Category Archives: Travel

I Have Five Entries In The “We Said Go Travel” Travel Writing Contest!

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Time to milk the camels.

Time to milk the camels.

I’m not a “writer” but I do write, mostly on this blog. I ran across a travel writing contest sponsored by the We Said Go Travel site and decided to re-write five of my posts from my two-week camping trip in Mongolia in July 2010 and see what happens.

Everything that fits the theme, “Inspiration: A Place That You Love” and is written in grammatically correct, decent English is being posted on the website. There will be judging for cash prizes, though, by Richard Bangs, who they describe as “the father of modern adventure travel, so I might even win a few bucks.

Three of the five stories have been posted. The fourth is scheduled for March 12. I’ll update this post as the stories go live.

You can read about the contest here.

You can read my entries at these links. Enjoy!:

http://www.wesaidgotravel.com/camels-and-the-nomadic-dung-fire

http://www.wesaidgotravel.com/an-unexpected-gift

http://www.wesaidgotravel.com/mongolia-the-valley-of-the-yaks

Mongolia Monday- A Visit To The American Museum Of Natural History

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I spent a great morning at the American Museum of Natural History during my recent quick visit to New York to attend the Society of Animal Artists board meeting and show jury.

This time I wanted to sketch and once again see the fossils that Roy Chapman Andrews’ Central Asiatic Expeditions brought back from Mongolia. I got to chatting with one of the volunteer docents and found that she knew the location of some Mongolia items that I hadn’t found on my previous visit in 2009.

The jackpot was an American flag that flew from one of the expedition vehicles. It was in a glass case that had been mounted on the wall in one of the stairwells, not exactly a prominent, easy to find location, so I appreciated the docent’s help a lot!

Here’s a “album” of photos from the museum, filled out with a couple from my previous trip, ending with a couple of iPad sketches I did.

American flag carried to the Gobi of Mongolia by one of Roy Chapman Andrews’ Central Asiatic Expeditions.

Closeup of the photo. I’ve helped push a vehicle or two on my trips, but without a dog to supervise.

The walls in the cafe closest to the Paleontology section are lined with photos of the Central Asiatic Expeditions to Mongolia. This one is of what Andrews dubbed “The Flaming Cliffs” which are located in an area the Mongols call Bayanzag (Place of the saxaul trees). I’m pretty sure I watched the sun go down along the lengthy of this butt in September of 2006. He used large caravans of camels to transport supplies and get them into position before the rest of the expedition arrived in motor cars.

Another photo from the cafe, this one showing the Expedition’s camp. The tents are “maikhan” or summer tents, which are lighter and even more portable than the better known felt gers.

Short profile of Roy Chapman Andrews. It has been speculated that he was one of the inspirations for Indiana Jones. And if you’ve read his biography, that’s not hard to believe, although there is no proof.

One of the fossils from Mongolia, a Psittacosaurus mongoliensis

Informational sign about the above fossil

Protoceratops fossil skulls of varying sizes; the expedition’s scientists found far more of these than any other species

A pair of protoceratops (image from 2009)

Although the Expeditions failed in their original goal, which was to find evidence that “man” had originated in Asia, not Africa, the find that electrified America was the discovery of the first known fossil dinosaur eggs. Andrews’ decision to sell one created a firestorm of controversy. (image from 2009)

Besides the flag, this was the other item from Mongolia that I’d missed on my previous trip, an amazing fossil of a female dinosaur which contains a egg with a recognizable embryo, something never before seen or found.

Finally, here are a couple of quick sketches I did of protoceratops skulls using ArtRage on my iPad.

IPad Sketches from the High Line in New York City

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I just got back from the Big Apple and had a great time. Got to spend the day before my meeting wandering up and down the High Line, an old elevated railway that has been converted into an incredible mile long park. It’s located not far from the river and runs through Chelsea and the Meatpacking District. The Chelsea Market was a great place to get lunch (Thai food, in my case), use the restroom and poke around.

As is usually the case, the powers that be, lacking any imagination, much less vision, wanted to tear down an eyesore, but one man saw the potential and now I think it is one of the absolute must-sees for anyone visiting New York. Judging from the number of people there on a chilly November weekday, I’m not the only one. And it seemed to be almost equal parts visitors and locals.

I had my trusty iPad with me and really enjoyed taking advantage of all the cool places to sit and sketch. And I had my iPhone for taking photos.

