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It is time to take a vacation. You want to go to an all-inclusive resort. I have been to 10 all-inclusive resorts, taken a couple of cruises in the Caribbean and Central America. I have been to 30 countries and lived in four different countries.  I have traveled on business and stayed in some of the best hotels in Europe, the US, and Dubai. I love food, people, and culture and have an undergrad in hotel management from Switzerland. This is a practical guide on how to enjoy your vacation at an all-inclusive resort. Trust me if you follow these tricks your experience will be better at an all-inclusive.

Set a budget 

An all-inclusive can cost $ 600 a week all the way to $ 6,000 a week. Start saving a year in advance. You do not want to go on vacation stressing about how you will pay the bills. It is wise to include a taxi back and forth to the airport from your home or parking, tips and excursions. I recommend going during the low season. Avoid March break, Christmas, and New Year. Also, sometimes it is cheaper to fly during the week than at the weekend.

Choose an all-inclusive resort that meets your needs

If you are going as a family, choose a family resort. If you want peace, quiet, and romance then go to an adult resort. If you want restaurants, a marina, discos, and clubs then choose one that is in the downtown area. Remember if your resort is next to the airport, get used to planes taking off and landing and the noise. If you have mobility issues then choose a resort that has elevators and not constructed on a mountain.

Know what is included in an all-inclusive

It is important to know what is included. Make sure that baggage, transport from the airport to the hotel, tips, room service, mini bar, Wi-Fi and other services are included. Premium drinks, excursions, taxis, spa services, laundry, and long-distance phone calls are not included.

Eat yogurt

Two weeks before you head on your vacation, start eating yogurt. Yogurt increases the good bacteria in your intestines and will fight the bacteria that can lead to diarrhea at an all-inclusive.

Check flight times

If you are going for a week and you have an evening flight. You will get to the resort late in the evening or the night and you lose a whole day. I recommend taking an early morning flight. This way you are on the beach by noon.

Check the distance from the airport

I personally prefer a morning flight and a resort within a hrs distance from the airport. If you take a 6.30 am flights you arrive around 10 am. Once you pass customs, you can be at the resort latest by noon.

Sunscreen, tanning and mosquito spray

Make sure you carry the appropriate sunscreen, tanning, and mosquito spray with you. These are very expensive at the resort.

Sunglasses and a hat

If you do not want to get a headache and avoid getting sunburned then bring a pair of sunglasses and a hat.

Research the resort

Look at the map of the resort. This will give you an idea of where your room is located and how close you are to the beach, restaurant, pool, bars, amenities, and activities. On Google Maps find out the attractions, shopping centers, and nearby towns if you want to leave the resort. Also, look into public transportation and hospitals nearby.

Know the weather conditions

Look at the weather channel and it will give you one week and two weeks forecast. It is vital to know the weather, temperature, climate and any other conditions that will impact your vacation. Do not go during hurricane season.

Book your vacation

Now that you have money saved up and done your research book your vacation. Make sure you have your passport and visa if necessary.

Check with your family doctor

Call your doctor and see if you need to take any vaccinations for the country you are visiting. Carry Imodium, Pepto-Bismol and an after bite with you. All three are over the counter medications.

Exchange money

If you are in Canada and heading to Mexico, ask your local bank for Pesos. You will get the best rate. At your hotel, you will get 10% less.

Get to the airport

I recommend taking a taxi or limousine. The parking at the airport is expensive. If you stay at a hotel, make sure the buses come regularly. In a snowstorm, you can be stuck for a couple of hours.

At the airports

Enjoy your flight. As you land at the airport and pass customs walk straight through the timeshare sharks and head outside. Your representative will meet you there and take you straight to the air-conditioned bus and even offer you a beer.

Put all valuables in the safe

You are now at the resort and in the room. Unpack and put everything in place. Before you head to the pool or beach, put your passport, jewelry, cash and any other valuables in the safe.

Traveling with children

Find out about the kids’ club, the age limit, hours of operation, activities and tell them about any allergies. Also, ask if daycare is available after the kids’ club closes.

