake Up and Dance.

Our finalists:

• Backcountry Survival Kit by Heather Balogh – Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelettes, Supergoop! SPF 30+ Face and Body Lotion, Jack Black Intense Lip Therapy with SPF 25 & Mbeze Twice Shy Natural Deodorant
• Beautifully Stranded by Christina Dunham – Yes to Cucumbers Cucumber Facial Towelettes, Jonathan Green Rootine Dry Shampoo for Light Hair, Supergoop! SPF 30+ Sunscreen Swipes, Herban Essentials Mixed Towelettes, Archipelago Botanicals Milk Lip Balm with SPF 15 & Go Smile AM/PM Lemonade Toothpaste
• Frequent Flier by Barbara Rockwell – Air Repair Rescue Balm, Ahava Smoothing Moisturizer for Very Dry Skin & Herban Essentials Mixed Towelettes
• Man Things to Take on Wings by David Domagalski - Jack Black Beard Lube Conditioning Shave, Anthony for Men Deodorant & Herban Essentials Peppermint Towelettes
• My How to Fly Standby Kit by Kimberly Barnes – Weleda Almond Facial Oil, Nickel Super Clean Scrubbing Gel, Jonathan Create Curl Serum, Philip B Light Weight Deep Conditioning Creame Rinse, Jonathan Green Rootine Noorishing Shampoo, Go Smile Jet Set Kit, Somme Institute Transport Pads & Dr Hauschka St. John’s Wart Foot Cream

How to Vote:

Leave a comment on this post with which kit you’d want to buy. Please only list one kit in your post and one post per person, please. Votes will be accepted now through September 1, 2010 at 11:59pm PST.

Contest Details:

No matter where you are headed, you are bound to need some toiletries. And if your travel is by airplane or even just a weekend getaway with the girls, you don’t want to lug your entire bathroom with you. Luckily, there is an easy solution: 3floz.com!

3floz.com was founded by friends, Alexi and Kate, who wanted a one stop shop for TSA-friendly beauty products. Their awesome website is easy to use and they offer free shipping within the United States on purchases over $100.

Excited to start shopping at 3floz.com? We hope so! And to get you even more pumped, we are launching a promotion for the month of August to create the official DIWYY Travel Kit.

What’s the Grand Prize?

• 2-night stay in at The Belamar, a chic boutique hotel in the Los Angeles seaside community of Manhattan Beach
• $100 to spend on a night out
• The DIWYY Travel Kit that you helped created, courtesy of 3floz.com

How do you enter?

1) Check out the awesome product lines sold at 3floz.com – whether you are headed out on a vacation, want to spice up the beauty products in your gym bag or just like trying new products, 3floz.com is your single source for shopping!

2) Create your ideal product kit with at least three items in it that are carried by 3floz.com and a kit name. If you need some help getting the creative juices flowing, check out the existing kits sold by 3floz.com.

3) Enter by completing the form below with your name, email address, country of residence, name of your kit (creativity counts!) and the products you would select for your kit. You may enter between August 1-22, 2010.

4) The top five submissions, as chosen by the DIWYY and 3floz.com staff, will advance to the voting round (August 24-September 1, 2010) where a grand prize winner and runners-up will be determined.

A good percentage of my favorite travel memories are entail either sitting on a train, sailing on a ship, riding in a car, or something so simple as walking. Many of the following experiences were had while I was on Semester at Sea, but they are not limited to just that.

Exploring Japan via Japan Rail is a top memory of mine. In particular, it was my first experience in a country where I was completely illiterate. My friends and I would hop on a train hoping it would lead us to wherever, but that’s not how it usually ended up. That lead to exploring parts of Japan I would have otherwise missed and meeting people probably I wouldn’t have met – they were gracious enough to show us to the correct platform. Missing our trains wasn’t planned by any means, but I am so happy we did.

In Egypt, a friend of mine and I wanted to grab a bite to eat, before making our way towards Mount Sinai. We made it anywhere close to Mount Sinai. In fact, we spent the entire day in the small port town of Adabiya. We thought it’d be fun to speak a language other than English to our cab driver, so we chose Spanish. After all, we figured we wouldn’t be with our driver very long. Well, we spent the entire day with him exploring markets, getting lunch, driving here and there, and having a really good day overall. However, our Spanish speaking repertoires were by no means vast, so keeping up that act was an event in and of itself. Again, it was a lot of fun, despite not making it to our destination.

Then there were the days of backpacking. A friend of mine and I took several night trains and were in a new big city every couple of days; complete with a different language. We’d grab a city map and try navigating our way to wherever caught our eye. Again, we didn’t always make it to where we wanted to go – poor navigating and/or poor weather conditions – but where we were at any one time wasn’t important. We were traveling.

With all that being said, go get lost and enjoy every second of it.

Written by DIWYY’s Erich Wegscheider.

In July 2010, DIWYY and Travel Volunteer Search ran a contest to look for an international volunteer to spotlight. Sucheta Rawal was our lucky winner! In addition to her Amazon.com gift card prize, she will also be featured in a radio interview with Megan Schiebe of Travel Volunteer Search and on the DIWYY website. Read on to learn more about Sucheta, her past volunteering experience and her upcoming volunteer trip to Morocco.

