Archives 2013

Merry Christmas, Cube Abandoners!
We hope the year ahead is as stunning, rich, and full as the year behind us soon will be. With warm moments spent with friends and family, and a life that fills full and happy.

2013 was a transition year for ATC. We traveled quite a bit in the USA, our motherland, but only traveled abroad twice, to our northern and southern neighbors. 2013 saw our first trip to Cancun, Mexico, and stunning winter visit to Niagara Falls, Canada. You can find a whole album of trip pics from Cancun in the gallery!

Inside the USA we traveled from Michigan to the east coast, then straight across the nation stopping in Nashville (go country music!) to Memphis (where we met soul singer Al Green) to the Presidential Library in Arkansas, to Oklahoma (where the world’s largest McDonald’s is) and on to Colorado (where the Garden of the Gods was a big attraction) to Utah, Idaho and then Oregon (go ducks!) and on to Washington state, where we were saturated in a light but constant drizzle.

After a few weeks in Washington we did the trip in reverse along the northern route, hitting the long stretch across Montana and the fun sites of South Dakota (Rushmore, Wall Drug and Corn Palace) and then on to visit family in Minnesota, Illinois and then out to the coast again. A full circular tour of the motherland, and a wonderful one.

Michael and Lauren also got married this year in the southern USA. Thank you to all our lovely friends and family who traveled from around the planet to be in, and attend our nuptials. It means the world to us that you came from around the blue planet to be at our humble event.

Now we’re in North Carolina, situated in the Piedmont area between the mountains and the ocean. You’ll find us outside with our daughter or inside, writing this blog and gazing at maps as we plan future adventures.

With the new year dawning, we have some exciting plans for travel within the USA. This massive country has so much to offer, so many amazing national parks, sites and of course splattered across the USA there is one of the largest of everything imaginable, from frying pans to balls of twine…and we want to see them all.

We hope your holidays are full of joy and fun!
Merry Christmas, from Abandon the Cube!

ATC has joined the digital age (well, I guess we were kinda there already but now we’re even more digital) and we’ve loaded our first edited Youtube video. Rocked it!

ATC Does Turkmenistan!

-or-

 

Let us know what you think! This is the first one of many and they will get better as we learn to edit and snazz up the video content.

Enjoy!

Staying fit and active is an essential factor to healthy living. The only thing is, running on a treadmill or pounding the cross trainer isn’t fun for those of us who aren’t gym bunnies and it isn’t an appealing option while you’re travelling. So, if you’re looking for inspiration to make fitness fun, look no further.

Here are our favorite options for staying active and enjoying yourself at the same time:

Bouldering

Climbing walls have increased in popularity recently, even popping up in gyms as more and more people are discovering the benefits of climbing for building strength and staying fit. Bouldering is a form of rock climbing that involves some tactical thinking as well as careful planning, making it a work out for your brain as much as your body.

It’s safest (and most convenient) to do this indoors as you don’t need to invest in so much equipment. And, you can take part whatever the weather.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/liquene/4137504741/

Snowboarding

You don’t need to live near the mountains to enjoy snowboarding as there are plenty of dry slopes to practice on. Although, these can be a little rough, quite literally, it you fall. That’s no deterrent though as there are lots of indoor facilities these days that provide snow covered slopes and, once you’ve honed your snowboarding skills, you can use it as the perfect excuse to get away for winter holidays!

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/18percentgrey/3345699782/

Hula Hooping

We all remember it from childhood; the classic hula hoop was always a fun, if not a frustrating activity. For adults though, spinning a special weighted hoop is a great way to tone up! It works your core muscles and is ideal for toning your abs, glutes (to give you a firm bum) and thighs! It’s also highly addictive as you try to perfect your technique to keep your hula hoop spinning for as long as possible.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suprememoocow/5053874762/

Kitesurfing

This water sport is something everyone must try at least once. It’s constantly growing in popularity, which reflects just how incredible an experience it is.

A lot like surfing but even better, kitesurfing adds wind power into the mix, meaning you can fly high above the waves and soar across the sea as you cling to a huge kite. You’ll find kitesurfing improves your strength, balance, agility and reaction times. Not only that, it provides a huge adrenaline rush as you whizz across the waves.

There are lots of places where you can try this sport but one of the best by far is Morocco.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/erase/3044679142/

The weather here is perfect with constant winds, sun, and blue waters. Check out the Explora Morocco website to find out more about kitesurfing in Essaouira, on the North West coast of Morocco.

Doga

Everyone knows about yoga, but few people have tried Doga. It’s a trend which started, like so many off-the-wall crazes, in the US when health-conscious dog owners asked for a way of combining their favorite exercise with spending quality time with their pets.

Now Doga is growing in popularity in the UK too. Doga is said by practitioners to create a better bond between owners and their pets, while offering their dogs the same health benefits yoga provides to people.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/1000photosofnewyorkcity/5588487454/

It certainly gives the exercise position the downward dog a whole new meaning.

Whichever activity you opt for, if you find exercise boring, you won’t carry on with your workout routine. By searching for a sport, hobby or activity which you enjoy, you’ll get fitter and healthier without it feeling like a chore.

Well… I went to my first ever gun show last weekend in Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA. As part of the south, the gun laws are more lax than in other states (NC recently legalized carrying guns in public parks, for example). At the same time, you need a permit to buy a handgun (not a rifle though) and you need to take a class before being granted a conceal and carry permit. So, there is some control but it seems more like red tape than actually controlling anything. Anyways, I was excited to see what it was all about. (Please excuse the photos, I took them with my phone.)

For starters, the paranoia over the second amendment being revoked seems entirely unfounded. There were two groups of people at the gun show: 2nd amendment buffs (of which there were around 1.5k) and protestors (of which there were about 7). I don’t think many folks out there want a total repeal of the second amendment (the right to bear arms, fyi) but after seeing some of the SAMs (surface-to-air missiles) at the gun show I may agree with a minimization of what people can buy on the open market. And here’s why:

1) Without more comprehensive background checks how can we ensure that the people owning these ridiculously powerful and advanced weapons are sane enough to use them responsibly? What does a responsible person do with a SAM? It is in all of our best interest not to have lunatics with rocket propelled missiles, SAMS or even heavy caliber machine guns. I wouldn’t want to encounter an angry mentally challenged person with a box cutter– let alone an arsenal of crazy shit only useful in an actual all-out war. These weapons are not designed to protect your home, your rights or your possessions–they are designed for wars of attrition.

