Author: Confessions of a Jetsetter

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Les Franklin

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“The best adventures to me or rather the ones I enjoy most are unpredictable…I’m a rather impulsive person so there are days when I’m in my car heading nowhere in particular and I’ll see a spot in the trees that looks “picturesque” and I’ll pull over and take a walk if weather and traffic permits… It’s been times when I’ve been on my way to a friend’s and I’ll get sidetracked walking down a train track or through a small forest…What sparks my curiosity most is going towards a place I’ve never been, seeing an area that’s unfamiliar to me… In my favorite movies during death scenes, the people who love the character the most always attempt to pull him or her back from the light…You know your experience, your full life over and then you’re given a tunnel with a light towards which to follow…In life, I like to take those tunnels and attempt to reach that light that’s ahead before time escapes me…” – Les Franklin AKA @l.franklin     014/100 of #100DaysofConfessions …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Meghan McNeer

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“I have been known to be a road trip warrior in my day – two way tie for the craziest…Just recently, after being overserved at a wedding the night before, 5 of my friends and I piled into a car outside of Dublin. I drove on the wrong side of the road (it was my first time that weekend!) all the way to the Cliffs of Moher…  We thought it was like 2.5 hours away, it was definitely closer to 6! The drive was visually stunning and I wouldn’t redo it any other way. But after 50 minutes in the spitting rain at the cliffs, as 6 wet cats, we piled back into the car and drove straight back to Dublin. We did stop into a charming pub that let us dry our outside layers over the fire and have a world class chowder! The other time – when I was driving in the south outside Charleston on a Sunday and ran out of gas in the middle of the night on the side of …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Sumaya

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“I grew up admiring the water but never managed to enjoy it until I was an adult. Whether snorkeling in the Red Sea or listening to the Pacific Ocean waves crash, I’ve found being in the water is the closest feeling to flying…Suspended in space, I’m insignificant but in control. Every wave roar and wind gust that taunted me before no longer strikes fear in me. It’s just welcoming me back…Giving me a chance to recharge before I go back on land and conquer my dreams.” – Sumaya   012/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project  

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Wynne Gavin

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“November 2012…My best friend, Christina, and I were staying in Orvieto, Italy during a very rainy couple of days.  The power went out a couple of times one evening and we really didn’t think much of it, figuring that their infrastructure wasn’t as strong as that in the US and dismissed the issue.  We went to dinner next door to our hotel, their power flickering as well.  Again, gave it no thought… The next morning at about 8:00am, I awoke and went into the bathroom.  No power, no water.  Again, dismissed it.  Christina and I figured it was a good opportunity to sleep in a bit.  But after about 15 minutes, I heard a racket outside; it sounded like a helicopter. So I went out to our balcony and sure enough, a helicopter was flying just above roof level, at the restaurant we had enjoyed the night before.  When I took a look around, I started yelling, “OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!!” Christina was asking, “What is it?”  I could only …

Confessions Of A Jetsetter w/ Aimee Zvinakis

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“I am a water sign through and through and am drawn to being close to it, to painting it, to being in it. It’s a bit ironic that I am currently living in Beijing, which is a very dry inland city, but I digress… One of my most memorable days at the beach took place on a little island called Gili Meno, situated right next to the much larger island of Lombok in Indonesia. It’s the kind of island I would imagine was similar to the one Robinson Crusoe was shipwrecked on, with a few more comforts ;). No motorized vehicles are permitted, just donkey-powered carts and one can walk the perimeter of the island in about an hour.  Take in the sunrise against the silhouette of Mount Rinjani and then at the end of the day, make your way to the western side of the island and watch it set behind Mount Agung. Basically, it’s heaven on earth. On this particular afternoon, a friendly local man directed us to a spot known for its …

