Sailing down the protected waters of the southern Chilean coast in Patagonia is about a sublime experience as you can get in travel. You can see parts of the world practically inaccessible to humans. The Navimag company provides the service whose main role is to shuttle cargo between Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales and a couple of places in between. Snow capped volcanos, glaciers green coastlines, and water in several shades of blue all await. This beauty is why I had to include it in Season One of The Career Break Travel Show. And this photo is one of many that I could have included in this week’s Suh-Weet Shot.

If you like this post, sign up for our newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up with Career Break Secrets’ career break and travel advice.

The Hidden Patagonian Fjords by Ferry is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know that I love Patagonia and I love the Navimag ferry. Once you dock you have time to mill around on the deck and take in the scenery. Just off the shore of Puerto Montt (the city where you board the ferry) is a small island inhabited by farmers, cattle and boats. It’s unclear if these boats are just docked but are still sea worthy or if they are castoffs, destined to be marooned on these shores forever. Of the many pictures I have from the deck before the ferry left the harbor, I loved this one of the farmers tending to their cattle and have made it today’s Suh-Weet Shot.

If you like this post, sign up for our newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up with Career Break Secrets’ career break and travel advice.

Surf and Turf in the Chilean Patagonia is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

July 31, 2013
Austin, Texas
The Career Break Travel Show has made its premiere on The Venture Channel, a new global travel channel by ConvergTV. The Career Break Travel Show takes viewers on adventures around the world to reignite, reconnect, and rediscover their passion for life through travel.

¨This is the fulfillment of a dream. I am thrilled to see this day finally arrive,¨ said Jeff Jung, the host and producer of the show. ¨When I founded Career Break Secrets back in 2009, I wanted to reach as many people as possible to inspire them and encourage career break travel. We started with the blog, then last Fall my book The Career Break Traveler’s Handbook launched. Now, the TV show will allow us to reach people from all over the world.¨

The Venture Channel is now available via Roku’s set-top boxes; cost for the channel is 99¢ a month. The Career Break Travel Show airs 10 times per week (1-2 times a day), A full program guide is available on ConvergTV’s website. The channel can also be found on NetTalkTV and later this summer via live streaming and on-demand, on iTunes/Apple TV. Soon it will be available on Amazon, XBox, and Wii and many more set-top boxes. Plans are in the works for the channel to be distributed through national and global cable and satellite networks.

About Season One of the Career Break Travel Show
The Career Break Travel Show takes viewers around the world to tell the stories of career break travel experiences. Each episode will take you to a different locale where travelers go to learn something new, give back through volunteering or take a path less traveled to really experience “the road”. Viewers will see the sites, hear in-depth traveler interviews, and get Jeff’s Top Secrets for creating their own adventure to make their trip count. During Season One, the show travels to Spain, South Africa, Patagonia, and New Zealand in nine episodes.

¨I met people from all over the world doing some amazing things and embracing life. I met volunteers of all ages giving back, caring for kids and families affected by HIV and AIDS while others were building Patagonia’s next national park in Chile.” says Jeff, “I heard amazing stories on the Camino de Santiago in Spain and taking the ferry off the remote southern coast of Chile. Their experiences were inspiring to me, and I knew they would be to others as well¨

About ConvergTV
ConvergTV, Inc. the world’s first TV Everywhere network just launched its first full HD channel, The Venture Channel, for viewing on multiple devices. What this means for the television viewing public is real TV on any device in a Linear (broadcast format), On-Demand and A La Carte viewing options at a price point far less than any other channel or network.

Kevin Curl, CEO, says, “We serve two distinct functions, first we source great content with high entertainment value from producers around the globe, second we deliver that premium content monthly to consumers on the viewing device they prefer for less than the cost of a cup of coffee. It’s our goal to deliver an alternative premium television package that everyone can afford.”

For the viewing public who have cut the cord, is, this means no more buffering and waiting for videos to start, or internet-style videos. You watch real HDTV on any device and the viewing experience is the same whether it’s on a 90 inch flat screen or smartphone. No one else has accomplished what ConvergTV is doing.

About Career Break Secrets
Career Break Secrets provides tips and advice inspiration to career break and round-the-world travelers through an independent blog, newsletters, books and now The Career Break Travel Show. Follow host Jeff Jung – the career break travel guy – on adventures around the world to reignite, reconnect, and rediscover your passion for life through travel. You can connect with Career Break Secrets at careerbreaksecrets.net, and on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

WORLD’S FIRST CAREER BREAK TRAVEL SHOW LAUNCHES ON WORLD’S FIRST EVERYWHERE GLOBAL TV NETWORK is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

They're HERE (Machu Picchu). Copyright twoOregonians.com

In this week’s ¨Who’s Out There Now¨ feature, we bring to you Ted and Bethany, a landscape architect and social worker who left it all behind just after the new year to see the world and capture their travels on their site, twoOregonians. As with many RTW travelers, I met them on Twitter and have been following their journey. I had the chance to finally meet them in Italy at a blogging conference. The only downside is that I didn’t have more time to hang out with them.