Take a tour

Walk around the resort. See the distance between your room and all the amenities.

Clothes

Dress appropriately for the pool, beach, lobby, restaurants, and clubs. The beach club might allow you to eat in your bikini. It is definitely a big no in the restaurant.

Restaurants

The resort will have at least 4 to 6 restaurants and about 6 to 10 bars. Ask the concierge about the types of restaurants, the names, what time they open and close and if reservations are required. Also, find out if they cater to any allergies.

Bring your own mug, insulated cup or flask

The drinks outside the fine dining restaurants will always be served in throwaway or plastic cups. If you prefer to drink coffee or your cocktail in your own cup or glass then bring it along.

Meet your representative

Your tour representative would want to meet you the next day. I strongly recommend that you see him/her. They are locals and will tell you everything about the resort and the tours. They can also help you in case of emergencies. The representative will also give you a return voucher which you give to the taxi or bus that will pick you to take you back to the airport.

Take it easy the first day

This is very important. I have seen many people get sick. It is not the fault of the resort. Remember you are in a new country. Brush your teeth with bottled water. On the first day, do not expose yourself to more than one hour of the sun. If you spend 8 hrs in the sun, have 8 Coronas, a couple of Mojitos and then a couple of drinks after you have overstuffed yourself with food. Guess what? You have shocked your body. The shock will suppress your immune system. You will get sick. Also, if you step outside the resort, drink only bottled water and eat at a well-established restaurant. Do not eat from any road hawker.

Do not lose your room key, wrist band or towels

Keep your room key with you always. If you lose your keys, you have to go back to reception, stand in line, explain the situation, answer any questions and then security might escort you back to the room. Do not lose the room keys. You will get a card for a towel. Do not lose this card. You will have to pay at least $20 per towel. You will get a wrist band during your stay at the resort. Do not lose it or cut it until you leave the resort.

Get in the mood

You are now finally here. Relax, take it easy and do that embraces this pace and flow. Be grateful and enjoy.

Forget the Wi-Fi and the internet

Wi-Fi has been around a short time. The internet has been around for the last quarter-century. Cell phones do not enhance your vacation. Take pictures for sure. But do not get worked up if the Wi-Fi strength is not strong or the internet is down. You do not have to check your social media feed every hour or your emails. Forget about checking with the office. Focus on yourself and your friends and family.

Do not schedule every minute

Do not bring your day timer and plan every minute of your vacation. It will ruin it for you and your family. Go with the flow and enjoy talking to the other guests and employees.

Food

After I have visited an all-inclusive and read the reviews, I wonder if we were at the same resort. I am going to spend some more time here. Every resort I have visited, I have checked the kitchen. They are run by professional chefs with professional standards on safety, hygiene, and cleanliness.

I am going to lay down a couple of ground rules. If you are leaving from Canada, the UK or the US, the bacteria and microbes are different in the meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables. If you eat a steak rare or a salmon at medium, you should always eat your meat and fish well done. The bacteria are killed and chances of you getting sick are slim.

Before you enter the restaurant, use hand sanitizer. Drink bottled water only. Find out what oil is used. If you have eaten food cooked with sunflower oil and you eat everything cooked in coconut oil, your body is not used to it.

Most of the buffets have chefs making tacos, crepes, omelets, pasta, fish, steaks and tacos. Eat fresh off the grill.

Try different a la carte restaurants. Try various buffet restaurants. Try various local dishes.

Take it easy with the alcohol in the restaurants.

Activities

An all-inclusive will have activities from 9 am to 2 am. A family resort will have a playground, games room, mini-golf, and a waterpark. The adult resorts will focus on dance lessons, massage, tasting wine and everything romantic. In general, expect aerobics and stretching in the pool, games, volleyball, soccer, yoga, Spanish lessons, cooking lessons, guessing the alcohol in a cocktail, ping pong tournament, archery tournament, dart tournament, bingo, history questions to be some of the activities. My personal favorites are volleyball in the pool and ping pong.

