lindsay traveling

I've been lucky enough to stay in a lot of really good hostels.  They had all the usual perks: lockers, book exchanges, plenty of restrooms, convenient locations, cleanliness, and (knock on wood!) a delightful lack of bed bugs.  But there are a few that stand out in my mind as truly great hostels, and those have taught me what to look for when I consider new ones.  What do they have that the others don't? Lake Atitlan, Guatemala 1. Awesome common space. The best hostels I've found don't just have a common area -- they have a really great common area.  It's beautiful, comfortable, and just the right size. But it's also strategically planned so that it's easy to make friends.  The common area is located right near the main entrance, so it feels natural to connect with people who are just arriving.  The seating in the common area is positioned for group interaction.  Everything about it feels open and inclusive. In my not-so-favorite hostels, ...

I get so much more out of my travel when I have the chance to read about each place before and during my visit.  Setting the stage with historical and political context, getting excited about the mood and culture of the place, feeling a connection through personal stories, whatever!  I lean toward nonfiction, especially if it reflects my passions (social justice, Christianity, and food, to name a few), but I love the occasional page turner beach read too. Can you help me make my travel reading list??  I'd love to hear about anything that would be fun to read in any of the regions I'm planning to visit!  My hope is that this becomes a living document that changes with all your feedback! (Of course, if I'm asking you for your recommendations, I may as well return the favor -- I included but crossed out the books I've already read that I'd recommend you read in these places!  For more of my book recommendations, here I am on goodreads !) In or near Oaxaca,...

My apartment is covered, and I'm in the middle of buying my round the world ticket!!!  Eeeeee!!!  I figure that means now's as good a time as any to update the blog! I gave up trying to cram in every place in the world I've ever wanted to visit.  Instead I've just been piecing together the places I know I want to visit on this trip, and figuring I'll leave the in-between stuff a little more spontaneous.  I'm so so so excited about my skeleton so far! 1. Spanish school in Oaxaca, Mexico 2. Cuba!  No particular plans, but hopefully lots of dancing and lots of eating! 3. Helping with health education in Santa Cruz, Bolivia 4. Bolivia's Salt Flats 5. Argentina!  Hopefully something city-ish in Buenos Aires , and something farm-ish in Mendoza 6. New Zealand - ? - maybe farming? 7. The classic Australia camper van road trip -- Melbourne, Sydney, obviously scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef... 8. Layovers in Perth and Singapore because why not (man...

(older decor below, but I kept it here to give an idea of how everything fits together)

Last Wednesday, after waiting for weeks for sabbatical news to show up in my mailbox, I was lucky enough to find out from a friend at work instead -- I got it!! It was surreal, it was exciting, my heart raced, and I was sure I wanted to do it. Well, like 80% sure. But I gave myself a week to sift through my reaction, and realized that I absolutely 100% want to do it.  I'll get to do so many things I've always wanted to do, and the timing in my life couldn't be more perfect. So, after a deep breath and a sad goodbye to my 11th grade students, I mailed in my acceptance! I also picked the brains of about 17 of my friends from about 15 different countries and officially registered on WWOOF Argentina, WWOOF Spain, WWOOF Portugal, and Work Away. It's happening!!! As luck would have it, I also had the opportunity at work to say to a 15 year old boy, in all professionalism and seriousness, "no, I am not asking you to measure your penis." Now I am officially...