These mountains aren't only for skiing. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

I love the mountains in the summer. And, when I used to live in Colorado, I would go up every weekend to hike. Now that I don’t live there anymore, I still like to go back when I travel to the US in the summer to enjoy the crisp air, the various shades of green and the final touches of snow that stubbornly haven’t melted away. It’s easy to take a road trip from Texas to Colorado where I always see some interesting things along the way. I took this in July at the top of the mountains in Aspen. I estimate that we were about 11,000 feet up, give or take a few hundred feet. I know people think beach when they plan their summer getaways, but keep in mind the mountains in Colorado or elsewhere…and you might just get a few Suh-Weet Shots like this one.

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Simply impressive. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Getting to Abu Simbel seems a little daunting. But, it’s not. Base yourself in Aswan and then sign up for the daily tour that leaves early in the morning. After a 3 hour ride, you have a couple of hours to visit this impressive landmark. The monuments don’t sit on their original site. When a dam was planned for the region, the Egyptian government had to move the entire site so as not to be flooded once the dam was completed. It’s a good thing they did too. These massive sculptures welcome you to the main entrance. I spent a good deal of time trying to figure out how they moved it without damaging it and without you being able to see a thousands cracks. Abu Simbel is a a suh-weet engineering feat and a great place to get this week’s Suh-Weet Shot.

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Another lazy day on the Nile comes to a close. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

By day, travel in Egypt can be overwhelming: the heat, the amount of people, the noise, the crazy traffic, the hassling for baksheesh (tips) for even the most mundane task. It’s enough to wear out even the most intense road warrior. But, then there are moments and places that center you once again. Seeing the sun set over the Nile is one of those. I got this on a felucca ride up the Nile. It was the same trip where I showed you the full moon over the Nile. It was a suh-weet ride where I got today’s Suh-Weet Shot.

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Hot, sultry, intoxicating. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

If you travel to Colombia, there’s a good chance that you are planning to go to Cartagena, or at least you will want to return to see the city. On my first visit in 2008, I couldn’t believe this place. I felt transported back to the 1700s. Old architecture, hanging plants, street vendors, narrow cobblestone streets and horse-drawn carriages are all part of the mix. Charge your camera’s batteries up because there’s lots to photograph. I like this street heading towards the Cartagena Cathedral because it typifies the environment you will find walking around the old walled city. And, it made for a pretty Suh-Weet Shot.

Oh and depending on your travel style, bring your shorts and/or linens; it’s hot and humid. Final tip, go have a sundowner at Cafe Del Mar (bar on top of the old wall with a great sunset view).

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Unusual and captivating architecture in La Candelaria. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Last week, I showed you a typical street in La Candelaria district of Bogota.  You’ll see lots of churches while traveling in Colombia, but this is one of my favorites. El Carmen Church is squarely in La Candelaria, but away from most of the rest of the popular museums and activity. You can’t usually get inside the church, the doors remain locked. It’s a little weird frankly. A church that isn’t accessible to the public. Isn’t there some kind of rule against that? Anyway, even if you can’t get in, you can enjoy the unusually striped facade that makes for this week’s Suh-Weet Shot.

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Striped Church in Bogota, El Carmen is a post from: career break secrets: Travel video guides and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Colonial architecture dominates in La Candelaria. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

There are lots of places where you can feel like you’re transported back in time while traveling in Colombia. Frequent readers of the blog know that I love Villa de Leyva and Cartagena. But, even in the giant metropolis of Bogota, you can find that old feel in La Candelaria. Cobblestone streets, old architecture, old second-floor verandas and plenty of churches will help you get a feel for Colombia’s colonial history. There are lots of photo opportunities. But, i would recommend that with Bogota’s overcast skies, you might want to make sure your camera can handle low light situations. Today’s Suh-Weet Shot gives you a little taste of what you can expect to find once you arrive.

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Hello Mr. Map. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

OK, I have a confession. I love in-flight maps. Whether they are in the in-flight magazine or on the screen tracking your real-time location, I can’t stop staring at them. I don’t know how much time I’ve wasted (invested???) just looking at those things. But, I’m always captivated by them. Their allure puts me in discovery mode, as if I’m a modern day Captain Cook sitting in seat 24D ready to take on the world and see new places I could go one day. My fascination started long before my career break.

