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Interview – Charlotte Nightingale (Maison Bussière)

Chris Boothman
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Interview – Charlotte Nightingale (Maison Bussière)

We would like to extend a special welcome to Charlotte Nightingale from Maison Bussière who has graciously given her time to speak with us in our travel blogger interview series and help us learn a little more about her travel thoughts and website.

Please feel free to comment, ask questions and connect with Charlotte using her various social media fronts listed below.

We would like to give a special THANK YOU to Charlotte for taking time to interview with us!

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Name: Charlotte Nightingale

Hometown: Born in South East England, now living in Central rural France since 2012

Website: Maison Bussière

Social Media: 

What is your favorite aspect of traveling and if you are a travel blogger, why did you decide to create your website? 

Favourite aspect of travelling has to be the freedom to explore totally new and different cultures – nothing broadens the mind like experiencing new cultures that will do things differently to the way you’ve always known!

I’ve always travelled extensively, and written a journal when I did so, so when my husband and I moved to France last summer, it was natural to write a blog about our life here. My blog is actually cheese-themed: ‘The Livarot Diaries – Adventures in Cheese’, but it’s as much about our life in France as it is about cheese!

How many continents have you visited? 

Four

How many countries have you visited? 

30+

What is your favorite destination in the world and why? 

Other than France, obviously – it would probably have to be New Zealand, it really is paradise on earth, with the friendliest people, the most incredible scenery, the most relaxed outlook – I’ve just loved it every time I’ve been, and that’s 4 times now! That said, I absolutely loved Uzbekistan – I visited on a trek following the TransAsian Silk Route and was blown away by how staggeringly beautiful the architecture was, totally unexpected!

If money/time was no object and you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you travel to and why? 

I’d love to take a year out and see more of Asia at a leisurely pace, taking in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, before heading down to South Africa. I’ve seen a lot of the States as I was lucky enough to live in New York for 18 months, but I never made it to Seattle, Montana, Oregan, so I’d love to go back and do that, and if money was no object, to combine it with that wonderful trip through the Canadian Rockies.

Which of the following gadgets do you take on your travels? 

Camera and Phone

What is your preferred method of transport? 

Train

Complete the following, “Everywhere I go, I visit….” 

Everywhere I go, I visit somewhere that’s ‘authentic’ – I eat where and what the locals eat, immerse myself in their history and culture as far as possible.

Here is your chance to sell yourself and your website! Tell us some more information about yourself, what your travel philosophies & future plans are and anything else that people may find interesting to read about… 

Since moving to France last year, I’ve loved immersing myself in French life – our gorgeous village has been described as the ‘quintessential French village’, unspoilt and authentic, and we’re thrilled that our guests love it as much as we do! Future plans definitely involve exploring more of France, as we’re lucky enough to be able to drive everywhere here, and there’ll definitely be masses of cheese tasting of all the regional specialities for wherever we go!

Check out more about our gorgeous village at Maison Bussière and more on my lovely life here at www.thelivarotdiaries.com

Top 5 Reasons We Travel

Chris Boothman
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Top 5 Reasons We Travel

Why do we all love traveling? You may agree with some (or all) of these or you may have your own reasons for enjoying the concept of travel.

One thing is for sure, if you are reading this post you are either:

  1. An ‘avid’ traveler that has numerous reasons for loving the idea of travel and pretty much can claim to be a full-time traveler;
  2. A ‘newbie’ to travel who loves the concept but for one reason or another cannot find the time or resources to devote everything to this;
  3. A ‘wannabe’ traveler who agrees that traveling is a great way to see the world but finds every excuse under the sun to avoid traveling;
  4. A ‘home-bird’ who needs to start understanding the beauty of travel and get out there in the big wide world and explore!

I would say that at the moment Heather and I fall under the second category as we are relative newbies to the world of travel. We both love exploring and finding new places but with full-time jobs and other commitments our resources do not necessarily allow us to travel as much as we would like, but as with most other travel bloggers we do our best and enjoy the time we have together wandering the nomadic lifestyle.

