Ceridwyn Parr meets SoulSisters:

For me SoulSisters implied there is always a possibility that someone you travel with becomes a very good friend , or soulmate. Nothing like travelling together to test a relationship. My second thought was to do with soul and spirit – that was closer to the mark. Soulsisters is about soul, and women travelling together to places with spiritual significance. A great idea. Read more

Our Venus Adventures guide Jennie warns us about the traffic in Saigon – we thought Hanoi was challenging.  Wow!  Motorbikes everywhere all times of the day and night. We are staying at The Spring Hotel, which is close to the historic opera house, Post Office and lots of up market shopping as well as the big Ben Thanh market one of the landmarks in Saigon.  We are here for three nights, to do some sightseeing, some shopping and figure out how to fit everything in our bags to take home. Read more

Dianne Sharma-Winter writes: I came across this term Conscious Travel on the internet the other day as I was fishing in the great sea of communication that flows across continents and consciousness. With the corporate office where I came to share my talents with a company who promotes themselves as one which offers cultural insights as it’s unique selling point in the background, I skim read the blog and wondered at the vagaries of life.

My recent experience of this kind of Five Star “Stick Your Telescopic Lens in the Face of a Villager”, who has been paid to entertain you with the charming aspect of their desperately simple lifestyles” approach to tourism was perhaps the best example of Unconscious Tourism, a kind of tourism that smacked of voyeurism is something that I despise. Read more

Guest Blog by Karen A. Chase reflecting on being a Deliberate Tourist. “I went to Paris. I was about to turn forty. I wanted to see all Paris had to offer and you simply can’t do that in a six days-and-five-nights stay, and this was my fortieth. It was something to celebrate. So I saved, planned and spent a year preparing for it, and decided to go for a month.”

Bonjour 40: A travel log – (40 years. 40 days. 40 seconds) Read more

I have just come across the phrase Conscious Travel today – and was excited and intrigued.  This is definately a movement I want to be part of and see where it takes us.

Conscious.Travel is both a movement and a learning program that enables places to attract and welcome guests in a manner that doesn’t cost the earth. Read more

Working in the city may have its compensations, but looking out the window sometimes we dream of a different lifestyle.  Christine Lewis left the corporate world in London and swapped it for a ‘tree change’ in the spa town of Hepburn Springs in Victoria, Australia. Read more

Bev  Saunders had a sister Jennifer who has inspired her to live her dreams and to help other women do that too. In honour of her late sister Bev created the Jennifer’s Journey website focused for women and travel.

The day before she passed, we lamented our lost opportunity and the fact that we hadn’t made the time to travel together. “We would have had fun,” we said.  One thing Jen taught me is that today is for living your dreams, not tomorrow.

Life is mysterious, and since her passing, the “signs” Jen promised to send, have shown me that life is a journey, perhaps one that never ends.

Jennifer’s Journey is a contemporary travel resource for women featuring activities from the exhilarating to the serene, that combine fun, relaxation, and new experiences, while fostering friendships, confidence, and self discovery. Each page is a delightful portrayal of both the inspirational journeys and the fascinating women who’ve taken them.

Las Olas Surf Safaris for Women

Bev is also the face behind  Las Olasis recognized as the world’s premier surf camp for women. Since 1997, Las Olas has introduced thousands of women to surfing. Week long safaris include accommodations, lessons, yoga, massage, and more. Las Olas was noted by the San Francisco Chronicle as “The Golden Door of Surf Camps” and The Malibu Times as the “#1 Surf Camp for Women.” Las Olas has been featured in O, the Oprah Magazine, Newsweek, Time, Outside, Travel & Leisure, Wall St Journal, and more.

Our motto: We make girls out of women.

Ceridwyn Parr reviews  A Slow Walk Across Spain: Walking the Camino de Santiago by Karen Manwaring
Published by Watermelon Press 2010

In 2008 I took a short walk at the top of Spain – 115km over 6 days, on the historical Camino to Santiago on the north west tip of Spain.  The moment I arrived in the ancient cobbled city of Santiago, I knew I would have to go again. And do the whole 1000km next time. Now I have found the perfect book to prepare me for the second trip, so I won’t get lost, and I won’t get the terrible shin splints which took me staggering into the cathedral in Santiago. Read more

Karen Manwaring writes of her journey across Spain walking the Camino de Santiago – the Pilgrims Way, and of the book she published to help others on the journey

Karen’s website is www.caminocalling.com

‘Camino’ is Spanish for ‘way’ or ‘path’ and ‘Santiago’ translates from the Spanish as ‘Saint’ (Sant) ‘James’ (Iago). There are many Caminos de Santiago -  pilgrimage routes that begin in France, Italy, Belgium, England and beyond. Some are still clearly marked and walked by modern pilgrims, although most are not as busy as they were in medieval times. However, the Camino Frances, across Northern Spain has just about surpassed its medieval popularity. Read more

Rather than chasing Happiness, the Buddhist philosophy suggests that we simply let go of that what makes us unhappy.

The very notion of chasing something has a sense of urgency about it. With Urgency comes anxiety, and of course with anxiety comes illness and with illness comes unhappiness.

Sarah writes:

I’ve just completed a 7 day stay at the Golden Door Health Retreat in Queensland and would recommend it to anyone. Read more