Did you know: heart disease is the #1 killer of women? Help raise awareness of this deadly illness by joining The Heart Truth® and wearing red on Friday, Feb. 5, during National Wear Red Day. Spread the message, Heart Disease Doesn’t Care What You Wear – It’s the #1 Killer of Women®. Check out The Hearth Truth Web site to learn more. (more…)
There’s no secret, I’m a fan of FREE things but what’s better than free? Free groovy things related to travel! I was so excited to learn about KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ free luggage tag offer on the blog Freebies 4 Moms. [Note: I'm not a mom but love freebies and this is one of the best resource blogs for free stuff and deals.]
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Free and Groovy Luggage Tags
ME! by Peter West Carey, July 2009, Chicago
When I attended Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX) this past summer I met photographer Peter West Carey, a talented shutterbug – OK, he’s more than a shutterbug, he’s a photog pro. He kindly took head shots of conference attendees to help us have a more professional image. See, this is me working it as though I was on America’s Next Top Model. Anyway…
It makes me feel good when I can help others, especially those who I know. Peter has outlined a travel photography project titled, “People, Places & Patterns Project,” (aka: P4). It’s a photo expedition through Spain, Morocco, Kenya, Tanzania, and Nepal from February through May 2010. Peter will then take the resulting photos and stories and share them with U.S. students and community groups to educate and excite people about the world beyond our borders. Or as I like to say, help create pockets of peace. (more…)
Dining with BeachHouse Restaurant Sarasota-Manatee Originals Restaurant, Jan. 2009
Does anyone ever win those Twitter contests? Indeed they do, I finally won one! Not that I enter many but when I saw the Sarasota-Manatee Originals were giving away $25 dining certificates every weekday between Dec. 1 and Dec. 24, knew I had to enter and I won!
How can you win? It’s pretty easy but you need a Twitter account and follow @the_originals. Then, Tweet this message: (more…)
Five years ago the local Rotary district (6960) sent me and four others to Japan on the Group Study Exchange program and a year later I submitted essays to be considered for a travel anthology/travel guidebook called To Japan with Love: A Travel Guide for the Connoisseur 
I’ve received all sorts of career advice over the years ranging from customer service tips while working at a Burger King (”Make the customer feel important.”) and Xanterra Parks & Resorts (formerly TW Recreational Services: “If it’s good for the guest, do it.”) to technical pointers in using spreadsheets or cash registers. Key tips I learned from my late ex-husband (who worked for Xanterra) include, “A vacant room is the most perishable item in a hotel,” and “Keep on doing what you did to get you where you are.”
But, the most valuable piece of advice received was from public relations pro Mona Mesereau with Denver-based Mesereau Public Relations who managed (and continues to manage) the public relations account for Xanterra Parks & Resorts while I worked with the company more than a decade ago.
Mona’s savvy and authentic way of dealing with people always awed me. She was the opposite of my image of a PR pro, which wasn’t a nice one. She isn’t a spin doctor – “We don’t spin,” I recall her once saying. She is up front, genuine, kind and tells it like it is.
These days, I’m always pleased seeing her media releases about the national parks and happy seeing her mentioned on travel writer message boards as a good PR pro. When thinking of growing up, I knew I wanted to be like her and am thankful when she worked on the account where I worked (Flamingo Lodge in Everglades National Park), she graciously shared her knowledge and a book she found valuable, Digging Your Well Before You’re Thirsty by Harvey McKay.
It’s been more than a decade since Mona gave me the book yet I keep it handy. Copies have been given to other women whom I thought it would help in their careers. In a nutshell the book is about making connections and nourishing them before the need to call in favors. Although a simple concept, it’s amazing how many people don’t dig their well, self included.
During these economic times people need to be digging their wells. Job security is uncertain and being handed a pink slip is not the time to be making connections. The time is now so get digging.
I’m a fan of contests because I love winning things but I rarely get off my bum to fill out the contest form, until now. Because I’m a fan of Oregon and good food, I’m excited about Travel Oregon’s contest for foodies.
They’re searching for seven foodies to award an all-expense-paid “Cuisinternship” (pronounced: quiz-een-turn-ship) – a cuisine internship. Each winner will win an all-expense paid one-week trip to shadow an Oregon expert in his or her field of culinary crafts. This is part of a new state-wide promotion called Oregon Bounty which is a celebration of the state’s culinary arts and those who make the tasty treats. These are the Cuisinternships being given away:
Here’s how to enter the Oregon Bounty Cuisinternship Contest:
Seven winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Oregon to shadow their mentor for one week. Entries must be submitted between Aug. 24 and Sept. 18. A panel of judges, including the Cuisinternship mentors, will select winners which will be announced beginning Sept. 28.
My fascination with Oregon? I visited for the first time in 2007 on what I dubbed S2S and blogged about on my original blog. Don’t you worry, even two years later I’ll be sure to share thoughts from that incredible solo road trip.
