The Traveling Scholar

You’ve heard about the amazing people, the Maori culture & the overall intrigue of the islands, and you’ve probably put it on your list of places to see at some point in your life! Well — good news! You can win a trip to New Zealand, courtesy of Orbitz and Air New Zealand! The trip is an exclusive wine experience that includes 6 nights’ hotel stay, round trip flights for two (!), a rental car for 7 days, and a wine tour of the best wineries in New Zealand! Talk about a romantic getaway! Enter here to win!

Read about all the amazing things New Zealand has to offer here!

Best of luck!

As I was looking online to find a nice way to send letters to Universities that made me offers that I will not be attending, I found the following letter online it cracked me up! For anyone who’s received a rejection letter from a University — read on! It’ll make your day. FYI, this is courtesy of gettingintogradschool.com. <3.

April 29, 1998

Herbert A Millington
Chair – Graduate Studies Committee
Whatsa Matta University
College Hill, MA 01610

Dear Professor Millington,

Thank for your letter of April 16. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me admission to your department.

This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field of candidates it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.

Despite W.M.U.’s outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at this time. Therefore, I will join the ranks of graduate students in your department this September. I look forward to seeing you then.

Best of luck in rejecting future applicants.

Sincerely,
John Doe

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Hahahaha. I love it. If I get rejected from a PhD programme in the future, this letter’s going in. F*ing hilarious.

Lots of love,

Shannon

 I frequently run to Target before I pack for a trip — they have an entire AISLE dedicated to travel-sized goodies and I am admittedly obsessed! There’s something about everything coming in a petite package that I find endearing; enough so that I will purchase one (or two!) of everything in sight, just in case. I’ve tried putting together a shopping list to prevent over-consumption, but it doesn’t work. Inevitably some company has come out with a miniature toothbrush/toothpaste key chain or portable seat covers that I just have to purchase for some reason. The reality is that half of the stuff I buy goes unused. Nevertheless, I have a portion of a cabinet dedicated to these mini marvels of travel… just in case! So, if you’re looking for some cool travel-sized tokens, here’s a run down of some of the coolest goodies on the market (not all from the mecca known as Target):

*   Honey Moisturizing Shampoo & Conditioner, The Body Shop: These little guys come in 2.0 fl oz containers perfect for travel! They’re good for chemically-tortured treated hair. Plus they’re organic! About $3.50 each.

*  Vitamin E Cleansing Wipes, The Body Shop: These cute packs have 25 cloths each & the Vitamin C-infused variety is good for protecting against pre-mature aging (which I am anal about)! If you are more concerned with blemishes, try the Tea Tree Oil variety. Both $14.

* Neutrogena Ulta Sheer Sunblock SPF 45, Target: This little guy is about 3 oz. but it’s super lightweight & dries quickly. Plus it has a whopping 45 SPF so its perfect for sunny locales! Note: I haven’t run into a true travel-sized SPF that I much liked; this little 3 oz. model is the best I could find!

* Cotton Buds, Target: Travel Q-tips. I get thoroughly annoyed when I forget to pack Q-tips so I always snag one of these cases before I head out. A little under $1 per pack.

*  Crest Whitening Toothpaste: These come in the teensiest, tiniest variety & they’re awesome! I just hate taking the full-sized varieties on vacation; it just seems like overkill.

* Dr. Bronner’s Mini Peppermint Soap: I’m overly obsessed with Dr. Bronner’s & I’m even more excited now that it’s sold at Target! The little 2 oz. variety is perfect for travel. This stuff is golden, too — you can use it to was your body, your face — anything! It’s the ultimate cleanser & it’s a mere $2. My mini has lasted me a month! The tingly peppermint is my fave but the lavender’s not so bad!

* Mini Deodorant: I usually opt for the Degree or Secret, but either way, the mini versions put a smile on my face.

Those are a few of my favorite travel products, but I’m sure there are a slew of other cutesy things that I’m missing. Just remember, if you’re hopping on a plane, these little guys need to be in a Ziploc if you don’t want to be seized by airport security; you know they’d love to take some of these goodies! Check out the Transportation Security Administration’s website for more of their super fun rules. I know you love them, too!