On the beach snorkeling, kayaking, paddleboarding, sailing, windsurfing, parasailing, and gliding are some of the activities. Try them all.

Do not expect everything to be like home

I would strongly recommend learning a few words in Spanish and French. Always have Google translate with you. Embrace the new culture, food, and entertainment. Do not freak out if you see a lizard, fly, dragonfly or mosquito in your room.

Go outside the resort

One of the things I strongly recommend is taking an authentic tour to see historical sites, villages or a small town. It will open your mind and hearts as to how other people live. Go visit a local bakery, school, local market and you will notice things are done differently. Invest in sustainable, ethical tourism.

Ask questions

Talk to a concierge or someone at reception if you have a question. They are more than willing to help you.

Do not compare resorts

When you go on a tour or for a walk on the beach, you will meet fellow Canadian, American and from British tourists. Never compare your resort to the other. Always remember what you paid for your vacation.

On a rainy day

The first thing to do is not to freak out. Sleep in. Go to the spa. Exercise at the gym. Go shopping. Take a tour of the city. Spend the day at the sports bar. Watch soccer, play some pool or cards. This is your day. Do not let any rain spoil your day.

Tips

In the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America, the staff depends on tips. This is my recommendation. For one week at an all-inclusive, a couple or a family of 3 should budget $200.

The driver who drives you to the resort and back to the airport: $5

Bag attendant: $2 per bag

Housekeeper: $15 a week

Minibar service: $2

Buffet waiter: $5

A la carte waiter: $10

Buffet chef: $5

Bartender: $2

Concierge: $5

One or two members of entertainment: $15

Tour guide: $10

Tip your bartender, waiter at the buffet and the omelet chef the first day and miracles will happen.

Finally, enjoy your vacation. Something will always go wrong. The staff at the resort are humans. They work long hours in extreme heat and on their feet. Treat them with love and respect and you will be surprised.

Photo Credits: Ana Acosta Sharon McCutcheon Karly Gomez Leio McLaren Belinda Fewings yue su Chelsea Gates STIL  Gary Tou twinsfisch David Boca Michelle Spollen

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Kathryn Dickson is one of Canada’s top travel bloggers, an adventure seeker, a tired parent of 2, an award-winning television editor and content creator based in Toronto. I wrote about The Durham Regional Forest Trail for her piece on The Best Hiking Trails For Families in  Southern Ontario.

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Ronita Goswami is a writer by profession and by passion. She considers herself to be an introvert, a bookworm, a fitness enthusiast, a perfectionist who likes to have all her ducks in a row. Discipline is important to her. “Recently, more specifically over the last two years, I have been donning the hat of a traveler. I’m picking up a lot of traits from my journeys. Travel has converted me into a minimalist and has made me more aware of different cultures. It has had a huge impact on my personality, my lifestyle, and my creative interests.”

About 3 years ago, she discovered the joy of football (soccer) and has been an Arsenal fan ever since.

Ronita you like soccer (football), traveling, and food. We will get along well. You speak or shout at length in a wild impassioned way and are unpredictable as per erratic rantings. Haha, I love the name of your blog. Talk to me a little about it.

Erratic Rantings came into being in 2018. Before that, I had another blog in my college days where I used to write book reviews. But I hadn’t taken it too seriously back then. And then in 2018, my then fiancé (now husband), Tathagata, talked me into having a proper blog set up. I remember that I had asked him, “What am I going to write about?” He said, “Anything you want.” In fact, he chose the name Erratic Rantings since I didn’t give much thought into the name. That’s how it all began. 

We got married the same year and I wrote the first post on our marriage. In fact, I turned my marriage into a seven-part blog series. It felt good to pen the entire event down. I realized that this blog was like a memory bank where I could relive my experiences any time I wanted. And then I couldn’t stop. There were too many things happening around me that I knew I would want to look back at later in my life. In doing this, I started gathering up a handful of followers who have personally told me that they draw inspiration from my blog and are continuously looking forward to the next post. 