That being said, I think that if the background check process were cleaner, more efficient and had more defined criteria I may be more prone to consider the options. As it stands now, we’re looking at a criminal history report were felonies prohibit some rights. What about all the other signs of instability? I’m open to hearing ideas on how to make a fair background check process but not open to the idea of allowing anyone who wants one to have an arsenal of military-grade equipment in their basement. Case and point: at the gun show in WS, NC I was accosted by a man of questionable mental status who clearly did not understand normal social boundaries. He grabbed both of my arms and stood inches from my body and proceeded to ask if I was married, to whom, and if I’d consider a divorce. The man was obviously not all there. What was he doing at a gun show? I’d be scared to meet this kind of man in the parking lot alone if he were armed and I wasn’t. I don’t think the solution is an ever-escalating arms race between the sane and the deranged wherein I’d be safe in that same parking lot if I were also armed, quick to draw and had a high enough caliber weapon to ensure I was safe. That just seems silly.

I think one point in that defense is sufficient. Moving on…

I was impressed, to some degree, by the amount of expertise on the ground. I met one young man (under 30) who was offering detailed information on a replica revolver from 1880. He was fascinated and grew more animated as he talked. He knew when I walked up I couldn’t afford the revolver but just wanted to share in his excitement about that piece of history. I really enjoyed that, and the other antique or replica items on site. Some of these people are real patriots with a deep sense of history, and I admire that greatly. That, to me, was worth the ridiculous $9 admission fee.

Outside the show there were a few protestors (see crappy cell-phone image below as photos were discouraged at the show). I admire the protestors and their belief that standing out in the sun for hours on end with signs will have an impact. They are preaching to the wrong crowd, but at least they are preaching. I loved the dichotomy of the gun show folks vs the protestors and how peacefully it was all transacted.

All in all, I probably won’t be a gun show attendee in the long run, but it was quite an experience. My favorite part of the day was when a man with a rifle that looked like something out of CounterStrike came up to me to tell me I didn’t have the right to take photos. Ha! The second is strong with that one, but other freedoms–not so much.

When one Abandons the Cube one has little money. Still, with a bit of creativity you can do wonders. I was reading a few blogs and came across a lovely idea to make a headboard out of cardboard. Stop! Don’t click away, it’s true! You can do it and not have it look like a piece of trash. This blog post, in particular, had a lot of neat ideas. I went a different route ultimately, but this was a nice bit of incentive. Thanks Michelle!

I started out by cutting the shape I wanted out of a giant piece of cardboard. We had recently purchased a crib for our infant and the box was perfect and in good condition. I used a basket to draw the rounded parts on the cardboard and then used the old adage of measuring twice and cutting once. This headboard is seven feet across and four feet high in the center. The two winged edged are three feet high.

After cutting out the shape I wanted, I used all the Styrofoam padding the crib had been wrapped in. I laid out the large sheets and then cut them to fit the cardboard shape. I used packing tape to secure them to the cardboard. I used a knife to cute the shapes to the exact dimensions of the cardboard. Much easier than scissors. After this, I used the foam wrapping that came with the crib to wrap around my frame to give it more shape and erase some uneven edges. I taped this all in place.

At this point, I had fully intended to make the headboard come all the way to the bottom of the piece I had cut out. But, I ran out of Styrofoam and foam wrap so I cut a clean line along the bottom.

I got married recently and had a burlap and lace vineyard wedding. I still had strips of 7 foot long burlap from the table runners so I grabbed these and decided to do a woven pattern of burlap across the padding. I thought this would be a nice, neutral color for our bedroom. Weaving isn’t easy, but the strips were not clean cut and I didn’t think trying to line them up would look nice so it was the only real option. Plus, I already had it on hand and it was free.

So, I took the strips and put them atop the frame and kind of wove them together. Once I had created a mat I used hot glue to tack the bottom and left side to the frame. When it was set I went to the right side and pulled the strips tight, tacking them down.

The hardest part was the uneven top. This would require a lot of pulling and tacking, waiting and pulling some more. Once I got the top secured I thought the weave looked pretty nice. It still needed some embellishments. I stenciled on a few black shapes.

On a side note, a few days ago I made a burlap lamp shade and then a burlap lamp base out of more of the leftover burlap from the wedding. To make the larger lamp shade I took the old one and used a stencil to cut flour de lune shapes using an exacto-knife out of the crusty lampshade fabric. Then I pulled burlap tight over the whole frame and used hot glue to tack it into place, pulling as I went around the edges. I trimmed it with velvet ribbon. When the light is on, the shapes appear and add a nice elegant touch. I used hammered spray paint to cover the once gold stand and kind of update it. You can see the lamp on the left in the image above.

To make the smaller lamp stand (see the images above, lamp on the right) I found a frame at Goodwill and used hot glue to tack the burlap in place. I used the same velvet black ribbon to bunch in the center, giving it an elegant look. I had the old lampshade in the attic already.

These lamps were put in the bedroom to kind of pull it all together into a burlap room. Too much? Not enough? If the walls were a different color I think it would look nicer. Also, the wall isn’t big enough to support the headboard (doh!) so the whole setup is off to one side.

At any rate I didn’t spend much to make this stuff. We had the old lamp and burlap on hand, all the cardboard and padding were here, the tape was already here. The only thing I purchased was the hammered spray paint, the smaller lamp frame and the exacto-knife. I simply scrounged around with a bit of creativity and pulled it into a headboard and two lamps—and a whole new bedroom look. Thoughts? If it sucks, be honest!

If you like to keep up with what’s going on, you’ll have heard a lot of people discussing the so-called Trickle-Down Effect. Although there’s pretty much nothing out there to back it up, this theory has been a big thing in conservative economics since the early 80s. It basically states that where plenty of people get rich, sooner or later there will be more for the not-so-rich. Or, in blunt speak: Cheer the people who skim the most, because they make your life possible by buying plenty of stuff.