Which of the above categories do you consider yourself to fall under? Do you want to move from one category to another? Are you envious of those in category 1?

All of these are questions that you may be able to provide an answer to right now but if not, take a look at the following 5 reasons why you should try to travel more.

Broaden Your Horizons

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Courtesy of http://www.horizoninstitute.ca/en/

What better way to expand your cultural diversity and knowledge about other demographic backgrounds than to visit other regions of the world. Let me tell you, we don’t all live in the perfect world where we can just run down the road and a local McDonald’s will be there waiting for us. Learn about other languages, daily routines and stereotypes that become part of a nation. Developing your mindset to become more open will certainly make you a better person.

Explore Global Landmarks

Are you familiar with UNESCO’s World Heritage List? Did you know that this list contains 981 properties that UNESCO considers to have outstanding universal value? Even if this answer to both of these questions is no, here is the main point of this – there are a lot of amazing landmarks, attractions and sites around the world worth visiting even if it is just a one time visit.

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Everyone has different interests with some folks more partial to seeing the historic art museums in Paris while others enjoy traveling around the world seeing the infamous sporting venues but one thing for sure is that there are many landmarks out there that will fit your interest and preferred genre. We love climbing skyscrapers whenever we are in cities that have them but this is just a small snippet of the landmarks we like to visit.

The Phenomenon of YOLO (You Only Live Once)

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Courtesy of http://www.globalgoodgroup.com

One of the first questions that I ask people whenever I start speaking to them about their reservations against travel is, ‘What are the reasons that you want to stay at home?’. The majority of the time a response will be related to financial or family reasons. Fair enough, we all have different schedules and priorities but no one will convince me that you can’t find time to hit the road on a spontaneous road trip or take a weekend vacation somewhere you have always wanted to visit. As the heading indicates, we are only on this planet once so take advantage of it and explore!!

Improve Your Frequent Flyer Status

Ok so now we are getting down to the nitty gritty of traveling. Do we really travel to improve our frequent flyer status? In reality the answer is no, but this is one of the perks of traveling for sure. The more you travel, the more miles you attain and the better status you earn as a traveler. Wouldn’t we all like to be George Clooney in Up in the Air with his million mile status?

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We recently (July 2013) opened a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card with the main reason being the added benefit of earning 50k bonus miles after your first $2k purchases. This really is a perk on it’s own but when Southwest throw in the added incentive of achieving 110k miles in a calendar year to earn the lucrative Companion Pass where travelers basically get 2 tickets for the price of 1 for the rest of the year and following year, this really is a great opportunity. We are currently at 99% (almost 109k miles) so we are pretty close to achieving our goal which I have to admit is pretty impressive given that we didn’t start until July 2013.

Spend Quality Time With Your Spouse (Or Travel Buddy)

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There is no better time and place to spend time with your spouse or partner in crime than when you are traveling. This is when you really get to know your travel buddy because not only are you with them 24/7 but they are there to help you through your struggles, homesickness and travel anxieties.

I couldn’t have picked a better person to travel with than Heather. Our compatibility levels are so high that it allows us to do everything we both want together.

What are your top reasons for traveling?

Interview – Rob Gerhard (TravelLatte)

Chris Boothman
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Interview – Rob Gerhard (TravelLatte)

Our latest installment of travel blogger interviews features Rob Gerhard from TravelLatte who has graciously given his time to speak with us and help us learn a little more about his travel thoughts and website.

Please feel free to comment, ask questions and connect with Rob using his various social media fronts listed below.

We would like to give a special THANK YOU to Rob for taking time to interview with us!

Rob in Chinatown_2

Name: Rob Gerhard

Intro: Whenever I’m in Starbucks and they ask for my name, I always wish I could say something cool like “Kokopeli” or “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a” but no…it’s just Rob. For the baristas, that’s probably for the better. Note: RobRob – the name you’ll see on TravelLatte – is a reference to how the whole thing started: Two guys named Rob sitting in a Starbucks saying, “We should start a blog.” One of us did. The other one’s on the road somewhere.

