TravelBlog

I'm a medical student from Chicago traveling with my girlfriend through Guatemala and Honduras for three weeks after a six week period working for a medical clinic near Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.

After just under 5 years work I've decided that I need to do something else. So I'm going to see as much of the world as I can - avoid responsibility and enjoy myself. Travelling to new places and experiencing different ways of life is something that I've always wanted to do.

For the last 6 years I've been making websites - so it seemed natural to produce one about my adventure - here it is it's TravelBlog - I hope to thrill and entertain you with tales of my travels - but will be happy as long as I don't bore anyone - too much. I also thought that it would be nice to read about adventures and places that others had been, so I made this website in a way that would allow other people to blog their travels as well.

Well enough about me - read some of my blogs ;)

Tell us a bit about yourself

I caught the travel bug doing semester abroad in Auckland, New Zealand. Since then, i've really be aching to travel. So for my college graduation my parents got me a plane ticket. But i haven't taken it yet.
This first year of grad school has been long and hard. I'm burnt out from school and working at PS 4, and i'm ready to explore. So, thanks to my parents and a plane ticket, i'm off to Europe for a bit to satisfy my curiousity (or fuel the fire, who knows!)

I'm a freelance photographer with experience in all types of photography. Including weddings, debutante balls and home portraits along with club presentations. In fact I will take on most commissions that come my way. The last six years I have been working for a company that specialises in photographing children in Day Care Centres and Kindergartens. Much of the work is in different towns of Southeast Australia.
My afternoons are my own and that gives me a chance to visit places of interest that might be in the area. Doing so also gives me a chance to add images to my stock library site. The entries in this blogg are excepts from my 2002-2003 travel journals.
Taking advantage of the Internet I subscribed to a number of sites that allow me to show my images. Feel free to hit on any links you find in the text.
http://ozimages.com.au/portfolio/cewington.asp

volcano mixed with ice
self control beyond control
hesitation
and confidence
due to change like weather
but mountains forever

I'm on a 6-week, 2,000 mile bicycle trip this Fall from Washington DC to Columbus, Georgia, the home of Fort Benning and the School of the Americas. Along the way I'll be visiting Quakers & talking about the SOA.

French Journalist - South America

Online publications and resume:
http://gsevenier.free.fr/publications.html

Gaëlle Sévenier is working as a free lance reporter in Central America since August 2002. You can read her publications in English, French, Spanish, Danish and Finish.

She worked as a reporter for the Agence France Presse of San José, Costa rica, for La Nacion (Costa Rica) and the Revue (Guatemala)

Originally from France, she graduated from a Master of Political Science in the University of Nice, and a Master of Science of Mass Com from the University of Denver, Colorado, USA.

To publish any of the articles online, please contact the reporter.

Travel diary for the Hornstein program trip to Israel summer 2003

Recently graduated from college and on my way to Europe to backpack through France, Italy, and Greece for a month.

I spent my entire life living in the sleepy little village of Hempstead in North Norfolk, England. At the age of 18 - never having been abroad I decided that now was the time to see the world!! Hopefully it wants to see me.

I am currently "in between" jobs as I spend 18 months touring the globe in search of adventure, love and cheap alcohol.

Amateur sailor, thinking of becoming a sail bum for a while. Can't think why, can you?

Tell us a bit about yourself...Well, where do I start? I grew up in beautiful Sarasota on the Gulf of Mexico. I spent most of my life there up until I went off to college. It was mainly just my parents and I living at home, though now most of my family all lives in Sarasota including my new little baby niece. My mom works in healthcare sales for SYSCO Food Services and my dad oddly enough has his own company building car washes...Florida residents love to have their cars' cleaned.
Growing up I led a pretty normal life with of course, the occasional family drama and spending most of my time dancing, as it was one of my passions. I graduated high school in 1999 and went off to college at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL.
Looking back on life, I saw how simple things were and how much I've changed in the ways I think and the paths that my life has taken. I thought I had it all figured out but there was one thing missing...that was my passion to travel and to see the beauty of the world. That is the plus in my life right now; that I have no "baggage," not tied down to anything, and have the opportunity to fullfill this passion.
As cheesy as this sounds, not one person has knocked down my plan to work and travel in Australia and has encouraged me even more as they were never able to do so themselves. Though there are the occasional bitterness and questions of how are you going to get the money and what are you going to do once you get there? As much as I count the seconds of my day and write in my planner events of the day, I'm letting myself be a little bit more laid back.
As for now I am working in Orlando at the "mad house" at Don Pablos,as Brie would say, hoping to make some extra cash for my travels. And then on August 12, 2003 Brie and I will be off to Sydeny, Au...stopping in Fiji first then spending most of our time in Sydeny and stopping in New Zealand on the way home. So, thats where I am at now and come August 12 I will be in a completly different place in life and location...across the world.

