Everything's bigger in Texas, y'all!

In the past two weeks, I've driven, with my car packed with every possession I have including my surfboard, from Boston, MA, through NYC, Washington D.C., Savannah, GA, down to Miami. From Miami I drove to Atlanta, GA, to stay with my best friend Rose then to Birmingham, Alabama and down to New Orleans for the 1st anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Took a tour of New Orleans, which I must add, is horrendous. Then I drove into Houston where my family lives. I can go no more! I stopped at my grandmother's apartment and have been crashing here for three days. She's got a great place in Houston with one caveat-it's a retirement community. I'm like Cameron Diaz in that movie "In Her Shoes" and my gramma is Shirley MacLaine.

Once I get settled in, wherever that may be, I'll upload pics of everywhere. Right now, in the fiasco that is the back of my Jeep, the cable for my camera is lost. I'm also planning a podcast, if I could only find my microphone. Hang tight! This girl is no longer living out of just her backpack, I'm living out of my car. My life used to be so simple!

New Orleans

I spent a few nights in New Orleans in the French Quarter on the one year anniversary of Katrina. I took some video of Bourbon Street which I'll upload later and went to St. Bernard Parish and the 9th Ward. Check these pictures out! For lack of a better expression, it looks like a bomb went off. Everywhere.

Safety Girl

I'm not really sure how I ran across this website, but I think the Safety Girl Roadside Emergency Kit is a really cute idea. How many times have you been in your car and in a hurry and realized you needed anit-perspirant? I'm totally serious! This has happened to me! This kit contains directions for changing a flat tire as well as tampons and chocolate. Of course, the chocolates going to melt in the summer, so you have to eat it right away! I think this a really great gift idea and know my friends would love it for their birthdays. It also contains:

* Space® Brand Emergency Blanket
* Safety Matches
* 5 Bandages
* 2 Antiseptic Wipes
* Instructions to Change a Flat Tire
* Instructions to Jump Start a Dead Battery
* Emergency Contact List
* Accident Record
* Safety GirlT Pencil
* Purified Water
* Professional Nail File

* Ritter® Sport Chocolate
* Zox Breath Freshener
* Balm of Gilead Lip Moisturizer
* Balm of Gilead Aromatherapy Headache Remedy
* OxiClean® Instant Spot Remover Wipe
* Dove Anti-perspirant
* Speedy Clean Cleansing Wipes
* Sight Savers® Eyeglass Lens Cleaning Tissue
* 3 o.b.® tampons
* Emergency Sewing Repair Kit

Backpackers.com

If Backpackers.com only knew how often I've visited their website for ideas and news. Now, today, turns out they've actually looked at mine. And, amazingly, even liked it! It's like finding out your favorite celebrity already knows who you are. Like Madonna telling me she thinks I am cool! That's how I feel about having an article about my blog on backpackers.com. Anyway, aside from checking out the fabulous things Pia had to say about this blog, go there for all the other interesting articles, hostel bookings and travel forums. Here's what Pia wrote:


"Travel blogs are springing up left right and centre – backpackers telling their story as it happens, from the road.

We think they’re great and we’re always looking for particularly good ones to feature in our ‘cool travel blogs’ category.

When I saw the heading: One Girl, Her Backpack And A Passion For Travel, I was pretty sure it was going to be just up my alley.

Catchy titles are like that.Turns out I was right. The author of this cool travel blog, Jerri Stephenson, from Boston, Massachusetts, has been travelling for some time now, making money as she goes:

‘I’m truly living out of a bag. I have no physical address to call home and never thought my life would come to this.’

She has just started making podcasts about her adventures, and is planning an epic trip to Antarctica early next year. Check it out. You go, girl!"

Where do I go from here?

I've decided to leave the wild world of yachting and go back home for a while. Not too long though in case I accidentally get sucked in and never leave. I'm still going to travel, just not by boat anymore! A door has shut behind me and I'm looking for another one to open up soon. Until then, this is what I have to look forward to!


I'm leaving here (Boston):



I'm returning here (Abilene,Texas):

Another girl traveler

I found this site today and am blown away. Megan is traveling around the world, blogging, sketching and living the life of a full-on adventurer. Check out her photos and her art which are so incredible and inspiring. Once again, I'm finding myself jealous of other travelers getting to go to cool new places.

001-Intro One Girl and Her Backpack

Episode #1 One girl, her backpack and a passion for travel is a brief introduction to the podcast and the host. The podcast will discuss travel for those who want to live the lifestyle of a traveler and not a tourist.


This is my first podcast. Let's see how it goes!

Promo One girl and her backpack

003-Boston, Antarctica and Argentina

Podcast #3 This podcast I'm discussing my last few months in Boston, my future trip to Antarctica, and my friends tour company in Argentina.

Episode #3 One Girl, Her Backpack and a Passion for Travel

National Geographic Literacy Study

I read a USA Today snapshot the other day that said 70% of Americans between the ages of 18-24 have not traveled outside of the US in 3 three years. Then today I ran across that survey on the National Geographic website. Here are some more interesting facts:

• Only one in ten (11%) corresponds with someone in another country
• Only two in ten (22%) have a passport
• Six in ten (62%) say they can’t speak any language other than their own native language fluently

Boston City Plaza and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Upload videos at Bolt.

Free Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert in Downtown Boston!

Thinking about Swaziland

As I was backpacking across South Africa about a year and a half ago my friend Martin and I made a detour into Swaziland. While there we went on a tour in the country side by Quad Bike. I was just thinking today about the guy that started the company, Rich, who took us on the tour and was wondering if his venture was still going strong in Swaziland. I looked the company up online and was surprised to find them. Looks like they are doing great! Rich was very excited about the future of tourism in Swaziland and passionate about showing travelers the harsh realities of a country affected so strongly by AIDS. Check out his site and especially his pics! It's gorgeous there!