THIS Rob was born in Tucson, Arizona. I still consider that home, though I’ve lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for nearly 20 years. Website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter presence are all TravelLatte. (We like coffee. Did I mention this started in a Starbucks?)

Website: TravelLatte

Social Media: 

What is your favorite aspect of traveling and if you are a travel blogger, why did you decide to create your website? 

I don’t have an un-favorite aspect of traveling! If I had to pick one favorite thing, it’s discovery. A new place, a new custom, a new dish, a new person…I absolutely love finding out about our world and the people in it!  

The idea to start a web site was to share travel tips, but there are so many already out there. That evolved into TravelLatte, which really came about to share our experiences as well as tips, news and assorted stuff we learn about.

How many continents have you visited? 

Two

How many countries have you visited? 

1-10

What is your favorite destination in the world and why? 

I absolutely love Tucson because it’s home – comfortable, familiar and beautiful. And it’s home to the first Tiki bar I ever fell in love with! (Love you, Kon Tiki!) And I love Maui for it’s complete beauty. The sea, the land, her people, their culture and food; they all worked together to cast one strong spell on me! If I could be anything, I’d be Hawai’ian.

If money/time was no object and you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you travel to and why? 

Not anywhere IN the world…I would literally travel the world! I am so intrigued and inspired by people who have found a way to do that; particularly those who have set sail. Okay, so if I could be anything, I’d be a Hawai’ian sailor circumnavigating the globe.

Which of the following gadgets do you take on your travels? 

Camera, Phone, Tablet and Laptop (Note: I don’t take all of them on every trip. Just most. 😉.

What is your preferred method of transport? 

Air (though we took our first train trip this summer and really enjoyed it)!

Complete the following, “Everywhere I go, I visit….” 

Well, you gotta eat! I’d say the things I consistently hit are restaurants and coffee houses. When I see one, Starbucks is my one familiar place I’ll venture into. Otherwise, I love places that deliver the local versions of home cooking and a fancy night out. Rarely will I visit a chain restaurant, with a couple of notable exceptions because I like the way they do business. In the much of the US, I will find the local fave BBQ joint, and I like checking out iconic restaurants and Tiki bars/Polynesian restaurants. (That’s been an obsession since childhood. Perhaps I was always meant to be Hawai’ian?)

Here is your chance to sell yourself and your website! Tell us some more information about yourself, what your travel philosophies & future plans are and anything else that people may find interesting to read about… 

My travel philosophy is really simple: Go! See!  There is so much world out there!  

Don’t worry that you can’t see all of it – any little piece of sea or shore can be a new discovery. Oddly enough, “Go and See” is our personal future plan as well. Plans for TravelLatte reflect that. I’d like to get better at the nuts’n’bolts of it and bring background players to the foreground a bit, but our goal is to grow as a resource for travel news and reviews, and continue blogging our personal experiences and insights.  

Oh, and check out #Travel140 – our take on travel tips for the Twitter age. You can use that as a search term on Twitter, or click the category link on the web site. Got great tips to share? We’d love to hear and pass them on!

3 Reasons to Visit St. Louis, Missouri

Chris Boothman
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3 Reasons to Visit St. Louis, Missouri

One of the great cities in the mid-west of the United States has to be St. Louis, Missouri! An action packed city, home of the 2011 World Series Champions the Cardinals, the magnificent sight of the Gateway Arch and much, much more leads the city to being a great attraction for many global tourists and travelers. I have visited St. Louis on various occasions and there are different things to do each and every time you visit there:

Sporting Attractions

Although I have yet to experience a Cardinals MLB game, I am sure that for anyone with a keen interest in baseball would appreciate a trip to Busch Stadium even if it is just to take a tour of the stadium or visit the museum to take a look back in Cardinal history rekindling some of those fond memories of their success in earlier decades. Staying on the theme of sport, we visited the Edward Jones Dome, home of the NFL team the St. Louis Rams.