Happy Hunting!

Okay, kiddos! I just have to share this deal with you –

If you haven’t heard already JetBlue is having a one day sale from Northern California to the East Coast with fares as low as $59 each way! If New York sounds like a plan — it does to me! — then you’re in luck! 

Fly from Sacramento, San Francisco or Oakland to New York for only $79 each way!!

Deals to Boston ($59), D.C. ($69) & Long Beach ($39) are also part of this deal for even lower prices, but the NY deal made me way too giddy! You can travel any time between April 30th and June 10th on any Tuesday or Wednesday to snag this bargain! Gotta book today though!

New York, anyone? 

Reality hit me today. And it hit hard. Perhaps it’s because it was 95 friggin degrees that I realized how close summer really is! I will be done with school in May. On the 23rd to be exact. I will be going to school in the fall, but I won’t be moving to England (London or Bristol… London more than likely) until mid to late-September. That leaves me approximately four months without classes! I know this seems like a good thing (and it is, to an extent) but I’m getting anxious. Most people ask how I keep so busy; how I manage to juggle school, work, the gym, family, arts & crafts, etc. and be semi-normal. Well… honestly? That keeps me normal. Being on the go for 14 hours a day keeps me stimulated. I find that I am a better student, employee, family member, etc. when I am constantly motivated. Typically the on-the-go-ness from being at work all day seamlessly transfers into my evenings of class. I keep up the motivation and sit through class, full of caffeine, ready to ask questions and learn. If I don’t have classes, if I’m not learning, not pushing myself and not working on homework/essays/whatever other assignments they throw my way… well, I get bored. I get lazy. I lose the stimulation and the wired-ness that keeps me this super motivated person. So, like I said — not having classes this summer is making me a little nervous. In lieu of academic classes, I’m going to look for classes at the gym that I can take (to keep myself motivated with things on my calendar for the evening), and I’m going to try to better my Spanish-speaking skills. I’m also going to start planning my impending excursions for after I move. Although I am so excited to graduate (!!) and be done with my undergrad, I will definitely need to plan fun things to do — trips, activities, get togethers — to keep myself busy! I’m also going to try to fit in a Yosemite, Santa Barbara & San Diego trip before the summer’s over!

Anyone have any ideas? Maybe there’s a party I can plan?

I always think it’s funny that we have one day set aside to remember that we need to take care of the earth. It’s like Valentine’s Day — are you supposed to something special for someone only on that particular day? Seems odd, right? In any case, today is Earth Day and we should all be celebrating! Whip out your Birkenstocks & hop on your bike – there are events taking place all over the country! Sacramento’s Earth Day celebration, complete with food, activities & music, will take place from 11A – 6P at Southside Park on 8th & T Streets for any locals that are interested in attending. If Sacramento’s too much of a hike for you, check out the EPA’s activity site to find out what activities are happening in your area! Also, for anyone interested — you can download the Earth Day Take Home Kit and find out how you can help protect the environment.

Although I think that we should recognize the value of our earth every single day, I appreciate that there is one day that is focused on bringing awareness to our environment and the ways in which we can help. It’s also an awesome time for parents to be able to explain to kids why they should do their part to help better the world and keep it as clean as possible! Simple things like recycling, using less water on a daily basis and eCycling (recycling electronics) properly, can help in taking minor steps to creating a major solution. Also, now that everyone’s going green, take the time to buy environmentally-friendly products and organic food when you can! That doesn’t have to be the case for every single thing that you purchase, but even making small changes can help!  Find out more on how you can make daily changes to protect the environment and promote health. Also, for anyone who’s into hiking and being outdoors, in honor of Earth Day, trails.com is going to plant a tree for everyone that joins their community — it’s a great site for finding local (or not-so-local) trails, maps & gear and has awesome articles and good advice for people who enjoy spending their time outdoors!

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Wanna find out about your carbon footprint? Take the quiz & find out!

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Is anyone doing anything cool for Earth Day?

