Beach Bum Network

One of the reasons I moved to Hawaii is because of the travel bug I had in 2008.  After taking 6 weeks off from work to travel in Asia, and later on, another 2 weeks in Maui, I wanted more.  Being in Hawaii allows me to travel across both sides of the Pacific.  And that’s just the beginning  .

After months and months of attending events, I’m excited to announce that I’ll be hosting one in Honolulu!  Bookmark your calendar for Tuesday, October 18th, details TBA.

Meet Plan Go, I came upon this website last year, it caught my attention and I knew I wanted to learn more and get involved.  The name was catchy and the message was simple.  Here’s some information below.  ”Like” the facebook page, follow on twitter, and sign up for the Career Break Newsletter to get started on a world of travel resources and inspiration.

Ready to realize your travel dreams? Stop dreaming and start packing! On October 18, 2011 in 17 cities across North America to learn more about career breaks and extended travel.

• • MEET inspirational speakers and like-minded travelers in their area.
  • Get motivation, contacts and resources necessary to PLAN the trip of a lifetime.
  • And start taking concrete steps forward to get ready to GO!

Despite being common in many countries such as Australia and the UK, career breaks, life sabbaticals, “gap years” and other forms of extended travel are not currently an American or Canadian birthright…but the Founders of Meet, Plan, Go! are on a mission to change that!

At every event will be individuals who have fulfilled their own dreams of traveling around the world, or are currently in the planning stages. Their real-life stories include an understanding of the unique challenges that all long-term travelers must overcome in order to claim their freedom on the road and who appreciate the unbelievable triumphs of realizing one’s dream of a long-term international adventure.

NY Times article about last year’s event: http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/travel/17Prac.html?ref=travel

Quotes from last year’s event:

“This was a fantastic event! It made me realize that long-term travel is a completely realistic goal and that I have much amazing company also doing the same.” – Seattle Attendee

“Your event convinced me that my pipe dream of traveling was actually possible… and then gave me tips and tricks on how to accomplish it.” – NYC Attendee

“I loved this event! It helped reassure me that I wasn’t crazy about thinking about quitting my job to hit the road, and it connected me with many other like-minded travelers.” – Orlando Attendee

I was reading an article about Henk Rogers, who license the game Tetris for Nintendo.  It was one of my all-time favorite video games.  I nomally don’t like playing video games, but Tetris is different.  It was the game of the 80′s, a brain-game, building block elimination to advance to the next level, testing your hand-eye coordination and quick-thinking strategy and logical skills.  I played it with my brothers and beat them up to level 16, it had a shooting rocket at the end.  Besides Tetris, Henk started up Blue Planet Foundation in Hawaii, an organization to “end carbon-based fuel usage, become clean, green energy self-sufficient, become more self-powered, and drive electric vehicles.”  He’s about “innovation and repair and organizing situations until they’re optimal.”  Kinda like Tetris, “problems fall into his consciousness to be flipped around, fit together and-poof!-made to disappear.”

Thinking about my own life at the moment, things have been chaotic and thrown off course, again.  It’s mainly work, or lack of it.  Our jobs are where we spend 30%+ of our day.  The % of people who actually love what they do is probably < 5%.  (F)unemployment, as some people refer to, can be daunting but could be the best thing to happen.  It also helps to have a positive outlook on it.  With the time off to shift focus and gears, I’m actually working towards self-employment and volunteering for things I’ve been meaning to do.  Stealing my mentor’s word, “back-burner projects”.  Stay tuned to find out what’s cooking