tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13538535725733610392012-02-16T12:05:48.176-08:00Travel is a Matter of Perspective, Not LocationLeah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.comBlogger161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-64483036372329937172009-07-01T11:31:00.000-07:002009-08-05T08:12:01.209-07:00

The Thoreau Traveler has left the building. You can now find me at:THE TAFARI TRAVELER

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-71676397469621764762009-06-11T21:28:00.000-07:002009-06-12T10:38:16.598-07:00

I am advocate for embracing different cultures and I have definitely mumbled the words "when in Rome" from time to time. However, its not easy keeping track of numerous cultural traditions. Therefore, when you do like the locals but you are not a local, you run the risk of...doing it wrong. The most difficult cultural tradition for me to remember is the kiss on the check greeting. Some countries

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-68034631261375505902009-06-09T19:49:00.000-07:002009-06-11T21:00:50.405-07:00

Queen of the Road by Dorren Orion. "The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 milles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own."Looking for a light summer read that makes you yearn for adventure? Pick up the Queen of the Road and you will find yourself laughing out loud on page one and inspired by about page 95. When I say this book will make you "yearn for adventure," I

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-27860994178401728472009-05-18T20:20:00.000-07:002009-06-11T21:04:50.197-07:00

Fly Solo: The 50 Best Places on Earth for a Girl to Travel Alone written by Teresa Rodriguez Williamson. I was drawn to this book because I am female who often travels alone. However, after flipping through the pages I realized it was a fun travel resource for anyone, whether you were traveling solo or with a circus full of people. The icing on the cake is that all of the suggestions are ideal 

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-59962321152997309002009-05-06T21:26:00.001-07:002009-06-11T21:01:58.049-07:00

Christopher Columbus not only sailed the ocean blue but he was the first to bring pickles to The New World. By the early sixteen hundreds, New York City had the largest concentration of commercial picklers. In 1895, 47 years prior to the introduction of Vlasic's well known pickles, picklers began opening pickle shops along Ludlow Street in the lower east side of New York City. In over 200 pickle

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-39665563117286899872009-02-23T21:18:00.000-08:002009-06-11T21:16:15.148-07:00

I love the thrill of dining out while traveling and searching through tantalizing menu items, anticipating the tastes and flavors of previously unknown dishes. I am lucky in that I am able and willing to try just about anything. Lets see there was the sea urchin in Japan (tastes like tuna tartare,) bone marrow in New York City, and the unidentified object in Thailand. However, I find it a tad

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-74304821227102797222009-02-07T21:50:00.000-08:002009-06-11T21:16:38.363-07:00

What is Africa to me:Copper sun or scarlet sea, Jungle star or jungle trackOne three centuries removedFrom the scenes his fathers loved, Spicy grove, cinnamon tree, What is Africa to me?         - Countee Cullen, "Heritage"The date was December 2005 and the significance was: My first trip to the African continent. I left Los Angeles, CA bound for Cape Town, South Africa, which was where I was

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-43837460377502834582009-02-03T20:59:00.000-08:002009-06-11T21:03:41.600-07:00

When I travel I usually prefer to stay at boutique hotels that have a distinct charm or style. I like the intimate feeling of a small hotel and having the ability to explore different corners of the property without bumping into other guests. However, there is also a drawback to smaller hotels. Smaller hotels usually lack a spa, a pool, and other resort style amenities. Therefore, when I learned

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-40403839355948897012009-01-29T04:30:00.000-08:002009-06-11T21:17:12.292-07:00

There exists a cookery book that was written by a woman on the brink of starvation in a Japanese internment camp in China during the Second World War. "You would expect from a wartime recipe book - all rations and digging for victory, or subsistence on rotting vegetables and donkey meat in a Japanese internment camp. However, this is a book written as if the war wasn't there at all. As if

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-71931861455939847082009-01-25T11:36:00.000-08:002009-06-11T21:17:58.354-07:00

I was fortunate to have visited Peru right before it started to become the talk of the travel world. I fell in love with everything about Peru and I came back feeling like I had just discovered something. I am capable of giving you a detailed description of Peru and all its highlights but thats best left to the guidebooks. My personal push for the destination would be to just say: When you visit

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-63022757947892094212009-01-21T08:05:00.000-08:002009-06-10T18:02:01.146-07:00

How many times have you heard the expression "be there or be square?" Well, now you never have to worry about arriving square. It looks like designer Roov Mousavi has reinvented the wheel. Samsonite has developed what they call the OBAG, which as you can see is a round piece of luggage. This probably is not the best luggage to carry your clothes in (my guess is the inside of your bag would look

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-83999957864191138492009-01-19T20:10:00.000-08:002009-06-11T21:18:42.162-07:00

I am recalling a trip I took to Paris with a few friends. We were headed to our accommodations for the first time, via train and metro. The metro station we thought was closest to our hotel actually was not. We spent hours (did I say hours because I meant HOURS) wandering the streets of one of Paris' suburban districts. Hotel arrivals can actually be part of the overall experience and in a GOOD

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-5987392100609904032009-01-14T22:52:00.000-08:002009-06-10T17:57:57.320-07:00

Every Christmas my dad prides himself in coming up with the most unique stocking stuffers for my brother and I. I admit that he usually finds unique gifts that are very appropriate for the receiver.Somewhere my dad had found this gadget called Luggage Locator. For complete details watch the YouTube video linked to Luggage Locator...its actually pretty funny. Here is what it says on the back of

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-6384589683473667632009-01-04T11:00:00.000-08:002009-06-11T21:19:14.654-07:00

As I patiently sat at the Denver International Airport I began to wonder what my airport would look like if I were to design one (I think the white teepees inspired my creative side.)  I am going to take a stab at designing my airport Utopia by pulling my favorite aspects from existing airports:Architectural Design: San Diego's Lindbergh Field (San Diego harbor and Downtown SD as a backdrop,) or

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-39822811273671891922008-12-07T10:26:00.000-08:002009-06-11T21:20:34.052-07:00

My plan for the day was the head to Marrakech and look for a painting to hang in my living room. However, after chatting with some of the hotel employees, the idea of visiting a small Berber village called Imlil about 30 miles away started to sound very intriguing. The hotel had arranged for an early dinner at the only restaurant in town. So I threw on my skinney jeans, a trendy blouse, and one

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1353853572573361039.post-29066290739022880262008-12-06T01:48:00.000-08:002009-06-11T21:20:51.434-07:00

I can't start with my Moroccan Morning without acknowledging what I had to go through to get here! I traveled for 2 entire days to get to where I am now. 36 hours, 4 plane rides (with delays,) a few hours napping under the Eiffel Tower, and an hour drive later I find myself high, high up in the Atlas mountains at the Kasbah Tamadot. Lets start with the drive to the Kasbah Tamadot. The drive was

Leah M. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564480132673806833noreply@blogger.com0