In college, I took a course called Map Of the Modern World. Any Georgetown student enrolled in the School of Foreign has to take this class. At least in the early 90s (not sure if it’s still run the same way), it was a pass-fail class with only one exam. All you had to know was where every country in the world was, a bit about key border disputes and some basic facts about geography. I loved this class. The hardest part for me was the Caribbean and all those tiny islands in the Micronesia region of the south Pacific. Ever since that class, I’ve had a fascination with maps, and flight maps always engage me.

While it happens to me on domestic flights, the real magic is on international flights. In June while flying between New York and Delhi, I flew over some new parts of the world for me: the Middle East and the Near East. Even flying over places like Iraq and Afghanistan gave me a certain thrill. Cities popped up on the screen that rarely, if ever, crossed my travel-hungry mind. I may never visit them, but I feel an odd connection with them at 35,000 feet.

My favorite is flying over Africa. I’ve flown both KLM and South African Airways over the continent from Europe to Johannesburg. Now that to me is really exciting. I will likely never get to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And, I wonder what places like Addis Ababa, Kigali and Lilongwe would be like. Even looking through Sawubona, SAA’s in-flight magazine, I see all the places they cover on the African continent and I think, “I fly South African Airways. I like South African Airways. I like traveling to Africa. Maybe one day…”

Part of the allure is the romantic notion of travel that I still hold on to. Part of it is the explorer within me, looking for the next adventure, country or region to explore. Part of it could be boredom with the flight. Honestly, it’s more enjoyable than watching Two and a Half Men.

Frankly, it’s just the same dreaming and exploring I do online often. It’s just a different context and a different set of search tools. The world always seems smaller, more accessible to me with these maps. Even when I flew a LAN flight between Auckland and Santiago, crossing the Antarctic, I thought, “Yeah, I’ll get there.”  Someday. Someday.

I think there are a few reasons why the flight maps entrance me during flight (beyond the fact that I’m part of a captive audience. Again, I could be watching Two and a Half Men).

First, you see all those possibilities. The world is at my fingertips and it seems so easy to say, let’s go there. There is also a certain wow factor in having it all laid out in front of you. It’s sort of an awesome feeling and in my mind I think, “I could start here, then make my way there.” As a member of several frequent flier programs, I start thinking ahead to cashing in the miles for that free trip. And, when the maps throw in the routes of their partner airlines, my wanderlust goes into overdrive. Intentional or not, those lines on the map between destinations are like bright shiny lights to a little kid. Ooooo, pretty! Then, there is the oddly colored “Future Service” line showing new possibilities. For example, on a recent United flight, I saw that there is new service coming between Houston and Auckland. As a frequent flier through Houston, I loved seeing that one. Finally, there are always a list of cities that I never knew existed or never really paid much attention to. But, in that moment, all of sudden I feel like I have to go there.

The likelihood that I will see all these places is remote. But, a guy can dream, can’t he?

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Addicted to Flight Maps is a post from: career break secrets: Travel video guides and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Our most popular post in Q1 of 2012: Full Moon Over the Nile.

It’s been a great first quarter on the blog. Hard to believe that the first quarter of the year is gone. I thought I would so a quick summary of our Top 10 posts from January, February and March. I’ve got 2 takes on this. First, what are the Top 10 posts overall on the blog and what are the Top 10 new posts. Looking at the list, I found it pretty interesting. I knew our photo posts were popular, but I had no idea just how popular. Six of the top 10 overall in Q1 were either Suh-Weet Shots or Photo Essays. Three of the new posts from Q1 were Suh-Weet Shots or Photo Essays.

Anyway, if you’ve missed a few posts here and there, here is what people have been reading on Career Break Secrets so far this year.