Enjoy,

I don’t know about anyone else, but I find the gym rather addicting. They say it takes 21 days of engaging in an activity to make it a habit. Well this gymming habit that I definitely developed a few years ago is one that I would like to keep active! I often find myself in a predicament, though: I have a 24 Hour Fitness membership at home and Chris & I put our memberships to use anywhere and everywhere in the US. Even if we’re vacationing — if there’s a 24 Hour within a 15 – 20 mile radius, we’re usually there! The problem typically arises when vacationing and traveling OUTSIDE of the US. Word on the street is that there are some 24 Hours in Asia, but Europe doesn’t house any of these such gyms. Although I will likely get a new gym membership once I move there (or use the campus’ gym!), it’s hard for a lot of us to keep up our healthy, active lifestyles when we’re overseas. And not working out — well, bleh; that can’t really be an option now, can it? It’s a surefire way to zap your energy & leave you feeling anxious. I’ve been searching, though, so fear not! I have found a number of ways to keep active withouta gym membership! As long as you have yourself, some space and a few inexpensive (& easily portable) items you can stay in tip-top shape while traveling:

 * Abs: Abs are probably the simplest for on-the-go workouts; most of the time we don’t use equipment for abs even when it IS available. For abs, try standard crunches, bicycle crunches, planks & reverse crunches. These can all be done on the ground (with a mat, if you really want to spice things up!)

* Arms: To keep your triceps toned, try tricep dips by using a chair in your room! These things are awesome and they require no equipment! Also, try the one-armed tricep push up. For these guys, lay on your side and use the opposite arm to push yourself up — your arms will feel it in no time!

* Legs: Squats & lunges! Everyone’s favorite, right? Fortunately, you don’t necessarily need to do your squats and/or lunges with weights. Just doing them correctly will help tone your thighs & your tush. Try lunges, plie squats, side lunges & curtsy squats (like your curtsy-ing, but squat it; gets into the sides of the bum). Let’s be honest — legs are not the most fun to work out, but they do get your heart rate up so they’re definitely worth doing!

* Cardio(!): For real! This is the most troubling thing, right? For those of us that are used to our fancy equipment for getting our cardio in… what are we supposed to do?! Wellllll, there are a number of things actually. For cardio on the go, try jogging/running (and taking the time to explore your temporary surroundings!) or jumping rope! Also — this sounds kind of lame – but I’m a fan of rollerblading, too. If you don’t mind dragging blades with you, you can blade around and sight see! All you’ll need is a pair of shoes, a pair of blades (if you want to give it a whirl!) & an light weight jump rope.

Also, we musn’t forget the power of portable DVDs & OnDemand. Some hotels now actually offer these fitness-focused channels with some fun workouts you can do in your room. If you want to be prepared, grab a pilates or yoga DVD and take it with you! There is rarely a case with pilates or yoga that you’ll need equipment at all. You may want to bring a few resistance bands to up the ante & up the burn. All in all, technology has afforded us many opportunities to stay active while on the go! Also, not to keep sharing my love of ExerciseTV  but you can view the workout directly from your PC while traveling OR you can burn the workouts onto DVDs to take with you! Gotta love it!

Click here if you want to search for gyms in the UK.

Happy (and Healthy!) Travels,

Welllll– I just found out some fantastic news– I just (on Friday) received my acceptance letter from the London School of Economics for the Social Policy & Development program. Now, I realize this doesn’t sound like a predicament, but it is. A little, at least. I had assumed that I wasn’t accepted because it had been so long since I’d heard from LSE. Due to the competitiveness of the school (think 7 applicants per place available), I didn’t have my heart set on it and had disregarded the institution for the most part. That being said, I was perfectly ecstatic sending in my acceptance to Bristol (which I did a couple of weeks ago … oops!) and had already started looking into roommates, accommodation, life in Bristol, etc. Well… now I have an offer to get my Masters at LSE so I’m beyond confused! I have been giving it a great deal of thought and weighing the pros & cons of both schools, but it’s still very much a predicament (although it’s one that I’m okay with!)

Now, for Bristol — it’s a very darling community; much smaller than London and much more quaint. The school is gorgeous and very prestigious. For Americans — it’s probably equivalent to Columbia in the US. Good school & well known for its education. It’s also about an hour to an hour and a half from London. For traveling around Europe, I can fly directly from Bristol’s international airport or take a train to London & fly out from there. The weather’s a little rainier and colder in Bristol than in London as well, but I did love the town when I visited. Plus, the people were amazing!

