For a few years now, people have asked me what I do for a living. I mumble about blogging and writing and they follow up with, "So you do that full time?" The answer was always no, as I had a few side jobs to make ends meet. This included a job for a rep group that sold wholesale items to stores … [Read more...] about On Falling Without a Net
manifesto
Things That Are Better As a Solo Traveler
If you travel solo, as I do, there are certainly ups and downs. Sometimes things get awkward, lonely and difficult. There are long bus rides, travel illnesses, lost bookings and plenty of mishaps. But there are a lot of things that are better as a solo traveler. These are the things you have a hard … [Read more...] about Things That Are Better As a Solo Traveler
On Guilt and Apologies
I've always been called a worrywart. Anxious. Guilty. I'm full of emotion at any given time. There's always a voice in the back of my head thinking, "Did I say something stupid? Does everyone hate me?" People make jokes about Catholic guilt, but I have non-denominational guilt. Sociopaths are … [Read more...] about On Guilt and Apologies
How Travel Saved Me
The Caroline of 2002 is a shell of who I am today. If I saw her, I'm not sure I would recognize her. She spent the first few days of trips to Paris and London in the darkened hotel room watching television and hardly eating. She wouldn't try new dishes and avoided leaving her comfort zone. She … [Read more...] about How Travel Saved Me
On Dealing with Haters and Doubters
"You don't even want to find a job. You just sit on your computer all day." I flipped around at my then-boyfriend, incredulous. We were arguing about why I hadn't found a "real" job yet and about my "hobby" of blogging. I should have known then, but I didn't. It would be easy to cast him as … [Read more...] about On Dealing with Haters and Doubters