Travel is

“Travel is little beds and cramped bathrooms.
It’s old television sets and slow Internet connections.
Travel is extraordinary conversations with ordinary people.
It’s waiters, gas station attendants, and housekeepers becoming the most interesting people in the world.
It’s churches that are compelling enough to enter.
It’s McDonald’s being a luxury.
It’s the realization that you may have been born in the wrong country.
Travel is a smile that leads to a conversation in broken English.
It’s the epiphany that pretty girls smile the same way all over the world.
Travel is tipping 10% and being embraced for it.
Travel is the same white T-shirt again tomorrow.
Travel is accented sex after good wine and too many unfiltered cigarettes.
Travel is flowing in the back of a bus with giggly strangers.
It’s a street full of bearded backpackers looking down at maps.
Travel is wishing for one more bite of whatever that just was.
It’s the rediscovery of walking somewhere.
It’s sharing a bottle of liquor on an overnight train with a new friend.
Travel is ‘Maybe I don’t have to do it that way when I get back home.’”

- Nick Miller

Have a great travel quotation? Share your favourites below.

Travel in Photos - Uyuni, Bolivia

 

As travellers, we dream about finding landscapes that take us so far away from earth, we can't believe they are real. We want to feel the surprise of stepping out of a truck, being thrown back by the wind in our face, and amazed by the sheer size of the world around us. Nowhere in my travels, not even in Macchu Piccu, did I feel the vastness of space that I felt in Uyuni, Bolivia.

Even now as I look at the photos, I can't believe my eyes.

Please see Impossible Possibles in Uyuni more of my pictures from this amazing place.

 All photos copyright Expatkerri. Do not copy or share without permission.

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3 Surprisingly difficult things to find in Korea

 

Bras

For many women, shopping in Korea is a fashionably wonderful experience, where the clothes are cheap and fun to wear. Clothes are also available everywhere, with shirts and skirts for sale on streets and underground markets, as well as subway stations. If it’s easy to shop for clothes, how about bras? Buying a bra in Korea would be obviously impossible for a large-chested woman (since the biggest size of bra available there is about equal to a C-cup), but what about for a smaller-framed woman? Still impossible. I don’t know one non-Korean woman who can fit into a Korean bra. They are heavily padded, and tend to be very small around the ribcage. My friend Yoomi once told me that Korean bras are made for Korean women only. I'm still not sure if it's true, but Korean bras certainly don't fit me. So, if you're planning to be in Korea for a long time, it’s a good idea to bring your favourite selection of bras with you.

Not hard to find - a leopard print fuzzy case with tail for your smartphone

Tampons
 

After having a coffee with my friend Joo, we were walking in the street and we came to a special pharmacy in Korea called Olive Young. This is one of few stores where you can buy tampons in Korea, so I asked my friend if we could go inside. Once I found what I was looking for, Joo looked at what I had in my hand and was obviously shocked and uncomfortable. “Kerri, you use those??” She reacted as if I was buying illegal drugs. The concept of tampons hasn’t really caught on in Korea, yet, and most of my Korean friends don’t use them. For this reason, they can be hard to find. When you do find tampons, they are pretty much like the cardboard tampons of ten years ago – stripped of the modern flashy specialties offered in North America. Perhaps with a little pretty packaging and a Korean idol spokesperson, we can make tampons the next big thing for women in Korea.

Not hard to find - a hippie group of foreigners hanging in the grass

Deodorant
 

Do Asian people just win at the game of sweating? Do they just not have body odour? In my hot summer classroom without air conditioning, I’m wiping the sweat from my forehead while my students keep their spring jackets on. Even when they came into my class right after a volleyball game, they still don’t seem to smell. I don’t know how it works, but I somehow have never smelled B.O. from my Korean students or friends. Perhaps due to the lack of suffocating B.O., deodorant just has no place in the Korean drug store. Or perhaps everyone here has a secret to preventing B.O. that I’m just not in on yet. Either way, finding deodorant is a challenge, and like the tampons, when you find it, there isn’t much selection.

Not hard to find - cars parked everywhere and anywhere

Are there any items from home you haven't been able to find on your travels? 

Japanese Convenience Store

TOKYO, 2011

 

walking into a japanese convenience store is like stepping into a new world. i remember being so impressed by the sheer amount of choice when it came to drinks, it took me about 10 minutes to decide what to buy. i always chose something new every time to really experience the variety of available drinks.

the stores are also nicely lit, and have a nice atmosphere for exploring, and the products are so attractively labelled it's hard to choose just one.

though i did experiment, my personal favourite is still the read-to-go Royal Milk Tea. it's the perfect cup of tea, in a bottle, and you buy it hot. all the deliciousness of a cuppa prepared at home without even boiling water.

i could really go for a Royal Milk Tea now.

it just makes me want to be back in asia that much more.