Although this kind of thing’s influence on the poor man’s wallet is often disputed, one thing’s for sure: Where the rich flock, the level of quality available for money will soon rise. After all, they won’t just go for anything. So it’s actually not all that surprising that land based casinos have more to offer than just gambling, like better quality food and accommodation than a motel or a burger joint, not to mention a website.
You need us to convince you, you’re saying?

The Golden Steer is famous among other things because the Rat Pack were regulars. Visitors less accustomed to Sin City’s endless bling will find it a relaxingly modest place. They’re especially known for their beef – this is your place to go if you’re after prime rib, New York and fillet steaks. On the menu you’ll also find generous portions of escargots de Bourgogne, Pommes de Terre Lyonnaise and oysters Rockefeller. And as you’re in Las Vegas, the cocktails come in generously-sized glasses as well.

Certified to be green and sustainable is what the B&B Ristorante can claim to be. You may not believe it, but this restaurant is in Las Vegas, where “sustainable” isn’t really the first adjective that comes to mind. Chefs Jason Neve, Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich cook up an Italian menu that can easily keep up with the best Italian restaurants of New York. If you’re into the foodie scene, you’ll know of course that Batali runs one of those, too – the Babbo. The main difference’s just that it’s a damn sight simpler to get a table in Las Vegas than in the Big Apple.

Our next stop is actually part of a casino resort: The China Poblano at the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino. If you’ve ever thought about getting a taste of huitlacoche, this is the safe environment you’re looking for. The chef demonstrates great skill combining traditional Chinese and Mexican cuisine. Chef José Andrés’ personal show stage, this place probably has the best take-out you’ve had in your life.

Saipin Chutima and her husband Bill took over the Lotus of Siam late in 1999. They turned a hardly known tiny Thai restaurant in one of Vegas’ best places to eat. They got a favorable review in Gourmet Magazine that catapulted them to fame. One of the reasons for this is the fact that the couple hail from the North of Thailand, not the South, where most of what we’d typically recognize as Thai cooking is from. The Chutimas’ cooking is an interesting journey into centuries of family cooking, with the guests getting to enjoy recipes that have been in the family for generations.

The last spot we’ll have a look at here is the Comme ça, a carefully set up French-style bistro. All things French are to be had here: Moules Frites, steak Tartare, duck Confit, you name it. Combine this with the view of Vegas’ own version of Paris, and this really makes for something. Although one of the more modest venues in Vegas, no doubt, this is a nice place to go for a (still pretty sizable!) snack.

That’s right folks, we’ve tied the knot. After seven years of traveling around the globe together we finally took the real, ultimate plunge into an unknown and scary realm.

After so many trials and journeys the wedding itself didn’t seem to propose too many problems, at least in the planning phase. Lauren did the planning. Mike did the booze runs to keep her fueled. Thus it was that a wedding for 90 was planned that included 17 wedding party members. We had guests that came from China, the U.K, Italy, and the far corners of these lovely United States including Oregon, California, Washington, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Michigan and many, many more. Needless to say the spreadsheet for incoming flights was long.

The wedding itself was beautiful. We rented a vineyard in North Carolina but were rained out of our lovely site. It was more than rain, it was a monsoon! The rivers spewed over their banks and into the ceremony site. Lovely guests and family members grabbed chairs and bibles and ran for the hills. We moved the ceremony to the reception hall, which was a covered barn atop a hill. A wiser wedding planner would have always had the ceremony up hill. Alas, live and learn!  The improvised ceremony went smoothly with many readings, and a lovely song by a good friend. There were speeches following, and dancing, cake cutting and bouquet tosses. There was much wine consumed and quite a few bottles of whiskey. By the end of the evening my sister and her husband had decorated our cabin for us, and our car (as evidenced by the photo!). The wedding was over!

Today we leave on our honeymoon. Five days in the Bahamas. This isn’t our normal style of travel so we thought it would be appropriate for a special occasion. Lauren’s first idea was a backpacking trip through Norway, which she scaled back to a backpacking trip in the Andes. Which Mike scaled back to a 5-day cruise to the Bahamas. First couple’s spat? Unlikely as they are both happy to just be going somewhere new and exciting. Here we come, Freeport!

With the wedding over, do we feel different? Nope! We’re glad we got to see all our lovely friends and family, but when it comes down to it we’ve been together so long that the next day was just that– a next day! That’s the thing about relationships. They grow and morph, but there really isn’t one big thing that will change another person completely. Mike still sleeps in and is always late. Lauren still over-plans and is always impatient. Vo

Our lovely and talented photographer compiled a video photo compilation of the wedding which we’re happy to share with you now. Wedding Video. And now, our ship awaits. Adieu!

That’s right, we just spent eight days in Cancun. While I did originally think that Cancun would be a ghost town in summer (100-degree weather and high humidity) it was packed. Cancun was lovely and temperate and exactly the tropical vacation I was hoping it would be.

This was my first time to the Caribbean (not associated with a cruise ship, anyway) and I was impressed with every aspect of the pre-fab vaca. We stayed at the RIU palace las Americas on the hotel strip. One interesting factoid about the Cancun hotel strip is that in the 70’s there was nothing out there. It was a bit too swampy to build on.  A local told us that some Las Vegas investor came down, saw the land and had the idea to buy it, develop it for plumbing, wiring, etc and then sell plots to high-end hotels. I guess this guy is a multi-millionare now for having the vision.  Anyways, it was neat to imagine it untouched. The RIU Palace where we stayed was out on a point and, after walking much of the beach from end-to-end, we found it had about the nicest swimming area and a stunning outcrop of rocks where exotic, tropical fish liked to linger. I’d recommend the RIU. It was all-inclusive for 180 a person per day, which made it expensive for us but worth it because restaurants in the area are about USD30 a person per meal. The front-desk staff are horrible but everyone else on staff were fantastic.

After three days at the all-inclusive we rented a condo for the remaining 5 days in downtown Cancun. The condo was 70USD a day and slept ten people (we only had four). This is what I’d do in the future as it was cheap and closer to cheap food and real Cancun.

From the condo we headed out to see chichen itza, a Myan city-center worshiping the snake, whom they saw as the go-between for the underworld (where we all came from) and earth (where we temporarily live). The tower itself is a fantastic display of human engineering and had a lot of neat features, like the number of steps equaled stuff on their calendar, etc. When we arrived it started to thunder and soon lightening appeared over the tower. This hit home the idea of how many people were sacrificed there.

