So Many Places- So Little Time

Hello everyone. I just returned from an amazing journey around the world, searching for sites for future Best of Both Adventure travel opportunities. I hugged koala bears in Australia, met with the Maori tribe in New Zealand, rode elephants in Bali and went to Buddhists temples in Singapore. These are just a few countries visited and experiences enjoyed all of which were documented along the way for different blogs, online magazines and newspapers. . I still have a few more countries to go, but I thought I would stop off in my Argentine home to get a little snow skiing in before I head off to ski in Portillo, Chile, then off to La Paz Bolivia to the famous Lake Titicaca, then to Peru to climb up to Machu Pichu and then to Equador to explore the Andes and desolate beaches. After , I will finally return to Puerto Rico for the up and coming Surf and Yoga Retreats starting in Nov 2009.

Throughout my journey many people ask- How can you be gone so long without missing your home or tiring of travel? My answer is that I feel at home on the road just as much as anywhere. India, Bali, Greece, Buda pest, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Bangkok; I feel a special kinship with all of these places because there is so much to see so much to learn and so much to do. I feel all of these places simply capture my imagination in many ways.

People ask: How you can afford to travel so much –do you have a travel trust fund- what’s the story? Well other than the fact that I own a travel company, traveling the world for me is more a matter of desire and willpower than some privileged set of circumstances. I didn’t travel much when I was a kid with my parents , nor did I have much money growing up, but at a very young age I still made my way across the world whenever possible. I felt like it was my calling and still is. I constantly tell people you don’t need tons of money to take your dream trip around the world, you just need the right attitude. Simply decide to do it. It’s actually really motivating once you’ve made the decision to set out and make your dream journey, even if that journey won’t be a reality for another couple years. What might be an otherwise ordinary two years of working in an Mundane job can actually be kind of exhilarating when you know that this work is going to finance an amazing adventure. That’s why I encourage everyone to embrace their work, even if they don’t particularly like it. Put things into perspective and realize that you’re only given so many years in life. Which memory will you remember best in your old age? A journey across Europe or maybe Africa? A uninterrupted 20-year stretch of working and saving for retirement? Ask yourself which it is going to be and what makes your life experiences richer.

I don’t mean to knock those who choose not to do this, but if you’ve dreamed of getting out and exploring the world at some point in life, I think it’s worth it to forego some stability as a trade off for that life-adventure. I have yet to hear from anyone who regrets it

Remember travel is like air we need it to live life
Dez Bartelt

2009/2010 Surf and Yoga Retreat Dates

Over the last few years I have not been able to spend as much time at our Surf and Yoga Retreats as I would have liked, but this next season will be different. I have set my plans to personally run the next five retreats in Puerto Rico. I started Best of Both to be with you, spend time with you, and to learn from you. I give my personal guarantee Best of Both Surf and yoga will be better than ever this year and I’ll be right there with you!

In response to past requests, a newly added feature this season is a more varied activity schedule. I know not everyone wants to just surf as the main activity besides the yoga and great healthy meals, so we have added other possibilities like snorkeling, kayaking, or hiking to and amazing water fall. Now you can come learn how to surf, practice yoga, eat amazing healthy meals, and enjoy a little more fun on the side all at the same price!

Best of Both teams up with actress Kristin Kreuk and Kendra Voth from Girls by Design to bring young women together. Some of you may know of Kristin from the hit TV series Smallville as well as her latest blockbuster Street Fighter- The Legend of Chun-Li.

Kendra is one of Kristin’s best friends, as well as the co producer of Smallville and co partner in Girls by Design. They work towards CREATING a PLACE where teen girls can come together to EXPLORE, EXPRESS, CREATE and realize their potential.

I started to work with them about 5 months ago, when they asked me to write weekly about my world travels. It has been an amazing experience and I recommend everyone to check out their web site (especially if you have a teen daughter!). You can check out some of my articles as well as the comments from my readers. All at http://girlsbydesign.com/blog/

My hero; a rain drop on a rock

Imagine Vienna being bombarded late in to the night of October 1942 as a small child is born to the wakeup call of Hitler. Minutes after the birth of this little girl more screeching alarms began to fill this amazing but tragic night as the mother rushes to the local bomb cellar and presses this new born to her breast with one hand. Still gripping the uncut umbilical cord with the other hand, the mother and new born child cram into the cellar with other frightened women and children who are terrified to death. They huddle in this small dark, space waiting out the long night in fear of being discovered or even killed.

Now Imagine talk show host Oprah Winfrey Alicia Keys, Bill Clinton, Bono, Chris Rock, Iman, Jessica Alba, Johnny Clegg, Lenny Kravitz, and Shakira, just to name, a few all dressed in stylish black clothes striking poses surrounded by accessories and props to promote helping children in Africa to get the vital AIDS drugs they need. This is all helpful and we love them for it, but……..

Now go back to this little girl from Vienna that has lived a life that you and I as well as the celebrities I just mentioned could not even begin to understand.

This amazing little girl is now a 66 year old women doing more alone to combat aids in Africa then all the celebrities in their stylish dress and fancy parties ever could. This amazing woman gives every last penny she has from her pension(which let me tell you is not much) to support the aids victims in Africa. The key to her success is not just money however, but education. She gives her life and her talent to teach the young and old how to avoid aids. The celebrities can send as much money and drugs they want and all is needed, but unless people have the education it will never stop. This amazing woman risks her life every day to travel to small villages in war zones of Africa to produce educational plays. One of the main things we forget is that handing pamphlets out to villages will often just be used to start a fire for cooking because most Africans in the villages cannot read. On the other hand, to see their faces enlightened when a play is preformed and understood is truly amazing. As she performs her shadow play she is like the famous drop of water on the hot rock. Even as the water quickly evaporates, she believes that each life counts and she continues unshakable and endures as energetically as she can. She is a single woman all alone in the shadows.

This is an amazing story and an even more amazing woman. I will be travelling with her next year to help her in this amazing project. I will be the next drop of water on the rock and my goal is to seek other people to do just the same and add to the rain drops and make a puddle, then a pond, and maybe even in the future a lake of rain drops which will not just evaporate as if it were just one.

Lindsey Smolan is our new public relations consultant for Best of Both Adventures for Women. With a passion for travel, the environment, and the media, it was only natural that Lindsey be the publicist for Best of Both Adventures. She has experience with both public relations and the travel industry, and loves working with the media and spreading the word about Best of Both Adventures.

Ever since she was younger, she was always fascinated by journalism and the media industries, and knew that she wanted to somehow incorporate that into a career. When she found out about Best of Both Adventures and its aim to empower women by teaching them to push themselves physically and mentally, she knew that the company had a lot of potential and wanted to be a part of it and help to promote it.

After studying for two months in Australia while in college, Lindsey’s wanderlust was sparked and she knew that she wanted to spend the rest of her life traveling and learning about how doing so can impact oneself and the world we share. Subsequent travels have included destinations such as Toronto and Florida, and she hopes to visit Brazil, Thailand, Spain, and Morocco in the not too distant future.

“With Lindsey on board, she has ski rocket Best of Both Adventures into a wealth of web and print publications. Helping to spread the word about our trips and events. She also handles all of Dez’s personal appearances. For all media contact, Lindsey can be reached at lindseysmolan@gmail.com.” Thank you Lindsey we love having you on board