1. So, where in the world are you answering these questions? 
We started the interview while we were on a ship, 12,000+ feet above the ocean floor in the middle of the Atlantic, and now we’re finishing on land from our final port of call, Barcelona, Spain.
2. You have a very unique and refreshing blogging style. Rather than long prose, you jot down a series of observations about what happened to you. And, you do it every day!!! That’s dedication. Why do you write that way?
Bethany: Thank you! I like the freedom of spilling random words on our Daily Travel Journal without pressure to piece together a “blog-worthy” post (whatever that truly is!). If I fool myself into waiting to write until each photo is uploaded and each story is polished, I’ll have forgotten the details and little favorites like “People to Remember.”  The format was inspired by travel blogging friends Matt and Erica at Living If; I came across their journal before we started our trip, and a lightbulb went off. The secret/public page, separate from our stream of blog posts, is easy to update without triggering bombardments of digital notifications to subscribers and followers. It’s also a roadmap back through our adventures, helpful for refreshing my memory of places, people, experiences, and timing when I’m writing full length posts. Plus, the page functions as a “Hey, we’re still alive!” feature for our moms and dads.

Biking Outside of Buenos Aires. Copyright twoOregonians.com

3. You jumped right into the trip tackling Machu Picchu, a stomach bug and high altitude right away. Do you plan to keep this pace up the whole trip? 
Ted: No, we’re not planning on hiking the entire trip
Bethany: We committed to our transatlantic cruise from Brazil to Spain before deciding on our RTW Trip departure date. Ultimately, when we chose to leave home on January 5th, we had two and a half months for the continent of South America, so we hit the ground running, putting all of our pent-up excitement and energy to good use. “Mr. Indoorsy” was a superhero during our high-speed, high-backpacker-grunge style adventures through Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. We hiked and trekked and tent camped and bused and wore ourselves a bit ragged, then we holed up in an apartment in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a month to purposefully give ourselves a change of pace. We don’t regret any of the early adventures (well, maybe the 24 kilometer day of torture at Torres del Paine, though that’s a good story now), but we’re also happy to have hit a slower stride for the time being.

4.  It seems like you found a place in Bolivia to put your skills to good use. Can you tell me more about the project and how you got involved?
Bethany: Yes! In 2006, I was daydreaming about our future RTW travel plans, and I found www.workaway.info. International volunteering in exchange for room and board in all sorts of beautiful locations? Sign me up. Over the years of browsing through listings on lunch breaks and late into travel-planning nights, I couldn’t help but think about all the ways that Ted and I are equipped to be helpful. Workaway is a bit like online dating, including the cheesy bios: “Responsible oldest siblings from big families; raised on a farm and not afraid of hard work; love to cook and willing to help with cleaning…both enjoy long walks on the beach and generous pitchers of sangria.” (You get the gist.)  But seriously, I’m a landscape architect and Ted’s a social worker, and it’s terrific to have practical skill sets to offer. We joined the site, created our listings, contacted potential hosts, and sorted through the best options.

Our chosen Workaway hosts in Bolivia needed help with their rural property just outside La Paz, and we arranged to stay eight days with them, assisting with manual labor to combat some of the rainy season erosion damage and completing a Landscape Master Plan to guide them as they preserve their land and construct an ecologically sensitive yurt and tent camping facility. It was a win-win-win for all of us. We enjoyed meeting really terrific people, sharing delicious meals, learning about their lives and work in Bolivia; they received help with much-needed manpower and design and planning work; and we received free accommodations while I added to my professional experience and design portfolio.

In Patagonia. Copyright twoOregonians.com

5. You got to Europe via a very unconventional method, on a cruise ship. Looking back at it, what were some of the pros and cons of spending part of your time at a slower pace than you had up to that point?
Ted: Pro – you get spoiled with good food. Con – you lose your rhythm of exploration.
Bethany: Pros – sleeping in while making travel progress, experience unplugged life (no $.95/minute cruise ship internet for us!), stopping at unusual locations like the Canary Islands and Cape Verde (albeit briefly, and with the overwhelmingly cliched title of “cruise-ship-tourist” hovering overhead and sometimes slapped on our foreheads), having two and a half weeks of accommodations, meals, and transportation paid for in advance, feeling free from the travel budget spending and tracking, truly experiencing the grand size of the ocean without the aid of jet-engines, and having time to learn and play hand after hand of Canasta with newfound friends. Cons – feeling stir crazy without the ability to accomplish internet research and planning, getting less exercise and movement (the stationary bike just isn’t the same as hiking mountains), and every now and then running into bitter, spoiled, unkind travelers who have lost their sense of wonder and gratitude.