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We experienced a pre-season game against the Indianapolis Colts and of course this is not nearly the same as a regular season game, it gives you a great chance to see the spectacular views on offer from various vantage points from inside the dome. Getting to the stadium even for just a pre-season encounter was not the easiest and parking was certainly not any easier! I would recommend getting there early and walking around downtown prior to kickoff or parking off-site and then using public transportation to get close to the stadium.

The Gateway Arch

Standing tall at the heart of the St. Louis skyline is the Gateway Arch which was opened in 1968 as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States. At 630 feet, the arch stands proud above many other leading structures in the area and is a perfect stereotype for modern day architecture especially given that it was originally designed in the early 1960s. It is the tallest man-made monument in USA and the largest architectural structure designed as a weighted arch.

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Tourists can take a tour to the summit of the arch and view up to 30 miles in surrounding areas on a clear day. Views to the West provides unbelievable views over St. Louis and to the East are even more spectacular landscapes of the Mississippi River and into nearby Illinois.

Downtown & Union Station

One of our recent trips to St. Louis saw us stay at the Pear Tree Inn which is in close proximity to downtown and in particular Union Station. Walking into Union Station is a great experience which various shops on offer but also noticing the history that is present in what was once one of the world’s busiest passenger rail terminals. Now a prevalent marketplace in the heart of St. Louis, Union Station offers various restaurants and tourist attractions to keep all members of the family content for hours! Union Station is truly a shopper’s delight with almost 100 shops and various cuisines to choose from.

Union St

An important part of the special appeal is the variety of unique retail shops, offering everything from fine fashions to one-of-a-kind gifts and mementos. This is a great spot for tourists and locals to hop on the rail and head downtown to the cobbled streets of old downtown near the arch and casino. There are also many great pubs to sample some of the local beers, especially given the heritage from Anheuser Busch being based out of St. Louis.

Interview – Dan and Casey (A Cruising Couple)

Chris Boothman
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Interview – Dan and Casey (A Cruising Couple)

Our latest installment of travel blogger interviews features Dan and Casey from A Cruising Couple who have graciously given their time to speak with us and help us learn a little more about their travel thoughts and website.

Please feel free to comment, ask questions and connect with both Dan and Casey using their various social media fronts listed below.

We would like to give a special THANK YOU to the Cruising Couple for taking time to interview with us!

A Cruising Couple

Name: Dan and Casey

Hometown: North Carolina, USA

Website: A Cruising Couple

Social Media: 

What is your favorite aspect of traveling and if you are a travel blogger, why did you decide to create your website? 

Our favorite aspect of traveling is the state of constant discovery it brings. Every day we are learning something new, about the world and about ourselves. There’s just so much to see and do out there! We truly believe that travel has the capacity to turn people into global citizens, increasing awareness and compassion for people and places that are different from what you are used to. 

We started our travel blog with the same expectations as most other bloggers: to have a medium to say “Hi mom, I’m alive”. We quickly discovered that we love blogging though. It inspires us to get out and do more so we have content for our blog. It helps us to remember the details of our travels and the people we’ve met along the way. Perhaps most importantly, our blog is actually encouraging other people to get out and see the world themselves. That’s a really powerful thing, and makes all the hours behind a computer screen worth it.

How many continents have you visited? 

Six

How many countries have you visited? 

21-30

What is your favorite destination in the world and why? 

This one is so hard for us! We love everywhere we go for different reasons, and as the saying goes, we truly have left our heart in so many places. Dan would probably say New Zealand for its stunning landscapes. Casey would more than likely say the last destination she visited! Of course, Taiwan will always hold a very special place in our hearts since we not only lived there for so long but also began our marriage there.

If money/time was no object and you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you travel to and why? 

Both of us have been to Europe, but we would like to go back and visit it together. Casey spent eight magical months in Europe, and she has been dying to take me (Dan) there ever since.