To set the scene:

My first look at The High LIne,which is reached by stairs or elevators at various points.

View of the Empire State Building

You can walk through a forest in the sky

One of the open plaza areas with a really cool building

Not only are there lots and lots of benches of varying designs, but also gathering places that catch the sun all through the day

A sunny corner at the southern end

And here are some of the sketches, done quickly in just a few minutes, for which I used Autodesk’s Sketchbook Pro:

I don't "do" architecture, but couldn't resist drawing some of these great public spaces

The High Line is a riot of overlapping shapes of vegetation and buildings

One stretch had a long line of big wooden "loungers", perfect for a nice rest in the sun. Or a snuggle.

Yup, it's New York City. The plants are not palm trees, but do give that visual effect

Lots of reading going on all along the line

But some just wanted a snooze

Fieldwork And Fun On The East Coast

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I’m back from my latest trip, which was a great combination of work and play.

It started with being one of the jurors for the Society of Animal Artists‘ prestigious national juried show “Art and the Animal” which, along with the board meeting the next day, was held at the legendary Salmagundi Art Club, located on 5th Avenue in New York. And ended with a walk through the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in central New Jersey

In between, there was a great road trip with fellow Society members and friends, Guy Combes and Andrew Denman. We had a jam-packed five days that included a visit to the Delaware Natural History Museum, Longwood Gardens, Assateague and Chincoteague Islands, the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, the Brandywine River Museum and the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey.

Here’s an album of the highlights:

First was Longwood Gardens, at one time a Du Pont family property.

Longwood Gardens spring border with foxglove

A favorite; Longwood Gardens varigated pineapple

A wall of orchids at Longwood Gardens

Then it was off to the Delaware coast where a comfortable condo had been put at our disposal. I had read “Misty of Chincoteague” as a child and was excited to finally visit both it and Assateague National Seashore, where we turned out to be in the right place at the right time to record this stunning encounter between two young stallions. It went on for at least a half hour and these are just a few of the hundreds of photos I shot, but it shows the pattern of interaction that emerged and was repeated at least a half dozen times.

First we saw this chestnut horse grazing off in the distance

Then this paint horse came strolling down the middle of the road right past us

He walked out to the edge of the water

And waded across to the spit

He winnied loudly a few times and then waited

The chestnut we'd seen earlier came at a fast trot

The two stopped and seemingly sized each other up

The meeting

The nose touch

A quick turn and a kick by one of them

Then they would rear up and "grapple"

Maneuvering for advantage

Both would go down on their knees head to head

And then it would start again

And it all happened in this tremendous setting of water and tideland

What an eyeful that was! We drove on, stopping to hike a number of trails, seeing a variety of birds and more horses.

From Assateague, we took a “detour” to Salisbury, Maryland to visit the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, which houses an incredible collection of hand-carved birds. Then it was back out to the coast to Chincoteague Island.

I was dubious at first, since the entry point to the island is a town that, although having lovely old buildings, was definitely a tourist destination. But I need not have worried. Once east of town and into the refuge, we were in a wonderland of scenery and wildlife.

The scenery was stunning

One of the highlights- multiple sightings of glossy ibis

And of course there were the famous Chincoteague ponies

Out on the beach were large numbers of very entertaining Franklin's gulls

And perched on the causeway railing in great light was this, I believe, Forster's tern

The next day, after a visit to the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., Andrew had to catch a plane home, but Guy and I soldiered on, paying a visit to the Brandywine River Museum, home to an astonishing collection of original illustration by N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle and many other legendary illustrators, along with galleries featuring both Andrew and Jamie Wyeth. Very inspiring, to say the least.

The final wildlife stop on the trip was the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in central New Jersey. Surrounded by rural residential development, it is essentially a bowl between the hills that collects water, forming rich swamp and wetland habitats. The main access is a boardwalk trail that winds through the swamp out to a large bird blind. But we were barely one hundred feet down the trail when the wildlife show began.

The Great Swamp

One of the first sightings, a green frog

Then we spotted two northern black racers mating right below where we were standing

It was a bit of a challenge, but I did get a few shots of this chipmunk

For the finale, I got a good look at a snapping turtle

I spent the last night of the trip at the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum cottage where Guy is the artist in residence, along with a groundhog and eastern cottontail rabbits. The groundhog managed to stay out of camera range, but I did get some good photos of the bunnies.

