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Travel Do Tuesday: The Great Barrier Reef

January 19, 2016

Travel Do Tuesdays is back! After a long hiatus the weekly travel work is back, along with season two coming out February 2nd. If you’re not familiar with the weekly blog post, check out the first post I ever made. In a nutshell I’m going to talk about a place I’d like to travel to, someone I’d like to meet while on the road, or a piece of tech I’d like to buy while I travel. It always starts with “I am going to…” so that you can make this into an action statement. Because travel doesn’t do you any good if you don’t get out there?

With that being said, let’s get started with a bang.

I am going to…

Visit The Great Barrier Reef.  As you may or may not know, I have a love affair with Australia.  I almost went to study in Sydney for a semester while back in university.  But I wasn’t quite able to swing it with my studies (darn you independent majors!).

But one thing that has always fascinated me is The Great Barrier Reef.  It’s the world’s largest coral reef system, covering over 344,000 square kilometers (or 133,000 square miles) and can be seen from outer space.  It’s an incredible place for marine life to live, and tourism is HUGE; over 3 billion dollars a year to be exact.

Sadly, like Venice, The Great Barrier Reef is shrinking due to runoff, global climate change, and a variety of other factors.  Though the reef is now mostly protected, a study conducted in 2012 estimates that the reef has lost half of its size since 1985.  It is for that reason (among others) that I want to visit, because it is an incredible natural wonder that could be gone in my lifetime.  And I want to be able to tell my hypothetical children and grandchildren about my experience there.

Also photos of turtles!

Also photos of turtles!

Season two comes out in two weeks.  More updates to follow!

Travel Do Tuesday: LA Zoo Lights

December 15, 2015

Travel Do Tuesdays are back!  It’s the first TVT I’ve done since getting fully settled in LA, so it’s only fair to highlight something for both Lost Angeles and the holiday season.  As with all TVTs, I start it off with this little message:

I am going to…

Enjoy my memories of LA Zoo Lights.  This year from November 27th to January 3rd, the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens puts on a holiday show consisting of animal and holiday-themed light shows.  Just check them out a few shots below.

What's the holiday season without some trees, or in this case, fake trees? Ah who cares they light up!

What’s the holiday season without some trees, or in this case, fake trees? Ah who cares they light up!

Oh look, a rhino!

Oh look, a rhino!

It's "cold" in LA.

It’s “cold” in LA.

FYI this place makes for a great date; thanks to my girlfriend and her sister for making me aware of this.

Buy your tickets and light up the holiday season (sorry, I couldn’t help myself).

Travel Do Tuesday: Producers and the Like

September 22, 2015

With the Action on Film Festival running around and season 2 launching this evening, I’m running on fumes.  Nevertheless, I’m still carrying on, because it’s Tuesday, and you know what that means.

I am going to…

Meet some wicked cool people to help me out.  Having a no-frills web show is awesome, but let’s face it: running it by yourself can be a tough job.  It’s nice to always have some backup, especially when you don’t know everything.

Plus it’s great to make new friends and brainstorm other places that I haven’t thought of yet.  Why just the other day someone suggested I go to Greece.  I could do that…

The show begins season 2 tonight.  Tune in.

Travel Do Tuesday: The Basics Wallet

September 15, 2015

One of the best parts of Travel Do Tuesday is I get to spend time looking up cool gear and places for this blog series.  This week is no exception.

I am going to…

drool over the Basics Wallet.  Created by cousins Jacob Durham and Jon Richards in 2014, they came up with a wallet that had a slim profile even with keys and cash; could grant you immediate one-handed access to your most commonly used card (such as a credit card or a transportation card); very easy access to four cards (because the average person uses three to four cards a day); as well as the ability to pull out cards that you might not use as much in the blink of an eye.  And all for $19.99.

Sounds like a daunting task, but people believed in the product and donated like mad: according to their website, not only did they meet their fundraising goal of $10,000, they ended up with over $170,000 dollars.

It just goes to show that if you create a product that people need, they will come.  They’re even taking pre-orders for a new notebook, both of which would be awesome to test-drive because as a somewhat consistent traveler, you have to keep things light.  They’ve even got an affiliate program which I would love to sign up for; the show could use some revenue anyways.

To buy their wallet and support small business, check out their website and don’t forget to mention that The Vagabond Tales sent you.

Don’t forget: new season starts next week!  There will be a promo video out tomorrow.

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The Basics Wallet, making wallets sexy since 2014

 

Travel Do Tuesday: Take Your Time

September 9, 2015

Today I want to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart, something that I’ve sought after whenever I’m on the road.

I am going to…

find some peaceful spots on the road.  Too much of the time when we are on the road we believe that we have to see and do EVERYTHING AND ALL AT ONCE.  We have to go see these ten different tourist spots, try 15 different dinners in four different towns, and OH MY GOD LET’S GO OUT AND PARTY WITH THE LOCALS!

Sorry I got a little excited.
My point is that if you’re doing a whirlwind tour of Europe or New Zealand or the entire state of California, you will more than likely experience burnout.  This happened to me while I was filming season one.  When I was in the Philippines I was running around all day and all night, taking the sites and partying at night.  Keep in mind that I was doing this while I also slept a grand total of seven hours the first three days; not a good start.
One of my favorite moments of travel came during my last day in Abu Dhabi.  A few friends and I decided to partake in a desert safari, which consisted of driving through the sand dunes in a tricked-out Range Rover, eating authentic Middle Eastern food, and getting to belly dance 20 minutes away from any form of civilization.
But the best part for me was relaxing with a friend from Melbourne and smoking a bit of shisha.  All of a sudden we heard an announcement over the booming music and light show: that they would turn off all electrical equipment for five minutes so that we could enjoy the serenity of the desert and really see a moonless night.  And for that brief moment in time, when our world became silent and the only light came from the stars…that was when I could truly enjoy my trip.
To really appreciate travel, really anything, you have to learn to slow down and relish every sensation that you see, taste, hear, smell, and touch.  It is only then that you can really let travel effect you and learn more about yourself and the world at large.  There are a lot of people who have travelled to many more places than me and that’s ok, because I’ve made the most of my experiences, and really soaked everything in.  As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
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Don’t forget to enjoy yourself once in a while. Take in the sights!

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