Viva la Vida Travel with Carmen Schaffer

I don't think we realize how much our perceptions, opinions, pre-conceived notions, biases etc. of other cultures really impact our daily lives and interactions with those around us. We have become so accustomed to reacting to our own thoughts and societally bred opinions that we tend to let them isolate us from broadening our own horizons when it comes to understanding other cultures. We assume that what we are fed by media or by our own upbringing is an accurate assessment of people from other cultures, but in reality it is only a one sided approach that tends to leave many questions unanswered or simply assumed. I have always been interested in learning about other cultures customs and ways of doing things. Not only do other cultures fascinate me but so do the people in my own back yard. Everyone has a different way of living and there is no one size fits all to living a life ~ more often than not, we use different forms of media to gauge if we're on the right p...

As I sit here at my desk, watching the rain fall and listening to the music of  Chopin and contemplating the funeral of a 17 year old classmate of my own child, I begin to reflect. Funerals are the end all finale of a life lived. It is where the emergency break on our own mortality gets pulled hard and fast and we begin to think about our lives differently. It's inevitable that we will question our purpose in life while honoring the life of someone no longer physically with us. It's inevitable that our souls will weep. Funerals are difficult but as much as they are difficult, they can be inspiring. Today I attended the celebration of life of a 17 year old classmate of my son. He was taken far too soon from us and the heartache that filled the room was all consuming. As I looked around the church, I saw this young man's soccer team in full uniform, I saw his basketball team in uniform, I saw his Boy Scouts troop, in uniform, and lastly the whole entire marchin...

What do you crave? As I grow older, I have begun to realize that what used to do it for me in terms of activities, travel, my social scene, and everything in between has changed. The activities that used to define me have now become memories of a life lived ~ in younger years. It's the natural evolution of our lives to grow into ourselves, break free from each and every cocoon that we find ourselves stuffed into branch out into new versions of ourselves. That being said, I think that that we as humans pigeon hole ourselves into a way of being that others have defined for us based on who we WERE at one point in time or based on who others WANT us to be and in turn, we lose sight of what WE crave and who we've become in this very moment of our lives. It's happened to me time and time  again and I've seen it happen to many friends over time. So, let me ask you this ( and be honest with yourself) ? Right now, where you are at in your life, what is it...

Nicaragua has been on my radar to investigate as a "new" destination for travelers to explore ever since I read that Nicaragua is pegged to become the  new Costa Rica. I love Costa Rica. Costa Rica was my gateway country  into Central America many moons ago when I chose to study Spanish there while in college. Everyone I ever knew who traveled to Nicaragua always said that it's so different from Costa Rica, that the vibe was totally different.  I wanted to know what made Nicaragua so different from Costa Rica; geographically speaking, they have some of the same things: mountains, volcanoes, beaches, rainforest's, etc so why the distinct contrast between Nicaragua and Costa Rica? What's so great about Nicaragua? 1. The Volcanoes Looking into Masaya Volcano Crater Nicaragua has 19 volcanoes. The skyline is riddled with volcanoes everywhere you look. On my last trip to Nicaragua, we visited Masaya Volcano National Park where we stood over the e...

As of late, I've been giving a lot of attention to why there's not more of a men's travel movement. I mean, Google women's travel and you'll find gobs of articles and websites that promote women's travel. Retreats, solo trips, group trips, women-centric trips that focus on empowerment and transformation, you name it, you'll find it. Google men's travel and you'll find websites that sell men's travel bags, gear, clothing, etc., but the first thing you will NOT find is anything about men's only travel trips. I don't get it, yet again I do. Since women's liberation became a "thing", women have been forging ahead in the workplace, politics, home life, within their personal endeavors as well as in travel. Women have been on the rise long before we have been given the freedom to do so and now, we are seeing women transform themselves and redefine themselves over and over again, fearlessly in every aspect of their live...

I travel to places where many people sometimes give me that "Oooh, you're going there? Isn't it dangerous? Isn't it poor? " comment. I always respond with an enthusiastic, "Yes I am and I am about to break any stereotypes that you may have about this country." My most recent trip was to Nicaragua where I spent my days meeting with tourism partners, hoteliers and then traveled around to experience the country first hand. In order to promote travel to a country, I like to experience it personally so that I am basing my suggestions off of personal experience instead of someone else's reviews.  Augusto Cesar Sandino. When most people think of Nicaragua, their first thought is usually one of a few of these things : Guerilla warfare, Sandinistas, poverty, danger, and gang activity. Understanding the history of a country will allow you to see past the stereotypes that you have and help you determine your own opinion on a destination. Here...

What do you think of when you think of Ethiopia? What about Croatia? How about Jordan or Jerusalem? What crosses your mind when you think about El Salvador or Colombia? Chances are a flash of images or events cross your mind that were fed to you via a variety of media channels.   Having never been to any of these destinations, your tendency may be to immediately write them off as  viable travel destinations based solely on the information you’ve received via news channels or social media. I was talking with someone the other day and she said, “ I have some friends who are traveling to Croatia right now. I never thought to travel there. I mean, I think of war and struggle when I hear Croatia but these people are LOVING it there. They don’t even want to return home. I have send their pictures and it looks amazing! I want to go to Croatia now.”   Like many people, she had an idea in her head about how Croatia is ; she was proven wrong by people who took a leap and t...