Eastern cottontail rabbit

Mongolia Monday- The Story Of A New Argali Painting, Part 1

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I completed a major painting last week. It’s one I’ve been anxious to take on since I spent a hour with a group of five argali rams this past July at Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve. I was there for six days, staying in one of the gers and taking meals with the scientists and an Earthwatch team.

I’d gotten up at 5:30am, thrown on the clothes that I’d laid out the night before, hoisted my camera pack onto my shoulder, slipped out of the ger and began a slow, careful walk down the valley.

I had learned that the only water in the area was coming from a spring just a few dozen yards from camp and that argali were coming to the valley regularly in the morning and evening. Which was quite convenient, saving me a lot of walking around and clambering over rocks trying to find them.

I picked a spot and sat down in plain view, having been told that makes them less nervous than if you try to hide behind a rock. Took a look around through my binoculars and, within a few minutes, up on the cliffs to my right…

Morning "scouts".

As I watched them, wondering if anyone was going to come down, I had a feeling…and looked back over my shoulder to my left.

Less than 100 feet away.

How long they had been standing there watching me, I have no idea. Then they started to move towards the stream bed.

Oh, look, there's three!

Coming down the hill.

As I watched, the sun started to hit the tops of the cliffs. Would I get to see these guys in morning light before activity in the camp behind me spooked them?

Out into the valley as the sun comes up.

The first three crossed the stream bed to a small clump of trees. Two more rams had come down from the cliffs on the right. The Sunrise Boy’s Club was now in session.

Five rams hanging out.

There were three older adults with massive horns and two younger rams. The big guys were almost grey, their juniors a reddish-brown.

They browsed in the trees, did a little pre-rut testing (a future painting). And then….

Noise from camp. Oh, no.

But everyone settled back down. Except for this young one who decided to check me out, walking almost straight towards me. It made the others nervous at first, but they didn’t run.

It was a bit much for the three older rams.

I sat there in disbelief. For me, this is the grail of wildlife fieldwork: sitting out in plain view and having a wild creature choose to approach you.

He finally stopped and looked straight at me from about 30 feet away.

But I wasn’t so paralyzed with delight that I forgot to take pictures, getting the best argali head reference I’ve shot so far.

Returning to the group.

He finally turned and walked back to the others who, as you can see, are standing there, watching. I found myself running this little thought thread: “We didn’t get this old and big by being stupid. Let the young guy check her out.” And then imagining the adventurous ram, kind of like a young British officer, reporting back to his superiors. “No problem, sir. None at all. Piece of cake.”

I guess I was just part of the furniture by now.

But he wasn’t done yet. For a second time, he walked down the stream bed towards me.

Comfortable enough to put his head down and graze.

He finally rejoined the group. Suddenly they were up on their feet just as the light was starting to reach the valley floor. Oh, no! They’re facing the wrong way. Are they going to run up the hill?

Up on their feet.

Suddenly one of the young rams turned and bounded into the light. Yes!

Into the light. At last!

And everyone else followed, crossing right in front of me and occasionally stopping for a nibble.

A short pause.

But now I could hear movement in the camp. The group split up, two of the rams going up into the rocks.

One went right up the cliff face.

Three of them walked on down the valley in the bright sunshine.

Time to move on.

I looked behind me and saw one of the scientists from the camp. He walked past me. The rams kept moving, but never ran. It’s good they’ve learned that in this place they don’t have to fear people.

Last look.

The three finally made a right turn up into the cliffs, stopping, as argali often do, to take one last look.

On Friday, Part 2 will present a step-by-step post on the painting that came out of this wonderful experience.

An Earth Day Album Of 25 Endangered/Threatened Species I’ve Seen

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It’s clear that one lesson we, as a species MUST learn, is to share. All of these animals have just as much right to be here as we do. As they go, in the end, so shall we.

I’ve never made a point, for the most part, of specifically seeking out endangered or threatened species to photograph for my paintings. But, as it’s happened, in less than ten years I’ve seen two dozen, plus one, all in the wild. Quite a surprise, really.

Sometimes they’ve been pretty far away, but that in no way diminished the thrill of seeing them. Close-ups in a zoo or other captive animal facility can be useful, within certain limits, but seeing a wild animal in its own habitat, even at a distance, is much more satisfying and gives me ideas and information for my work that I couldn’t get any other way.