Ronita, walk me through the city you live in, the food, the culture, and some good restaurants?

I’m from, what is popularly known as, the City of Joy – Kolkata. I’ve lived here all my life and somehow have never felt the need to live anywhere else.

Kolkata is located in the eastern part of India. It is a city I hold close to my heart. It’s home and more. The city is famous for its literary inclination, its heart-warming food, and progressive culture. Kolkata’s charm lies in its bylanes, serpentine tram lines, intense ‘adda’ sessions (conversations) over searing hot tea poured into earthen cups, sweets, football, intellectual debates and protests, theatres, libraries, music, poetry, old buildings with a colonial past, sprawling chaos in roadside markets, love for sweets and deep-fried snacks and more.

Kolkata is also a confluence of a variety of cultures. That’s because the city is one of the major business hubs of the country and the cost of living isn’t too high compared to other cities. It’s laidback yet modern. One of the characteristics that are unique to my city is its open-mindedness. It encourages uninhibited and constructive debates instead of silent acceptance. I’m proud to be a product of the liberal landscape of my city.

Being a convergence of multiple cultures, Kolkata is a witness to numerous festivals. But Durga puja outstrips all of them. It’s a grand autumnal festival celebrating the victory of Goddess Durga over evil. It continues for five days officially, but we wait for it all year. In fact, the life of a Bengali revolves around Durga puja. Beautifully decorated marquees are put up to house the idols. The entire city transforms into an exhibition of art and creativity. Residents of the city from all over the world return to their homes and join in on the festivities. In essence, Durga puja is a celebration of togetherness. The end of the festival brings out the worst case of blues among us, Bengalis. That’s when we start the countdown for the next Durga puja.

One of my favorite restaurants in Kolkata is Oudh 1590. Not just for the food but for the décor as well. Oudh 1590 is a recreation of the Nawabi era to provide its customers with a period of the dining experience. Once you step inside the restaurant, you would truly feel like you have been transported to history in a time machine.

Tell me about your favorite place that you visited and why you like it so much?

It has to be Bali. Bali stole my heart from the moment I set foot on the island. 

On the first morning of our stay, we headed to the Git Git waterfall. It was deserted when we reached. The water was gushing down with ferocity, Nature has grown abundantly around it, there were tiny, naturally-formed cave-like structures beside the waterfall and the water was crystal clear. I sat down on one of the large rocks closest to the waterfall and felt the water-laden breeze washing over me. It had started to drizzle. The entire place looked magical. That’s where my mood changed dramatically from head to heart. I felt more awake there than I had all my life.

Bali’s beaches are no doubt beautiful, its people are extremely friendly and the coffee is mind-blowing. Bali taught me humbleness through their uninhibited devotion to their Gods and their gratitude towards what they have been blessed with. I believe if there is any place on Earth where God lives, it’s in Bali.

I see you like Arsenal. Why? You talk that you have a lot in common with them. I want to know the commonality.

Like I said, I was introduced to the world of football and its fanaticism in 2017 by my then fiancé (now husband), Tathagata. He is an ardent Arsenal fan. I knew it the day I met him by the tattoo of the Arsenal crest on his left arm. It started with watching videos of old matches on the phone and then slowly I began to understand the power of ‘The Beautiful Game’. He taught me the different aspects of a football match, the significance of every move or sign in the field, and the true meaning of the sport.

As for the commonality, you have to read my blog post to find out.

What is your ideal romantic date?  How has married life changed your life? Any surprises?

My ideal romantic date would be at the beach at sunset with ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon playing in the background. Both Tathagata and I love the beach. We’ve witnessed countless sunsets at the beach together and it still gives me goosebumps thinking about it. The quiet roaring of the waves is relaxing and that’s when I find myself most calm and at the same time, most lively. I cannot thank my stars enough when I walk along the beach with Tathagata by my side. I feel on top of the world every single time that happens.