6. Career break, nomadic adventure, backpacking, how do you characterize your trips?
Pressing the re-set button and meeting the world.

Somewhere over the Atlantic. Copyright twoOregonians.com

7.    What are some of the secrets to travel that you’ve discovered that you think more people who aren’t traveling should know?  
Ted: It’s not as scary as it sounds. Do it now while it’s cheaper; it’s going to get more expensive.
Bethany: Like marriage, travel doesn’t change who you are, it amplifies your best and worst qualities and gives you space to learn and grow.

8.    What was your first ¨We’re not in Kansas anymore¨ moment on this trip?
Ted: When we got off the first international flight in Lima, Peru and walked through hundreds and hundreds of taxi drivers.
Bethany: No texts, no phone calls, slow-to-no internet.

9. What’s been your most ¨local¨ experience so far?
Ted: Fishing with a Portuguese speaking local off the Pier in Natal, Brazil.
Bethany: Sharing a humble meal with a family living in the outskirts Lima, Peru.

10. What has been your most embarrassing moment?
Ted: Singing Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” during Karaoke with a bunch of South Koreans in a water-less, electricity-less hovel in Bolivia.
Bethany: I try to forget them as soon as they happen.

On the salt flats in Bolivia. Copyright twoOregonians.com

11. What’s your secret for getting the most out of your journey?
Ted: Bringing Bethany along. Asking questions and interviewing people when I have the chance.
Bethany: Bringing Ted along to break the ice and strike up conversations with interesting people. Too, this is a season of time unfettered by jobs and responsibilities of life at home. Making the most of it means taking time to write in a journal that never makes it to the blog, taking time to sit in one place and make sketches, taking time to pray and seek out wisdom about paths and decisions, and taking time to ask the deeper questions and acknowledge the blessings of this year of opportunity.

12. Finally, our lightening round.

• Best dish you’ve found so far. T: File com Fritas (beef, onions and fries cooked to perfection in Recife) B: Chicken curry and cassava and sweet potato chips with tomato, honey and ginger salsa at Zaza Bistro Tropical in Rio de Janeiro
• Most exotic food eaten. T: Ostrich on the cruise ship; cooked to perfection. B: Cape Verdian Wahoo (a fish dish – overcooked, but worth the experience just for the name).
• Most breathtaking moment. T: Iguazu Falls on the Argentina side – astounding. B: A window seat view of Patagonia from the air. On my birthday.
• Biggest disappointment. T: Bolivian busses. B: The cost of living in Argentina. But that may have had something to do with countless bakery visits.
• Most memorable place. T: The Sun Gate overlooking Machu Picchu. B: Cape Verde’s desolate landscape and aquamarine waters.
• f. Most memorable person. T: The Swedish cafe owner in Bolivia serving the best coffee I found in South America. B: Too hard to answer! Freddy, our guide on the Inca Trail? I think we’ll be quoting him for the rest of our life.
• Best thing to have on a long bus ride. T: Bose noise canceling headphones. B: My trusty eye-mask; good for shutting out the world and catching Zzz’s.
• Worst thing to have on a long bus ride. T: A drunk driver. B: Leaking exhaust fumes, and a seat next to the downstairs bathroom stairway.
• Best thing you packed. T: Ear plugs and high quality shaving cream. B: An amazing little tube of hand lotion sent with me by my best friend. It’s like a hug from home every time I put it on.
• Dumbest thing you packed. T: Spare razor blades; for some reason, I didn’t think I’d find razor blades around the world. B: The super-heavy-duty combination lock that I’ve already ditched. The tiny one does just fine.
• Funniest travel habit you have. T: Checking for bedbugs. B: Zipping our sleeping bags together.
• Place you wish you could’ve stayed longer. T: La Escondida, Punta Arenas and the Canary Islands. B: The Chilean countryside.

Rio! Copyright twoOregonians.com

You can follow Bethany & Ted online at twoOregonians.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter @twoOregonians.
Every week (more or less), Career Break Secrets profiles a different traveler or traveling couple who are embracing the ¨Because Life Is Out There TM¨ travel spirit.  These are people who have taken the plunge to embark on a career break and are currently traveling the world.

If you like this post, sign up for our newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up with Career Break Secrets’ career break and travel advice.

Who’s Out There Now: Ted and Bethany is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

With the cheetahs in South Africa. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

In a few weeks I’m off to Italy to speak at the Travel Bloggers Unite conference. One of the sponsors is Oyster Worldwide, a company that specializes in volunteer experiences for gappers and career breakers. They are giving away a trip to a blogger to go volunteer in Romania at a bear sanctuary. Who knew Romania had bears?? Well, probably everyone except me. Putting my ignorance aside, I want to now make my case for why I should be selected for this two-week trip. Here are my top 10 reasons.