BlueAvocado Founders Paige Davis and Melissa Nathan
I’m continuing to share lovely discounts gathered from BlogHer ‘09 and here’s a sweet deal from BlueAvocado and their gro-pak, the collapsible, reusable grocery bag system. BlueAvocado is a women-owned, women-powered business. Founders Paige Davis and Melissa Nathan (pictured) were on hand at the BlogHer conference promoting their fashionable and practical totes which range from large multi-use bags with cool little organizational compartments to fashionable totes with ventilated produce pouches.
The BlogHer conference bag was a great little BlueAvocado pod bag that collapses into a little ball, about the size of an egg. I’ve already used it while grocery shopping and it has a great clip making it easy to hook to my purse so it’s there when I need it. How many times have you shown up at the grocery store without your reusable bag? I admit to doing it too many times. The pod bag is even small enough for me to tuck in my bag so I don’t have to look like the Grapes of Wrath when shopping.
You can check out the BlueAvocado site at www.BlueAvocado.com and now through August 15, 2009, receive 40% off using code goodkarma40 at checkout.
Traveling through Detroit Metro Airport last week I needed some grub to fill my tummy for lunch. Having three hours to kill between connections, I utilized my time by wandering the terminal in search of the perfect lunch and found it at PB&J serving gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
While the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich - just like mom used to make – is on the menu (along with peanut butter served with old school favorites such as banana or honey) I went for the offbeat choice – peanut butter, honey and bacon smacked between cinnamon swirl bread.
Mmm, mmm.
Did I just hear someone mutter “yuck” out there in the blogosphere? The combination did sound a bit bizarre but we all know, the cured meat is infusing mainstream food. Bacon ice cream is popping up across the country, there’s Bakon Vodka who want to drink the savory flavor of the meat without the greasy fat and Oxford Falls has a Bloody Mary Mix called Bacon Cheeseburger which promises a sassy bite.
Bacon seems to be the “in” food right now and being the trendsetter I am, had to try the peanut butter, honey and bacon sandwich. Peanut butter choices are smooth, chunky and cashew butter and went with smooth after asking the cashier which was the best. Crumbled bacon is sprinkled atop the honey and the two slabs of cinnamon swirl are smacked together. It was wrapped in parchment-like paper and handed to me in a paper bag (just like when I packed a PB&J for school).
The verdict? Pretty good. Not the most spectacular thing I’ve eaten but a nice combination of salty, savory flavors accented with the slight sweetness from honey and the cinnamon swirl bread. It was a bit messy and found myself licking my fingers after every other bite. It’s something I’ll try to recreate at home but will probably use bacon strips rather than crumbling it.
Find PB&J near gates A1 – A6 at Detroit Metro Airport. Most sandwiches with two items (i.e.: peanut butter and jelly) run $3.99, add another item and it’s $4.49. Top it off with a slice of bacon for an additional 65 cents. The peanut butter, honey and bacon sandwich atop cinnamon swirl bread costs $4.99.
Last weekend I was in Chicago attending BlogHer ‘09 followed by a Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX) meet up. In addition to informative blogging sessions, both events were pitching grounds for various brands with many giving away freebies to try out (which will be a future article) and others offering discounts.
Following are some pretty sweet discounts on goods every solo travel girl can use when gallivanting.
Gogo Inflight Internet Service: Visit www.gogoinflight.com to receive a 50% discount on most services (the 30-day pass is excluded) when using code: 158FLF7365, valid through August 31, 2009.
Gogo Inflight Internet allows travelers stay connected when flying above the clouds. Currently, the service is available aboard AirTran, American Airlines, Delta, United and Virgin America. Air Canada will soon be offering the inflight Internet service. Prices are dependent upon flight duration and range between $5.95 and $12.95.
Yummie Tummie Shapewear: Visit www.yummietummie.com to receive a 30% discount when using code: BLOGHER30, valid through August 7, 2009.
After seeing the Yummie Tummie shapewear ladies running around BlogHer and seeing the product in action by smoothing over nature’s rolls and lumps, I knew I needed to try it out. Also, Carson Kressley of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and How to Look Good Naked fame tried out the brother product called RipTFusion. I caught that on video, which you can view on YouTube here. This discount is a great savings considering Yummie Tummie shapewear can run around $60 and upward.
GoGirl: Visit www.go-girl.com to receive $1 off your total Web purchase when using code: ACTIVEGIRL by January 
1, 2010.
GoGirl is pretty nifty because when a girl’s gotta go, she’s gotta go and GoGirl makes it easier because the female urination device (FUD) lets ladies pee while standing up. It’s ideal for camping, road trips, boating, nasty bathrooms and any other place that doesn’t have the ideal condition to, um, “go.” The pink, flexible funnel-like device also comes rolled up in a small plastic tube and includes a baggie and swath of toilet paper (although, I’d recommend gals carry a bit more paper for a more fresh feeling). I know you’re wondering and the answer is “yes” I have and used one. A GoGirl single is $6.99 and a pack of three is $18.99.
Happy shopping, saving and traveling.