We’ve been married for a little over two years now and I have felt a lot of positive changes in myself through this time. A friend told me recently that marriage has brought me out of my shell. It’s true. I am exploring myself a lot more. Like I told you before, I’m donning more than one hat to discover new aspects that I can add to my identity. I’m experimenting more, I’m trying to stretch my boundaries and learning to step out of my comfort zone. I feel more confident and optimistic about life.

I married into a large family. We live with my parents, grandparents and uncle, and my aunt-in-law. Coming from a nuclear family, this was the biggest change in my life. Thankfully, we get along really well. More importantly, living with a large family has taught me some core virtues like patience, resilience, and being less judgmental. Luckily I married into a family that appreciates and practices creativity and art. 

I know you like the beach. What is it about the beach that you like?

It is the sound of the waves that pulls me to the beach. The sea makes me happy. It has a soothing and reassuring effect on my mind. It’s as if the waves tell me that no matter what happens, everything will be alright. I feel like I can draw strength from the ocean. Every time I’m at the beach I make it a point to take off my shoes and feel the sand between my toes. It helps me connect to the sea and relax my mind. It’s always an invigorating experience to sit down at the beach at sunset and just listen to the incessant roaring of the waves. Tathagata tells me, “If you respect the sea, the sea will respect you too.”

You are the modern-day Indian woman. How is that woman different from Woman in the ’80s and the ’60s?

I feel that the status of Indian women has radically changed in the modern-day since the ’80s or ’60s. There have been massive structural and cultural changes that provide equal opportunity to women in education and employment. I’ll give you an example.

My grandmother-in-law, who is now 85 years old, couldn’t complete her school-level education because she had to walk a certain distance to be able to board the school bus. And that wasn’t acceptable at that time. She regrets it to this day. She takes a keen interest in reading and has a brilliant memory. But she feels that no matter how much she reads, it can never compensate for the education she was deprived of and so immensely desired.

On the other hand, my late maternal grandmother who was a statistician by profession was a financially independent woman. Her sister was a headmistress of a reputed school, an ardent traveler, and an excellent swimmer even with a polio-affected leg. So you see, there were opportunities, but only for the extremely lucky ones.

Fast forward to this day, today’s Indian woman has ample opportunities to choose the education she desires, become financially independent, have a voice, and make well-informed decisions about her life. While a certain amount of social norms still govern a lot of Indian women’s lives, we have come a long way from how it used to be about four or five decades ago. But then again, the lesser privileged are still oppressed to the point where they have forgotten that they can have opinions. I think a large part of the cause is the lack of free basic education. But change is occurring every day. The idea is to manage the challenges and make adjustments according to the situation to be able to build a better tomorrow. We are getting there. At least we are trying. That’s what matters.

What does women empowerment mean to you?

Today, we talk a lot about women’s empowerment. But I think there are multiple aspects to it. I feel that the key to women’s empowerment is abolishing discrimination. This is where our society falls short most of the time. People make a lot of hues and cry over women’s empowerment on the surface, but the mentality of people would take a lot more generations to change. Women today, face a lot of adversities in the name of loss of culture. Even today, women are subject to gruesome violence. There are numerous organizations working towards the improvement of women’s status. There’s progress but the mentality needs to change before we can see any large improvement. This is where access to education is necessary. 

Discrimination against women exists in the different stratum of the society – some are visible, some not so much. And quite a lot of times, this discrimination becomes such a force of habit that people don’t recognize it at all. I think one of the most effective ways to empower our women is by teaching our sons about true feminism so that our women do not have to fight for it. We need to teach our sons from a very young age to view women as equals and engage them in abolishing gender stereotypes. Women empowerment is not the fight for women alone, it’s a fight for our men too. To stand as equals with women. Nothing more. Nothing less.

We will do another interview in 5 years. Where would Ronita be and what are your goals and aspirations for the next 5 years?

Hopefully, I would be able to make some developments with my blog, share more experiences, and inspire more people. I am working towards improving my English writing skills since it isn’t my first language. I hope to make progress with my career, try to push myself out of my comfort zone, and acquire more knowledge and skills along the way. Maybe I would be able to add some more beautiful destinations into my travel experiences, get to learn about different cultures, and create better travel videos than my first attempt. 

