The Sweet Life.

New experiences and new places are fascinating to any human being. Some people like to travel alone and soak up these new experiences in hopes of deepening “who they are.”

Having said that, there is also something to be said for traveling with a companion. This companion does not have to be a girlfriend, or a boyfriend, or even someone close to you. But find someone that you can trust and tolerate enough to share a possibly life-changing experience with. If you don’t know them very well, you definitely will once your trip is over.

My best trips and vacations have been journeys that I have taken with people that I love. To have someone along that I know will be interested and hungry to learn and know more about where we are is so exciting. Just think - when you have more than one person along, but not too many, you have the addition of view points and opinions and desires that you may have not thought of.

If you’ve only ever traveled with others, then consider taking a trip by yourself. It is enlightening to one’s soul to be completely alone with your thoughts and feelings about a new place. However, as a double-edged sword, if you’ve only ever traveled alone, then find someone that you would like to share your experience with. Show them what you like to do and be flexible and receptive to their new ideas and suggestions about what to see and where to go.

With new personalities on your trip, you will find yourself in places, eating things, listening to music, and doing things that you would have never imagined -or chosen for yourself- before!

One of the most well-known names in travel and traveling on a budget is that of Arthur Frommer. His line of Frommer’s Travel Guides are one of the best-selling lines of travel books today. The research that has been done into the do’s and do NOT’s of the world’s greatest destinations has saved many, and been more than helpful to some.

Budget Travel Online is a site from the people at Frommer’s that is an extension to Budget Travel magazine. It lists suggestions for travel deals, destinations, strategies for purchasing, and spotlights different aspects of travel from consumer feedback.

The best feature is The REAL DEALS. It is a feature of Editor’s Choice Picks thats offers up some amazing deals to all corners of the world. There is also a link to the Travel Marketplace, which features the best travel deals and vacation packages.

Check it out, here.

For all you really ballsy cats that dig hitch-hiking, back-packing, rail-riding and budget road travel as your favored means of travel across the wonder that is our world, DIGIHITCH is for you!

This site is equipped with an interactive map that by clicking on it, can take you to the exact location of where you may want to go. For example, by clicking on a map of the USA, you will then be able to click on a region, then the state in that region and you will be shown the major highways that run through the state.

Interactive maps are available for the entire globe: Latin America, Canada, Europe and more! So definitely - check this site out! General information about the destination/location will be provided and from there, your imagination is the limit to where you can go!!

In the golden days of Oklahoma’s youth, trains were common type of travel. However, today there is a great way to experience the antique ambiance of railing your way through Oklahoma. Oklahoma’s Heartland Flyer is an Amtrak train that travels from Oklahoma City southward to Forth Worth, TX while stopping through various Oklahoma treasure-towns.

One highlights of the trip is that riders can get off in Fort Worth to enjoy the Grapevine Mills shopping mall. Not to mention that riders will be able to enjoy a view of nostalgic Oklahoma at it’s finest while stopping at train stations in each of the location shown on the map.

Here is a copy of the Heartland Flyer train schedulde to and from Oklahoma City and Forth Worth.

A larger view of the schedule, as well as more information about stops and tickets can be found by clicking on the Heartland Flyer graphic below.

The Ultimate Road Trip Planner!!

*A guide written by the husband-wife team of Carol & David White that illustrates how you CAN make your dream of traveling the country come true. It’s not as expensive as one might think actually. In their comprehensive guide, the Whites show you how to see the country for the same amount that it would cost you to stay home!!*

“Thinking of planning a GREAT Adventure? The Whites’ road trip planner serves as a checklist for everything you need. In no time you’ll start to get organized for your adventure, and excited about the once-in-a-lifetime trip you’ll experience. No matter what destinations and activities you include in your dream, Phil and Carol White help you turn it into reality. It’s the only road trip planner you’ll ever need or want.”
You’ll learn…

• How to cut your expenses with out making sacrifices
• How to ensure a smooth and happy road trip
• How to have bills paid on time while away
• How to get over the guilt and leave your commitments and enjoy your adventure
• What you can do with your house while away
• Secrets to maintaining a peaceful and happy trip with another in close quaters
• What to do with pets while you’re away
• How to locate and take advantage of all the discounts available to you
• Why you should make it happen, and not just wait for “the best time”

The ideas are endless — it is just up to you to fulfill your dreams.

“But how will I leave my life behind for such a trip?”

