Ember Travels

“Help! There’s a wallaby in the backyard” effectively sums up my introduction to Australian culture. I had been preparing myself for the descent into Aussie land by watching YouTube videos of the ridiculously cute local marsupials, thumbing through Outback picture books at the doctor’s office and browsing hilarious Melbourne help wanted ads on Craigslist. And now, here I was, a blockade obstructing the only opening between an angry wallaby and his freedom. My introduction to the culture seemed to be going well. Sam picked me up from my 17-hour flight with a packed travel agenda! We were headed to Warrnambool, a town along the South Coast where I would experience small-town Australia life and gain a proper education in the workings of a mysterious creature called the bogan. January 26th was Australia Day-comparable to our Independence Day, except Australia is technically still under the queen’s rule (there was a proposal to make it into an independent republic with an elected president ...

In the past months I’ve spent more nights sleeping on airplanes than my own bed, hostelbookers dot-com has become my instant online go to and meeting people on trams, trains, planes and sidewalks has become the norm. Yes, I am beginning to realize that this travel thing is deep in my blood and my adventure addiction is not going to be cured any time soon. As you might guess, I’m headed to the airport yet again. This time for the 15 hour, 50 minute journey through 17 time zones and half a hemisphere to the land of koalas, kangaroos and noahs. As I slowly rack up airline miles and bragging rights for some of the longest flights in the world, I’ve been pondering this travel bug lifestyle and what it means. As you know, I recently visited the Dominican Republic with my family. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort-a little off beat from my typical travel jam, but nonetheless something you’ve got to experience at least once. I’ve always been lured to developing countries. The grunge, instabi...

After over three months traveling half way around the globe, one of my most frequently received questions is about my favorite place. I've covered a lot of mileage, met heaps of great people and had even crazier adventures that it is hard to pick just one place. The past 14 weeks seem like a million small journeys wrapped into one; some similar and some unlike any adventure I could ever dream of. So, you want to know how it all stacks up? Well here are a few of my favorites along with the stories to go with them (click on the name of each place for the link to the blog post). Country I most want to return to:  Croatia Favorite city:  Budapest  (with Amsterdam as a close second) Most unexpected and craziest country to travel in:  Morocco Favorite place to chill with the locals:  Israel Best hitchhiking adventure:  Portugal Country I would like to live in:  Spain With that being said, they journey is cont...

As the Christmas season draws near, there seems to be a lot of chatter about the holy city, Bethlehem. However, not many people realize that Bethlehem is in the middle of the West Bank, one of American media's favorite taboo places. I find it ironic that the place that is arguably most important to the Christian religion is in the middle of an intermittent war zone with a community being town between two nations and it's citizens held captive. Yet we sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem" every Sunday and the words never resonate. To many of us Bethlehem is just some far off ancient land that is nothing more than a city in a song. The West does not look favorably toward Palestine. On the U.S. Government travel website it says something along the lines of, "we highly discourage travel into Palestine, however, if you do decide to go against our recommendations and something bad happens to you in Gaza, we're not coming to the rescue." The message for the West Ba...

“If you’re not Jewish, why on Earth would you travel to Israel?” seemed to be the question I received most frequently during my week-long visit to the Holy Land. I couldn’t tell anyone the real answer, “well, I used to watch this TV show called House Hunters International, and from the way Tel Aviv was portrayed on television, it looked like a wicked cool city to check out.” No, I would sound like the classic uneducated television-crazed American that everyone wants to ignore. Other than the fact that I was terrified yet secretly obsessed  with the Middle East, and, Israel was probably the only country I could visit without getting my head chopped off, I came up with an alibi, “I’m really interested in the Israeli/Palestinian situation and want to learn more about Middle East politics.” The more I recited my “gold star” answer the more I began to believe it and lose interest in Tel Aviv’s poppin’ night life. I came into the country really knowing ...

As you all are preparing for the Christmas season, I am embarking on a new part of my journey...returning home for Christmastime in the Rockies! Being away from my family for Christmas didn't seem right, so I made the decision to take a small break in my travels and experience that faraway land called "home" once again (such a strange concept for me after three months). If all goes well, I will be catching a flight tonight and  arriving in the United States on the 21st. Not to worry, the travels are not over! I just need a week or two to regroup, visit with family and friends and process the past three months. After that, I'm off to Asia! Stay tuned for many more adventures... In the meantime, I just spent two amazing weeks in Israel, Palestine and Jordan. I met inspirational people, had great adventures and spent hours discussing Middle Eastern politics with numerous locals. I am leaving much more knowledgeable but also more frustrated and with a million new question...

I walk down the street with my 20 pound backpack strapped to my shoulders, obediently following the map in my hands, but it keeps leading me astray. Apparently, street names don't translate properly from Hebrew to English and this is not the first time I have been left direction-less in Tel Aviv. Despite my minor detour and slight irritation with the failure of my normal GPS engrained brain, this isn't the worst place to be lost. Established in the early 1900s, Tel Aviv is anything but antique. This city boasts streets cluttered with swanky clubs and student filled coffee houses and is well known for its perpetual nightlife and fine dining. Through my bout of disorientation I am still thoroughly enjoying the scenery and making a mental list of cute cafes and hummus stands to return to during my stay in the city. I finally make it to my host, Itay's apartment. Although we have never met, Itay welcomes me with open arms and gives me just enough time to dismantle my backpack b...