We also went to one of the famous sink holes. Reportedly, they would throw people into these as sacrifices as well. The snake (and all life) issued from these holes so it made sense to toss in sacrifices to please the origin of life. Anyways, we swam in them and it was hard not imagine hundreds of bodies trapped 150-feet down just reaching up at your toes.

We also stopped at a replica Mayan village (read: tourist trap). This was one of those annoying things tour groups do and is one of the main reasons I always avoid tours. This time we decided to go with a tour only because the roads were reportedly unsafe to drive on. They were fine. Next time, we’ll drive!

Now that you have the overview of our trip, I’ll post more in-depth blogs about each day!

The Ultimate USA Multi-Center Vacation
It’s no wonder that the USA lends itself well to multi-center vacations. The sheer vastness of the country means that it’s impossible to explore it if you don’t take advantage of multi-stop trips, so that you don’t have to confine yourself to one resort. A visit to San Francisco, for example, is all well and good but what about the rest of California? Then, of course, there’s the east coast – when do you get to explore that?

With reputable providers such as Trailfinders, you can guarantee that there’ll be a multi-centre holiday in the USA that will suit your dreams perfectly and if there isn’t, you can ask to create a tailormade trip that does. Take a look at some of these examples of ultimate US vacations and be inspired by the ideas that they hold.

Twin-Center: New York & Florida
Both situated on the east coast of America, with a 3 hour connection flight, you won’t have to worry too much about jetlag and long haul journeys. Start in the cosmopolitan city of New York, where you can explore the bustling centre. Feast your eyes on Times Square, head to the top of the Empire State Building or enjoy a boat ride around Liberty Island to see the magnificent statue herself, before enjoying a classic Broadway show.

From here, hop on one of the connecting flights that can take you directly into Orlando, Tampa or Miami depending on what you want the second half of your family to be focussed on. Does a relaxing beach break tickle your fancy? If so, Miami could be perfect for you. Fancy some thrills and an adrenaline rush? Then Orlando and its multitude of theme parks would be ideal.

Twin Center: Hawaii & Las Vegas
Perfect for honeymooners and couples who want to experience the bright lights of Sin City and the relaxation and pristine beauty of Hawaii in one vacation. Have a flutter in one of the outrageous casinos or see one of the notorious shows, before heading over to the luxurious islands of Hawaii, where you can relax to your heart’s content.

Multi-Center: Route 66
Fly into Chicago before picking up your hire car for a trip on Route 66 – the most famous interstate in America. Otherwise known as the Mother Road, a drive along Route 66 will take you through various cities and past numerous attractions that will contribute to the ultimate All-American road trip.

Highlights include St Louis, Oklahoma City, the Petrified Forest National Park, the Grand Canyon and Santa Monica before arriving at your destination – Los Angeles, the City of Angels. Explore Downtown, Hollywood and Beverley Hills before heading back to the UK having experienced a truly unforgettable USA vacation.

The possibilities are endless and multi-center breaks are a perfect way of seeing more of the USA than you would normally. With so much to see, they’re a real feasible option that won’t break the bank, either.

The summer season is a superb time to consider a visit to Edinburgh, with so many events and activities scheduled for the summer months. Book with Travelodge and you can enjoy affordable accommodation in the centre of the city meaning that you won’t be too far from the action and your bank won’t be crippled.

You may have caught some of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on the television in previous years, or you may have been lucky enough to see it in person at some point in your life. If either of these is true, you’ll know just how incredible an event it really is and an absolute must-see if you’re planning a visit to Edinburgh in the near future.

Since its official inception in 1950, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo has gone from strength to strength. From its humble beginnings, providing entertainment for 6000 spectators to what the event is today – a total sell-out, with over 217,000 people catching the performances at some point or other. With the majestic Edinburgh Castle dominating the background, the Tattoo is held on the esplanade in front of the castle, where temporary Grandstands are constructed so that spectators can enjoy the show in comfort.

Having been a sell-out for the last decade at least, the Military Tattoo is a pinnacle part of the calendar – not just for Scottish nationals but for visitors from the rest of the UK and beyond. During August, the Tattoo is performed every weekday evening and twice on Saturdays – regardless of the weather. If you are lucky enough to secure tickets for the second Saturday night performance, you will also be treated to fireworks and a pyrotechnic display. This year, which celebrates the Year of Natural Scotland, the Tattoo is run between the 2nd and 24th August, giving you plenty of dates to play with.

As part of the event, you can enjoy music and performances by military bands and tribes from all over the world, which leaves spectators emotional and brimming with pride. The Tattoo is run for charity, with money going towards military charities every year as well as providing valuable funding for the Edinburgh economy.

If you want to see something completely unique and memorable this year, the Military Tattoo could be the perfect thing for you. Make sure you stay until the end, when the pageantry ends with the sound of the lone piper, high in the castle ramparts, plays his lament. It’s often considered to be the most spectacular show in the world and while watching it broadcast on TV is immense, nothing will compare to actually being there.

Prices range from £26 to £60 and can be booked online here. Prices vary, depending on the date you choose and where you wish to be seated. Book accommodation with Travelodge as soon as possible to avoid disappointment because as you can expect, hotels will sell out fast. Look forward to this remarkable event that you will never forget.

*Sponsored post.

Turkey is a superb holiday destination for its position alone. Being the most southerly country in Europe, this beautiful place benefits from blazing hot summers and warm winters. The azure blue waters of the Mediterranean mean that Turkey has some of the best beaches too.

Turkey Holidays with Thomas Cook offer a fantastic collection of all-inclusive packages. A family holiday in the sun has never been so affordable and so easy to book – go online at www.thomascook.com to find great deals on a wide selection of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets. If you’re looking for a relaxing beach break or a jam-packed adventure holiday, then Turkey is the place for you. But don’t be mistaken by thinking that Turkey is just about flash hotels and sandy beaches; there are many hidden gems just waiting to be discovered.