Australian teacher (48 yo). Widely travelled with an interest in the same (52 countries at last count!) Most recently 13 months in Canada and US. I write extensively on these experiences and am a keen digital photographer.

Tell us a bit about yourself

Since I'm in a full time job (and pretty happy with it) travel is resticted to five weeks in the year, but I'm starting to get into the habit of taking four week blocks of holiday and really going for it. My girlfriend Debbie and I have done two epic (for us) car journeys across the USA in the last three years, and now we're gradually ticking off some of the other places we want to visit.

I'm a computer consultant living in Toronto Canada. Fascinated by Location based technologies and virtual GeoCaching. This forum is not exactly that but is closest I have found to recording odrinary experiences of far off lands in an organized way and is free. Have done a lot f travelling - UK, Spain, Germany, France, US, Caribbean but not travelling much right now. Would have loved to have had a site like this when I was instead of lugging a travel book around could use a PDA (like Palm or Pocketpc) which is less conspicuous. Want to detail some info about Toronto might help travellers visiting here. As well I like to look at Travel guides to learn more about the city it is so large there is lots to do and discover. I've lived here for many years but not originally from here so technically am on an extended journey in this largest city in Canada. Noticed Canada was not listed though we have lots of tourists and immigrants so hope my input will help. Can't guarantee you will have the same response as me or even the accuracy or completeness but hope it offers a personal perspective. As time allows will add info about some of the other places I've been or am going to.

There are many sites and GPS software with city specific info but Toronto is not often offered so would like to try share my interest in the place so if one finds themselves at a main intersection and wonders "what is around here" they can get an idea. I did have a PDA when I travelled but at 9600 speeds using GSM and infrared, it was painfully slow and expensive. Now adays with GPRS, 1XRTT, WiFi and sites like this a PDA user
can gain a lot more. Mobiles phones might even have access to this through a wap gateway. One is less conspicuous as a visitor getting info from these devices at least in Toronto locals use these a lot in daily work and life.
Toronto streets are laid out in a grid pattern for the mostpart (similar to New York though unlike Washington DC which has diagonals as well). I will list NorthSouth/EastWest street intersections so if you were at that spot you could get an idea of what is around. I am also intersted in how the city is changing and evolving and would like to indicate where things used to be in some cases. A rough "map" of the bottom of the city (will expand as time allows loads faster on a PDA than a bitmap):

General Coordinates:
Latitude / Longitude
43° 41' N / 79° 38' W
(Mapquest.com has options to search by Lat/Long)

A B C D
8 + + + +
7 + + + +
6 + + + +
5 + + + +
4 + + + +
3 + * + +
2 + + + +
1 + + + +
~~The Lake~~
(The Islands)

(North/South)
A=Spadina
B=York/UniversityAve*
C=Bay
D=Yonge

*not to be confused with York University which is far north on Steeles Ave. UniversityAve is so called because it leads to UofT. York street because Toronto was once called York. These roads start at the same point and go north parallel.

(East/West)
8-QueenStreetWest
7-Richmond
6-Adelaide
5-KingSteet
4-Wellington
3=Front Street
2=Lakeshore
1=Queen's Quay

If you have a laptop and good bandwidth more details can be had at www.toronto.com but hopefully my entries will allow quick searching using a PDA, which a tourist would more likely carry around than a laptop. Hope other visitors and interested people will add to mine and share about Toronto.

For WiFi usage here see Spotnikglobal.com, bell.ca/accesszone (free for 2003),netwireless.ca. An interesting site with info on certain locations using voice on your mobile is murmurtoronto.com