Sometimes I dream of uprooting my family and moving to another country for a year (okay, maybe six months), so it’s no surprise I enjoyed reading Jennifer Wilson’s account of her family’s multi-month stay in a small Croatian village in Running Away to Home: Our Family’s Journey to Croatia in Search of Who We Are, Where We Came From, and What Really Matters. The book’s title and topic is similar to Halfway to Each Other: How a Year in Italy Brought One Family Home, which I read (and liked) last year. Indeed, Running Away to Home similarly made me laugh out loud and weep; both books detail a family’s trials and tribulations of moving to a foreign country for a family sabbatical, in an effort to reconnect without the distractions of computers and carpools and commitments that come with typical family life in the United States.

I think Running Away to Home (St Martin’s Press) spoke to me a bit more than Halfway to Each Other (Guideposts) because I related to the author’s desire to learn more about her ancestors. She moved her family (husband Jim, Zadie age 4 and Sam age 7) to tiny Mrkopalj, Croatia, for a year to see firsthand how her great-grandparents lived in the small mountain village. Similarly, this summer I did my own family tree research, discovering that my mother’s family is from Germany, not Holland as previously thought, and that my father’s family is Galician. How cool would it be to experience your ancestral village — to see the dusty streets, countryside and even the home sites where great grandparents once lived? Jennifer actually had the gumption to do it!

The Wilson family's home in Mrkopalj for four months was a room on the third floor of a bar owner's house.

I fully appreciated Jennifer’s candor in describing the difficulties she and her family encountered after moving from Des Moines, Iowa, to tiny Mrkopalj, a village of 800 residents that had been seemingly frozen in time. I marveled at them agreeing to stick it out when, on arrival, the housing they were expecting had fallen through and the foursome had to live on the top floor of their landlord’s house. In one room. With Jennifer and Jim on a futon. For several months. (Yikes!)

The author is someone I can totally relate to — in fact I followed Jennifer on Twitter (@TravelinFamily) before I even knew she was a book author. She’s self-deprecating and really funny and, as I mentioned above, totally honest in telling tales about life in Croatia. Her husband and children adjust much more easily to daily life in Mrkopalj, where parental supervision is minimal (the young children loved it) and drinking the local liquor takes place all day long (Jim bonded with the menfolk well before Jennifer found her tribe).

Sheep on a spit, a common meal in Mrkopalj. That's Jennifer's husband Jim on the left, bar-owner/landlord Robert on the far right.

There are tales of hiking in mountains, day trips to the beach (with the kids’ new Croatian-speaking playmates in tow), taking in local festivals and indulging not only in alcohol (when in Rome!) but also copious amounts of grilled pork and meat. Daily life for the Wilsons slowed to a crawl in an world that is devoid of shopping malls, soccer practice, Starbucks and school (Jim homeschooled the kids while Jennifer wrote on her laptop). It’s hard not to be envious of the Wilson family and their simple lives, despite being foreigners in a place that is polar opposite of Middle America.

You can guess from the book’s tagline that Jenifer Wilson’s family was changed by the experience, not only because they did indeed reconnect with one another (no surprise since they lived in small quarters without the distractions of modern life), but because Jennifer was able to actually track down living blood relatives. I stayed up late into the evening reading quickly as Jennifer and Jim (Yenny and Jeem to the locals) connected the dots and traveled to meet Jennifer’s grandmother’s first cousin. Their meeting: emotional and raw.

Searching for family information in old church records.

Many parts of the book are simultaneously engaging and emotional, but equally present are sections enhanced by Jennifer’s fabulous sense of humor. Some of the funniest parts of the book occur when Jennifer is dealing with Robert, the local bar owner and the Wilsons’ landlord. Occasionally hapless, sometimes annoying and typically drunk, Robert eventually works his way into Jennifer’s heart — after all, if he hadn’t put the Wilsons up in the attic-like dorm room in his house, they would have been homeless in Croatia. (Of course, it’s his fault to begin with that the original agreed-upon lodging — multiple rooms on the second floor — were under construction and never quite finished in a timely manner.)

On that note, while reading the book I was so curious to see a photo of Robert — and images of the other villagers, young and old, who befriended the Wilsons. I wish I could have seen the Wilsons driving the compact Eastern European car, drinking in the bar, playing games at the festivals, pouring over church records, meeting their distant cousin…. Alas, the author chose not to illustrate her 317-page memoir with personal photographs. She told me she didn’t want to influence the images that her readers conjured up in their minds of life in Mrkopalj. Still, I think photography would have only enhanced the storytelling. (I did later find photos from their stay in Croatia on Jennifer Wilson’s website — click over to the Croatia photos. You can also watch Robert sing and play guitar on the Running Away to Home YouTube video channel.)