Thomas Cook offers package holidays to many of Turkey’s fascinating towns including: Antalya, a fast growing city with lots to see and do. Children will love the Beach Park, Dolphin land and Aqua land and there are many historical sights, the harbour and old town to explore. For a more peaceful retreat, Beldibi is a quaint little village where you can kick back and relax on a hassle free holiday and take in the authentic village life. Belek is the centre of Turkey’s tourism industry with its impressive 4 and 5 star hotels and fascinating landmarks. The ancient Aspendos amphitheatre holds 20,000 people and is over 2,000 years old. It still holds fantastic open-air concerts today. Visit the beautiful Kurşunlu Waterfall, part of the Aksu River which is set amidst a pine forest – a place of great beauty where nature is at its best with over 100 species of birds.These are just a few of the fantastic resorts to discover with a Thomas Cook package holiday to Turkey, so book your holiday with ease and let one of the UK’s favourite tour operators do the rest.

*Sponsored post.

That’s right. We’ve done it again. This is the third reincarnation of ATC. Ah, from its humble beginning as a Dreamweaver site using homemade templates to a mid-level Dreamweaver site, to a modern, shiny site that has all the navigation, responsiveness and interactive features the 21st century of ADD viewers demands.

We pay homage to the old site, which was a masterpiece in terms of human patience as we slowly built, nurtured and tried not to strangle the difficult and bulky site. Slowly, we came to detest the limitations of Dreamweaver. It was hard to update static pages. Harder still to get the templates to do what we wanted, and it just looked like something from the 1990s. On the road, we needed a platform that didn’t mean every little change required a full overhaul. Hence, our conversion to WordPress.

The old site:

Of course we put a lot of love and work into every single page. Above is our beer page. Today you can see that same page with all the same content (images, text) in our new theme, which allows you to cursor over each image to see the background story behind each breakfast beer. I’ll miss the long scroll style of reading on the web. But I might be the only dinosaur who enjoyed that. As we add more features (and more photos!) check back on the beer page to see what’s happening in the world of early morning ales.

Above is our Guides page. I painstakingly made each graphic using my Bamboo in Corel Draw. I then made sure the sizing was PERFECT and loaded them into Dreamweaver one at a time. I created new pages in Dreamweaver and populated them with guide details. I handmade the maps that went along with each country, also in Corel Draw. Each page took about a week to write, create the graphics for, and then slowly assemble in Dreamweaver. Each page was painfully made with love.

Today you can see the guides pages in a flashier, easier to read fashion. And it didn’t take me a week to make each page. All the same text and imagery is there, just in a more readable fashion. We hope you enjoy the conversion.

Mike and I built the ATC website in late 2007 as a means of keeping in contact with our families in America while we lived in Shanghai. In 2009 we traveled for over a year. In 2010 we did the Mongol Rally and then settled again in China. In 2012, we had a baby and returned to the US. All of our years of adventure are on this blog and in these pages, and it’s been fun to have the website grow along with us. To the next few years with the new design– cheers!

I have a trip to Cancun coming up. I haven’t flown in a while and I’m really sick of how airlines are trying to make an extra buck by charging for luggage. And if they don’t do these they limit you to a specific weight allowance. Trying to get it right on the nose using a bathroom scale is pointless. I always go over. So, I bought a little mobile luggage scale. Now when I’m in Cancun and have a suitcase full of whatever I won’t have to guess at what 25lbs feels like. I bought THIS scale.

I tried it. It’s lightweight, which is good because once I weigh my bag I have to zip this sucker in with the other luggage to make sure I have it for the return flight weigh-in. The features are standard, but the cool thing is can display in either kg or lb. Now I won’t have to do any conversions in my head (which is good, because I can’t). A lot of product neglect this detail. It seems like a simple thing but I once heard that NASA was doing a project with the international space station and neglected to convert all their work into metric so the satellite shot off into the neatherregions of space. Even geniuses forget the little details are sometimes the most important.

My only complaint is it has an odd battery size. So, if it runs out of juice in Cancun I won’t be able to find a better to replace the one it has. On the other hand, I could just bring extra batteries.

I’ll write more about how the luggage weight worked out when we try it out on our Cancun trip.

There’s no point abandoning your cubicle like our famous adventurists  if you’re just going to spend your time in hotels. It’s great staying in five-star accommodation, sinking into king-size beds and having staff bring you food at silly hours, but it’s expensive and unsustainable – especially if you have a family.

Going abroad should be about exploring– being outside, absorbing the atmosphere and experiencing new things. Nothing allows you to get to the heart of nature and local culture than an active camping holiday. What’s more, it’s much friendlier on the old wallet!

Modern camping provides cheap holidays
Camping has changed. Once associated with muddy sleeping bags, tents that rattled in the wind and meals out of cold tins, now it’s about modern tents and lodges, beautifully maintained parks and great locations. There’s a growing appetite for more authentic holiday experiences, and active camping holidays tick all the right boxes.
One of the best advantages about camping, of course, is the price. Whether you’re traveling as a couple or as a family, at home or abroad, campsites are by far and away cheaper than hotels and offer perfect solutions whatever the budget.

Top campsites with great facilities
Campsites have become quite sophisticated, too. They have facilities for everyone, including children, and act as a great base if you’re into walking, cycling, fishing – or any other activity you can think of.
If you’ve got an image of a lonely tent in an overgrown field, wipe it from your mind. These days you can get large tents, with social areas at the front – which is great if you’re traveling in a group. Sites now also have small wooden lodges, which are filled with all the self-catering equipment you’ll need, and larger lodges have kitchens and decking at the front for barbecues – making it cheaper to eat if your food budget can’t stretch to restaurant meals every night of the week.

Campsites in Europe even provide facilities like swimming pools, kids’ entertainment and sports clubs, which is great if you’ve got a family. Some of the accommodation and campsites from providers such as Eurocamp.co.uk for example give you an idea of how traditional camping has evolved.

Flexible holidays
Whether it’s a tent, a camper van, a caravan or a wooden lodge, they give you a place to eat and sleep, leaving you to do what you want to do, when you want to do it. Arrive whenever you want, stay for as long as you like and enjoy the peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It’s the sort of flexibility and affordability that you just don’t get from package holidays.

