Sometimes, not traveling can be the real vacation.
I never thought I would write those words since I'm a travel addict. Dangle a plane ticket in front of me and I'm more likely to ask "When do we leave?" than "Where are we going?"
Sometimes as a tourist, I take for granted the sight before me -- whether it's historic or natural or man-made -- it is easy to forget that someone has to maintain this treasure. Or when I visit a place, it's easy to forget that I am actually a guest - and as a guest, I need to remember to say thank you and even better, leave a token of my gratitude.
Hello, wanderlusting women of the world! My name is Charyn (pronounced chair-in) Pfeuffer (like Michelle) and I'm the newest member of the Jane Air Crew. Thank you for sharing some cyber time with me; it's a pleasure to meet you.
I'll keep the get-to-know-me pleasantries to a minimum. My favorite color is green. I dig hardware stores, mint chocolate chip ice cream, mid-century furniture, being near water, being near mountains, road-trips, the first night of staying solo in a hotel, things that are salty, handwritten thank you notes, being barefoot, all products relating to the almighty pig, Monday afternoon matinees, collecting stamps on my passport, meeting new people, studying maps, independent bookstores, beets, Marimekko patterns, hard cheese, raw fish, rare meat, Sin City in 72-hour spells, Scrabble, anything with bubbles (especially if it's pink), and volunteering.
When I told my friends and family I was going to spend the holidays in Hawaii this year, they all looked at me as if I had truly lost my mind. Of course they're used to following my solo travels around the world -- usually to big cities in far away places like Australia, Asia, and Europe -- but to travel alone over the holidays to the honeymoon islands otherwise known as Hawaii? Have I gone mad? No, actually, I've gone sane.
After a year of intense work and travel, I chose to spend my holiday alone in the one place in the world no one would bother me: L'anai, Hawaii. The little island of 3,000 people has three hotels, two stop-signs and one street block that's considered the center of town. Residents of the island choose to live here because of its simplicity; travelers come here to escape. Thanks to the island's remoteness, it's a prime destination for honeymooners. While I could have drowned my sorrow in singledom, there was something liberating about being the table for one surrounded by tables of two.
What's your New Year's resolution? Is it to lose weight, begin an exercise program, stress less or spend more time with friends and family? If you're like most of us, a healthy body and mind are goals you may want to work towards this year. Actually, these are probably goals you may have wanted to work towards last year as well as the year before. So here's a question. Why is it that we start the New Year off with the best of intentions just to lose momentum within the first few weeks?
One reason is because almost ninety percent of what we do each day is the result of ritualistic habit. From the way we start our day to the choices we make throughout the day we barely need to think at all. For example, have you ever driven home, parked your car and wondered how you got there? As you take the key out of the ignition, you realize that you paid absolutely no attention to the drive at all. Think of the way you get dressed. Don't you always put the same leg in your pants first, put your makeup and style your hair the same way as part of your routine? We've done it a certain way for so long, it's deeply ingrained within us, and minimal effort is required to get the job done. To test this, just start your day with a different routine and you'll see how different it feels!
