travel

It’s Alright

2020, California, Politics and Current Events, United States, Universe, Various, , , , , , , , View all 23 comments

People congregating! Oakland 2019.

By now, I think we have learned that there are two kinds of people when it comes to staying at home. The first category of people say, “I am doing great, enjoying this time to relax and slow down. I am calling my friends on zoom and doing online yoga!”

The second category of people say “Oh yeah, well, I was kind of down yesterday but I am better today. Lots of people have it much worse than me. We’ll get through this, no problem.”  If you are in the first category, please know that the people in the second category are actually thinking “I am going out of my mind.”

Continue reading →

I Don’t Call It “Lost:” 8 Ways to Get More Out of Your Travels

2019, Universe, Various, , , View all 13 comments

Children dressed for street party in Juchitan, Mexico.

Shortly after I began my nomadic life, I wrote about the difference between tourists and travelers. https://kimmie53.com/2014/09/06/lady-who-lunches-or-lunch-lady/  Four years later, my travels have taught me a little more about how to have a deeper experience, to feel a part of a place, and make connections with people. My strategies don’t all work in all situations or for all people, but you get the idea….

Continue reading →

The First World Problems of Three-Worlds Traveling

2018, Universe, , , , , , , , , , , , , View all 8 comments

 

Image result for allie brosh problems

Artwork by Allie Brosh.

The nomadic life is full of joy and surprises but it wouldn’t be travel if it didn’t come with annoyances. Just like real life!  I have had my share of travel annoyances which, ironically I guess, usually remind me of my privileges in one way or another — because all travel annoyances are First World Problems. Continue reading →

Proust. And What (I Think) Every American Should Know about the Rest of the World

2018, Uncategorized, Universe, Various, , , , , View all 14 comments



I have always wished I had the intellectual acuity to read In Search of Lost Time, the 4,000 page novel by Marcel Proust about, er, refer to the book title. And this easy-to-read article:  https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tldr-prousts-in-search-of-lost-time_us_559e8cb1e4b0967291558d31. One of these days, I will commit. In the meantime, I am happy enough with Proust’s wonderful observation about travel:

       “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

Continue reading →

Blowin in the Wind

2018, Universe, Various, , , View all 6 comments

I have been nomadic for most of the past three years, and some days I don’t know where I will be next month. Since I don’t have a home, I am forced to decide where to land on a continuing basis. My friend Emily asked me at lunch the other day how I decide where to go. And I guess I make decisions the same way most travelers do — except more often.      Continue reading →

Airbnb — Fantastic If You Know the Ropes

2018, Universe, Various, , , View all 6 comments

My Airbnb cottage on the Greek Island of Lesvos where I awoke to clanging sheep bells and made friends with local chickens.

Airbnb has changed the way I travel. I have stayed Airbnb apartments, houses, farms and cottages all over the world, in places as far flung as Japan, Armenia, Peru, and Sweden. Traveling with Airbnb, I have lived in neighborhoods that most tourists never see. I have cooked and shopped like a local. Best of all, I have met wonderful people I never would have met if I had stayed in a hotel.

Continue reading →

The Angels in the Details

2017, Africa, Argentina, Armenia, art, California, Costa Rica, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Louisiana, Malaysia, New York, Poland, Tanzania, Thailand, Various, View all 16 comments

Sculpture in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

I love taking photographs when I travel, but I am selective about it because cameras can make you an outsider, an observer instead of a participant. One thing I like about having a camera is that, even if I don’t use it, I pay a little more attention to the details.

Continue reading →