In no particular order, because they are all trying to survive on this planet:

Takhi, Hustai National Park, Mongolia

Monk Seal, Kauai, Hawaii, United States

Wolf, Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States

White-napped crane, Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve, Mongolia

White Rhino, Lewa Downs Conservancy, Kenya

Laysan Albatross, Kauai, Hawaii, United States

Tule Elk, Point Reyes National Seashore, California, United States

Rothschild's Giraffe, Soysambu Conservancy, Kenya

Nene, Hawaii Big Island, Hawaii, United States

Desert Bighorn, Anza-Borrego State Park, California, United States

Grizzly Bear, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States (Bear 264)

Saker Falcon, near Hangai Mountains, Mongolia

Green Sea Turtle, Hawaii Big Island, Hawaii, United States

Grevy's Zebra, Lewa Downs Conservancy, Kenya

Lammergeier, Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, Mongolia

California Condor, Central Coast, California, United States

African Lion, Masai Mara, Kenya

Hawaiian Hawk (Juvenile), Volcano National Park, Hawaii Big Island, Hawaii, United States

Siberian Marmot, Hustai National Park, Mongolia

Whooper Swans, Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve, Mongolia

Cheetahs, Masai Mara, Kenya

Apapane, Hawaii Big Island, Hawaii, United States

Trumpeter Swans, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States

Cinereous Vulture (Juvenile), Baga Gazriin Chuluu Nature Reserve, Mongolia

Argali, Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve, Mongolia

Field Sketches From The Sea Of Cortez Trip

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There’s nothing quite like sketching on location to “store” the feeling of a place in one’s mind and hand. It adds an important dimension to the photographs.

Here’s my favorites from the trip and, at the end, a little bonus from one of the hotels I stayed at before departure:

Nacapuli Canyon, at the "waterhole"- pen and ink

Fan Palms, the iconic tree of the canyon- pen and ink

View across the estero, not far from the condos we stayed at- pen and ink

Promontory on the coast as seen from the boat- pen and ink

Organ pipe cactus, Nacapuli Canyon- pen, watercolor pencils and gouache

And finally….would you put this in YOUR coffee, given the name of the company?

The Sea Of Cortez-An Album Of Images

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What a trip it was! The whole package…great scenery, interesting animals, terrific traveling companions who are also great artists and, in 2013, the exhibition at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum to top it off.

I’ll be blogging about specific aspects of this experience and the art that I plan to create from it between now and showtime, but today I thought I’d share an overview of some of my favorite images, an album, if you will.

And, for this coming Mongolia Monday, I’ll compare and contrast Mongolia’s Gobi with the part of the Sonora Desert that I have now visited.

View from the condo I shared with four other artists.

Nacapuli Canyon

Someone took pictures of almost everything. Here's Carel Brest van Kempen photographing ants.

Predator water beetle; waterhole in Nacapuli Canyon

As yet unidentified lizard; Nacapuli Canyon

Estero Solado; an estuary ringed by three species of mangrove

Roseate spoonbills feeding in the estero

The turkey vulture who wouldn't abandon "his" fish

One of about six species of fiddler crabs living on the shores of the estero

Willets on the beach near the condo in nice morning light

Pelican feeding frenzy off-shore in San Carlos

The wonderful boat that we went out in

The boat made it possible for the plein air painters to get to great spots like this

Heerman's gull; almost at eye level from the boat's dingy

San Pedro Island; we spent a day birdwatching and snorkeling along its three mile length

Brown pelicans

Brandt's cormorants

Sally Lightfoot crab

Blue-footed booby colony; the white is guano

Blue-footed booby; an artist favorite

California sea lions

Male California sea lion

Female magnificent frigatebird

The Sea of Cortez

Group shot- photo by Molly Moore- Field Trip to San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico, March 19 - 26, 2011. Pictured are Linda Bittner, Carel Pieter Brest van Kempen, DeVere Burt, Andrew Denman, Kim Diment, Kim Duffek, Cathy Ferrell, Susan Fisher, Susan Fox, Mary Garrish, Ann Geise, Shawn Gould, Mary Helsaple, Heiner Hertling, John Kobald, Deian Moore, John Pitcher, Don Rambadt, Paul Rhymer, Rebecca Richman, Carolyn Thome, Christine Sarazin, Rachelle Siegrist, Wes Siegrist, Martha Thompson, Glenn Thompson, Sue Westin, Ronnie Williford, Debbe Wilson, and Nicholas Wilson. (Not pictured are John Agnew and Molly Moore). Leading the field trip was Richard C. Brusca, Ph.D. The trip was organized by David J. Wagner, Ph.D. for artists to produce a body of artwork for a museum exhibition entitled The Sea of Cortez, produced by David J. Wagner, L.L.C., and scheduled to premiere at The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute from March 16 through June 2, 2013.