Confessions Of A Jetsetter w/ Peter Nguyen

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“My favorite place has been my most recently far journey to Bologna, Italy. It was so laid back, it really made me reconsider how I want to approach life and my work. It propelled me to want to be a lot more independent, where I can take a long lunch and have wine and chill out with no worries… A funny encounter in Bologna was when my girlfriend and I kept dining at this restaurant called Diana, which is Mario Batali’s favorite place to eat. They do the classic tagliatelle Bolognese perfect. It was probably our 3rd time there in one week and we went right as they opened… We asked for some wine, our waiter didn’t speak English well, so we pointed to a drink list and he came out with an entire bottle. He was about to open it and said “no cancel?” We said fuck it and got drunk after we finished the whole bottle. It was 10am.” – Peter Nguyen // @theessentialman   009/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Rebecca Hill

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“I took a quick trip to Morocco in the summer of 2009 while attending a friend’s wedding in Andalusia, Spain. I was the only American on the ferry and got looks in Tangier as a woman traveling alone rolling two big suitcases along the bumpy, narrow sidewalks. This was the first international trip I had taken flying solo, in a country where I didn’t know the language at all but got by with a smattering of French. On my second day there, I got the courage to go to a local cafe by myself and write, as if I were William Burroughs. The waitstaff was a bit confused, waiting for someone to join me, but no one did, and having ordered a fair share of mint tea and pastries, I was left well enough alone. I hope to go back to Morocco this summer, continuing on my journey to learn Arabic and the beauty of the culture.” – Rebecca Hill AKA @lymie16   008/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Georges Ekwensi

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“For someone who is interested in how governments, corporations and everyday people are responding to rapid urbanization, there is no better place to visit than Lagos, Nigeria. Everything and everyone has a story to tell, from the infrastructure, to the advertisements, to the millions of people who navigate this vast metropolitan area every day. The energy of the people, the colors of their dress against beautiful dark skin tones, and the rhythms created from car honking and conversation create a place that isn’t quite like any other… An encounter that sticks in my mind is one that tells the true reality of the Lagosian hustle. It is not uncommon to be driving or to be being driven and have people try to sell you anything from candy to home furnishings right out on the street. I can imagine that on a particularly traffic heavy day, one may tire and pick up a sack of water or some fruits or nuts to eat but my father never opened the window for more than the morning newspaper …

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Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Weda AKA The Shortest Fuse

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“As clichéd as it sounds, my idea of a perfect afternoon is people watching and writing at a sidewalk café in Paris. I’ve traveled to 25 countries sampling everything from the exotic to the banal — yet nothing quite thrills and humbles like an overcast Parisian sky where I’m aimlessly café hopping. It promotes the ennui and the gratitude in equal measure. Being in Beijing, where I’m currently teaching, the café culture is geared understandably towards foreigners, as the Chinese are largely tea drinkers, though even this is slowly changing. Thus, I’ve learned that if I truly want to observe life among the locals – and as an expat, I do because isn’t this why we chase travel in the faraway – I need to abandon my default café lounging and take to the rambling alleys, what we call “hutongs” here, where the real shit happens: the grandma basking in the sun with her precious grandbaby, the bike mechanic slaving away at his makeshift repair stand, the couple setting up their family dumpling shop at …

Confessions Of A Jetsetter w/ David Jones

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It seems like each time I have the opportunity to travel abroad and immerse myself in a different culture, Louisiana finds me there. Every time, without fail. It’s in those moments that I’m once again reminded at how absolutely magical this place is that I call home. She holds the title of “Sportsman’s Paradise”, “Festival Capital of America” and even “The Happiest State”, but Louisiana is so much more than Bourbon Street and LSU Football… She’s as diverse and full of flavor as the gumbo we’re famous for serving up, with every cultural & ethnic group imaginable represented in contributing to all that Louisiana is today. From the food, the music, the gorgeous nature found all around and the warm Southern hospitality, it’s impossible to keep the collective soul of this place from entering your own. As a “born & raised” Louisiana musician currently living in New Orleans, I’m always trying to push the envelope to communicate sound and sight and feeling to others about this her, and I think I’ll close this off with …