In the next five years, I see myself growing into a more mature version of myself. I expect to become calmer, more confident, and more in touch with myself. So let’s wait and find out.

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Sharon Mendelaoui is a travel writer, passionate photographer, and graphic designer. She is the creator and publisher of dailydream360.com, a travel and lifestyle website featuring travel destination guides, fashion and beauty tips, and a selection of lifestyle articles to help her readers live a balanced dream life.

I met Sharon more than 15 years back as we both worked for the same company on Bay St. Sharon has been super friendly in answering a lot of my questions about blogging. A couple of months back, we sat down again and talked about life, our own path through the corporate world, where we are, and where we are heading. I told her I would send her some questions and to put that in writing. Sharon is real, vulnerable, and a lot of wisdom is shared here.

Sharon, it is a pleasure knowing you for the last decade. Please tell my audience a little about yourself.

I’m a dreamer born and raised in Toronto, Canada. I’ve had a passion for writing and art since I was a young girl, but the responsibilities of school and career took me away from that passion. I am a graphic designer and have been doing this for over 15 years, mainly for financial firms, one of which was where I was lucky enough to meet you!

I know you were in the corporate world for a while. Why the change and how has blogging helped you and shaped you?

Working in crazy corporate offices was stressful, and I was always dreaming about leaving and working for myself. I started blogging in hopes of finding ways to make money online. I had built at least 4 websites, all trying to do this as I worked in jobs that really didn’t inspire me at all. Google crushed my dreams with an update known in the web world called Panda.

The premise was that bad sites geared to getting traffic without good information were removed from search ranking. The updated hit all my sites except one, my hobby travel blog. I kept working on this hobby which I devoted my weekends too. It was like taking a vacation every weekend and made having to go into work during the week a little more bearable.

I don’t know why but I was surprised when I started to notice brands take notice of me. I didn’t quite believe that this hobby could somehow really be a business. I dreamt about it constantly, but it just didn’t sink in.

By 2012, I was on many Ontario Tourism Boards’ radars. On my very first press trip, we went treetop trekking. It was a hard course and after two obstacles I realized I wasn’t going to be able to complete it. I swallowed my shame, disappointment, and fear as the crew set up a high angle rescue. I had to lean back and let the harness carry all my weight as they winched me down a tree. About halfway down I had this overwhelming moment of pure joy. I knew I was the only blogger on the trip with this story and also, I knew in my core, this is what I was meant to be doing. I found my passion.

That was when I really started to take the website seriously. I also spent every spare second at work learning about running a business, planning my business and figuring out how I was going to take the plunge away from the corporate world.

In 2014, I was downsized from my corporate job. I took this as a sign. I could find another job that made me miserable and pays the bills or I could take this opportunity to chase my dream of running my own graphic design business and do the things that really inspired me. It was the scariest time of my life, but the combination of fear and joy was something I can’t even describe in words and it pushed me to share that dream in my website Daily Dream 360.

What is Daily Dream 360 all about?

Daily Dream 360 is the evolution of a hobby travel blog into a travel and lifestyle website built to inspire women over 40 to transition through big challenges with a 360° approach to their life.

What I discovered in my travels was that facing my fears and doing things that challenged me and then conquering those fears was a powerful feeling. That combination of fear with sheer joy that comes from accomplishing it was something that fueled me in my life. The smallest dream moments could add fuel to this little fire inside of me which inspires and moves me to the next moment.

What is unique about it and why should we read it?

There are a million places online to get inspiration, life coaching, travel advice, etc. Some of these sites are good and others are just nonsense. My goal with Daily Dream 360 is to really create a community where women like me are going through a big transition maybe divorce, being downsized, or chasing a dream-like starting their own business. My end goal is to create a place (maybe a Facebook group) where we can help one another with information, support and just knowing that we are not alone in this.