Top 10 Posts Q1 2012

1. Full Moon View From Nile River
2. Castle on the West Coast of Ireland
3. Who’s Out There Now? Stephanie the Travel Chica
4. Exclusive: London Olympic Park Construction Photos
5. 5 Most Important Things to Do Before You Quit
6. Windmills on a Clear Day in Mykonos
7. Poutine, Just a Fancy Way to Say ¨Canadian Nachos¨
8. Botero’s Apples
9. How to Deal With Your Resume Gap and Sell Yourself After a Career Break
10. Ephesus Library Entrance

Top 10 New Posts Q1 2012

Top New Post for Q1 2012: Castle on the West Coast of Ireland

1. Castle on the West Coast of Ireland
2. Exclusive: London Olympic Park Construction Photos
3. Windmills on a Clear Day in Mykonos
4. The Catalyst
5. Six Steps Toward Freedom: A personal story
6. Are Airline Fees Making Us Less Safe
7. The Difference Between Off Season Travel and No Season
8. Who’s Out There Now? Rob
9. Cartagena Catching Obama Fever
10. Career Break Budgeting Part 2: Pre-Take Off Budget

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Up, up and away! Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

I don’t have much to say about this photo. To me it’s a quintessential shot of Paris in the summer. On this trip to France, I didn’t get a chance to ride the big ferris wheel. Then again, I had already done so on my first trip to the city in 2005. As I passed it by on a mostly clear summer day, I couldn’t help  but capture this week’s Suh-Weet Shot.

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With the cheetahs in South Africa. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

In a few weeks I’m off to Italy to speak at the Travel Bloggers Unite conference. One of the sponsors is Oyster Worldwide, a company that specializes in volunteer experiences for gappers and career breakers. They are giving away a trip to a blogger to go volunteer in Romania at a bear sanctuary. Who knew Romania had bears?? Well, probably everyone except me. Putting my ignorance aside, I want to now make my case for why I should be selected for this two-week trip. Here are my top 10 reasons.

In Torres Del Paine in Patagonia. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

1. Genuine interest in the bears. I love being around animals and that probably is a result of having grown up in rural Texas. Besides dogs and cats, we had pigs, goats, chickens, fish, guinea pigs and even orphaned deer as pets. And, after filming my episode about volunteering at Monkeyland in South Africa, I really became interested in doing something similar myself.
2. Hard working fool. Some might just say ¨fool.¨ But, I’d be ready to jump in and get working with whatever is needed.
3. Have a leg up on the language. OK, I don’t speak Romanian. But, I do speak Spanish fluently. So, I think I could have some kick-ass basic Romanian quickly.
4. Love me some mountains! As a former resident of the state of Colorado in the US, I love exploring the mountains. I also had some great experiences in the Andes in South America. So, I would love to have the chance to explore the Carpathians by foot and camera.
5. In need of a career break myself. I know, it doesn’t seem as much of a benefit to you. But, after working hard to get the site and travel show off the ground, I could use a break and the chance to give back, to practice what I preach. And, that would come through in the writing. So, I wouldn’t be pretending to be on a break. I’d actually be on one making the writing all that more authentic.
6. The Dracula Factor. OK, I admit it. The fact that the sanctuary is in the heart of Transylvania does make the experience even more interesting.
7. Audience match. Let’s talk turkey. My site is all about career breaks and how to get the most out of your trip. Volunteering on a career break is the second most popular activity for career breakers (but you probably knew that). People come to the site looking for advice not only about how to leave their job, but also what life is like on the road and to follow my travels. I focus a lot of time talking about how to make the big trip count. So naturally, volunteering is one of the best ways to do that. Frankly, I would love to be able to write about the topic from a first-hand perspective.
8. Active social media presence: The site’s growing (400% last year), as is our social media presence (Facebook: almost 1050+ fans, Twitter: 2600+ followers, Klout: 50-51 range, and I’m active on StumbleUpon). Once we get the content up, I share it early and often.
9. Mix of content to deliver. In addition to the stories, I can also take lots of great photos and if I get some really good pics, a few might be part of my Suh-Weet Shots series. Depending on the working conditions and what’s happening on the ground, I might be able to get a video or two done.
10. Early bird gets the worm, right??? Surely there must be a few extra brownie points awarded for getting this well before the conference.

I can't promise the animals will like me! Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

So, to the good folks at Oyster Worldwide, please pick me!!

And to my readers, please let the folks at Oyster Worldwide know your support for me winning the trip to Romania!

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Volunteering for the Bears of Romania is a post from: career break secrets: Travel video guides and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures