LLWorldTour

From time to time I will be posting some righteous sites and other really cool stuff that I think is LL-worthy and you simply must check out.

This week’s link? Improv Everywhere.

This group does exactly as their name describes – the world is their stage as they create human works of art in various sketches in random locations amidst an unknowing audience who had no idea they were about to see a free live show. They’ve frozen in New York’s famous Grand Central Station.

They’ve staged one act plays on the subway – like dropping their drawers during rush hour traffic and acting like it’s completely normal.

They’ve greeted tired commuters on the way to work in the morning with random “high fives.” And they’ve welcomed home complete strangers at the airport with cheers and balloons.

As their site says:

Improv Everywhere causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places. Created in August of 2001 by Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere has executed over 80 missions involving thousands of undercover agents. The group is based in New York City.

It’s awesome and brings some joy and chaos to the average day…we could all use some more of that.

In the humble and oh-so-modest name of self-promotion, here is what’s been floating around the internet, and the radio and television airwaves about your favorite (or 3^rd favorite? Okay 5^th?), little ‘girl in the world.’

ABC’s Good Morning America – Budget Travel: How low can you go?  March 2009
Well, I was interviewed by Bill Weir and quoted on their website. Too bad the video never made air. Read the online story here where I am mentioned in the very end.

The Trip Chicks Radio Interview
While I was traveling through the Baltics, I was interviewed over the phone by Ann Lombardi of the Trip Chicks on her USA radio show: Travel Escapes which is broadcast in Atlanta and on the net. Check it out here.

MSNBC.com – The New Nomads April 2009
Nationally syndicated Travel Columnist, Chris Elliot, talks about the “New Nomads” including yours truly.

The Daily Record – Next Stop: The World April 2009
These nice folks came back for more. They did a follow up story on me and my travels to the one they’d already done about two years ago.

2008 Weblog Awards Finalist
LL World Tour was recently voted as a top 10 finalist in the 2008 Weblog Awards.

For more stories about LLWorldTour or to see where some of my writing and photography has been published you can always go to the LL Media/Press page.

Thanks for continuing to support me and travel vicariously (and literally) with me!

During my extended travels, the most common comment I heard was, ‘Wow, you’re going alone. That’s so brave.’  Many told me they didn’t think they could ever do something like this, let alone do it by themselves. But I have to reveal a little secret the rest of us world travelers share: we are never really alone. In fact, I can definitely say that I meet many more people when I’m traveling alone than I would if I was traveling with a friend or partner. As a solo traveler, you are more open, more willing to make friends, and share experiences with others along the way and this reveals itself in your actions and your face. You meet all kinds of folks–other travelers, locals, workers, children, tour guides. Many are just acquaintances for the moment; some become good friends or even more.  During my travels I am always bowled over by the kindness I receive from virtual strangers and this is the reason I travel.

To be honest (well, what good would this article be if it was all lies?), I simply prefer to be alone. When you travel solo you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. If you want to ‘take a day off’ and do nothing but update your blog or laze the day away at a café with a cappuccino and a book then that’s what you should do. There is no one to debate with or tell you why you shouldn’t be doing what you’re perfectly happy doing. And it’s not because I don’t like people (well, sometimes I don’t). The beauty of it all is that you can meet people whenever you want to…or not.  If you want alone time, it’s yours for the taking. But if you want to meet others, there are no shortages of places or ideas on how (and it doesn’t have to involve sitting at a bar all alone trying to meet someone). It is really a freedom that no one can really understand until you experience it yourself. Do it. I dare you.

As a solo girl traveler, I have been extremely fortunate in having no (knock on wood) scary or dangerous moments.  That is not saying that everywhere I went was safe. I think it was a good combination of luck and street smarts. A friend of mine was robbed at gunpoint in Quito, Ecuador a few yards from our hostel, and some of my friends have ‘lost’ their cameras along the way  – so things do happen.  But I always do my best to keep alert and aware of my surroundings and not ‘look lost.’ That’s the best you can do and obviously use your head when it comes to where you are walking around in the daytime or night. Whether you are traveling or at home it’s really all just common sense. I have also witnessed many advantages to being a solo girl in the world. In fact, this may be one of my best budget secrets: people (read: men) help a poor girl with her heavy bags; people tend to treat a lonely girl to dinner and/or drinks.  I’m all for being a strong independent woman and all, but I sure get tired of schlepping my bag all over too.

Many people have told me that my friendliness attracts friendliness and ‘goodness begets goodness.’ This is all very sweet and true.  A smile and a few words in the local language go a long way. Of course, yes, if you are a miser you are likely to not attract as many friends…but you can still probably find a bunch of people with whom you can share a drink and bitch about the world.