Tell us a little about yourself:

I was born and raised in India by my grandmother and I moved to the US at the age of 17 in pursuit of higher education. Here I completed BBA and MS in Finance at Georgia State University. At GSU, I took leadership roles and held offices at student body organizations which exposed me to public speaking, organizing activities and community service. After college, I joined a multi-national bank in the area of bond trading, then started my own staging business (which I recently sold), and have been working as a human capital strategy consultant for the past 2 years. My hobbies include traveling, writing, reading and cooking. I have written for number of publications & taught cooking classes in the community.

What inspired you to get involved in volunteering abroad?

I love to travel, meet people and learn about different cultures. When I started reading about volunteer tourism, I thought it is a neat idea. You spend couple of weeks in an international destination, not just sightseeing like any other tourist, but by giving back to that community. Moreover, you get to interact with the locals, eat home cooked authentic food and learn about the culture. It sounded like a noble way to travel in the 21^st century.

Can you tell us about your volunteer trip to Russia?

I went to Russia in May 2009 through Cross Cultural Solutions Insight aboard program. I picked Russia because I had heard about their large numbers of orphanages, in par with India where I saw the plight of orphans first hand at Mother Teresa’s homes. Since this was my first time and I was traveling alone, I decided to volunteer for 1 week and travel around for another. The base camp was in Yaroslavl, about 4 hours by car from Moscow. There were 4 other volunteers (females from US from age 18-60) while I was there. Each day we would be served a scrumptious breakfast at 8am sharp by the house keeper, after which our translators would take us to different sites. We went to boarding schools/orphanages, children’s hospital, women’s mental hospital and old person homes. Since we did not speak Russian, our interactions were mainly non-verbal through games, crafts and sports. We engaged the kids and adults in various activities that gave them a break from their daily routines.  Some of the older women were very interested in conversing with me, so we did that through the translator. They wanted to know where I was from, if I was married, had kids and what I thought of Obama!

In the evenings, CCS arranged for us to go on city tours and to museums. We also had a few evenings and the weekends to make our own plans. One night, all the volunteers went to an Armenian restaurant to celebrate someone’s birthday. Unfortunately, the menu was in Russian and the waitress did not speak any English, but we still managed somehow!

What can you tell us about your upcoming volunteer trip to Morocco?

I have always wanted to explore Africa so 2 of my girlfriends and I picked the Morocco program through CCS. The home base is in Rabat, where we will be working with women and children. Although we don’t know the full details yet, we should be teaching English or working with women’s empowerment. Over the weekend, we plan to do a desert safari and visit Marrakesh. We can’t wait to go this October!

Is there any way for the DIWYY readers to help support your next volunteer trip?

Yes, of course! The program is not cheap and I have been trying to raise funds for my upcoming trip (check out Sucheta’s Girls to Morocco website). Readers can make a cash donation on my CCS Page or donate airline miles, vouchers or buddy passes for the very expensive flight. Anything would be appreciated!

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in volunteering abroad?

Do your research thoroughly. Talk to other people who have used the agency before, ask the coordinator questions about the program and what you will be doing. If you have a passion for something specific (like kids, animals, nature, etc), try to find a program that caters to it. Logistically, make sure your documents are not expiring and keep them in a safe if possible. Most of the volunteer programs cover your food and stay, so you do not need to carry much cash. I withdraw from the ATM only as needed. The weekends are your free time, so make use of it and travel around. Take a friend with you if you are not comfortable traveling alone.

After visiting 30 countries, I think I have learned a few tricks about traveling. I always carry earplugs and eye pillows. In Russia, the sun would set at 11pm and rise back at 3am, so it they came in handy! I carry an international phone in case of emergencies (like when I couldn’t find the driver who was sent for me at the airport). If you get into a situation, don’t panic, just smile your way out of it!

Are you active in volunteering at home?

Yes, I have been very active in volunteering since I was in college. Being in student body organizations and then large corporations has kept me actively involved in the local organizations such as United Way, Dress for Success, Hands on Atlanta, AIDS Walk, Big Brothers Big Sisters & CARE. In 2003, I organized a school supply drive for Afghanistan to help send kids back to school. Currently, I work with Community Consulting Teams & Refugee Family Services.

What has been your favorite travel destination thus far?

Austria – I loved everything about it! The countryside is picturesque and the art and music are the best in the world.  Most museums and festivals are free. There is a café at every corner where some famous composer or writer wrote something. When you walk around in Vienna, you feel like you are in the 18^th century where all the buildings and cobblestone pathways are brand new!  The food has influences of the surrounding countries and was far better than I had expected. My advice is to go in the summer when it’s actually cheaper and the weather is perfect. New Years Eve is the peak season.

You’ve been given a private jet and can fly to any three places in the world. Where would they be and why?

Places that intrigue me but I still haven’t made it out to include the jungles of Africa & the top of Mount Everest. It would be neat to follow the migration of the animals from air through Kenya & Tanzania. Africa has so much to offer with its rich culture, wildlife, forest reserves-I could spend months there.

It would be quite an accomplishment to stand on the highest place on the planet. Although I don’t plan to scale Everest any time soon, I would like to be dropped off somewhere near the top. I wonder how a night sky would look from up there. I have visited 6 continents & would like to go to the 7^th-Antarctica. I have heard it is like experiencing a different world. It is expensive & far to get to so a private jet would definitely help!