Thanksgiving Week!

*Last Years Thanksgiving Kids table*


This year I am grateful for a loving husband, a few jobs, the opportunity to live in NYC, my friends, and family who are always so kind to chat with me on the phone even when I forget the time difference, and for prayer.  I hope everyone's day is full of family and food!

Love, Cam

How to Travel Through India

10 Tips to help you enjoy your adventures in India

1. Always have toilet paper on you- in a pocket, purse or backpack- girls especially take heed.

2. Most people are good- just not those who work in tourism, so be careful and wise.

3. Do not buy street food if you are on a tight schedule- or have a toilet very close by.

4. Be direct and honest with shop keepers, drivers, etc. Pay what you think it is worth and expect what you pay for. In the same note remember that the scarf and shoes you are buying might actually be supporting that family so don't be stingy. 

5. Be nice even when others are not in turn nice to you. A smile helps. 

6. Eat lots of good food- just make sure it is a place full of other people. This often means it is good and well prepared. Also drink lots of water. Don't get dehydrated because you don't like the bathroom situation.

7. Research your transportation options then don't be fooled. If people say- oh that is closed or they moved offices don't believe them until you have gone as far as you can. Oh and if people are blocking from a building and leading you towards another- this probably means they are tricking you.

8. Spend time with locals via couchsurfing, or other social websites to help you meet people who can show you the area or culture through a different more authentic lens.

9. Learn and follow local customs. This often leads to greater respect and more enjoyable exchanges.

10. Take time in solitude -This is the home land of buddha and many remarkable meditation practices. It may seem hard to find peace and solitude but you can. Take time in nature, an ashram or even special yoga retreats. Balance the chaos of India with internal peace.

Around the World Trip: Couchsurfing

Have you ever been somewhere, maybe another country, and just felt like an outsider looking in? As kids my mom would invite young Japanese girls to stay with us for a week or two as a part of an exchange program. Having served a mission in Japan, my mom could communicate with them and put them at ease. I remember laughing at how much they enjoyed the simplest things like our trampoline or the candy store at the mall. Although we took them to the tourist hot spots, they seem more excited by our home, the posters of boy bands on my sister’s wall and our daily life. Preparing to travel around the world I had very little interest in just seeing the buildings or tourist sites. I wanted to see the lives of the people. I know a few days or even weeks is often not long enough to really experience a culture but with groups like Couchsurfing, I think it is possible.

When I was first introduced I thought Couchsurfing was a way for creepy people to get cheap travelers like me to stay in their homes out of desperation. How wrong I was. Couchsurfing is a website that connects travelers who want something more out of their experience to hosts willing to house and introduce such travelers to their home. At no cost it works on a pay it forward system. In the past five years I have stayed in people’s homes across more than 10 countries. I have slept in small villages, Bedouin caves, huge mansions, shantytowns and everything else in between. And when I am not traveling I am able to play host to travelers coming to NYC.

The people I have met have changed my perspective on life and have taught me that we are not just citizens of our small community, but of a worldwide neighborhood. We are global citizens and as such we have the opportunity to care for one another. Couchsurfing for me started out as an alternative to hotels but I immediately learned it is not a way to find free accommodations. It is a way to form friendships and see into a culture that a building or tour group could never offer.  Regardless of our budget I know that my husband and I will continue to Couchsurf and host those doing the same.
*Although people maybe worried about trying it out considered this: A hotel views you as a customer and in some places just as a means to income, a Couchsurfing views you as a friend and guest in their home- as a result they care for you as such.

*no tour guide can take you to the hole in the wall that serves the best Dosa in the World*