So get local as much as possible. Stay somewhere for a while. It is amazing at how easy it is to build communities no matter where you go.

If you’re still feeling a bit trepidatious about going it alone, here are a few ideas to get your started:

1.  The Internet

Of course while you are out seeing the world, you want to be doing exactly that, not numbing your eyeballs by staring into your computer screen (unless you are reading this blog of course). But the internet truly opens up so many doors for travelers that it has really become a necessary and amazing tool.  Not only can you book your next hostel, read about destinations, and check your dwindling bank account balance, there are tons of sites, message boards, and blogs nowadays dedicated to travel. If you are feeling homesick, there are myriad of expat sites like Expat Exchange and social networking sites like Facebook or Skype (free calls!) to keep you in touch with old friends back home and the new ones you just met in Romania.  My favorite site has to be CouchSurfing. This juggernaut of a travel community now has one million members and growing.  Although you can find free places to stay, it’s more about meeting locals from all over the globe and experiencing real life from their perspective.  You can see sights and meet folks that you would never have the opportunity to if you were just being a regular tourist. But wait there’s more! You don’t even have to ‘couch surf’ to be involved. You can contact locals just for a cup of coffee or join local CouchSurfing groups meeting up for curry or a beer. It promotes friendship, global understanding and for me, it changed my trip completely and now I have friends all over the world.

2.  Take a Tour

Nowadays, all tours are not created equal. They are not the ’sit on the bus and watch the world go by’ variety they once used to be. There are tours for all interests – hiking, camping, eating, pub-crawling. A cool way to get to know a new city is to participate in a bicycle tour. Cities from Bangkok and Buenos Aires to Berlin and Budapest offer up a closer view of the city on two wheels. And inevitably you meet the other riders and end up having new friends to join you afterwards for lunch or dinner. Longer tours, lasting a few days to weeks are great for solo travelers as you are instantly part of a family. I used the company Intrepid Travel on three different tours through Vietnam, Cambodia, and Egypt and enjoyed each one. These are a break from the challenge of figuring everything out yourself (even though this is one of my favorite parts of travel).  You bond with your fellow travelers and connect over the common interest that motivated you to take this kind of tour in the first place.

3.  Stay in Hostels

Hostels have come a long way and are a varied lot. They are not the shitholes that many still think. Every hostel is different. But the point is having a clean, safe place to stay. You are not traveling to spend time in your room, right? And also keep in mind, most hostels not only have dorm rooms, but also single and double rooms, if you are more comfortable in having your own space. This way you don’t necessarily have to sleep with ear plugs to keep out the lovely sounds of your snoring neighbor, but can still benefit from the communal atmosphere of meeting people in the kitchen or lounge.  I’ve stayed in some pretty nice places like the Beehive Hostel in Rome or Sleep Inn in Berlin that were chic and modern, friendly and cheap.  They may not be luxury hotels, but oftentimes hostels come with so many free extras that hotels do not: free tours, free breakfast, free coffee, book exchanges, movie nights, use of a washer & dryer, instant friends, and free and real advice (no concierge-just real locals with real opinions).

4.  Volunteer or Get a Job

On my two and a half year journey around the world I taught English to executives in Istanbul, served up lattes and Vegemite sandwiches in Melbourne, volunteered at an English Immersion program in Spain, and spent my Christmas week with homeless in London. These were hands down the best experiences of not only my entire trip, but possibly my entire life. Each experience gives you a window into the local culture that you just can’t get as a tourist. You become part of society-getting up, commuting to ‘work’ and making friends with your co-workers. Plus as a ‘foreigner’ you are somewhat of a novelty so people want to get to know you. In a sense, you become a bit of a celebrity. You are much more unique than you probably are back at home.  How fun is that?  Immersing yourself in a culture instead of just passing through always pays off in huge ways.

5.  Take a Class

A large part of travel is about learning – opening your heart and your mind to new experiences and cultures. The whole act of travel can be one big education. On top of that, there are classes everywhere–teaching you how to tango in Argentina, how to cook perfect spring rolls in Vietnam, and how to surf the waves at Bondi Beach.  In this way you will meet other travelers and bond over a shared interest and celebrate each other’s triumphs when you finally can say a whole sentence in Mandarin or snowboard to the bottom without falling on your ass.

6.  Friends of Friends

Before I set out on my adventures around the globe, I sent out an email to nearly everyone I had ever known or worked with and basically asked the question: ‘does anyone know anyone out there in the world?’