Mongolia Monday Goes To Mexico

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If all goes according to plan, I’ll be on my way to Arizona on Wednesday. A few days of gallery visits in Tucson and Scottsdale and then I’ll be joining around two dozen fellow artists on Sunday morning for the nine hour (two hours at customs, they tell us) bus ride to San Carlos, a town of 4,000 which is just to the west of Guaymas on the Sea of Cortez.

We're going to be based in a condo complex right on the beach just west of Guaymas

We’ll spend five days learning about the Sonoran desert ecosystem, hiking, snorkling, going out in a 50′ boat and recording the wildlife and landscape in a variety of media. What is doesn’t look like I’ll have, as near as I can tell right now, is an internet connection, although I may be able to post some photos on Facebook via my iPhone.

The purpose of the trip is to gather the material needed for us to each create work for an exhibition “The Sea of Cortez”, to be held at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in 2013.

One of my personal goals will be to compare the desert ecosystem of this part of Mexico with the Gobi of Mongolia. The biggest difference, which is obvious from looking at maps of both places, is that much of the Sonoran desert has at least some marine influence, whereas the Gobi has none. What this will mean in terms of climate, vegetation and animal life will be interesting to learn.

The Gobi extends from Govi-Altai in the west to Dornogovi in the east, over a third of the land area of Mongolia.

So, if you don’t see a new post here for a week or so, you’ll know that I’m suffering for my art- hanging out with a bunch of great artists, sketching, painting, talking shop and eating great Mexican food.

10 Tips For Artist Travel; Preceded By A Cautionary Tale

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Safari camp on Paradise Plain, Masai Mara, Kenya, 2004

As those who get my newsletter and read this blog know, I was invited to go on what sounded like one of those trips of a lifetime that many artists dream of….traveling to India to see wild tigers. I had been scheduled to leave this past Tuesday (Jan. 17), but I canceled the trip. Why? Well, the reasons why and what you can learn from my experience are the topic of today’s post. I’ve illustrated it with images of journeys past.

I’m going to keep the identity of who invited me and was sponsoring the event private, since at no time did I feel that there was any malice or ill-intent involved. But, as I think you’ll see, it doesn’t take either to decide not go on, or actually cancel out of, what seems to be a great trip.

Artists copying masterworks at The Louvre, Paris, France, 1996

To make a longish saga as short as possible: an artist friend asked if I would like to see if he could get me invited to an artist’s event in India. We would be hosted at a fancy lodge  adjacent to a national park which is home to tigers and other wildlife. I said “Yes!”. And, after a short time, an invitation was emailed to me by the organizer. I accepted. It seemed like a smart career move, based on what I knew at the time, with the opportunity to have my work seen by an international audience.

Plans were plotted and plane reservations were made. Then all the artists involved (from quite a few countries) got an email from the organizer with an update for the event. And that’s when it started to look iffy. As in, OMG.

What had been represented to me as an Artist’s Week that would result in a donated work being exhibited on a tour in Europe and then auctioned off to support tiger conservation had morphed into an event in India which was to include a fashion show,  rock concert and some kind of children’s activities. There were no specifics about international exhibition venues and the auction was now going to be handled by a “company like Christie’s”, whatever THAT was supposed to mean. And, to top it off, the organizer said that a new sponsor had signed on and wanted our paintings at the end of February, that is, one month after our week there had ended. Red flags, flashing red lights, danger, danger, danger.

I was going to travel, literally, half way around the world for….this? I don’t think so.

Leaving our names on a remaining section of the Berlin Wall, Germany, 1990

While there were serious problems with the changes themselves, the fact that things had changed so much so close to the event was even more worrisome. It suggested an inexperienced event organizer who was winging it and didn’t really know what they were doing. Things that should have been settled long before the artists were even invited (and remember, I got on the dance card late in the day) still seemed to be in flux. Not to mention the completely unrealistic surprise deadline and, oh by the way, can you all increase the percentage of your contribution because it’s (all together now) For The Tigers.