At the moment I categorize posts on the site into Dream Travel, Dream Life, and Dream Home. My focus is to talk about these as a Dream it, plan it, and live it approach, which is the way I live my life today. Every dream starts with an idea or pleasant thought, however, you have to make a plan and set an intention to fulfill that dream and then be aware when you are actually living it out.

This past year I focused on rebranding the site with this focus, a huge undertaking where I had to face the fear of breaking the travel site or losing my audience by trying to build something bigger and more balanced with Daily Dream 360. Thankfully the site is doing great and the response has been terrific, so now I’m focusing on building a Facebook community and connecting more to my audience so that we can inspire one another to dream every day!

Name some of your favorite places you have visited and why?

I have such a hard time with my favorite questions because I’m always looking for places that inspire me, challenge me to do something new or outside my comfort zone, and continue to add fuel to my dream flame. I have been so fortunate to find this in just about every trip I take. The memories and experiences add up and it is so hard to choose just one but here are some that just really wowed me.

Horseback Riding at Painted Bar Stables in Finger Lakes NY: The stable is run by a woman named Erica who has a passion for all things horses that just lit me up. I had never been horseback riding; I was absolutely terrified, and she just made this the most amazing experience ever. Never in a million years would I have imagined riding through a forest with water running down a creek on horseback – but I did it thanks to a woman with her own dream and business plan. An area is a great place for a woman’s road trip, wine tastings, little boutique hotels, great parks with hiking trails I highly recommend it.

Quebec: I have discovered a lot of the province and I have to say that every trip I took in the province had some crazy dream moment in it. From hugs with Bonhomme Carnival in winter carnival, a soak in a Scandinavian spa in the dead of winter, visiting the ice hotel, walking the white sand beaches of Iles de la Madelaine or a helicopter ride over Charlevoix – there was always a dream, a challenge, and amazing food and people.

The last time we had coffee you told me you found your faith through traveling let us talk about that?

This is a hard one to answer. I have had a lot of challenges in my life growing up. Being the redhead, fat kid, with braces and the ugliest headgear you could imagine you’d think was enough – but being that kid in a private Jewish school of rich kids who took it upon themselves to remind me that I was not like them every day of my childhood life was a lot. I was born into an immigrant family, my mom was a teacher and my dad a contractor. My parents wanted me to learn about my faith and to learn to speak Hebrew a language we spoke a lot at home.

When you are in a private Jewish school and you have no faith in your religion because you are miserable all the time, well that is a very hard thing for a child to go through. When my father later got diagnosed with a brain tumor and left us, I didn’t get any comfort from my religious faith. I just felt empty and really angry at God.

It was Oprah that brought me out of my anger believe it or not. I discovered later in life that God or the universe or that energy that seems to be flowing through us and dictating things that happen in our lives is not something you can be angry about because it is inside you. If you are angry at it, you are angry at yourself. When I let go of that anger and started chasing the joy that was when I found my faith.

In a way the traveling was me chasing joy – a walk on a beach, sounds of the ocean and other sounds of nature all fuel that dream and that joy.

If I do something out of a place that starts with feeling good – it usually leads to fulfilling a dream. Travel is a great place to find that joy feeling which at home and during the crazy in our day to day lives is just harder to find.

You have been blogging for a long time. Give some advice to those who want to become a blogger?

I can’t believe it, but I just started my eighth year of blogging. As a graphic designer, I have a lot of clients that want to start blogs on their business websites or to make money as my site does. The problem with this is they don’t realize the technical side of blogging and just how many things you have to do just to maintain and run a website – before you even start writing an article.

This is a loaded question because if you want to start a blog or website my best advice is to make sure it is set up correctly, is updated and maintained, and that you have plenty of security measures in place. An out of date plugin on a WordPress website can lead to a disastrous hack. Back when I started, we just wrote, and no one worried about algorithms and plugins and site speed and mobile-friendly. So, making sure that you either have a great web designer to help you with the technical side of things or that you are willing to learn all about this is going to be very important – before you even start writing your blog.

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