I was amazed at all the responses and compiled a list of these friends of friends or family members of friends. Many times when I arrived in a foreign land, I already had a date with a new ‘best friend’ lined up. Some invited me into their homes for a great local meal or even a warm bed to sleep in. And then others became good pals who I ended up hanging out with the whole time I was visiting and still keep in touch with today. These new friends introduced me to their friends and so on and so on.  It just kept on building and before I knew it, I was surrounded by a group of compadres in places like Istanbul, Spain, and London that I didn’t have just a few months prior.

You now see how to travel solo. Check out these links and read about what you can learn from traveling solo:

• Almost Fearless  – what you learn when traveling solo
• Women on the Road – Solo Travel for Women
• Nomadic Matt -  Solo Travel

My adventures were amazing, but the underlying theme of it was the wonderful people I met from all corners of the globe-good, kind people.  I developed new friendships and had some ‘romantic’ experiences as well. The people I met from all over–Vietnamese, Maori, Argentinean, Pakistani, French, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, Jewish, Christian-touched me in ways I will never ever forget.   The kindness I received from virtual strangers was undeniably the highlight of my trip. Yes, I gazed in awe at the Angkor Watt temples in Cambodia, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, and the fantastic Hagia Sofia in Istanbul.  I shared the beach with the sea lions of the Galapagos Islands, hung out with koalas in Australia, and marveled at the ancient cities of Turkey and the modern monstrosities of Dubai. But nothing can compare to meeting the people all over this earth that I now call my friends.  There are bad things going on in the world and always will be, but at the basic level of day to day existence in big cities and in small towns all over the globe people are smiling and chatting and making their little corner of the world a friendly and welcoming place.

While I traveled around the world you may have noticed my slight obsession with food. Not only did I delight in sampling local specialties and fresh locally grown produce, I was fortunate enough to have home cooked meals prepared with love and pride by my many hospitable hosts from coast to coast…to coast. So now for your own cooking and consuming pleasure I will begin a series of posts from time to time sharing these fun, simple and definitely delicious recipes from around the world.

Bon appétit! Buon appetito! Rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub!

Robert’s Israeli Tahini Sauce/Dip

• Ground Sesame seeds/Concentrated Tahina
• 1 Lemon
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• Chopped Parsley
• Water
• Olive Oil
• S&P

Put all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Eat with pita or crudite.  Super easy, fresh, and yummy! Enjoy!

…And I don’t mean my haircolor.

I have now lived more of my life away from my childhood home than I did when I was here growing up. That’s scary. I grew up in suburban middle to upper class Randolph, New Jersey. When I was a shiny, young eighteen-year-old, I left to study journalism at the University of South Carolina about 800 or so miles away. And I never returned.

Now, after about 13 years working in television, several apartments, several boyfriends, one cat, and a two-and-a-half-year trip around the world, I am back, sleeping in my ultra-girly, über-frilly, childhood twin-sized bed with  flowery sheets, a pink flowery blanket, surrounded by pink flowery wallpaper. It’s all a bit of a floral overload. But it does get me in the mood for springtime on the east coast awakening my senses to its glorious first signs – the purple heads of crocuses popping up through the no longer frozen front yard, neighborhood kids riding their bikes and playing on the street, the clean scent of freshly cut grass, and the sweet chirps of blue jays in the trees just outside my window.

Something interesting I notice: the sun seems to shine brighter here, literally. The skies are a beautiful cobalt blue, the air is crisp, and the sun is beaming down slicing through the atmosphere into my squinting eyes and warming my skin, sending me signals that winter is turning into spring.

Not only am I back for a bit, it’s like I am a teenager again. This is the easy life – I have nice bed to sleep in, I am fed, and I have no worries. Just like the old days, I ‘borrow’ my dad’s car to go see old friends or go shopping, making it the first time I have driven any car in about a year. I think because I have been living in Chicago, I haven’t seen any reminders of days gone by – but being back here now, enjoying the sunny days and small-town life,  it’s hard not to feel a bit nostalgic.

Now my father is getting remarried and will be selling our childhood home. I am finally getting rid of a lot of ‘junk’ and packing up things of mine that have sat here in this room for the last 19 years like some kind of museum to Lisa Lubin or at least a time capsule of the ‘eighties – old Bon Jovi cassette tapes, dusty tired-looking stuffed animals, my old sticker collection (what’s wrong with that?), birthday cards from nearly every year, collections of random bits of string, ‘friendship pins,’ beads, marbles, and even a great bag of cool rocks (“What did you get Charlie Brown?”) that I could just not get myself to throw away.  I also read through stacks of old school work – including what is possibly my first travel article ever, a report on Switzerland – and letters bringing back lots of memories of my childhood and teenage years here in New Jersey of the’80s – big hair, ripped acid washed jeans, and heavy metal bands.

