Viva la Vida Travel with Carmen Schaffer

April 12, 2013 ~ Our springtime snow man. . .He's four stories high.  It is April 13th, I believe. It's hard to be sure considering the fact that here in Minnesota ( home of Viva la Vida Travel), winter has been our constant companion since roughly mid October. At this stage of the game, most of us Mid-westerners are at our wits end.We are numb to the cold with  glazed over eyes that have been blinded by the continuous white landscape;the idea of any other colors existing in this world really does seem like some sort of wild fantasy. Today, Viva la Vida Travel will bring you snippets of colorful inspirations intended to get you thinking about your next adventure. The beautiful thing about taking time to travel is that it affords us new landscapes, sounds, tastes, and experiences just when we need it the most. It's integral to our survival, especially for us Midwesterners in the dead of winters  (and in this years case, spring.) Let the power of photos take you pl...

What /is/ it about  travel that makes it so special? Is it the fact that we get to trade in our dull drum jobs for  one week and plant ourselves on the beach with a book in one hand and a fruity drink in the other? Is it the fact that we finally  get to be our long lost selves for a while? Is it the thrill of the adventure? Whatever travel does for you or to you, it's a good thing. I rarely hear people say that they are not keen on travel. I did have the conversation,however, with my cousin on travel and the importance of remaining "global minded" in this society. His response was this, " Nah, I'd rather buy a farm and  raise chickens." So, I guess it'd be safe to assume that not everyone is a global traveler. Some are local travelers, veering only to the next state or possibly only the next town over. Either way, however you choose to travel, the bottom line is that it sticks with you. That's what is so cool about travel. It leaves it's mark on ...

I can't say that I'm a seasoned traveler but I can say that I am a passionate dreamer of travels to be had. One of my favorite journey's was  to Costa Rica while on a 2 month study abroad program while in college.  I stepped off of the airplane, met the family I was to live with for the next 2 months and took every moment from then on as it came to me. My fellow students and I traveled around Costa Rica on literally a dime and a smile. We ate black beans and rice, chicken, and cabbage salad daily. We walked miles in our Birkenstock sandals while feeling none the less like tourists. We went where the locals were and we immersed ourselves in the Tico culture.  One of the biggest selling points to me ( and it sounds odd to say) but I LOVED answering the "Como estas?" ( how are you?) question with the ever popular Tico response, "Pura vida!", which translates to pure life. Yes, this is how Ticos answer most "how are you's?" and this is how ...

Welcome to my blog! For years I have thrown myself into my social work career and realized that as much as I loved helping people get out of tough spots in their lives I was reaching my saturation point. My all time passion has been travel. It started when I'd go to Wyoming and visit family. I am from North Dakota so the mountains of Wyoming were mind boggling as was the culture of that state. My passion was fueled even more with a trip to France when I was 16 that turned me into a much different person. My eyes were opened to the WORLD, to cultures other than my own, to new languages and the excitement of exploring more of this world became even greater. After many years of stifling my passion because of life's demands and because I neglected my true calling, I've started a career in travel. Now, you may say, " If you love travel so much then why plan it for others and not for yourself?" The fact of the matter is this, I love talking about new places, I love pl...