Ha! Now this is funny. As you surely know, I love to whine and complain about things I don’t like, including banal, regurgitative, one-upsman, and/or... »
Sermons
Unplugging Blah Blah Blah
You know what’s been chafing my nerves lately? (If you thought “her inner thighs,” you’d be right but my lack of attention to pilates is none of your concern at the moment, thank you very much.) No, it’s the surplus of travel articles in which the author decides to boldly go into the deep blue... »
Slightly Off-Topic But Please Help Us Understand
We’re truly baffled. Maybe it’s because just today we finished Barbara Kingsolver’s wonderful (leetle bit preachy, Babs) Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and are all hyped to go to the farmer’s market, bake some bread, and sit on turkey eggs. Here’s the conundrum: Slow Food USA is holding slow food cooking demonstrations in three American cities. So... »
Saving Money While Traveling Mindfully
Recently, we were asked by a magazine to submit some travel money-saving trips. We don’t know if any of our tips made it into the publication but we thought we’d also share them with you. These are in addition to the typical ones we always talk about - local food, eco-friendly tours (this means no... »
Peace Through Tourism
Aside from the crazy and hateful “Freepers” who stand on the corner of Rt. 108 and Georgia yelling at the peaceful, old Quaker ladies holding signs like “Peace Lives” and “Honk for Peace,” who doesn’t like the idea of peace? We especially love the saying, “There is no way to peace; peace is the way.” ... »
Promoting Indigenous Tourism
With all the different types of tourism, sometimes it’s hard to sift through and find the ones that are truly worth the effort. Poorism? Not so much a fan, thanks. Staycation? Uh, no. But here’s one that absosmurfly should be on your radar screen if you’re interested in socially conscious tourism, ecotourism, or sustainable tourism:... »
Inefficient or Laid Back? Your Ethnocentricity Cannot Be the Judge
On a recent flight back from a certain Latin American nation, we heard two American women sitting in front of us complaining about the inefficient nature of this particular country. Because this country has a special place in our small, prune-like heart, we took slight offense. It’s true that most Latin American countries have... »
When Straight People Go Gay: 4 Tips on Being Respectful in Gayborhoods Across the World
Our friend Daniel Baylis is back writing a guest post for the Mindful Tourist. Take a peek making sure to read to the very bottom to find out more about Daniel and his possible drink of choice… When traveling to urban centers, gay neighborhoods are often the trendiest places to visit. Whether you are in Le... »
Top 12 Travel Pet Peeves
Travel is never perfect but trips are always made worse for us by encountering any of the following pet peeves: 12. Those little cards in hotels that ask us to help them care for the environment by hanging up our towels and not using a new one each day. We get it and agree but... »
Bulldozing Over Cultures in China
We’ve already been informed that The Mindful Tourist is one of the many websites blocked by the Chinese government (and quite frankly, we feel honored. Thanks, China!), and we don’t think our discussing the latest cultural catastrophe the Chinese are committing will make them change their minds. While we sit fretting over the new six-lane... »
Why to Watch TV on Vacation
Why spend your valuable time on vacation watching the boob-tube? True, you don’t want television-watching to get in the way of going out, seeing the sights, meeting people, and working on that all-important tan (skin cancer prevention advocates: no emails please). But when you have some down time, instead of turning on your computer... »