I went to the supermarket and it felt strange how everything was in English and when I went to check out, I understood everything the cashier said. There was no need for phrases like “Désole, je ne parle pas Français or ‘Ich verste nicht’ or ‘Turkce Bilmiyorim.’ It was simple, so simple, in fact, that it was downright boring. Where’s the challenge in understanding everything?  And as I recalled from the last time I returned home – there is so much to take in here, but maybe perhaps it is because I can understand it all. When in Turkey or France or Jordan, there was also advertising in my face everywhere I went – still less of course than in some big U.S. cities – but I couldn’t read most of it anyway so it’s highly researched and tested marketing purpose was lost on me – which I kind of like. But, a very nice thing about shopping in America is that without fail, when leaving most shops you are sure to hear, ‘thank you and have a nice day.’

I went for a run around my old neighborhood in Mt. Fern and was a bit overwhelmed by the flood of memories from more than twenty years ago. I know the tears in my eyes were from the cold wind whipping into them, but the mix of  nostalgic flashbacks going on in my head turned them into real tears of times gone by. I remembered playing on our front lawn on what seemed like a big hill at the time, where we would sled down ice and snow in the winter and roll down the cushy green grass in the summer; the now rusty bell attached to our house with the words “the Lubins” written in calligraphy across it, that my dad would ring when it was time to come in for dinner; the Aboia twin’s house where we played hide and seek in their small apple orchard. As kids, we knew all the houses on the block and who lived in each: the Laneses, the Andersons, the Visiolis, the Moores, the Greccos, the Brodbecks, the Marshs, the Wingets, the Tczaps, the Nisivoccias, the Cullums, the Matulas, friendly old Mrs. Voswinkle, my best friend, Holly Zimmerman’s old house before she left me in tears in sixth grade to move to Florida, the Campson’s house, a family who we regrettably made fun of all the time, my fun little playmate and next door neighbor, Sidhu Raju’s house. Sidhu was always my buddy and a willing partner in crime to come out and play with, to hit tennis balls against the garage door, and swing on the vines on the trees in the woods next to my house. I remember riding my bike up and down the street, sitting on May Burgess’ lawn waiting for the ice cream truck to ding by. And playing my favorite outdoor summer games with my brother: running bases, kick the can, s.p.u.d., and regular-old-tag.

I walked (or ran is more like it since I was notoriously late) up and down my street every morning and afternoon school day to catch the number 64 bus driven by Mrs. Crane.  As we got older the games changed and all the neighborhood kids didn’t hang out with each other anymore. We each had our own groups and cliques and the times of being friends with everyone, no matter what, were over.   We played less outside and more on our Intellivision game inside or spent weekend afternoons roaming the Rockaway Townsquare Mall, eating a McD.L.T. and diet Coke at McDonald’s and buying earrings at Claire’s.

And all this was now more than twenty years ago. Where did all the time go? I’ve done so much and been so far and yet being back here for the first extended amount of time since then made me feel like I’d barely been gone. Most of the neighbors I remember had moved away. Most of my childhood friends, just as myself, had done the same.

In high school, when I finally got my braces off, replaced my glasses with contacts, and shed my baby fat, well, not much happened. I still felt the same.  Eventually, guys started to notice me and I started dating here and there, but it wasn’t until the end of my senior year that I fell in love for the first time with a boy that had lived just 2 blocks away from me the whole time. He was the best first boyfriend a young girl could ever ask for. He was so sweet and kind and made me laugh until tears came out my eyes. He treated me like a princess and I think spoiled me for all my future relationships. Sometimes I wonder why there were any future relationships. But, I left him back in Randolph when I went off to university and my days of wandering began.

Now I was back and living ‘at home’ again. On one of my first nights back, my dad and step-mom-to-be took me to what is possibly, the ultimate symbol of suburban Americana: the Chinese Buffet. Filled with hungry overstuffed, pants bursting patrons, these establishments dot the New Jersey landscape in ugly highway-side strip malls lined with neon signs and surrounded by huge flat parking lots filled with SUVs. The inside is classic: green cushioned chairs and booths and tables partitioned with a lovely etched glass of some forlorn Asian-looking fish. Some extra large patrons shuffled by with plates of food piled so high, I guess they didn’t want to hassle with that extra effort of actually standing up too often to help themselves to another gargantuan portion of fried greasy noodles. This is America. At least you knew it in the cross section of people around: Indians, Asians, Russians, and the regular-old former European Jersey rednecks. Oh, and us of course.