 My partner and I just got back from a 13-day trip to Peru to visit one of the 7 wonders of the world! We didn't just fly to a tourist hotspot -- we walked to it via a 7-day 65-mile trek over centuries-old trails made by the Incas! The Salkantay Trek is one that some do on their own while primitive camping or with an inexpensive guide, but we decided to combine the rigor of day-trekking with relaxation at night by adding gourmet meals, hot showers, and high thread-count sheets on soft beds with the Mountain Lodges of Peru. Budget travel is fun, but on the front-edge of the rainy season with the psychological tests of trekking at altitudes up to 15,000 ft, we were happy to drop extra cash so we could focus on walking the 65 miles while a tour company took care of the rest. Here is my review and photojournal of our Christmas 2018 trip...
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 After a year of travels followed by three years of writing and editing, the story emerges of a yearning seeker who trades safety and the American Dream for fearlessness and a new way of living. Worn from the paradigm of a 9-5 office job, an early marriage, and a lack of spiritual connectedness, the author’s world is turned upside-down after an arrest, a divorce, and leaving the only career he knows in search of something more.  As a new paradigm of connecting with himself, his surroundings, and his experience emerges, the writer sets out on a quest to circle the planet, piecing together an around-the-world path with a series of one-way flights and hosts he finds online, who graciously offer nights on their couches to him for free. In the process, he discovers an efficient and groundbreaking method of cheap travel with technology and mindfulness, but more importantly, discovers how intention and unconditional love makes the world go 'round.
 In addition to playing ambient keyboards on Saturday with Robin Bruce for a yoga workshop, I'll be presenting a workshop on world travel at the "Head for the Hills" music festival this Friday at 12:15pm at the workshop dome!
Russell Eric Dobda, author of How to Spin the World Around: With Cheap Travel, Technology and Mindfulness shares a methodology and philosophy to help you go deeper for cheaper as you travel the world. If you've always wanted to travel, but thought you couldn't afford it or didn't know where to start, this workshop will show you how. With the 21st Century tools of smartphones and social networks along with the ancient wisdom of a mindfulness practice, you can have a much richer travel experience than ever before for less money than ever before.  Philosophy Dialogue Series
Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas Dialogue Room (Comal 116) Monday, April 11, 3:30pm Presented by Russell Eric Dobda I am very excited to be presenting a talk at Texas State for the philosophy department! Here's a synopsis; there will be Q&A. Everyone is welcome to attend! As we embark on world travels, we have many choices on how our experience unfolds. With traditional tourism, we may be tempted to follow the herd and experience a package of sights touted as "must see" by our travel agent. With this approach, we often seek the comforts of home wherever we may go. This can make us feel safe and secure, knowing what we will get before we go, but there is another way. Online social networks allow us to truly connect to the cultures of far off places by introducing us to locals. This enables us to cast away our own layers of living so we can see the world from another perspective. This type of experience also enables us to see that the values we've been brought up to believe may not apply where we find ourselves. Bringing along a mindfulness practice allows us to perceive these differences, and it also helps us to understand that when things don't appear to go our way that they are actually working out perfectly.
I just spent 30 minutes speaking with Dayvee and Lori about traveling the world. We covered a lot of tips and some fun stories. Here's the replay below! Thanks to www.daily-affair.com and www.lorimacbrown.com for having me on!
 Everyone loves to travel, but to really ‘be there,’ the only way to do it is to do it mindfully. Here's an article I wrote on Naturally Savvy that outlines ten steps you can use to actually live your dream while you are living your dream vacation.
Here's the second half of an interview I did with Tim Lewis of WJBC. He was a great interviewer, I felt! We talked about the book and some personal experiences.
I was recently interviewed by Bonnie Graham of "Read My Lips Radio" about cheap travel. She focused a lot on mindful travel, and we had some nice conversations! We also touched on solo female travel, a topic featured in my book. The full interview can be found below, or on my SoundCloud page. And, i learned about Servas.
Some examples of mindful travel illustrated by a trip to Tulum: Seize an opportunity to travel when you get it; set intentions; notice any "firsts" during your travels; meditate and do yoga along the way!
 I recently published an article on traveling with technology and mindfulness on selfgrowth.com. It's a nice and brief overview of how the travel industry has changed in the 21st century, and it sums up my philosophy about travel! Read it here.
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