One of the number one reasons we hear that people don’t abandon their cubicles and travel is a lack of money. One tip for managing your travel funds is to compare bank accounts. There are a lot of metrics for this, but essentially you want an account that you can access from around the globe, and one that has the added features you want, like checking and credit, or maybe just debit. Our tip? — Look into a basic bank account, for ease and less confusion down the line. Get a good account that will work for you, and that you can access from online while abroad.

Yeah, money is important. And that means (sadly) that you may have to pay your dues and work for a while before you hit the open road. Many of the long-term travelers we’ve met on the road are older. They worked hard for the right to bugger off the grid. On the other hand, many of them were self employed and able to work from hostels and cafes along the route. Either way, one thing all travelers with long-term aspirations have is great money management skills.

Second, know your financial situation. Don’t run from your obligations. You’re abandoning the cube, not society as a whole. If you run from debt they’ll eventually find you. So, get your financial situation to a manageable, happy place where you have enough to get by and have debit eliminated. Many travelers work from the road as writers, web developers, critics, photographers, etc. Find a skill that will pay and keep your bank account replenishing by putting in a few hours here and there for the cause.

Third, with a bit of work you can travel for far cheaper than you ever imagined. Instead of booking hotels, look for hostels and join HostelWorld for discounts and deals. CouchSurfing is another way to save money as you travel. Going by land is cheaper than by air in some countries (Asia, Africa, S. America especially). One thing that gets expensive is being in a rush, you are stuck buying whatever you need to have to get your vacation done in a time frame. That’s not relaxing. Take your time (just quit, ATC, baby!) and really travel on a dime. With solid, financial planning behind you and frugal living ahead it can be done.

Best of luck as you look for traveling cash and organize your financial portfolio so you can focus on enjoying this adventure called life.

If you are a regular traveler, you know that it is almost unavoidable to be stuck in an airport. Either you have a long layover or your flight has been delayed, and worse, it gets cancelled. No matter what the reason is, it is quite a relief that by having a smartphone or tablet PC available, you will be able to be entertained while waiting by visiting some of the most addictive websites. We have laid down some examples. Read on!

Have Fun

If you are inclined to having fun while killing time at the airport, there are two sites that you should not miss. First, there is Buzzfeed, which it basically gives you all the deal about hot news, entertainment, lifestyle, and more. There are lots of interesting human-interest stories packed into the site. You will definitely enjoy reading them and discovering a lot of new and interesting things along the way. You surely would not be able to notice how much time passed by because the articles on this site are all-engrossing.

Second, there is Failblog, which also has a wide variety of interesting and really funny stories to tell. Each article often comes along with a nice photo that will help you imagine the thought vividly. While browsing the site, you will find yourself smiling, even when you are under a sticky situation as a delayed flight for over five hours. Ouch!

Educate Yourself

If you are more of the type who wants to discover facts on just about anything and everything under the sun, OMG-Facts is the right website to scour. Do you want to learn why cracking your knuckles can actually have therapeutic benefits for your muscles, tendons and joints? Do you want to know what Steve Jobs has done great apart from introducing us to Apple? There’s a lot to discover and you can do it best when you are having an idle time at the airport.

Make Money While You’re Waiting

Did you know that you could actually have fun and make money while you are having a bad day with your flight schedule? Visit www.bingoonmobile.co.uk to discover lots of amazing mobile bingo sites that will help bust your boredom and give you an opportunity to earn real money along the way. The site offers different options of bingo sites that are available on mobile devices, so you can play the relaxing and enjoyable game of bingo and vie for real money while being stuck in an airport.

These options we offered are just the tip of the iceberg, as we all know that the internet is a jungle of entertainment. So the next time you’re facing a few hours at the airport, sit back and enjoy!

*This post provided by guest blogger.

Back in the states I’m always amazed at how often I find myself at the store. I feel there is always something I “need” which, of course, isn’t true. The American life is set up to create the perfect consumer. Sometimes, I think we’re the robots they created just to keep the machine of our economy alive.

We get out of high school and go to college. Bam! Now we’re in debt and have to have a job to pay off the debt we accrued. There isn’t another way. It’s ironic because people blame the Universities for being liberally skewed but there for-profit institutions are what trap many Americans into the most conservative lifestyle.

If you didn’t go to college, you’re kicked out of the home around 18 and encouraged to have the all-American work ethic. Time to get a job, bum! Use that required education you were forced to receive to flip burgers or stock shelves. What about travel? What about just wandering around thinking? When will you have the time to define who you are?

Here’s how: you watch TV, see fashionable, fit people with great jobs, great hair and Nikes. Now you need a pair of Nikes to prove you’re on track. To prove you have a job, are worth something to society. Society invested in you and now makes you feel guilty if you diverge from your predestined path. You have to SHOW you belong in this society or you’ll be scoffed. Don’t want to shave your legs young woman?- hippie! Don’t want to comb your hair young man?- pothead! Don’t want to get a job?- bum! The list goes on. And it’s all based around consuming things.

Capitalism is an economic idea and doesn’t have to be tied to the idea of democracy. You can bash one and have the other. In fact, we could agree as a democracy to do so, but so many Americans have the idea that capitalism is our way of life, not the democratic part. When we say we are spreading democracy, is that all we want to spread or are we opening new markets for our products? When a building making clothes for us collapses and kills 500 people do we feel guilty for demanding such cheap prices for things that we force laborers we don’t want to look at to be stacked several stories high. Good thing they are out of sight, too, because they don’t wear the right stuff or behave the right way to fit into our paradigm. That’s oversimplified, of course, but it is worth thinking about how much our ideology of consumerism is impacting not just us, but everyone around us.

Homes in many other countries are not decorated. They don’t have shelves or storage because they don’t (or can’t) stockpile. We have cabinets full of stuff we don’t use on a daily basis. Begging the question of why we bought it in the first place. Other homes just have a table (where you eat) and some floor space (where you sleep). You don’t need much to be happy and content. A roof, some source of heat, family, food. My neighbors spend a fortune on chemicals to make their grass greener. That’s money they worked hard for, time they spent away from their families. They buy yard art to impress their neighbors, “See! I’m productive and relevant to society!”

We even rate our economy by consumer confidence. How confident are we as a people? Let’s express it by purchasing things we don’t need. That shows we’re on track to a bright future. Ha!