Doesn’t that sound fabulous? But then that little nagging voice of “reality” sets in. And it asks all sorts of annoying questions, like…

1. How can you afford to put enough aside for my adventure-and where will the money come in from while you’re traveling?
2. How will you stay in touch with family and friends?
3. What happens to your house while you’re off having fun for a year?
4. Who will take on all your responsibilities? From mowing the grass to taking care of an elderly relative, somebody’s got to do it!
5. Maybe the most important question-how will you stand being around your spouse or traveling companion 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for an extended period?
   

But that “reality” is not YOUR reality! Every one of those issues is actually easy to handle—if you know where to turn.

There’s one easy way to get answers to all these questions and more-from people who’ve done it: Live Your Road Trip Dream, by Phil and Carol White is a comprehensive, but friendly, and easy-to-read road trip planner that helps you think through all the little details-before you load up and turn the key.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS GUIDE AND ABOUT CAROL & DAVID WHITE, VISIT www.roadtripdream.com

It all started when my boyfriend said, “We should go somewhere really great!” This is not a rare thing for him to say, yet when he mentioned to me that the cost for his destination in mind was rather cheap, my ears stood to attention.

As I was on the phone with him I searched travelocity and found the cheapest price listed for a ticket to COSTA RICA was around $400-$500. ‘To Costa Rica?’ I thought. For as much as it costs to get to Europe, this seemed to me to be a fairly good deal. My mind has been spinning, so therefore, here is my post about COSTA RICA.

It is gaining popularity as a traveling destination and I am bound to find out why…

Some fun things to know that you may be wondering…

- What is the difference between the rain forest and the cloud forest?

The main difference is that in the cloud forest doesn’t rain as much as in the rain forest. The species of flora and fauna that you might find differ from one to the other. (Hmph…that’s what I thought.)

Some average prices…(according to lonelyplanet.com)

• litre of petrol, ¢0.65
• small bottle of beer, ¢0.75
• souvenir t-shirt, ¢8.00
• loaf of bread, ¢0.50
• cold coconut water, ¢0.50
• litre of bottled water, ¢0.75
• two hours surfing lessons in Tamarindo, ¢30.00

Average Room Prices can be as low as $5! all the the way to $70 and above. Doesn’t sound too bad to me for a remote destination with lots of greenery and water.

Accommodation: Low US $5-15, Mid US $15-40, High US $40-70, Deluxe US $70+

Average Meal Prices: Low US $3-10, Mid US $10-20, High US $20-25

All I know is that if I can get one of these exotic mud mask/bath-thing brushed on by some little old costa rican lady with wise eyes and beautiful skin while I sip on some sort of toxic local fare, well then sign me up. The more exotic the location the better!

Costa Rica, here I come!

(passports ARE required!)

If you are a first time visitor to the Oklahoma City are, this list is a wonderful tool when you THINK you’ve seen everything or are unsure what you should do next. Hopefully you’ve been a saavy enough traveler that you are NOT in some days in some where with screaming children claiming that they’re “bored.”

Take control of the little heathens and teach them something about the great state of Oklahoma.

(The words listed in pink are all linked to sites with more information)

1. Visit the Martin Park Nature Center (Dogs not allowed)
2. High-tail it with your Fido to the Oklahoma City Paw Park
3. Explore the Oklahoma City Zoo
4. Watch sailboats (or sail one!) at Lake Hefner
5. Enjoy a bicycle ride around Lake Overholser
6. Shop at Penn Square Mall
7. Check out some books from the library
8. Visit the Oklahoma Historical Society
9. Explore the Will Rogers Rose Garden
10. Enjoy a picnic at Lake Thunderbird
11. Go climbing or hiking at Red Rock Canyon
12. Check out the Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum in Seminole
13. Visit the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
14. Try indoor rock climbing
15. Eat a steak at Cattlemen’s
16. Take lots of pictures.
17. Feed the ducks (and get buzzed by gulls) at Lake Hefner
18. Visit the Oklahoma City National Memorial
19. Listen to a concert at the newly-refurbished Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall
20. Eat Indian food
21. Visit Chickasaw National Recreation Area
22. Play some golf.
23. Visit Woolaroc
24. Check out the Harn Homestead
25. See the Oklahoma City Art Museum (Opening March ‘02)
26. Walk, run, cycle or skate Lake Hefner Trails
27. Enjoy the spectacular fall color of the woods.
28. Visit Lake Arcadia near Edmond
29. See historical Guthrie, Oklahoma
30. Have an ice cream cone
31. Volunteer! Walk an adoptable dog at Pets & People
32. Visit the Five Civilized Tribes Museum
33. Explore the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
34. See the Overholser Mansion
35. Stroll through Bricktown
36. Take in a large-format film or Planetarium show at the Omniplex
37. Visit quaint shops in downtown Bethany
38. Be entertained at the Oklahoma Opry
39. Revel in an evening of the blues
40. Explore Turner Falls, Davis, OK
41. Find out what’s playing at Lyric Theatre
42. Go ice skating
43. Adopt a bison
44. See a movie
45. Fly a kite
46. Sleep in a log cabin
47. Visit a ranch
48. Catch an OCU basketball game
49. Walk through the The Myriad Botanical Gardens and Tropical Conservatory
50. Experience the Red Earth Festival
51. Visit the new Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks, OK.
52. Take in a night of Shakespeare in the Park
53. Visit The Paseo arts district
54. Learn to Row - Overholser & Bricktown Rowing Centers
55. Events Calendar for Oklahoma City
56. More things to do at the City of Oklahoma City’s website

