I started Kaleidoscopic Wandering in June of this year as a way to record my journey as a Digital Vagabonding Roads Scholar. Who knew that so much could happen in seven short months?
Since June, Kaleidoscopic Wandering has blossomed to nearly 70 posts with more than 350 comments. Nearly 90 people follow this blog via RSS, 148 of you are fans of its Facebook page and almost 1,500 followers are kept updated on this blog’s contents via Twitter.
To round out the year, I wanted to share the most popular posts on Kaleidoscopic Wandering (just in case you missed them the first time around):
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Posted in: Travel Writing
I was recently reading a post over at Travel Writers Exchange about how travel bloggers can inspire travel. In the post, Chris Christensen notes that few people travel like travel bloggers and travel writers do.
Chris also noted some surprising statistics (when viewed from a travel blogger’s standpoint). For example:
- Many people consider a weekend trip to visit grandma to be a vacation.
- Many people just don’t travel, and some don’t even like to travel.
- The majority of people drive when they travel and only slightly over 25% fly.
- Less than 10% have taken a cruise.
- A quarter of people say they haven’t taken a family vacation in at least ten years, if they’ve ever taken one at all.
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Posted in: Reasons to Travel
‘Tis the holiday season all across Las Vegas.
Regardless of the season, we love to stop in the Palazzo and check out how they’ve dolled up the area near the gigantic waterfall. This year there’s a great big pool with floating cranberries and two polar bears made out of white carnations (similar to the bear at the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden.
Here are some of our favorite images this year:
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Posted in: I Love Las Vegas, Photos
Dear Santa Claus,
I’ve been dodging the question “What do you want for Christmas?” for over a month now. It’s a question that jumps out from around bushes while taking my afternoon walk and sneaks out from under the table at dinnertime. I’ve all but put my voice on auto-answer with “Nothing. I’m content without stuff.”
I know that people want to be able to walk into the mall and exchange a bit of plastic for an item that will make me smile on Christmas morning. They may even have a great idea for something I might enjoy. But the truth is that, the more I travel, the more I realize how little I actually need … or want.
So I’m writing to you today to apologize for not sending you a long laundry list of goods like I did when I was a kid. I remember those letters filled with extensive lists of book and CD titles and the oft-practical item like a pair of slippers or new hoodie sweatshirt. But times have changed, and so have I, so if you insist on dropping something off under my tree this year, I’d like to request the following five things:
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Posted in: Contemplation
One of my favorite ways to enjoy the holiday season in Las Vegas is to marvel in the incredible decorations that many of the resorts and hotels put up. Here are a few photos from the 2009 holiday season at the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden.
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Posted in: I Love Las Vegas, Photos
Grant Lingel had a few hundred dollars, so he did what any person would do … he bought a one-way ticket to Mexico and never looked back. The resulting story has been compiled by Grant in his debut book, Imagine: A Vagabond Story.
Shortly after touchdown in Mexico, Grant hooks up with a gig at a resort in Playa del Carmen, where he meets a number of other traveling nomads looking for a good time on the beach and learns a thing or two about what not to do when you run into Mexican cops under compromising circumstances.
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Posted in: Reading
If there’s one thing Honduras isn’t, it’s dull. Look around the country and you won’t see a gray, drab landscape. I woke up every morning knowing that I would be met by rainbows of tropical flowers and colorful vegetation, dripping with last night’s raindrops. I couldn’t help but take pictures of the flora as we traveled across the country.
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Posted in: Photos
With the overarching increase in airline fees—particularly on those carriers that now charge for baggage—and the general desire to travel lightly and efficiently, being economical with what you pack when you hit the road is important. I don’t know about you, but I often overagonize about a single pair of socks or whether or not I should pack a jacket.
Though I didn’t list it as one of my travel essentials, one thing I don’t spend time debating about is whether or not to pack a sarong. I got my first sarong when I visited Australia while I was in high school. At the time, I picked it up because it seemed like the cool thing to do. It was bright yellow, knee-length and covered in fish.
I still have that sarong, but I’ve also managed to pick up a few others since then during my travels around the world.
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Posted in: Resources
The water was rough from Hurricane Ida, which had passed by just a couple days prior to us arriving on Roatan, a small Caribbean island off the coast of Honduras. A heavy, dark cloud pressed in from above. Our motor boat zipped out the two miles to the tiny island that Anthony’s Key Resort had fashioned into the presentation area for those interested in learning about and snorkeling with the dolphins.
Just as we stepped into the water, the sky opened up and a light drizzle began to fall. Apparently Roatan usually has ideal, Caribbean weather, but the passing storm left a heavy current and no crowds in its wake. The dolphins were all ours to enjoy.
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Posted in: Do, Go
Mark and Brooke Stephens have enjoyed exploring the great outdoors together since meeting in college. Rock climbing, hiking, backpacking … you name it, they did it.
And then Chloe came along.
But that didn’t stop Mark and Brooke. Now the adventurous duo has become the traveling trio, though hitting the road these days is a little slower and more thought out with an eye on the wallet. Here’s what they have to say about their new travel lifestyle, including their tips on hitting the road with kids. Make sure you check out their travel blog, Adventure Parents, as well.
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Posted in: Family Travel, Personalities