Day trip to the beach! That's Sam in the middle, Zadie at right, and Croatian friend Roberta at left.

Indeed, I highly recommend Running Away to Home for any novice (or expert) genealogists or parents considering long-term travel with young children. For other opinions of this book, read my friend Mara Gorman’s “Croatia or bust” post on Mother of All Trips, as well as the accompanying Q&A with Jennifer Wilson, and Vera Marie Badertscher’s review on A Traveler’s Library.

And a bonus for anyone who has stuck with me through this lengthy book discussion: I mistakenly received two review copies of Running Away to Home. I’ll mail my extra copy to whomever wants it and first comments below (and has a U.S. mailing address)! Otherwise you can purchase the book at online retailers like Amazon.com.

Photos courtesy Jennifer Wilson.

Longtime Mrkopalj resident Baka Ana and her garden.

Just a few months before he was set to wed the love of his life, travel journalist Julian Smith set off on a 4,500-mile journey from South Africa to Sudan. Sounds pretty crazy, right? After all, most dudes just go to Vegas for bachelor party debauchery. But Julian had read of a young British adventurer Ewart Grogan, who’d made the same trek beginning in 1898 in order to win the hand of a girl he was smitten with — or at least prove his worth to her stepfather.

Independent-minded Julian figured that one last sole adventure before “settling down” would help him answer the question, “Am I ready to consign myself to one person, completely, forever?” No one had ever retraced Ewart Grogan’s route across Africa. Julian writes, “Perhaps crossing Africa as he had would help me find peace with this radical new direction my life was about to take.”

I’d like the book Crossing the Heart of Africa if I hadn’t met the friendly, laid-back author at a Society of American Travel Writers event in Tahoe last year. But since I can picture Julian in real life, trekking through Africa, encountering everything from sickness and frustrating immigration officials to treacherous volcano climbs and erratic motorbike drivers, makes the book even more enjoyable to me. In a compelling narrative, he weaves together the firsthand tales of his two-month adventure, as well as the story of his courtship with his wife-to-be Laura and accounts of Grogan’s historic travels through countries peppered with charging elephants and hungry cannibals.

Ever the romantic, I could relate most to the sections that covered Julian’s relationship with Laura. Readers get all sorts of juicy details regarding how they met, how Julian screwed up (resulting in a “F*** off” email response from Laura), and how they fell in love.

Truckbed travel in Mozambique. Photo by Julian Smith.

Another highlight of the book: the images in the center of the paperback of Ewart Grogan, as well as Julian’s own photographs of gorillas, hippos, Ugandan children and other scenes from his trip. I would have loved to see even more Africa photos — in color — in the book, but I did find just that on Julian’s website.

I have zero interest in undertaking anything remotely resembling Julian’s two-month trek through third-world countries halfway around the world (I am a Vacation Gal, after all). But reading about Julian’s crazy adventure — which included getting puked on by a small child while riding on a bus, various intestinal ailments of his own (but no malaria, like Ewart Grogan had endured) and cramped, random sleeping quarters — was thoroughly enjoyable from the comfort of my own couch. I had to frequently refer to the map in the front of the book, to understand where he was at many points in his journey; readers more familiar with Africa — and its culture, history and politics — will appreciate the keen description even more.

I recommend Crossing the Heart of Africa to anyone with an interest in legendary 19th-century expeditions, way way off-the-beaten path foreign exploration, or, perhaps most importantly, fairy-tale endings.

Once again we’re breaking from our typical destination and travel-tips coverage to talk about a subject near and dear to The Vacation Gals’ hearts (namely because it’s how we, in part, pay our mortgages): travel writing. If you’re a longtime print travel writer flummoxed by online opportunities, a self-published travel blogger who wants to get paid for your writing, or a freelance writer interested in dabbling in the travel genre, you’ll find lots of helpful advice on how to navigate the “new media landscape” in Tim Leffel’s new book Travel Writing 2.0.

In full disclosure, I write for Tim (and get paid for it!) at his Practical Travel Gear blog; and I’m quoted in the book, along with 51 other travel writers, including our very own SoCalGal Jennifer Miner. Still, the 246-page book is so chock full of good stuff, I’d recommend it to others even if I weren’t a part of it and I didn’t get a PayPal deposit from the author every month. Here’s why:

1. Tim knows his stuff: The prolific freelance travel writer has published hundreds of destination articles online and in print, plus he’s the editor and owner of the award-winning Perceptive Travel site, which publishes fresh narrative travel pieces monthly, and he’s the author of three other books, including The World’s Cheapest Destinations. He’s the perfect case study on how to diversify your travel-writing income successfully. Learn more at his personal portfolio site TimLeffel.com.