Now, for LSE. This is tough. Like I said, I hadn’t really considered that I would get in. LSE is considered a top tier university, on the same playing field as Oxford and Cambridge, but with a specific focus on economics & political science. It’s widely considered to be the best institution in the world for political sciences (although it’s better known in Europe, Asia & Africa than it is in the US). The cost of living in London, however, is significantly higher. The tuition fees are about 3000 GBP per year more (not very significant) but it’s the accommodations & daily necessities that incur much of the extra cost. I’m trying to disregard cost though in my considering of universities since it IS only one year and it’s a decision that will affect my entire life. Also, London is obviously a HUGE city, so it’s entirely different than Bristol in that regard. There’s going to be a ton to do there, which is nice, and travelling will be easier since London is a hub, but it will definitely be a totally different lifestyle. Also, I think London probably offers greater chances for jobs & for meeting people that will help influence careers.

Grrr— like I said, tough decision. I loved Bristol when I visited it early this year. The town is great, the people are great & the school’s marvelous. I didn’t visit LSE when I was there (again, didnt’ think I’d be accepted), but London in general does have a lot to offer and the reputation of the institution is spectacular! I’m going to try to make a decision within a few weeks here — lots to think about.

Anyone have input on the matter? I like hearing other people’s thoughts <3.

Love,

Shannon

In about five minutes flat I was able to help in donating 200 grains of rice to help end world hunger — and it didn’t cost me anything! Check this out —  FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program in conjunction with Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. The website offers viewers academic questions/trivia in a number of fields to test your smarts: you can choose from art, chemistry, english, geography, languages and math! For each question that you answer right, FreeRice will donate ten grains of rice to the World Food Program to help end hunger!

FreeRice has two goals:

1. Provide education to everyone for free.
2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

The figures regarding hunger are really astounding. Being that the majority of us are well-fed, it’s difficult for us to think about 25,000 people dying every day from hunger and related causes. Here are some other things to consider:

- 963 million people don’t have enough to eat: that’s more than the population of the US, Canada and the EU COMBINED
- 907 million people in developing countries are hungry
- Asia and the Pacific region house over half of the world’s population and nearly 2/3 of the hungry people
- More than 60% of hungry people are women
- 65% of the world’s hungry live in just seven countries: Indian, China, the Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia.

Additionally, a lot of children are starving and dying every day of malnutrition. So, when you’re bored & hanging out online or if you want to test your vocabulary or foreign language skills, hop on and do something really smart!

Lots of love,

Most of us are familiar with hostels. For some, the word conjures up images of a not-so-pleasant hole in a more than questionable area that students resort to out of necessity. Well, it’s most definitely time for us to wake up & recognize the benefits of hostelling. Hostels are actually a wonderful (read: inexpensive!) alternative to hotels for struggling students (or struggling non-students)! On a limited budget, it’s difficult to have to allocate a good portion of your funds to the place that you’ll use primarily for sleeping & bathing. That money could better be spent on tours, on admission to museums, on souvenirs or on food & drinks. Well, save some of that cash —  Hostelling International, a parent company overseeing around 4000 hostels in 80+ countries provides fairly comfy hostels for travelers (for a very reasonable price). Aside from being inexpensive, hostels have other advantages — they are wonderful meeting places for people sharing a desire to travel or for those looking to meet travelling buddies!

Hostelling International (HI) offers a membership for people interested in doing a lot of traveling and thusly, a lot of hostelling. The memberships are FREE for youth (those under 18), $28/year for adults, $18/year for Seniors (55+) or $250 for a lifetime membership. Although you can stay in a hostel without a membership, there are benefits to purchasing an annual or lifetime membership. Aside from having access to a huge network of hostels, members get discounted prices in many hostels, discounted trips and activities,  reduced price admission to museums and cultural centers as well as  savings in retail outlets!

Check it out and start saving money on accommodations! After all, how often do you want to be in your ho(s)tel when culture’s waiting outside your door?