If anyone has any further suggestions of those great little secrets, please don’t hesitate to let me know. The world is an amazing place, and there’s lots to see, so get a good taste of Oklahoma and take off!

This weekend was incredible. Since this semester has been so damn demanding, it was truly the first weekend that I really got to just absolutely cut loose and hang out.

I got off work Friday afternoon around the same time Kyle and John E. rolled into my driveway. I had to work on a paper that was due the next day, Sunday, at 4 p.m. so they cracked open a beer for me and turned the music on. Tiffany T and Seth arrived a little later, then Tyler T, then Susan. My toilet broke and it was mayhem until I was able to borrow the “necessary tools” from the neighbors.

I finally came to a stopping point around 5-ish and had to get ready lightening fast in order to try and make it to Aggie’s Big House in time for kick-off for Seth, which we didn’t. Regardless, I donned my only good pair of fit-me jeans, my black chucks, black beret, and bright red velvet blazer. It was fab, yet I was the only one not in orange.

We proceeded to get absolutely belligerent at Aggie’s and munched on chips, laughed, took lots of pictures, and went through lots of Aggies’ mugs of beer. It was such an incredible time. After a quick run back by my house, we went to Mike’s and the night slowly disintegrated into passing out.

Sunday morning found me - head aching & sick - still needing to finish my story before 4 p.m. Kyle, Tiff, Seth, John, AND Thompson were all sleeping on my floor covered in blankets and I can only imagine how freezing it was. I got up and did my story, but it was damn hard and only possible with frequent trips to the once broken bathroom. Phew.

Tiff and Seth had to unfortunately return to Tulsa, but John and Kyle and I made a run to El Tap for some seriously tasty Mexican food. We came home, they played guitar and we were all lulled into a fabulously late afternoon nap.

It is something to be able to look back upon, such a weekend with such friends. I considered for a moment that maybe leaving Stillwater wasn’t the best thing for me. However, I realized that this time I’d had was a temporal and rare occasion. I am the only one out of the bunch that still lives in Stillwater, and knowing I’ll be back comforts me to know that I’ll be returning to the most amazing people I have ever met.

Last summer I went south to Destin, Fl to live and work for the summer. It turned out to be a cool experience, although I had to live in a living room and sleep on my cousin’s couch for the entirety of my trip, not to mention I had to dodge two hurricanes.

While I was there my cousin had this burning desire to get a dog. We searched on the internet, found one, but it was in Tennessee. I had a day off coming up, so I offered to drive up there and get it. And so I did. I scooped up a friend from work & she made the journey with me.

We drove all day long starting very early in the morning in order to get there around 5 p.m. The drive back took well into the early morning hours and I had to do all the driving, while she got to cuddle and hold the new pup. We stopped almost everyhere to let the dog out and drank lots of Red Bull.

He’s still doing well (Roy AND Scooter) down in Florida and has grown so quickly. I hardly recognize him now when I see the pictures.

This is the perfect example of how a spontaneous road-trip took longer than expected, but was absolutely worth it. You never know when a spontaneous urge in combination with a desire to do something nice for someone can lead to an adventure and experience that you never expected to get in one day.
I mean, just look at this cute pup. He was named Scooter & my cousin loved him from day one.

The community within couchsurfing is incredible. People all over the world sharing a similarly simple attitude about seeing the globe.

(Click on the globe to visit the Couchsurfing Store!)

The general consensus is, WHY TRAVEL AROUND FROM MOTEL/HOTEL TO STINKY HOSTEL, see only the touristy sights, and never get a real taste of culture…? Why ever do that again instead of staying WITH someone who lives in that area who is EXCITED about you being in a new location just as much as you are about being there? Someone that will offer you a couch, if not a bed, or a room for free! and maybe even cook you a meal of local fare?!

The question is, why would you ever subject yourself to traveling solo again when you can travel WITH the world!?

All I can say is go check it out. -

The initiative is incredible, and the people are even more so.

www.Couchsurfing.com