In Torres Del Paine in Patagonia. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

1. Genuine interest in the bears. I love being around animals and that probably is a result of having grown up in rural Texas. Besides dogs and cats, we had pigs, goats, chickens, fish, guinea pigs and even orphaned deer as pets. And, after filming my episode about volunteering at Monkeyland in South Africa, I really became interested in doing something similar myself.
2. Hard working fool. Some might just say ¨fool.¨ But, I’d be ready to jump in and get working with whatever is needed.
3. Have a leg up on the language. OK, I don’t speak Romanian. But, I do speak Spanish fluently. So, I think I could have some kick-ass basic Romanian quickly.
4. Love me some mountains! As a former resident of the state of Colorado in the US, I love exploring the mountains. I also had some great experiences in the Andes in South America. So, I would love to have the chance to explore the Carpathians by foot and camera.
5. In need of a career break myself. I know, it doesn’t seem as much of a benefit to you. But, after working hard to get the site and travel show off the ground, I could use a break and the chance to give back, to practice what I preach. And, that would come through in the writing. So, I wouldn’t be pretending to be on a break. I’d actually be on one making the writing all that more authentic.
6. The Dracula Factor. OK, I admit it. The fact that the sanctuary is in the heart of Transylvania does make the experience even more interesting.
7. Audience match. Let’s talk turkey. My site is all about career breaks and how to get the most out of your trip. Volunteering on a career break is the second most popular activity for career breakers (but you probably knew that). People come to the site looking for advice not only about how to leave their job, but also what life is like on the road and to follow my travels. I focus a lot of time talking about how to make the big trip count. So naturally, volunteering is one of the best ways to do that. Frankly, I would love to be able to write about the topic from a first-hand perspective.
8. Active social media presence: The site’s growing (400% last year), as is our social media presence (Facebook: almost 1050+ fans, Twitter: 2600+ followers, Klout: 50-51 range, and I’m active on StumbleUpon). Once we get the content up, I share it early and often.
9. Mix of content to deliver. In addition to the stories, I can also take lots of great photos and if I get some really good pics, a few might be part of my Suh-Weet Shots series. Depending on the working conditions and what’s happening on the ground, I might be able to get a video or two done.
10. Early bird gets the worm, right??? Surely there must be a few extra brownie points awarded for getting this well before the conference.

I can't promise the animals will like me! Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

So, to the good folks at Oyster Worldwide, please pick me!!

And to my readers, please let the folks at Oyster Worldwide know your support for me winning the trip to Romania!

If you like this post, sign up for our newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up with Career Break Secrets’ career break and travel advice.

Volunteering for the Bears of Romania is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Back in 2000, I took a trip with a friend who had been invited up to Avon, Colorado to see a new project by Sheraton. Set at the base of Beaver Creek, Avon is a simple town. Of course, it’s hard to compete when your neighbors are Vail and Beaver Creek. Actually, Beaver Creek and Avon are really one town with a big security gate dividing the two. Long story short, she didn’t buy into the property, I did. I moved to Texas a few years later and continued my journey up making a big road trip from Texas to Colorado.

For years I really got great use out of my timeshare property. Every August during the week before Labor Day, I took off to enjoy the mountains, do a bit of hiking, and just relax. I’ve always been a big mountain fan whether they be the Rockies, the Andes in Bariloche or traveling to Torres Del Paine in Patagonia, twice. I loved that time period at the end of summer. The weather was great, there weren’t too many tourists around. I felt like I had the whole place to myself (almost). But, there was just enough activity to keep things interesting, unlike my no-season trip to the area last October.

But, then my career break came and I wasn’t really sure what to do. Do I keep it? Do I sell it? Do I use my exchange company to access some great resorts around the world? Since then, I’ve discovered a number of options. And, depending on what fits your circumstance, you have options. So, here you go.

Options to Manage Your Timeshare on Your Career Break

1. Sell. If you really just want out, don’t want to deal with your annual dues, how to pay them, etc, you always have the option to sell.
2. Use the exchange services. In Colombia, my mom came to visit. So, I took the opportunity to fly to San Andres to spend a week hanging out. I also made plans to use a banked week in Hurghada, Egypt. We changed our plans and went on a felucca ride up the Nile. So, I lost a bit of money (and my banked week) as a result. But, I don’t regret. If your timeshare is affiliated with RCI or II, there are lots of places around the world you can check out. Keep in mind that local demand and vacation times may restrict your ability to find a place. So, you don’t have to sell your timeshare and you can still benefit from the ownership while you’re traveling.
3. Rent your week. Timeshare rental has become more and more popular over the past few years allowing the owner to recoup their maintenance fees and still keep the property for future years. I’m actually trying to figure right now if I’m going to do it this year.

