All A Dollar

"Seventeen countries. Six weeks. One pair of award-winning underwear!" boasted the claim on a pair of matronly-looking 'travel underwear'. Really? And while we're at it, ewwwwwh.  

Last Saturday, I spent a frustrating hour at a "bargain basement" sporting store trying to stock up on basics for my trip. Little did I know that I should be shelling out $15 (on sale!) for 100% polyester underwear that I never have to change. After all, aren't most women's underwear "lightweight," "synthetic material," and "compact?" And honestly, I think you have bigger worries if you don't have space in your bag to pack more than one pair of panties. Seriously people. 

Which made me think, how much of the niche, travel supply products are really necessities and how much, with a little creativity, can be found elsewhere? Does one really need to pay $9.99 for a mesh travel bag to separate our clean from dirty laundry? 

So instead, I made a trek to my favorite dollar store at 17th and Mission. Yes, the one without a name, just a big "One Dollar" sign announcing its intentions and a perpetually smashed out side window. Nothing fancy, but at the end of the day I got the following for under $10:  

- 2 travel mesh bags (Devil's advocate: the quality is probably not as good as sporting supply stores, but then I'm only traveling for a few months.)

- Plastic container with separate compartments - I think this will be great to separate small items, cords, maybe even makeup. 

- Coffee Filters - Heard that along with a Steripen, these are great for filtering particles out of water.

- Earplugs - Helpful at hostels and other noisy hotels (or when you don't want to hear your seat mate snore).

- Laundry pins and rope. In fun neon colors too!

- Drain stoppers in multiple sizes. Good for plugging sinks to do laundry.

- Travel bottle set. Selling up to $10 elsewhere!

And with the money I saved, I bought me these....a few motivational stickers for my trip. 

Synchronicity and the Mysterious Case of the Travel Guides

Lately I feel like I’ve been swimming against the tide with my trip. Things just haven’t been falling in place like I’d like them to. My idea of renting an apartment in Saigon was nixed after I discovered the cost of a short-term rental was more than my monthly mortgage. I found out I’ll be in London for the Olympics, which may be a good or bad thing. Reading a history book on Budapest has left me less than inspired. And while an African safari would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I’m wondering if it’s really worth a third of my travel budget.

And then I noticed something strange occurring. Like clockwork, every Monday someone has been leaving travel books on top of the public trash can at the corner of Guerrero Street by my house. First, it was The Rough Guide to Paris. The next week, it was Lonely Planet’s Guide to Croatia. Yesterday, it was Enjoying India: The Essential Handbook.  Best of all, these are current guidebooks, all updated within the past 2 years. Yes, I will admit to being a bag lady and swiping them all.

So with these small synchronicities, the course of my travel has shifted: India over Southeast Asia; Paris versus London; sailing down the coast of Croatia instead of soaking in the baths in Budapest. I can hardly wait to see what guidebook gets left next Monday, but have decided to continue to go with the flow instead of against it…

Update on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at 8:21PM by carrie breinholt

After a period of silence, my "book benefactor" is back! Perhaps they've been on vacation, collecting more travel guides to donate. Maybe they were giving me time to finish the books I've already collected. Or perhaps it's someone I know that's playing a practical joke on me and secretly laughing. 

Either way, over the past two weeks, the following books have been left on the street corner near my house: 

An Italian architectural design book, in Italiano. Perfecto! And a book about wandering souls, something I can relate to.

Okay, nice sense of humor. I could probably do without this one, but my goodness how this person knows me. If additional self-help books start appearing, I'll be concerned...

Last Friday, I hit the jackpot with this find:

An entire year's subscription (2011) to Travel+Leisure. Seriously. How could a girl get any luckier?

Which made me think, could we always be this lucky and just not take notice? What if I had been too busy texting or not paying attention or said, "Ugh, no thanks, who knows where these books have been?" What happens when we ask for help, but don't pay attention to what we're offered, even if it doesn't look like we think it should? 

Over the past weeks, I've felt anxious that I haven't made my hotel reservations, nor have I lined up any participants. However, I trust that it will work itself out. Perhaps not all at once, but like my travel books, piece-by-piece, in a manner I can digest.

One of the reasons I'm taking this trip is to learn to value trust as much as I value logic. What I'm learning in the process is to slow down and pay attention. Knowledge and guidance seem to find us when we are open to receiving it, but many times we're so caught up in ourselves that we fail to recognize it.  

And while these books and magazines have lost their use to the person donating them, to me they are tiny treasures that are shaping my trip and providing an extra boost of faith...

I'd love to hear your experiences with synchronicity. Please feel free to comment.  

Great Expectations

It's been a pasta and red wine sort of evening. It's been a pasta and red wine sort of week. You know, those days when you just want to curl up with carbs and a blanket and do absolutely nothing. 

As much as I've wanted to research my trip, plan my adventures, and share photos and the latest-and-greatest with you, I've been utterly exhausted by it all. All = work, transition, family stuff, obligations, social life, having the occasional fun and oh yes, my own pride in wanting this project to be something great. And then there's the frustration that I really want to be on the road taking photos, not stuck behind a desk all day.

As a result of my burnout, I almost cancelled today's meeting with my creative coach, the effervescent Genevieve Brazelton of Lightbox SF. Lightbox SF's mission is to empower creatives to take over the world. Not sure if I've been feeling that much like conquering the world, let alone conquering my pile of laundry.

She reminded me that it's sometimes okay to do nothing. Sometimes doing nothing is exactly what we need to refresh ourselves and prepare for the next round of creative inspiration. I think I struggle with this a bit. I'm always on the go, juggling a number of things simultaneously, jumping head first into new experiences. It's the way I'm wired and I like it. But every once and a while it gets the best of me and I need to be reminded it's okay to slow down and not be so hard on myself. 

So please be patient as I get myself rejuvenated for the next round of news, photos and fun. But for now, I'm taking a little pasta and red wine break...

You are so Beautiful (Vous etes si belle)…

Beautiful: adj. 1. Having qualities that delight the senses, especially the sense of sight. 2. Excellent, wonderful.  3. The one word I’ve decided to master in the language of every country I visit, because hey, everything is beautiful to me.

One of my favorite takeaways from the National Geographic Travel Photography conference I attended a few months ago came from San Francisco-based photographer Catherine Karnow. Wherever she went, she learned the word 'beautiful'. According to Catherine, if you’re armed with a smile, a camera and the word 'beautiful' (as in beautiful photo), you’re going to go places.

So this week I’ve been learning the words 'beautiful' and 'smile' in multiple languages. Funny how just even saying the word smile can put one on your face…try it out for yourself!

• Icelandic: beautiful: fallegur (feminine); falleg (male); smile: brosa
• French: beautiful: beau, beautiful photo: belle photol  smile: sourire
• German: beautiful: shoner, shones foto; smile: lacheln
• Portuguese: beautiful: beutif, bela foto; smile: sorrir
• Danish: beautiful: smuk, smukt foto;  smile: smil
• Spanish: beautiful: bello, hermosa foto; smile: sonreir 
• Hungarian: beautiful: szep, szep foto; smile: mosoly
• Japanese: beautiful: utsukusho; smile: egao
• Dutch: beautiful: mooi, mooie foto; smile: glimlachen
• Romanian: beautiful: frumoasa, frumoasa fotografie;  smile: un zimbet
• Swahilil: beautiful: nzuri, nzuri picha; smile: tabasama
• Vietnamese: beautiful: dep anh, smile: mim cuoi
• Malay: beautiful: cantik, foto cantik; smile: tersenyum
• Hindi: beautiful: sundara, sundara tasvira; smile: muskana

Hopefully armed with my Nikon, smile and the word 'beautiful', I'll be able to capture qualities that delight the senses....

What other essential words would you learn?  

Lost in Emotion

I must admit, I wasn't ready for this. Despite the last 3 months spent prepping, talking, dreaming (and losing sleep) about this idea of mine, the moment I made it "real" I was overcome by emotions. Overcome by joy, support, excitement and yes, the dreaded terrifying, don't-look-under-the-bed because-there-may-be-monsters sort of fear.

The support and encouragement I have received over the past week has touched me immensely. Every comment, email or offer of assistance from friends, friends-of-friends and even a few strangers has helped me feel I am on the right path. It's also helped me realize that I've been fortunate over the years to meet such an incredible group of people that I truly love and cherish. Which is perhaps where some of the fear comes from - there's a desire not to let people down, not to let my friends down, not to let myself down. 

While on the exterior, I've tried hard to tell myself that everything will work itself out, the truth of it is I don't know how everything will work itself out.  Of course, there's the security-minded part of me that worries a lot. I'm a middle-aged woman with no safety net. Will I run out of money, find a job when I return, be forced to sell my house, my car and give up my coveted parking space? (Some may laugh, but those in San Francisco will appreciate.) 

But beyond the fear of failure is the fear of not living up to one's potential. What if it is wonderful beyond my dreams? Could I give up my day job? How will it change my life when I return? Will I want to return? Am I really ready to accept it being (gulp) successful? 

And yet the fear that keeps me motivated is the fear of regret. I don't want to be lying on my death bed or in an office cubicle in a year from now, kicking myself for not doing something 100% authentically "me". Darn it, if I fail and the world rejects me, please let it be for the real me.

As I sort through the emotions of the past week, I realize it's okay to have fear. Maybe the best course is to live in the present, place it in perspective, and take small steps to work through the doubt. After all, small steps are what got me here. First I shared the idea with one friend, and then with a few friends, and before I knew it, strangers. As I became more confident, I made small decisions to support the dream. I turned down potential job opportunities, traded nights out with friends for nights working on the website, and spent money to support the project versus money to support my lifestyle. Before I knew it, I was committed to its completion. It wasn't always easy or comfortable, but it moved me forward in the direction of my dream. 

Que Sera Sera means whatever will be will be. For the next few months, I'm going to practice doing exactly that: living in the moment, taking the ups with the downs, and allowing myself to acknowledge my doubts, while taking those tiny steps closer to my goals. Yep, take that fear.

In the meantime, I am so thankful for all the support, love (and patience) of my friends. After all, a safety net isn't a bank account, a real estate investment or lucrative stock options. It's people that support you and stick with you through it all, good and bad, even when you're hiding from scary monsters...

Fear can be a scary thing. Share your comments. Tell me how you conquer it.