The Art of Non-Conformity

Life

Visiting the Hidden Speakeasy in Downtown Sydney, Australia

Searching for a great cocktail in Australia is a quest of its own. For most Australians, a cocktail means "gin and tonic" or "margarita"—they have great wines in this part of the world, but legit mixed drinks are hard to come by.

That just means you have to look harder, of course.

I found a modern-day speakeasy hidden away in the Central Business District of Sydney. Finding the general area wasn’t difficult, but there was a trick to finding the speakeasy itself: you had to avoid an imposter bar located right outside. The imposter bar looked fine—just a normal pub with the typical overpriced drinks of Sydney.

Travel

Can You Visit Bora Bora on a Budget? Sort of—Here’s How.

This is a free excerpt from Upgrade Unlocked: The Unconventional Guide to Luxury Travel on a Budget by Stephanie Zito.

Bora Bora is a dream destination smack in the middle of the South Pacific. The French Polynesian island is famous for its crystal waters in 50 shades of blue, and luxury accommodation in over-the-ocean bungalows that come complete with a private balcony stepping straight into the sea.

It’s a popular destination for honeymooners and just about anyone who likes to be pampered on an island while never being more than 10 steps away from tropical waters.

Profiles

Building a Global Community One Beach at a Time: On the Road with Mirva Lempiäinen

This is a traveler case study. (Read others or nominate yourself.)

Mirva Lempiäinen fell in love with beaches of all kinds during college. Her passion caused her to build a career and friend base that allows her to travel to sandy destinations almost as often as she'd like.

Tell us about yourself.

I’m a 33-year-old freelance journalist from Finland. I’ve been actively roaming the globe for almost 15 years, and have visited around 70 countries (so far). Currently, I’m spending the winter on the French island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean which suits me quite well.

I have a bad beach addiction: over the past decade I’ve spent months every year on tropical beaches around the world. You could say I’m perpetually in search of the perfect beach. I’m also a New Yorker now (and surprisingly to many, New York actually has some pretty nice beaches, too!).

Life

There’s Always Time to Write a Book

Some inspiring insight from Laura Vanderkam:

"I have never believed that book writing needs to be all-consuming. It wasn’t for Toni Morrison writing The Bluest Eye at night after her kids went to bed and let’s face it, we’re not likely to produce anything like The Bluest Eye no matter how much time we spend writing. Books are projects like any other.
Incidentally, you can make time for the rest of your life too. I’m always amused by the lines in book acknowledgements in which authors (generally, male authors) thank their families for putting up with all their missed dinners. Not only am I not missing dinner, I’m generally cooking it."

Travel

When Next in Australia, Don’t Pay for Those Expensive Domestic Flights

Greetings from my favorite country! I’m in Australia for a few days (no public events this time—just writing and enjoying paradise).

And here’s a tip: my favorite country can be a little expensive. Consider it a tax on paradise, but just about everything you purchase may seen a tad high if you’re coming from the states. Oh, and many parts of the country are still waiting for the internet to arrive—but presumably that’s improving.

Domestic flights within Australia can be pricey too, but there’s a great alternative option: redeem American Airlines miles for flights on Qantas.

Et Cetera

6 Discoveries from Near and Far: Volume XXXVI

Things I found on long walks in foreign cities, or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter.

I’ll Just Put This Here, Where No One Will Read It -- On allowing people to make mistakes (or even to fail)
Buy a Monopoly Set and Get Real Money -- Everyone's childhood dream coming true
If It Doesn’t Serve a Purpose, Get Rid of It -- Advice for industrial design and life
28 (Better) Things No One Tells You About Publishing -- My favorites are #15 and #17. I disagree with #13
Astronaut Chris Hadfield’s Flight Suit Found in Toronto Thrift Store -- How it got there remains a mystery
How Too Many Products Can Hurt Your Business -- A counterintuitive lesson from the precocious Nathan Barry

Profiles

Hiking the 7,910-Mile Triple Crown of American Trails: David Getchel’s Quest

This is a quest case study. (Read others or nominate yourself.)

Earlier this week, David Getchel began the second leg of his three part quest to hike the Triple Crown of American trails: the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. Here's how it all began—and what's coming next.

I'm Dave, and I call Northern California home. Originally, my quest was to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (affectionately named the PCT ), a 2,650 mile trail spanning California, Oregon and Washington. Starting near San Diego I hiked through desert, lush forests and mountain ranges, encountering all types of weather. The PCT ends at the US/Canadian border. Most people hike for 4-6 months. There's a little bit of everything: alpine lakes miles from any road, long stretches without reliable water sources, and wide ranging wildlife. But while on the PCT, I decided to tackle the Triple Crown which includes the 2,160 mile Appalachian Trail, a 2,160 mile and the 3,100 Continental Divide Trail.

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Work

To Stop Insanity, It’s Not Just About Doing Things Differently

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

-attributed to Albert Einstein, but likely apocryphal

Whoever said it, you’ve probably heard this quotation at some point. And in one way or another, you’ve probably fallen into the trap of doing the same thing over and over, all the while expecting a different outcome.

I think the real danger of going insane doesn’t come from something new, but rather from something that we’ve been doing for a while.

Most of us are smart enough to realize that if we try something new and it doesn’t work, we can’t just keep trying the same way and expect different results. We might try again, but we’ll usually switch up the tactic. Even mice in a maze will learn to adapt and attempt different solutions.