We’re not immune at all. We live in a suburb at the moment that is quite stunning. We have nice furniture, art on the walls, cabinets full of things and drawers full of more things. Things are all around us. We’re very American in this sense. But, with all these American capitalist-consumer things, we’re detached from the people around us because we’re so surrounded in things and work. I’d like to see more of the democracy part of our ideology and less of the commercials, radio ads, billboards, newspaper ads, coupons and other reminders of consumerism. What if there were that many reminders of our national ideology? Wouldn’t that be neat (or perhaps, too much?).

Today I read in the news that “Spring Breakers” earned $270,000 in just three theaters, (that’s $90k a theater, folks). Having seen the preview I was shocked that it wasn’t direct-to-DVD, or even a direct-to-Wal-Mart-$5-Bin. This says a lot about us as a country.

As “Spring Breakers” rakes in the cash, I’m reading stories about how print media is out of popularity and local news stations are struggling to keep the lights on. Does this all mean that we, as a nation, are getting dumber?

Here’s the case for a nation in retardation:

1.) Americans don’t have (or don’t want) access to good information. Even the best newspapers and TV have to report celebrity gossip to stay relevant. I don’t want to hear about Lil’ Wayne’s Sizzurp addiction. I don’t care and don’t know how this miniature Wayne is.
2.) NPR, which used to report the news in a decent fashion, spends more time tooting it’s own Classical horn between segments and reading short stories than it does interviewing interesting, relevant people or reporting interesting, global news. A wasted resource and a constant annoyance if it’s not the top of the hour.
3.) No matter how hard I try, I can’t find a radio or TV station that reports comprehensive international news. The best news source I’ve found is Wikipedia’s daily news recap. There are 6 billion people on the planet—a lot is going on out there that is way more interesting than sizzurp. If only we could find out about it without having to rip our hair out in the process.
4.) Issues that should be social and not political now dominate the political conversation. I’d love to hear a politician talk about their 9-5 without talking about a single social issue. I challenge any politician to try this wild, crazy idea.
5.) Our two-party system, (which is actually a split one-party system) is more divided than ever on benign issues and we have a government that makes a mockery of the people by assuming the divide even matters. This isn’t daytime TV, it’s politics. I don’t want to hear John Boehner tell anyone to **** off, or have anyone pontificate to me about gay marriage. We have a constitution for a reason. When in doubt, refer to it. Simple!
6.) I have yet to meet an American who supports a bi-lingual system for us. Languages expand the way you think. New ways or wording things mean new ways of seeing the world, and yet ignorance and sheer stubbornness prohibits this country from growing and learning another national language. If we all learn Spanish do you really think we’ll suddenly open the borders? No, but we will be better neighbors, have an expanded worldview and be able to travel without miming our intentions. Get over your prejudices and let your kids learn Spanish (or Mandarin, or French or whatever—anything!).

I’m in love with our nation’s fundamental ideas. Our forefathers did one of the coolest things in human history when they set up a democratic republic founded by normal farmers, bartenders, lawyers and the like. They tried to create a system that would be free of tyranny and answer to the masses. It’s about the coolest thing imaginable and is the exact opposite of what usually happens when a bunch of people arrive in a new place without law.

I’m so proud to be a part of the continuation of that brave idea. We’re the nation Winthrop called “ a beacon on a hill.” I just wish we’d act more like it and pay homage to our past without disgracing it. I wish we’d be at the forefront of political thought, not sucking hind tit. I wish we’d have the foremost thinkers, philosophers, mathematicians and inventors. That we’d have the best writers, the best philanthropists, and the best painters. In many of these cases we hold the honor, but as a whole I feel we’re falling backwards into archaic, simple-minded thinking. A nation like ours shouldn’t slowly fade into the image of the governments we stuck out across the waters to evade. Hopefully we brighten up and find our way. I’m still rooting for the home team.

We moved to North Carolina! Yup, we’re staying in the ol’ US of A for a while and have settled in a second-tier city on the east coast called Winston Salem. The town was home to the Reynolds Family, and, of course, the seat of much tobacco growing and wealth. But it was originally a Morovian community, and much of that heritage exists today in pockets in what was once the Salem part of the two towns.

Aside from tobacco, other big businesses have sprouted in WS, including Wachovia, Hanes, Texas Pete, Krispy Kreame, and Piedmont Air. The single most facinating thing about WS is the fact that it exists on a space-time continuum, or a black hole. Sine it wasn’t a planned city, like Beijing for example, the streets in Winston Salem flow like wild rivers. One road may weave and twist and turn and possibly even cross over itself all without changing its name. Getting lost in town is easy and a sense of direction is lost on this place where even magnets give up trying to find north.

The weather shoots up and down like the ball on a mobile yoyo. We’ve been here a month and we’ve has hypothermia weather and sweaty, humid gross weather. I’ve seen people out in shorts with blue patellas, and other folks out in snowsuits scratching their heads with woolen mittens as they suffocate in the heat. And all this oscillating means things bloom, die and then try it all over again on the next warm day. This includes the plethora of oddly over sized spiders that inhabit the mounds of kudzu.

In Washington we stayed at a small orchard where we were lucky enough, even in early November, to find amazing apples still on the leafless trees. We scampered up dew-covered ladders to collect the bright red and green gems to dehydrate, mush and juice for the winter.

Here are the steps on how to dehydrate apples for dry storage.

Step 1: Pick apples. You want to go for the apples that don’t look riddled with bugs or more importantly slashed open by a dirty bird’s beak. Ground apples are okay as long as they are clean and bug free.

Step 2: Wash the apples. Even if you got them fresh of a tree, al la organic style, you can still find germs and bacteria on the apples that you’d do better to avoid. Washing is just smart with anything you’ll be shoving into your face.

Step 3: Slice ‘em up! We tried ours in rings at first by coring the apple. This was really time consuming and a bit of a bore. You can get way more done if you simple quarter the apples and then cut out the core of each quarter. You waste less apple this way as well. Then slice the quartered sections into thin, chip-like slices.

* If you’re going to take your sweet time, drop the apple slices into lemon water to preserve them while you finishing slicing up the apples. This keeps them from turning brown.