By the way, if you want to buy a timeshare, check out my place in Colorado.

If you like this post, sign up for our newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up with Career Break Secrets’ career break and travel advice.

This post was made possible by Sell My Timeshare Now. It’s also the service I’m using to try to sell my own timeshare. As always, opinions are my own.

Options for Your Timeshare On Your Career Break is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

At the fish market in El Salvador. Copyright TheTravelchica.com

In this week’s ¨Who’s Out There Now¨ feature, we bring to you Stephanie, the chica behind TheTravelChica.com. Exploring South America, she’s been from Central America to southern Argentina and many places in between. She’s now exploring one of my favorite places in the world, Patagonia. Time to check in with the self-describe, Travel Chica.

1.  So, where in the world are you answering these questions?

I am in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  I sort of got stuck here and am finding it difficult to leave such an interesting and exciting city.

2.  So, I have to ask, how did we miss each other in Bogota earlier this year?

That is easy to answer.  I was ignorant of this amazing travel blogging community.  I did not realize there were so many other travelers out there with similar interests writing about their experiences.  And I did not use social media to meet up with other travelers when I got to new cities.  It was not until I arrived in Argentina in March that I started seeking out more travel blogs and signed up for a Twitter account and got a Facebook page.  I’m a newbie!

My eyes have now been opened.  I hope to meet you and other “online friends” in my future travels.

3.  What was your draw to Central and South America to spend your career break? 

I picked Central and South America for three reasons:

1. My travel budget – Since I would not be earning an income during my travels, I wanted to choose a part of the world where my savings would last longer.
2. Incredible natural beauty – The landscapes are so diverse, a photographer’s dream.
3. Language – I really wanted to become fluent in another language.  I took some Spanish in high school, so I at least knew the basic pronunciations and how to find the bathroom.  And you can travel through so many countries all speaking the same language.

Learning to juggle in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Copyright TheTravelChica.com

4.  I got a chuckle out of your post ¨My Possessions: What I Chose to Keep.¨ Your photo could have been taken at my storage unit in the US. What was your rule for what to keep/store and what to discard?

The biggest rule was asking myself if I would remember it was in the storage unit a year from now. Also, thinking about the effort to move it to the storage unit and then to move it out of the storage unit when I return made it easier to get rid of even more.

5.  Career break, nomadic adventure, backpacking, how do you characterize your trips?

That’s a tough one because I have actually had different travel styles over the past year. Definitely a career break.  I am thoroughly enjoying every minute of time that is all mine. Definitely backpacking for the first five months (and will start up again soon). I would also call myself a pseudo-expat (stole that term from Hecktic Travels) in Buenos Aires.  After 6 months, I have established a routine here and changed my travel lifestyle for a much-needed rest.

6.  What are some of the secrets to travel that you’ve discovered that you think more people who aren’t traveling should know? 

It can be done quite cheaply, especially if you are willing to change your lifestyle a little bit.  People who have never stayed in a hostel (I was one of them until 2010) do not realize how nice many of them are.  And if you’re traveling with someone, it is often the same price or cheaper to get a private room rather than a shared dorm.

I think some people believe that travel is stressful.  That can be true, but it is all about how you travel.  There is a good kind of stress that comes from not over-planning a trip and challenging yourself with figuring out what you want to do and how to do it.  You discover the most interesting places and activities when you talk to locals and other travelers.  Leaving yourself open to exploring unexpected opportunities can make travel a more rewarding experience.

Hiking El Volcan Fuego in Guatemala. Copyright TheTravelChica.com

7.  What was your first ¨We’re not in Kansas anymore¨ moment?

Unfortunately, it was getting robbed my first day of my trip in Quito, Ecuador.  I had fully researched the dangers of traveling alone in certain parts of Latin America.  I knew the tricks people used.  But it still happened to me.

8.  What’s been your most ¨local¨ experience so far?

When I was in Panama City, a local woman I met around my age invited me to celebrate Carnaval with her friends and their family in a small town called Ocu in the interior of Panama.  She told me it would be the “real Carnaval,” not what I would see in Panama City.  How could you turn that offer down?

It was such a great experience.  The family was so welcoming.  I learned about the Panamanian traditions and took part in the parades, the singing, the dancing, the drinking, and the culecos (huge trucks that spray you down with water hoses).

9.  What has been your most embarrassing moment?

I do not really think I have had any embarrassing moments.  Well, I probably have but didn’t realize it.  That may be because I find it much easier to shrug things off rather than get embarrassed when in a foreign country, especially one that doesn’t have the same type of peer pressure and societal pressure that I grew up with.

Maybe the other reason I haven’t had an embarrassing moment is because I am very diligent about bringing toilet paper with me whenever I go out.  That is one of my travel tips for Latin America

Hiking El Bosque Imposible in El Salvador. Copyright TheTravelChica.com

10. What’s your secret for getting the most out of your journey?

Tough question.  One thing that is important to me is focusing on doing things I want to do.  It is much easier to do this when traveling solo.  This is my year of being selfish. I try not to allow myself to feel pressured to visit every major tourist attraction in a destination if they do not interest me or if it will be too rushed. I try to balance this with also being open to new experiences.

11. Finally, our lightening round.

• Best dish you’ve found so far – Ajiaco, a thick Colombian soup
• Most exotic food eaten – Iguana
• Most breathtaking moment – Watching the sunset from the top of an active volcano in Guatemala
• Biggest disappointment – Salt Cathedral near Bogota
• Most memorable place – Buenos Aires, so many memories because I’ve spent so much time here
• Most memorable person – The bitter old woman I rented a room from in Buenos Aires who threw me out and stole 2 weeks of rent money.
• Best thing to have on a long bus ride – Sleeping bag, long-haul buses are usually freezing
• Worst thing to have on a long bus ride – Small bladder
• Best thing you packed – Fleece jacket with zip-up and interior pockets.
• Dumbest thing you packed – A very old point-and-shoot camera (now replaced with a good one).
• Funniest travel habit you have – I hoard packs of artificial sweetener for my coffee and small bits of paper for writing myself notes/ lists/ directions
• Place you wish you could’ve stayed longer – Nicaragua

Rooftop Sunset in Buenos Aires. Copyright TheTravelChica.com

You can follow Stephanie online at TheTravelChica, on Facebook, and on Twitter @TheTravelChica

Every week, Career Break Secrets profiles a different traveler or traveling couple who are embracing the ¨Because Life Is Out There ^TM¨ travel spirit.  These are people who have taken the plunge to embark on a career break and are currently traveling the world. 

If you like this post, sign up for our newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed  to keep up with Career Break Secrets’ career break and travel advice.

Who’s Out There Now? Stephanie the Travel Chica is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Janice enjoying some crickets in Mexico. Copyright SoloTravelerBlog.com

Are you excited by the thought of taking a career break, but daunted by the prospect of doing it alone? I understand. I have friends who can’t bring themselves to go to the movies alone in their hometown. So, to find the courage to take a trip by themselves, especially overseas, is tough to do.

But, a community is forming on the internet of current and future solo travelers. Collectively, they help each other make the leap to take that first solo trip and support each other to continue traveling. The emerging leader of the solo travel movement is Janice Waugh, publisher of The Solo Traveler Blog and founder of the recently formed Solo Travel Society.

She recently published The Solo Traveler Handbook: For those who love and those who long to go solo. On a recent trip between Canada and Colombia, I finally had a chance to read the book.

The Solo Traveler Handbook Review

Copyright SoloTravelerBlog.com

One of the first things you learn is that this subject is personal for Janice. Having lost her husband at a young age, she found herself widowed in her 40s. Traveling solo provided the catharsis that helped heal her and give her life renewal. So, when Janice speaks on the subject of solo travel, you better listen.

The books blends story narration and lots of tips to help give the reader inspiration and perspiration (Janice’s tips are real, actionable and plentiful). Janice doesn’t shy away from the downsides. There is an entire chapter devoted to safety and security. Starting with her first solo adventure in Cuba after her husband died to an awful con encounter in Paris, Janice has a lot to discuss and share. Her safety priorities, principles and tips will serve any new solo traveler well, and aren’t a bad reminder for the seasoned soloists.

What I like most about the book is that it Janice blends her stories and tips effortlessly for the reader. She captures you with her stories before she gives you the medicine, so to speak. As she’s advising you, you have context for the tips. Whether she’s telling you about having coffee with a stranger in Patagonia, dancing all night in Spain or hiking the mountains in England, you’ll see that the advice is earned from her own travel jaunts.

For anyone looking to go traveling solo, The Solo Travelers Handbook will make your journey more accessible and enjoyable.

The book is available at the Solo Traveler Blog and on Amazon in paperback and electronically for your e-reader.

Time to Get Your Solo Butt Out There: A Review of The Solo Traveler’s Handbook is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Some of the hosts together in Vancouver at the 2011 Travel blogger conference

Long-term and career break travel is still a concept that eludes a lot of people. ¨Who are these crazy people?¨ As the concept gains acceptance and more people break away to travel, it’s becoming harder and harder to identify the sterotypical career breaker. From singles to couples to families to single parents to 20-somethings to 40-somethings to, egad, 50-somethings, people of all stripes are giving themselves permission to break from their career and pursue their personal passions.

Before Meet Plan Go 2010, I highlighted the hosts from around North America as a way of showcasing a cross-section of these travelers. Now, we’re gearing up for Meet Plan Go 2011. The event has grown and so too has the cross-section of travelers who make up this well-traveled crew.

As with last year’s post, this is my non-scientific, but not completely random categorization of travelers represented by the Meet Plan Go hosts. Many of the folks listed below could fall into multiple categories. And, for every type of traveler represented here, there are many more archetypes that are not.

The Faces of Career Break Travel

The educators and volunteers

Jane in Africa

Lillie in Thailand

Boston public school teacher, Lillie, took a break early in her career. Using her experience in Asia, Europe and a 3 month volunteer stint in Ghana, she brings her global outlook to her students. Jane from Denver, spent a year traveling around the world volunteering along the way. Volunteering is one of the most popular career break travel activities and these ladies have a lot of expertise on the matter.

The couples

Bert and Patty in the Cook Islands

Adam and Megan on the Lake of the Ozarks

Lisa and George in Tonga

Ah, young love. Whether on a honeymoon or recently after marrying, many couples hit the road to write the first chapter of their lives together. Sometimes, it’s just a good way to restart and reenergize their lives to transition to the next phase. Bert and Patty from Seattle, Lisa and George from Los Angeles and Adam and Megan from St. Louis, know the good and the bad of traveling with your best firend and spouse.

The soloists

Janice in Patagonia

Olivia in Iceland

JoAnna in Vietnam

Lisa in Australia

Don’t have anyone to go with? Not a problem as these 4 strong women show. If solo travel were a fashion trend, we’d probably say that ¨solo is the new black.¨ Janice from Toronto, Olivia from Portland, JoAnna from Las Vegas and Lisa from Chicago, all took the plunge. And, here’s a career break secret: there are lots of women who decide to go solo. Gentlemen, it’s still OK for you to go solo too.

The families

Rainer and his family in Kyoto, Japan

Sarah, Morgan and the kids in Barcelona, Spain

Mike and Catrell in Brazil. Not pictured are their 3 sons they traveled with. Copyright CooneyFamilyAdventures.com

Have kids and think you can’t travel? These Meet Plan Go hosts would beg to differ. Every year, I see more and more families taking the plunge, using the experience to give their kids another dimension to their education. Rainer from New York, Sarah and Mike and Catrell have led their families around the world raising the next generation of global citizens.

Multiple Breakers

Kirk with his son

Yen in Indonesia

Sometimes, one break just isn’t enough. It certainly wasn’t for Yen from Honolulu or Kirk from Minneapolis. Be careful, career breaks can be addictive.

The Digital Nomads

Alyson and John in Colombia

For some, travel becomes a llifestyle. So, to keep an income stream, travelers like Alyson and John from New Orleans, set up a virtual shingle. Have access to internet, can work while traveling!

The Former Corporatists

Sherry in Vietnam

Jeff in Colombia

Leaving our corporate jobs behind to see the world, Sherry, Meet Plan Go co-founder, and myself, the Austin host, represent the most stereotypical career breaker. While many businesses are starting to adopt paid and unpaid leave policies, sometimes you just never go back…and advocate for the cause.

The Back-To-Work Breakers

Sonia in her Burning Man costume

Michael and Michaela in New Zealand

Here’s another career break secret: Most career breakers actually go back to their same career, sometimes even their same employer! Sonia from Washington DC and Micheala and Michael, co-founders of Meet Plan Go, represent this bulk of 70% of career breakers.

Many MORE Faces of Career Break and Long-Term Travel is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

In this week’s ¨Who’s Out There Now¨ feature, we bring to you Dalene and Peter, a couple of Canadian corporate runaways traveling the world and blogging about it at Hecktic Travels.  Turns out by looking over their travels, our paths almost crossed in Patagonia in 2009, as they were exploring Torres Del Paine and I was preparing to arrive to film. Sooooo close. Well, here’s my chance to get to know them better.

1. So, where in the world are you answering these questions?

We are answering them from inside a manor in rural Ireland that dates back to the 10th century, of which we are currently housesitting.

2. So, how does the name of your site reflect your traveling style and philosophy…or is it just a clever play on your surname?

It is just a (not so) clever play on our surname!  We actually travel fairly unhecktically, preferring instead to take our time in every place we visit.  But “Laid Back and Relaxed Travels” doesn’t quite work as well as a website name. 

3. You’ve done one of my dream trips in Colombia, hiking to the Lost City, ¨La Ciudad Perdida.¨ How rugged is it really? Did you have any interesting encounters with the local wildlife (bugs included)?

(Pete – Dalene didn’t go)  It was wet and muddy, the days were long, the terrain was slippery and included a lot of elevation through the rainforest and mountains, and nights were spent in hammocks only.  I encountered snakes, scorpions, spiders and all kinds of weird bugs I’d never seen before.  It was a challenging experience, but it was very worth it.

4. You have made housesitting part of your traveling lifestyle. I love your Housesitting 101 tips. How did you land a gig at an Irish castle? And, is it as romantic living in a castle as people think?

I can’t even remember which website we found this gig on, but it was one of the four that we mention in that article.  We still are awestruck by our good fortune in getting to experience living here.  It is very romantic to roam through the halls and see all the old intricate styling details.  But an old place such as this also comes with features like old plumbing, which can quickly cause problems and erase some of that romanticism!

5. Career break, nomadic adventure, backpacking, how do you characterize your trip?

We call it “life”.  A year ago I would have called it a backpacking adventure, but now that we’ve made the decision to continue traveling in perpetuity, this is just the way it is for us. We couldn’t possibly be happier and have no desire to do anything different in the foreseeable future.

6. What are some of the secrets to travel that you’ve discovered that you think more people who aren’t traveling should know?

Everyone assumes that we’ve robbed a bank, or inherited millions or something extraordinary that allows us to live this life of our dreams.  Few people realize how cheaply this can be done.  For example, we just finished a 6 month house sitting job in Roatán Honduras and we spent less than $6,000 for the entire 6 months (including our return flights to Canada!)  We would easily spend more then that in a month when we had a mortgage, cars, etc.  It can actually be much cheaper to travel then to live a settled life.

7. What was your first ¨We’re not in Kansas anymore¨ moment?

That would be at our first stop in Sucre, Bolivia, when we walked out from our hostel entrance and saw an indigenous woman squatting to pee between two cars, right in front of us.  I can see how those flow-y skirts they wear come in handy!

8. What’s been your most ¨local¨ experience so far?

During our six month housesitting job in Honduras, we became friends with some of our very poor, local neighbors.  One night we got a phone call very late to take one young woman to the hospital to have a baby.  We were there into the wee hours of the morning with her and saw some very disturbing things in that hospital.  It was a miracle that baby Julie and her mother even survived it all.  And, a few weeks later, we were made Godparents to sweet Julie!  That is our most treasured memory in all of our travels.

9. What has been your most embarrassing moment?

Oh, there have been a few!  And they usually involve me leaving something important behind – like my purse and our passports on a bus in Chile, and my iPod in a hostel in the Galapagos.  Luckily, both were recovered.  Oh, and Pete miscalculated the dates for when we would need a visa extension in Honduras and we ended up being a week overdue (and he’s an accountaint!)  It all worked out okay too, I just wanted to point out that it’s not ALL me.

10. What’s your secret for getting the most out of your journey?

Go slow!  We don’t care how many stamps are in our passport or how many pictures we have of famous sites – for us, it’s all about sitting still and really digging into the local culture.  We don’t feel like we can say we’ve really “been” somewhere if we haven’t gotten a good idea of what it would actually be like to live there.

11. Finally, our lightening round.

• Best dish you’ve found so far  – Uruguayan steak (we cut it with a spoon!)
• Most exotic food eaten – Pete: cuy (fried guinea pig) in Peru.  Dalene is not adventurous when it comes to trying new foods.
• Most breathtaking moment  – Getting caught in a mudslide when hiking in Colca Canyon, Peru.  One wrong step and we would have lost our breath permanently.
• Biggest disappointment – Peru.  So dirty, and everyone seems too eager to swindle money from you.
• Most memorable place – Sucre, Bolivia.  As it was our first stop, it will always be a very special place for us.
• Most memorable person – Jolien, the young mother we helped in Roatán, and her baby Julie.
• Best thing to have on a long bus ride – iPods loaded with new music
• Worst thing to have on a long bus ride – Kid throwing up next to you (seems to happen a lot to us, for some reason)
• Best thing you packed –  iPods loaded with new music
• Dumbest thing you packed –  USB light for the computer (never used!)
• Funniest travel habit your partner has – Pete unpacks and repacks everything at every stop.  Dalene dehydrates herself before long bus trips so that she doesn’t have to squat on the side of the road.
• Place you wish you could’ve stayed longer – Buenos Aires, Argentina.  We were there two weeks and could have easily spent two more.

You can follow Dalene and Peter online at HeckticTravels.  on Facebook and on Twitter @HeckticTravels

Every week, Career Break Secrets profiles a different traveler or traveling couple who are embracing the ¨Because Life Is Out There TM¨ travel spirit.  These are people who have taken the plunge to embark on a career break and are currently traveling the world.

If you like this post, sign up for our newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up with Career Break Secrets’ career break and travel advice.

Who’s Out There Now: Dalene and Peter is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures