The Year in Review: 2010 in Travels and Tribulations

My good years and bad years seem to come in waves. In order for She’s in Love with the World to even have a “Year in Review,” I need to bring it all the way back to mid-2009, when I first decided to take the leap into the unknown world of travel and blog writing. I was laid off, the economy was bad and I was pretty damn directionless. Ask anyone. As 2009’s close drew near, it looked as though 2010 would be the Year of the Awesome for me, and for the most part, it was.

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Roadtrippin’ and Rejoining the Workforce

Midway into my fourth week of a new job, I've realized quite a few things about myself and, what it is exactly, that irks me about the 9-5 grind. It only took about 20 paper cuts, cotton mouth and a whirlwind road trip with my boyfriend to Washington, D.C. this past weekend to help me figure out what I already knew while staring at my longtail boat background on my office computer every day.

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Meeting an Unconventional Community

Last Saturday, after many missed opportunities, I spent the evening at Chris Guillebeau's New Haven, Conn. meet-up for the Unconventional Book Tour. The evening was full of goodies and spirited conversation about living a remarkable life on your terms while doing good for the world.

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SILWTW Featured on GO! Overseas

She's in Love with the World is one of GO! Overseas Top 10 Travel Blogs on the web and this week's featured interview on their site. Come check it out!

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What I’ve Been Reading on the Road

Nothing is a better cure for a never-ending bus trip or lazy night in the hostel common room than a good book.

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Missing the Comforts of Home

It’s a lot easier said than done to completely rid yourself of the things you take for granted back home and I’m finding as more time elapses on my journey, the more I long for the little things and to revisit the worn pages of the previous chapters I once enjoyed.

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Could Technology End Our Desire to Travel?

According to a recent article published in the English newspaper, The Telegraph, the travel industry could be in trouble as technology evolves. Findings from a recent study state that more children will be less apt to travel in the real world because it can so easily be accomplished in a virtual world. The findings come from a study commissioned by travel firm LastMinute.com and the Future Foundation titled “The Future of Free Time,” which followed trends in Japan.

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Reviewing “The Art of Travel”

With its misleading title, “The Art of Travel” by Alain de Botton is not what it appears. It is not a guide on how to travel, but rather a deep philosophical exploration of why we travel and the role it plays in our lives.

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Final Thoughts on Island Hopping and the Full Moon Party

After a little over two weeks of island hopping and one Koh Phangan Full Moon Party later, I can easily say I’m islanded out. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Andaman Sea coast and the Gulf of Thailand and met some great people along the way, but the lifestyle a traveler lives on the islands is more akin to a college spring break than a cultural learning experience.

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The First Thai Massage

Long flights are uncomfortable, no matter where you sit. Your feet swell, your back tenses up and your neck moves in positions your body has never before seen in order to get you even just 3 hours of sleep on a 15-hour flight. Lucky for us, immediately after checking in at the Imm Fusion in Bangkok, Andrea and I were handed complimentary 60-minute Thai massage vouchers as a promotion for booking our accommodations through STA in New York before we left.

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