Profiles

A Family’s Year in Italy: On the Road with Jacqueline Jannotta

This is a traveler case study. (Read others or nominate yourself.)

Getting the gumption to make travel part of your life is hard enough when it's just you, let alone adding three other people. Jacqueline Jannotta did just that, though—she brought her husband kids into a year-long adventure. Here's how this family of four did it:

I worked for both sitcoms and dotcoms in Chicago, L.A. and Florida before becoming a freelance writer and moving to Portland, Oregon. I’ve always cherished the connections I made as I zig-zagged around the country, and have been curious about the ever growing social constellations we find ourselves in.
This ultimately became the impetus for an unforgettable journey: moving my family of four to live in Genoa, Italy for a year.

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Work

One Log Cabin and 800 Yoga Mats: Some Unconventional Tax Deductions from My Life in 2014

My tax return is complicated for a lot of reasons. First, I run several different businesses which all have their own set of accounting. WDS, our annual gathering, has its own legal structure, including a foundation that is completely separate from all my other projects. Last year we started an all-new event that also has its own legal structure.

So yeah, it’s complicated. It takes about 20 hours just to prepare all the info for my accountant, and as with most tax-prep tasks, it’s not usually a fun process. But I do enjoy seeing some of the charges on my statements from the previous year. They remind me of the crazy life I have, and the many fun experiences that I'm fortunate to participate in.

Et Cetera

6 Discoveries from Near and Far: Volume XXXV

Things I found on long walks in foreign cities, or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter.

Don’t Waste Those 30-Minute Gaps Between Meetings — How to take advantage of little pockets of time
Quintessence -- An essential part of maturing is learning to avoid discontent
Etihad Offering Free Status Matches -- May be limited in quantity; don’t wait! (hat tip: Gary)
Don’t Throw a Life Raft Into the Kiddie Pool -- On running marathons and raising children
Why Travel Makes You Smarter -- “Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you’ve traveled.” - Mohamed
Discouragement Is a Natural Part of Achieving Goals -- A lesson in “living with open hands”

Et Cetera

Urban Yoga Project Takes Flight in New York, Madrid, and Paris

I like yoga, which means I tell people I practice all the time, but in reality only go to class a couple times a month. When I saw these photos of Slovenian architect Anja Humljan, I was amazed.

Anja has taken her passion for yoga and movement into urban environments—a global experiment in how we connect with cities. Take a look for yourself.

Travel

Earn Ultimate Rewards Points By Educating Your Friends on Miles & Points

Here’s a fun thing: many of you already have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. It’s a great card for a lot of reasons, and is usually my #1 recommendation when people are just starting to get into the world of miles and points.

If you have the card, you can now earn extra miles for referring your friends.

Here’s how it works:

You’ll earn 5,000 points for every successful referral
Your friends will receive the best offer currently available (the same one we have through our partner, Cards for Travel)
You can refer up to 10 friends for 50,000 points in total
The deadline is May 31, 2015

Travel

Awesome In-Flight Videos from the KLM Cockpit

Ever wonder how dozens of flights can safely cross the Atlantic at the same time, despite the fact that much of the journey includes no radar coverage?

How do the pilots communicate with Air Traffic Control, and what kind of instructions are they given?

Oh, and what’s the deal with autopilot—does it mean the pilots aren't really in control?

I really enjoyed watching these in-flight cockpit videos from recent KLM flights from Amsterdam to London and Amsterdam to New York. Even if you’re not an airline geek like me, you may like them, too.

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Et Cetera

Giveaway: Qatar Airways First Class Amenity Kit

Every Friday is giveaway day. Comment to win!

This kit comes with Armani moisturizer, lip balm, sleep mask (good for napping on the road AND at home), fancy floss, and cozy black socks
Okay, technically this is a men's kit—but ladies, you can win too! It's a super snazzy kit for anyone
The Giorgio Armani travel case is pretty nice too
This giveaway is available to readers worldwide. Anyone can win!
Our cats and biased judges will pick someone on Sunday night at 6pm PST

Enter this week’s giveaway by posting a comment. Check back Sunday night when we announce the winner!

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Chris Guillebeau

Visiting the Hidden Speakeasy in Downtown Sydney, Australia

Can You Visit Bora Bora on a Budget? Sort of—Here’s How.

Building a Global Community One Beach at a Time: On the Road with Mirva Lempiäinen

There’s Always Time to Write a Book

When Next in Australia, Don’t Pay for Those Expensive Domestic Flights

6 Discoveries from Near and Far: Volume XXXVI

Hiking the 7,910-Mile Triple Crown of American Trails: David Getchel’s Quest

To Stop Insanity, It’s Not Just About Doing Things Differently

A Family’s Year in Italy: On the Road with Jacqueline Jannotta

One Log Cabin and 800 Yoga Mats: Some Unconventional Tax Deductions from My Life in 2014

6 Discoveries from Near and Far: Volume XXXV

Urban Yoga Project Takes Flight in New York, Madrid, and Paris

Earn Ultimate Rewards Points By Educating Your Friends on Miles & Points

Here’s how it works:

Awesome In-Flight Videos from the KLM Cockpit

Giveaway: Qatar Airways First Class Amenity Kit

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