Monthly Archives: January 2012

January 10, 2012

FAQs: The Route and Accommodation

By simply three cents

FAQ: Why South America?

I love the culture and the people and the food and the lifestyle. There are so many places I want to see. I speak Spanish and I’d love to speak it better. I want to explore. I want to experience local culture. I want to get off the beaten path. I want to participate in local customs. I also love summertime which is the season I will be traveling.

FAQ: Where are you going?

I have booked my flights so that I fly into Buenos Aires and I fly home from Guayaquil, Ecuador.

FAQ: So, you’ll just be traveling around Argentina and Ecuador?

No, I will be traveling through various countries to make my way from point A to B.

FAQ: What countries do you want to visit then?

The short list includes Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.

FAQ: Bolivia? What the hell is in Bolivia?

The Salt Flats. While this is something I would love to do, the time of year I will be there, is the rainy season. From what I have read and heard, the roads in Bolivia are bad on a regular day. That, and some unscrupulous tour operators, may impact whether I go to Bolivia on this trip. Think positively.

FAQ: How are you going to get around?

I will be taking a lot of buses. Slow travel saves money, allows you to explore deeper and is better for the environment.

Bus service in Argentina and Chile is supposed to be fantastic. Bus service in other countries will be part of the adventure.

I have one domestic flight booked within Chile…more on that later.

FAQ: Where are you going to sleep? Aren’t hotels going to be expensive for such an extended period of time?

I am a fan of B&Bs. I am no stranger to hostels though it’s been a long time. We’ll be reacquainted soon.

I plan to use the Couchsurfing network, I would like to try AirBnB and I am hoping to WWOOF which provides accommodation in return for farm work.

FAQ: Hostels? Aren’t they for students?

Not at all. You can choose between a dorm, a single or a double room.

FAQ: Couchsurfing? What is that?

It is a network of like-minded people. It’s not just for a couch.

FAQ: What’s WWOOF?

Click here. And also click here to be redirected to the WWOOF site. There are participating farms all over the world, including the States.

Leave a comment | posted in career break, faq

January 9, 2012

FAQs About My Upcoming Plans

By simply three cents

A lot of questions have come up about my plan. So I have decided to create a series of posts that are dedicated to answering FAQs about my upcoming adventure.

If your question is not answered, ask away in the comments or send me an email.

FAQ: What exactly you are doing?

I am going to take a sabbatical, a career break if you will. Through travel, I am going to learn new skills, I am going to improve my Spanish and I am going to take in the world around me.

FAQ: Why are you doing this?

I believe this world is far too big not to try and make a dent in it. There are also personal reasons and the stars aligned.

FAQ: Who are you going with ?

I will be traveling solo.

I will be meeting up with friends in Chile. The boyfriend will be meeting me in Ecuador. And I suppose I will be traveling with friends I haven’t met yet.

FAQ: What about a paycheck?

I have about 35 years before I can retire.  I’m hopeful that I will work again.

FAQ: What about the boyfriend?

I am very fortunate to date a man who supports my dreams, no matter how non-traditional they may be. He has decided to remain employed and hold down the fort at home. While he may not agree 100% with my plan, he doesn’t want to be the person who prevented me from fulfilling my dreams. Sorry ladies, he is taken.

Stay tuned for more FAQs…

3 Comments | posted in career break, faq

January 8, 2012

Resolutions #indie2012

By simply three cents

Were you reading Simply Three Cents during the month of November? You may recall that I participated in the BootsnAll #indie30 writing challenge.

If you have no idea what I am referring to, throughout the month of November, BootsnAll posted a daily prompt encouraging participants to write about a topic specific to indie travel.

If you want to see my posts from the last challenge, type in #indie30 in the search bar about halfway down on the right side of my homepage.

The BootsnAll #indie30 was so successful that BootsnAll has introduced a 2012 indie writing challenge. They will provide a prompt once a week, for every week, throughout 2012.

The prompt for week one of BootsnAll’s #indie2012 writing challenge is aptly titled RESOLUTIONS.

Share with us your 2012 indie travel list. Part resolutions list, part bucket list, the list should help you focus your travel plans so you can take concrete steps to achieve your travel goals.