Which of the following gadgets do you take on your travels? 

Camera, Tablet and Laptop.

What is your preferred method of transport? 

Bicycle

Complete the following, “Everywhere I go, I visit….” 

The local markets.

Here is your chance to sell yourself and your website! Tell us some more information about yourself, what your travel philosophies & future plans are and anything else that people may find interesting to read about… 

We are slowly and indefinitely traveling the world. On our site you’ll find practical travel tips, top-notch travel photography and inspiring travel tales to get you out exploring our world. We have no concrete plans and no end-date in site. We are a bit different from other couple travel bloggers out there as we fit quite a few niches. For one, we’re both twenty-somethings. We backpack, we budget, we go out and explore nightlife. But we’re also married, which means we’re constantly seeking a bit of romance and discussing issues that other couples face when traveling.

Perhaps what makes us most unique is that we didn’t quit our super-successful jobs and sell all our belongings to travel the world. We knew right after graduating university that travel was for us, and we haven’t looked back since! It’s been two years since we began living as expats and traveling together, and we’re excited to continue the journey together. We recently wrote a free ebook called 101 Tips to Living in Taiwan. It’s a great resource for people traveling or moving to Taiwan, or for those who just want to learn a little bit more about this beautiful island! And it’s free, so why not check it out?

Interview – Diane (Wife With Baggage)

Chris Boothman
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Interview – Diane (Wife With Baggage)

We would like to give a special welcome today to Diane from Wife With Baggage who has graciously given her time to speak with us and help us learn a little more about his travel thoughts and his website.

Please feel free to comment, ask questions and connect with Diane using her various social media fronts listed below.

We would like to give a special THANK YOU to Diane for taking time to interview with us!

diane

Name: Diane

Website: Wife With Baggage

Social Media: 

What is your favorite aspect of traveling and if you are a travel blogger, why did you decide to create your website? 

Yes, I admit it’s a tad cliche, but it’s true – my favorite aspect of travel is it’s ability to open my eyes to other parts of the world. I feel like I am a more passionate and compassionate person because I’ve traveled. 

I created Wife With Baggage to help readers incorporate travel into their lives, even with a full time career and family, so that more people can experience other cultures, landscapes and people.

How many continents have you visited? 

Five

How many countries have you visited? 

1-10

What is your favorite destination in the world and why? 

If I have to pick one it would be Namibia. The country is wildly beautiful with animals and terrain not found in many other parts of the world! While there we saw a lion gnawing on a bone under the night sky. We rode ATVs in the desert while looking at the Atlantic Ocean and we walked in the desert to a pond! 

What other country has all of that? It’s so fascinating!

If money/time was no object and you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you travel to and why? 

Antarctica for sure! It’s my dream visit every continent and this one is VERY pricey!

Which of the following gadgets do you take on your travels? 

Camera and Laptop

What is your preferred method of transport? 

Car

Complete the following, “Everywhere I go, I visit….” 

The countryside. We’re not huge fans of the hustle and bustle of big cities. They’re nice for a night or two, but we want the wide open spaces and natural beauty of the world!

Here is your chance to sell yourself and your website! Tell us some more information about yourself, what your travel philosophies & future plans are and anything else that people may find interesting to read about… 

My name is Diane. Michael is my husband, travel partner, driver, heavy-bag-carrier and voice of reason. We met back in 2004 and have been traveling together since. Our adventures have taken us to 4 continents, 10 countries, 9 states in the U.S.A. and countless cities along the way, but traveling is not our full time job. Nope! We both have your typical 9 to 5 career. (Psst! We even like them!) I work with little humans (kids) and Mike works with big machines (airplanes). Our careers are opposites, but our desire to travel is the same! So, even though our days are filled with clients, customers, emails and meetings, pieces of our hearts have been left around the world at each of our destinations.

Our mission with this blog is to help readers incorporate travel into their lives, even with a full time career and family. We want to help them travel more with planning tips and ideas as well as with destination inspiration. And, since we do not travel full time, we want to show you how we add bits and pieces of travel into our everyday live with home decor ideas and recipes. Wife With Baggage is for those who’ve traveled the globe and for those who’ve barely left their own zip code. I hope there is something here for every type of traveler!

Check out another couple of great pictures of Diane on her global travels:

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A British Expat Describing His Homeland

Chris Boothman
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A British Expat Describing His Homeland

In 2006, I am embarked on a life changing journey to USA, at the time pursuing my lifelong ambition of becoming a professional golfer on the pro circuit. Ok so reality soon set in and I realized that I was not quite to the standard required to make the mega bucks but my time in the States was soon enhanced when I met my wife, Heather in January 2008. Every since January 1st 2008, my life has changed around completely and I have cherished every minute since then.

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I am settled in the States right now with Heather and we are both on the same page in terms of our location being ideal for right now as it gives us a perfect spot to expand our travel horizons and explore new surroundings given the relatively low cost of living in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

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I am always asked the same old question – how on earth did you end up in the small town of Jonesboro? After going through the same spiel as I just described, it really makes me start thinking about England and how much I miss everything there is on offer there. Of course, it goes without saying that I miss my family, that is just a given but you get used to the fact that you can’t see them all the time.

There are so many decisions you have to make in life and you have to opt for those that you feel will make you a better person. At the same time, whenever I return to England on holidays for a week or so at a time, I certainly appreciate everything this great country has to offer.

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The old saying that you take things for granted when you are surrounded by them all the time is certainly true when considering your home country. I am sure if Heather moves with me to England at some point in the future, she will feel the same way about the States. Would we be able to survive without those amazing, free refills? What about that $3 gas that we are all complaining about? Trust me when you think about the price of a Coke or the price of gas (petrol) in England, you would appreciate these low costs an awful lot more than we probably do right now!

England really does have everything and I am not just saying that because I am patriotic or passionate about my home country. The thing that I really do miss the most is the proximity of locations within a region. I love the fact that whenever I am in England, if I am willing to drive up to 3 or 4 hours, the number of destinations is almost unlimited because there is so much to see within that radius. Whether it is city life, the coast or remote countryside that you are looking, everything is close together because you are so tightly packed on a small island. Again, I appreciate that this is not to everyone’s liking and many would be put off by the closeness of everyday life.

Another great aspect of England life is the history and heritage that is present throughout the nation. The architecture that spreads through those local hamlets that appear to have the same design and layout as they did centuries ago is astonishing but at the same time you look at the modern infrastructure within cities such as London and Manchester to show how the country is obviously moving with the times in the modern era!

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If I had to name my top 5 things I miss most about England, I would probably go with (in no particular order of course):

  • Family
  • Football (Soccer to the Americans reading this)
  • Golf Courses
  • Location/Proximity to other places
  • Food (Miss the good old English breakfast and of course the local chippy)

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 To any expats out there from any country, what do you miss most about your home country? 

Are you considering returning at some point in the future? 

How does your new country compare to your origin nation?

Our First Official NFL Experience

Chris Boothman
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Our First Official NFL Experience

If you are an avid sports fan like myself, you will love taking every opportunity available to watch a live sporting event. I have always tried to take advantage of watching sports teams wherever I have visited, whether it is watching the English Premier League back in England (or I personally preferred watching my local non-league team, Ramsbottom United – I knew I would get a shout out for them in one of my blogs!!), Brisbane Heat in the 20/20 cricket tournament in Brisbane Australia or the Memphis Grizzlies NBA franchise in nearby Memphis, Tennessee.

However, despite an array of sporting events that I have visited, I can say that October 6, 2013 was the first time that I had ever visited a ‘real’ NFL football game. Our weekend trip to St. Louis, Missouri was the perfect opportunity to break this duck. We have previously visited the Edward Jones Dome for a pre-season encounter between the Rams and Colts, but Sunday’s match-up between the Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars was the real deal and we were both really excited. Yes, you may see my switch from ‘I’ to ‘We’ right there because any time I go to sporting events I drag along Heather. We are really fortunate that we both love sport and any chance we get to watch an event live, we try to take it!

Ticket Purchase

Generally speaking, I don’t like paying the prices of pro sport tickets so whenever we visit stadiums we tend to be in the cheaper seats which sometimes leaves you either at the very top of the stadium (anyone with a fear of heights beware!) or in the corner somewhere away from the action. However, given that in pro footballing circles this was not the most lucrative encounter, at least it wasn’t the Packers, 49ers or Patriots who attract more attention, ticket prices for the Rams/Jaguars contest were relatively cheap.

Below you can see a seating chart of the Edward Jones Dome and our tickets were in the Lower End Zone, Section 125, Row N so pretty close to the field! For $26 each, this was a real bargain especially given the face value on these was $84. Thanks to the wonderful Stubhub for these tickets. If you have never used this site I would highly recommend it.

seating chart

Pre-Game

One of the most difficult aspects of going to a professional team sporting event, at least in the United States, is finding a parking spot because for the most part stadiums are located downtown (or at least they seem to be from my experiences!).

Leaving our hotel at 9:00AM, we decided to head downtown and check out the St. Louis Gateway Arch which is one of the most iconic landmarks in this city. Located right on the riverfront and relatively close to the NFL stadium, we figured that if we could park somewhere nearby we could walk around for a few hours prior to kickoff.

To our delight, we found a perfect spot directly on the riverfront (when I say directly, I mean literally on the cobbles of the riverfront) in front of the Arch. Costing only $4 for the whole day, this was a real bargain especially when we later saw signs for $15-$20 parking in nearby garages that were no closer to the stadium than we were.

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Anyone visiting St. Louis, if you plan on heading downtown, this parking spot is secure, has a great location and is cheap!

If you arrive in St. Louis and are heading to a Rams game, there is plenty to do pre-game in terms of wandering around seeing landmarks such as the Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium (home of MLB franchise, St. Louis Cardinals), the old Jefferson Courthouse etc.

Inside the Stadium – Game Time

We entered the Edwards Jones Stadium around 11:15AM with kickoff at Noon, it gave us time to find our seats and take some of your stereotypical pre-game pictures. The first thing we noticed was just how good our seats were. The Rams defensive line were taking part in drills directly in front of us near the 5-yard line and it was a really cool experience watching them warm up being so close to the action.

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All of the pre-kickoff events took place such as the players entering the field to rapturous applause, a great rendition of the national anthem by one of the Rams cheerleaders and the ceremonial coin toss which the Rams won and elected to defer kickoff to the Jaguars.

The game itself was relatively close at least until half time. The two most notable plays that we saw was early in the first quarter, Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert fired a pass to Justin Blackmon who broke free of the Rams back-line to breakaway for a 67-yard touchdown. The second play which was directly in front of us saw Matt Giordano of the Rams intercept another Gabbert pass and return this for a 82 yard TD. The Rams showed their superiority as the game progressed though the Jaguars will feel they had several opportunities to get back into the game.

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Whether Gabbert leaving midway through the second half due to a hamstring injury had anything to do with the final result, the Rams ran out deserved 34-20 winners!

Overall, this was a great day and we both really enjoyed our experience at our first NFL game!

Here are some of our other favorite pictures from the experience:

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Interview – Norman Viss (Expat Everyday Support Center)

Chris Boothman
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Interview – Norman Viss (Expat Everyday Support Center)

We would like to give a special welcome today to Norman Viss from Expat Everyday Support Center who has graciously given his time to speak with us and help us learn a little more about his travel thoughts and his website.

Please feel free to comment, ask questions and connect with Norman using his various social media fronts listed below.

We would like to give a special THANK YOU to Norman for taking time to interview with us!

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Name: Norman Viss

Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA)

Website: Expat Everyday Support Center

Social Media: 

What is your favorite aspect of traveling and if you are a travel blogger, why did you decide to create your website? 