The Prettiest City in South America

Yes, South America is beautiful. The surfy seas, the cloudy mountains, the endless deserts, the deep jungles, and the cities which are situated among these landscapes.

Cusco, however, captured my heart because it is simply a beautiful city. It is surrounded by mountains, and the main square is framed by two stunning old churches. It was - by miles on the Inca trail - the prettiest city I've been to in South America.

That being said, I haven't made it to Rio yet...

Guest Post: The Ten Best Resources to Launch Your Life Abroad

The Open Road, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

 

It's not easy to pick up your life and move to a new country for work. You might be scared to quit your job at home and not feel ready to follow the little voice inside you, telling you the world is out there, waiting for you. You might not be sure how to make your dreams of a life abroad a sustainable reality. Leaving home and moving abroad can be confusing, difficult, and may present challenges which seem insurmountable.

However, once you are out there in the world, living the life abroad you wanted for yourself, it could be the best decision you ever made in your life.

I recently came to know Alexa Hart, founder of Atlas Sliced. Her website is a collection of the experiences and success stories of expats living, working, and travelling around the world. With her access to so many expats, I asked her to compile a list of resources for those looking to start a life abroad. She agreed, and I'm proud to share this comprehensive list with you here.

Take us to the nearest airport, Alexa...

Alexa Hart

If you’re looking to live or work abroad long-term, look no further. As the founder and host of Atlas Sliced, I have had the privilege of interviewing inspirational people who have held incredibly unique positions all over the globe. From location-independent jobs (like writing) to in-country jobs (like teaching) to “hustler” jobs (like working as a waiter or in sales), my guests have fulfilled their passions for traveling and experiencing the world in new surroundings.

Here, I have listed in alphabetical order my top resources and recommendations for launching your life abroad.

1) Around the World in 80 Jobs – Turner Barr is the man behind this site. He has done some very unconventional work, like harvesting agave in Mexico and selling gluhwein in Germany. While his posts may be controversial and are sometimes riddled with bad words, he shows that you can find work just about anywhere. All it takes is perseverance and entrepreneurial creativity.

2) Go Overseas – If you’re thinking of traveling with an organization, Go Overseas is a one-stop shop for finding volunteer organizations, teach abroad opportunities, study abroad programs, and internships overseas. What I like about Go Overseas is that real people review their own experiences, and there’s no backlash for writing negative reviews. What also drew me to them is their team of talented writers and guest writers, who provide accurate, unbiased, and useful information about living abroad.

3) Grassroots Volunteering – Not digging paid programs? Understandable. Grassroots Volunteering is a relatively new site that lists FREE volunteer programs (some are paid) and opportunities around the world. I’m excited to see the site develop even further, as there are already quite a few meaningful organizations listed.

4) Idealist – Idealist is a fantastic website that lists jobs, volunteer work, and internships all over the world. Most organizations on the site revolve around some form of civil service and giving back to society.

5) InterNations – InterNations is a site that connects expats with each other. It’s a great way to meet new people when you move to a foreign country, as they hold regular events in various cities for people to network and mingle. Another feature they have on their site is their forums. People can post questions or comments about job openings, housing, or any other inquiries they might have to the community.

6) Leslie Forman – Leslie Forman is a gem! She is a California native who has lived abroad extensively, mostly in China and Chile. She created a free, month-long course titled “How to Create Your International Career.” The course is packed with fantastic content and resources to get started. She’s also in the process of writing a book on this topic.

7) Meet Plan Go – Meet Plan Go is an excellent site for inspiration and how-to advice about taking a career break or traveling long-term in general. Their national and local events are also a great way to meet like-minded individuals who have already lived abroad or who want to spend time overseas.

8) Stacie Berdan – Stacie is an “international career expert” and an accomplished author who makes the case that you can get ahead in life by going abroad. She writes and speaks frequently about how international experience will help people succeed in the ever-changing “globalized world.”

9) Teaching Traveling – Want a teaching job overseas, but you’re not sure where to start? You’ve come to the right place. Teacher Lillie Marshall, founder of the site, interviews people who have taught all over the world. What I love most about Teaching Traveling is the first-hand accounts of people’s experiences abroad.

10) Thrilling Heroics – If location independence is the way you like to roll, Thrilling Heroics is the place to be. Founder Cody McKibben is a digital nomad who is living a pretty exciting international life, as he is able to work from anywhere. He helps people build location-independent businesses online, and he has a slew of great articles on his site about how to get started.

Any other sites you like or recommend?