My most successful 2011 resolution?

Starting a blog and publishing a post a day. Check.

Not only do I love crossing things off my to do list, but I love making lists.

In no particular order, here are my 2012 resolutions:

  • Get in better physical shape
  • Drop some lbs like my kick-ass sister and brother-in-law
  • Participate in yoga or core fitness classes
  • Pursue freelance writing
  • Try Couchsurfing
  • Volunteer through WWOOF
  • Engage with the Slowfood organization
  • Participate in Spanish language exchanges at home and abroad
  • Take a cooking class
  • Incorporate positive influences from other cultures into my life

And there’s one more. It makes the list every year.

  • Eat more vegetables

Do tell, what are your resolutions?

Leave a comment | posted in #indie2012, introduction

January 7, 2012

It’s Officially Official!

By simply three cents
An abridged version of the email I sent to friends and family alerting them of my upcoming plan, or lack thereof: 

I have been contemplating the idea of quitting my job to travel throughout South America.Yesterday I did it.Yesterday I resigned from my job so I can travel throughout South America for two months.

Yes, seriously. I can’t believe it either. I’m very excited but if I am being totally honest you should know that my heart is pounding, I’m a tiny bit nauseous and my hands are shaking as I prepare to hit send on this email.

 
While my heart is speed-racing, you might have a few questions. Here are the answers:
  • I have not gone insane.
  • I know the economy is bad.
  • The boyfriend and I are still very much together.

Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador have made the short list.

I don’t have a solid travel plan, nor do I want one. This is a lot of ground to cover, so we’ll see where the wind takes me. If I love a place, I will stay longer. If I don’t, I will leave.

I have a general route I would like to follow but my itinerary will be dictated by what I want to do and see*, and recommendations I get from other travelers on the road.

Now that my plan is public knowledge (read: I gave my notice to my job) I feel comfortable sharing my planning process and how I came to this decision.

In recent weeks I have learned far too much about quick-dry travel towels, travel insurance and mosquito repellant. I’ve also learned that there are a lot of different kinds of locks. I have learned how to properly pack a rucksack (shoes do not go on the bottom) and I have kind of fallen in love with Amazon.com. I can also reveal which vaccination made me feel the worst (it shocked me too) and other fun facts.

While I am on the road I will be blogging but I will not be updating every day as I did in 2011. Writing once a day was my New Year’s resolution for 2011. I have new resolutions for 2012.

If you want to follow my journey, there are a few ways. You can enter your email on the site and you can decide if you want daily or weekly updates. You can like ‘Simply Three Cents’ on Facebook or you can follow @SmplyThreeCents on Twitter, though I anticipate I will be using it mostly for travel advice. You can choose one, or any combination.

I depart soon. Like January 24 soon.

If you can, come say bon voyage. Or more like buen viaje.

Saturday, January 21
Pilsener House

Love,
Me

* Pending situations that are out of my control such as weather (washed out roads) and protests (blocked roads).

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in career break, wanderlust

January 6, 2012

Nomadic Matt: Why It’s Never the Perfect Time to Travel

By simply three cents

This article couldn’t have come from Nomadic Matt at a better time.

Take a read.

Leave a comment | posted in observations, reality check

January 5, 2012

Edith and Carolyn

By simply three cents

Google ‘Edith and Carolyn’ now.

I don’t want to write about politics on this blog but these ladies and the CNN team kept me up past two am the other night, the night of the Iowa Caucuses.

Hilarious.

Leave a comment | posted in news, observations

January 4, 2012

Lucky Thirteen

By simply three cents

I recently learned that we all have 13 pairs of ribs. Being that I am not a biology expert, this was news to me. I’m not sure how many I thought I had because I never gave it much thought.

Thirteen pairs is twenty six ribs so it is symmetrical but everything else in our bodies are symmetrical and come with an even number. You know, ten pairs of two fingers, two eyes, a pair of arms and a pair of legs. 

I also learned that if you break a rib, there’s nothing to do for it. Could you imagine if you broke your leg and there was nothing to do for it?

Sort of your random tidbits for the day.

Leave a comment | posted in doctor, the body

January 3, 2012

Subway Gripes

By simply three cents

For some reason I have been taking the subway more often lately. I forgot how amusing it can be down there. When cramming people into a car that travels underground, there are bound to be irritants — and I’m not just talking about the engines.

  • Loud music. Why do I have to hear what you are listening to?
  • People who won’t give up their seat for pregnant ladies and the elderly.
  • People who spread their legs taking up additional seats for said pregnant ladies and elderly people.
  • People with a ridiculous amount of luggage – it would be so much easier for you to take a cab.
  • The gooey liquid dripping from the ceilings of subway stations and the puddles they form on the ground colored with rust and whatever other gross liquids.
  • People who use the emergency exit door to make the alarm go off.
  • People who talk on the phone just as they are walking into the subway – um, hello: there is NO cell service down there.
  • Rude ticket agents. Why do you get to be rude AND keep your job?
  • People who lean on poles. Why does your whole body have to take up the pole when I just want to hold it. The pole. Not your body.
  • People who don’t move into the train car. If you want to stand next to the door, get off the train and be the last one to get back on
  • People that carry backpacks on their backs instead of carrying it at a lower level
  • People who stand and don’t realize where their bags are in relation to a sitting persons head

I’m sure I’m missing loads. What’s your biggest subway gripe?

Leave a comment | posted in observations, peeves

January 2, 2012

Learn

By simply three cents

While I participated in most of the BootsnAll 30 Day Indie Writing Challenge I did not cover everything. I had started this and found it in my draft folder, so I will finish it now.

Learn was one of the topics. Here goes:

Travel is about learning. Learning about yourself, learning about a place. And learning how well you can adapt to it.

I think the one big takeaway I have from my travels is to continue to learn about the world around me and continue to explore what is out there.

As I have written before, this world is far too big for me not to make a dent in it. Whether it’s in my own backyard, or halfway across the world, my curiosity is piqued. If the world will allow me, I will explore and thus learn.

I have learned that the boyfriend, while a hesitant traveler, is an engaged traveler and a bit of a history buff. Because of that, we are able to take in a new environment, while actively learning about where we are, and where those people have been.

I yearn to travel, to be on the road. I have such a desire to experience places and cultures, to learn things I did not know before, to try things out of my comfort zone and to engage with the world around me.

Leave a comment | posted in wanderlust

January 1, 2012

Mates Losing Weight

By simply three cents

As you start your New Year’s resolutions slightly hungover, I want to share an inspiring story of motivation.

My sister and brother-in law are on a weight loss journey that will ultimately result in a baby. Okay, let me start over.

My sister has been overweight for most of her adult life. Not like ‘OMG, I need to lose ten pounds’ but much, much more.

She and her husband have made a committment to their health and have joined Weight Watchers. Again, not Weight Watchers because your butt doesn’t fit in those jeans anymore but Weight Watchers for serious ‘weight watchers.’

They started this journey back in May 2011 and seven months later my sister is already down 59.8 pounds. They weigh in on Mondays and not every Monday was a loss. But every Monday provided motivation for the following Monday.

Their committment to their health will ensure their blood work results get better every time they go to the doctor. Their committment thus far has resulted in several dropped sizes, clothes they can wear that still had the tags on it and new realizations about themselves.

And my favorite:

My sister asked me ‘what’s this?’ as she pointed to her cheek.

I replied ‘your cheekbone!’

This committment, over time, will also allow them to start trying for a baby…in time.

For anyone who knows my sister, she was born to be a mom. From taking over my baby-sitting jobs when I realized I was not made for baby-sitting to being so motherly, she is cut out to be an awesome mom. And my brother-in-law, I know he will be a wonderful father.

So as you make your resolutions and you feel overwhelmed when you think, ‘it’s going to be a long journey’ take it in stride. While my sister and brother-in-law have a ways to go, they also celebrate the milestones they hit along the way.

Whatever your resolution, and however hard and long the journey ahead may seem, just remember, if you put your mind to it, you can do it. My sister and brother-in-law finally have decided to take that step and are well on their way.

Good luck to you as you tackle those resolutions. And if you are one of those people who make a resolution not to make a resolution, I salute you. I just can’t pass up any chance to make a list 😉

1 Comment | posted in family, the body