I (apparently along with a number of the other artists, including the friend who got me into this) replied saying, more or less, you’ve got to be kidding. I wrote to the organizer that, unfortunately, I was going to have to bow out. My previous commitments and my working methods made it impossible to meet the deadline. (I wasn’t going to get into all the other stuff.)

My friend also dropped out.

In the meantime, I had bought plane tickets to Nairobi and back and he had bought our tickets from Nairobi to Mumbai and back (I was going to hang around in Kenya for a couple of weeks after the return from India). I had, the day before, sent via FedEx my visa application to a company that handles such things.

Now I had to unwind it all. I stopped the visa application process before it had started and had them FedEx my passport back to me (total cost: around $50). I canceled my itinerary and banked the tickets (change fee when I re-book: $250. Ouch). Friend canceled the tickets he had booked (cancellation fee: $218. More ouch). So, around $500 to get out of it. Not great, but it was the right thing to do, believe me.

So, what can be learned from all of this? Remember, there are no bad guys. Everyone had good intentions.

New Forest ponies, Hampshire, England, 2004

Here’s 10 tips, based on the above and other personal experiences:

1.  You’ve seen an ad for a workshop or a tour in a place you’ve always dreamed of going to. Ask yourself: Is this the right trip for you or are you going because it’s there? How well does the trip fit your artistic goals?

2.  Can you check out the organizer through references from previous “customers”? Make sure that their criteria for a successful or failed trip are in line with yours.

3.  Before you sign up, have an exit strategy. This may mean paying more for refundable tickets (which I had not). It may mean having to leave the workshop or group. I ended up moving into a small hotel in town when I was in Portugal in 1996 because the group I was with at an old farmhouse was the very definition of “disfunctional” and I couldn’t even get a reasonable night’s sleep.  Make sure you have enough money or at least a high enough limit on your credit card so you aren’t stuck in a bad situation for lack of funds.

Roman temple ruins, Evora, Portugal, 1996

4.  I don’t travel with miscellaneous groups of total strangers anymore. See item 3. What’s your tolerance for rude, inconsiderate behavior? What is your tolerance for physical discomfort? Know thyself and do not try to fool yourself or talk yourself into a trip. If you need your own room, suck it up and pay the single supplement.

5.  Which brings us to….Don’t force it. Trust your gut. I had to force myself to punch the “Buy” button for the India trip plane tickets. There is a book called “The Gift of Fear”, which I recommend for anyone who is planning to travel to unknown or exotic locations because it explains very clearly WHY you should trust your gut/instincts/intuition. The punch line is that the data you need is there, but, for whatever reason, only your subconscious mind is perceiving it. In hindsight, it’s often quite obvious why it was really dumb to (fill in the blank with the “What was I thinking?” of your choice).

6. Once you’ve signed on for a trip, monitor the responsiveness and helpfulness of the organizer(s). Do they communicate with the participants in a timely and professional fashion? Do they answer emails, voice messages in a timely fashion? No news is bad news and was one of the red flags for the India trip. And, by the way, two days before the event, the schedule for the week was sent out (I’m still on the mailing list, I guess). There will be only one “game drive” a day and the rest of the time will be filled with…other stuff. I would be a seriously unhappy camper at this point.

Outdoor cafe, Milan, Italy, 2000

7.  If you start to wonder what’s going on, don’t make excuses for the organizers. For most of us, once we commit to something, it’s natural to want it to all be ok. See item 5.

8.  Yes, it’s your dream trip, but don’t get carried away. Be hard-headed. You’re the one writing the checks. The only leverage you have is your willingness to walk away. Do not let yourself be cornered into thinking that you MUST go if it starts to feel wrong. It wasn’t easy to get to the bail-out point on the India trip, especially after announcing it in my newsletter, on my blog, on Facebook….but it was the right thing to do.

9.  If you are traveling with a buddy, once again, have an exit strategy. Travel can have a strange effect on some people, who will possibly do things that they would never do at home. You are responsible for your own care and safety. If someone you’re with wants to do something you think is stupid or risky, walk away. I repeat, walk away. You’re a long way from home, may not speak the language and might not have a cell phone that works where you are. Carry the contact information for your embassy with you and register with them before you go. They can’t help you if they don’t know you’re in the country.

10.  But if it all feels right and good, GO, GO, GO!!! There’s nothing like getting out there into the world and learning what a big, wonderful, fascinating place it is.

The Parliament Building with statue of Chinggis Khan, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 2008