Step 4: Lay ‘em flat. Cover your dehydrator in rows of apple slices. The closer the better because they will shrivel up a bit once they dehydrate.

Step 5: Add flavoring. Apple slices taste great just plain, but you can also sprinkle on the spices for a bit of a flavor punch. If you dipped your slices in lemon water they are ready to adhere spice. If not, you can sprinkle on spices right away and the moisture of the apple will hold the spice in place. Just sprinkle quickly before the apple browns over.

We did cinnamon on a few rows, ginger powder, orange peel powder and of course cinnamon-sugar on a few rows. I was also curious to try cayenne pepper on a few just to see what happened. I’d also recommend nutmeg, allspice and if you put vanilla extract in a spray bottle with some warm water you can get a sort of apple pie flavor once they dehydrate. Be creative and try your own mixes.

Step 6: Let your dehydrator go all day. 6-8 hours on the low side and overnight (10-12 hours) if you have a slower or less efficient dehydrator. We had two different models. One was nearly done in 7 hours, the other needed double that. You’ll have to play around with your device. You want a finished product that is NOT gooey, but still bends. You don’t want a chip, you want a bendy, fruity slice. Keep sampling until you get one that you love then hit the off switch.

Step 7: When you package up your finished apple slices, make sure you seal the container. Since it’s a food product it can still go bad, and can’t sit out on a shelf for too long. If you won’t be eating them within a month or two toss them in the freezer inside a dry bag. When you thaw them you can either soak them in water to rehydrate them (great for pies) or else just let them defrost on their own then eat them as normal.

We have several friends who are vegetarian. Having always silently contemplated whether they were truly sane to have given up meat, we never really thought we’d en up going vego on our own. It’s such an extreme decision. Here’s what happened to put us on that course.

First, we lived in China for a few years. In China, land is scarce (because there are so many people and China has less arable land than the US) so space for growing livestock is limited. Meat is thus used to flavor and add texture to staples and vegetables. It’s not really a main course kind of thing. Once we got back to the USA we were overwhelmed with meat. Every meal centers around it! Steaks, ribs, pork chops, crab legs, meatloaf—every entrée on every menu was a meat dish with a few vegetable support dishes tossed in more for color than consumption. Naturally, we put on weight and felt a bit sickly from all the damn food when we got back to the States.

Suddenly ballooning up is scary. Add to that a general sickly feeling and lethargy and you have the perfect storm of motivation to change something. My lovely aunt in North Carolina is a vegetarian and I recalled that she had read Skinny Bitch before deciding to go vego. Likewise our friends in Eugene, OR (the home of the original hippie) are veg-heads after having consumed the same literature. I downloaded a copy on my Kindle (I’m so chic) and started reading.

I knew slaughterhouses were gross. My grandpa worked in a hotdog plant and swore off hotdogs as a result. But what shocked me was the odd sexual stuff people in the slaughterhouses to do animals. I love animals, and wouldn’t ever want to hurt one personally, let alone contribute to anything as perverse as the processes used to stun, kill, and dismember the meat used in our food. But aside from the cruelty, the animals are so stuffed with steroids and antibiotics and medicines that the meat isn’t really safe to eat anymore. The healthiest thing to be, I think, would be a meat-eater who hunts natural game and otherwise eats garden supply.

So, after reading the book out loud to Mike on our month-long road trip we decided to give the Skinny Bitch diet a try. It’s not just vegetarian, it’s vegan (no animal products like cheese, milk or eggs, butter, etc) and no chemicals (alcohol, high-fructose corn syrup, sugars, etc). The diet is nearly impossible while on the road, we learned, but once stationary it’s much easier to be healthy, organic and meat-free.

We filmed our progress (and failures) along the way. We’ll load the videos soon!

We recently did a massive road trip across the motherland of America. Here are the absolute highlights for over a month on the road.

• Bear Baiting in Big Bay
• Niagra Fall, in Canada
• Mount Washington Resort, in New Hampshire
• The Freedom Trail, in Boston
• Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, in Philadelphia
• The Capital on a lazy Sunday, in DC
• Carmen, in Winston-Salem, NC
• The Ocean on Halloween, in Wilmington, NC
• Drinking PBR during the day in Nashville, TN
• Seeing Al Green, in Memphis
• The flatlands of Oklahoma after seeing Oklahoma!
• The world’s creepiest wasteland, outside of Las Vegas, New Mexico
• Singing with Hippies, in Boulder, CO
• Touring Vail by Moonlight
• The Columbia River Highway, through OR
• The beautiful rainforest drive on I-5N

Of course the moment we hit I-5 and headed North we were struck by the most amazing rain storm. This only gives credit to the rumor that it rains all the time in Washington. I’ve tried to convince Mike that people over hype the rain, but every time the poor lad has been in Washington he’s been drenched to the bone. Bad timing or global warming?—Or could it just be that Washington is a rainforest of beauty that needs a bit of rain to keep it so wonderfully green. Mike prefers to think of it as vampire territory where everyone has blue-tinted skin and edgy dispositions (as well as an addiction to meth, cults and an affinity for collecting broken cars for lawn ornamentation.)

Washington, the Evergreen State, is just that—it’s green forever. No matter which way you look it’s hard to see a color other than green. Of course, if you cross the mountains and head East you’ll find a desert out near Spokane. But who would go out there when the rainforests, mountains and shores are to the West?

We spent several weeks exploring the many ways to stay dry in a rainforest. What we came up with was this—don’t go outside. If you do, you’ll get drenched. Even on a sunny day Washington is wet. They call it “liquid sunshine,” but of course it isn’t sunny, Washingtonians just don’t know any better, bless their souls.

We also spent a few great weekends in Oregon, which is just like Washington, but with more dedicated hippies. Eugene, where Nike has it’s headquarters, is full of vegan restaurants, dreadlocks and birthing centers covered in dream catchers. It’s a lovely place for anyone who votes blue (or refrains from voting because it’s too much a part of the establishment).

We took a drive up to Seattle one weekend and ended up visiting the Matador restaurant as well as the Kickin’ Boot. Both are awesome, by the way. And Seattle remains one of my favorite cities in the world. If it weren’t so expensive it’d be a great place to strike a claim. But alas, the land is so green, so beautiful that it’s much coveted and in that regard, unaffordable.