I love getting into other cultures, understanding in a deeper way how they see the world. I have lived in two countries for extensive periods of time, which for me has been wonderful. 

Because of my long expat experience we created a coaching support website for expats and global travelers, to provide support for the everyday things people run into.

How many continents have you visited? 

Three

How many countries have you visited? 

11-20

What is your favorite destination in the world and why? 

The Mediterranean area – any country the borders the sea. I love the weather, cultures and food of those areas.

Africa is my second choice: the raw beauty and different cultures.

If money/time was no object and you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you travel to and why? 

I would take a trip around Africa, taking several years to do it. I would try to provide any assistance I could to the people or organizations working to improve life in Africa. I would want to enjoy the beauty of the continent and the richness of its peoples and cultures. South and East Africa would have my preference.

Which of the following gadgets do you take on your travels? 

Camera, Phone and Tablet

What is your preferred method of transport? 

Car

Complete the following, “Everywhere I go, I visit….” 

The local markets and the local cafes and eating places. There one can meet people and observe the daily life.

Here is your chance to sell yourself and your website! Tell us some more information about yourself, what your travel philosophies & future plans are and anything else that people may find interesting to read about… 

I am fascinated by going deeper into culture helping others understand how other cultures work and the richness that can be found there.

That’s why coaching is such an important tool – it helps people use their own resources to grow and learn. Our blog is not so much a travel blog as a tool to help people go beneath the surface while they are traveling through or living in another place. We also provide webinars and other tools to help expats and global citizens thrive where they are.

Whether one is sending a weekend, a month or several years in a country, we can help them see the environment in a deeper way.

Capture the Colour 2013

Heather Boothman
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Capture the Colour 2013

As avid travelers and relative newbies to the world of travel blogging, it was a complete surprise yet wonderful honor when we received a nomination from Pedro Richardson (@Ped_Richardson) from Travel With Pedro to take part in Travel Supermarket’s Capture the Colour 2013 photo contest.

I have always been a keen photographer, going back to the days of taking photography as a class in college along with trying to capture those vivid, memorable images whilst on vacation. Traveling so much with my husband, we have always felt that our best memories and travel souvenirs are our photographs. Of course there are always challenges involved such as trying to capture that perfect shot or sifting through hundreds of similar images to find ‘the one’ that provides those idyllic memories, but that’s just part of the excitement and enjoyment of photography.

Ok, so let’s get on with our participation of this challenge but first a quick breakdown of what this contest entails:

1. Submit one photo of each of the following colours that you consider to best match that particular contrast: Red, Green, Yellow, White and Blue.

2. Spread the word and nominate 5 of your fellow bloggers to take part.

3. Let ‘Travel Supermarket’ know by either tweeting ‘My entry for #CTC13 @travelsupermkt (INSERT URL HERE)’ or e-mailing them at [email protected].

4. Keep an eye on Travel Supermarket’s Twitter account when they announce the winners.

Here are the full rules and regulations: Travel Supermarket Capture the Colour 2013

I am sure you are all wanting to know what you can win! The five individual colour catagory winners will receive either an iPad, a Fuji camera or an Arc’teryx shopping voucher (entirely the winners choice which they prefer!) along with one overall winner of the Grand Prize – a £3000 travel fund.

Without further ado, here are our entries and we appreciate any feedback you have on these!

RED

Red

A member of the Queen’s Guard outside the Tower of London, England

GREEN

Green

The pristine Court No. 9 at the All England Club (AKA Wimbledon)

YELLOW

Yellow

A gorgeous, relaxing sunset over Arkansas farmland!

WHITE

White

A wintry garden setting on a cold, frigid day in Jonesboro, Arkansas

BLUE

Blue

The pristine blue waves from the English Solent crashing in to Sandown Beach, Isle of Wight

So there you have our entries and now it is time for us to nominate five more amazing travel bloggers so that they can participate in this exciting contest:

Good luck to all nominees and we look forward to seeing all your great pictures!

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