2. Tim knows he doesn’t have all the answers. As I mentioned above, the book author interviewed 52 different travel writers to get our perspectives on how we patch together part-time or full-time living writing about travel. Some of us our blog owners, some of us write guidebooks, still others focus on editorial magazine articles. It’s so fun to flip through the book and see many bylines I recognize, and these additional insights add to the books’ worth (if I do say so myself).

3. Tim tells is like it is. He certainly doesn’t sugar-coat the travel-writing profession. No “Get paid to travel the world for free!” promises in this book. Instead, he explains, for example, how researching guidebook material or double-checking facts for a magazine article, can be incredible draining, day after day in a foreign country. Money-making travel writing isn’t all fruity cocktails by the pool, that’s for sure. The graph of travel writers’ annual income is also telling.

4. Tim lays out all the paths to prosperity. In Travel Writing 2.0, Tim outlines different ways one can make money travel writing these days: from traditional magazine, newspaper, guidebook and corporate print writing, to the newer digital blogging for yourself, blogging for others, writing for webzines, web publishing, online corporate writing and a variety of online income streams, like affiliate ads, ad networks, writing sponsored posts and selling e-books on your own websites. He explains which income paths have the promise in the future, and which just might be going the way of “buggy whips and carbon paper.” (I bet you can guess.)

5. Tim’s several pages of Travel Writing Resources are great. This section includes websites for travel-writing communities, where jobs are posted, professional development associations and much more. Plus, each travel writer quoted in the book gets a couple-paragraph bio, and I enjoyed learning more about some very successful writers (yes, I stalked some via their personal portfolio sites).

Another cool resource: the associated Travel Writing 2.0 blog. Here, Tim writes thought-provoking posts about the current state of the travel writing and publishing industries (I’m partial to “Screw the Gatekeeper” and “Who Has the Biggest ‘Circulation’ Now?”), and he also shares detailed Q&A interviews with writers (including yours truly and Jen Miner), where we talk a bit about how we got started travel writing, how we make our money and what advice we’d give to folks just starting out.

A couple of notes: The book Travel Writing 2.0 is not intended to teach the craft of travel writing; as Tim points out, there are plenty of books out there that cover “how to write well.” This book is focused much more on the business and marketing of travel writing. If you do want to bone up on writing skills, I can recommend firsthand Amanda Castleman’s writing classes.

Also, lest you think the last 750 words have been one big ol’ brown-nosing homage to Tim and his latest book, I do take issue with a few of his points. For instance, he writes that only after some level of success do you get invited on free trips (enjoying VIP treatment all the way) or have your editors pay travel expenses — indeed, this is one sweet perk of the travel-writing profession.

However, in this current age of digital self publishing, travel bloggers are receiving press-trip invitations much earlier in their writing/blogging careers than print freelance writers ever did, say, five years ago. To wit, Anthony of the Travel Tart says on Travel Writers’ Exchange (another great resource!) that he started his blog in 2009, and in 2010, he was invited on press trips to Fiji, the United Kingdom and South Africa — all from his home in Australia. The perks are definitely available to hard-working bloggers; and I’m the first to say that it never ever hurts to ask to be considered for press trips or media rates – if you truly feel you have the page views, community or social-media presence to warrant it.

Also missing from Tim’s book are the types of creative partnerships that new-media folks are forming with travel companies these days, for example, Visit Lanai‘s New Media Artists in Residence program (of which I am a part), Gap Adventures’ Wanderers in Residence or Park City’s Snow Mamas (granted, Tim’s book went to press before the Lanai or Gap programs rolled out). With these relationships, travel bloggers contract with travel companies and help promote their products/destinations in exchange for not only trips, but cash for their time, writing or consulting.

Today, when there are so many opportunities for travel writers to solely “write for exposure” and not for cash, I think it’s important for those new to the travel writing or travel blogging world to heed the advice of someone like Tim Leffel who has made a living from travel writing for many years and who has adapted to a career in this digital age. Indeed, as my friend Pam points out in a thoughtful recent post, paying markets for travel essays are shrinking (or have shrunk). But I contend that there are many other ways to cover travel than solely personal narrative.

My nutshell advice: Read Travel Writing 2.0, study the resource pages, maybe take a writing class, network your butt off, recognize success doesn’t occur overnight, put into practice some of the money-making opportunities Tim suggests, and I am certain you can earn cash from your travel writing. You might need to throw some guidebook work, charticles (which I happen to love), service pieces or website “content” into the mix — or perhaps you’ll monetize your blog or write e-books — but it is possible to make money from your passion for traveling, for sure.

Purchase Travel Writing 2.0 direct from the publisher for $17.95 in paperback or a $9.95 e-book. On Amazon you can buy a Kindle version for $9.89.

How to travel for free: it seems everyone has an opinion of whether or not this is possible. Most trips, whether a business conference, a week-long family getaway or a journalist press trip, usually only allow for a brief overview of a destination. Rarely does the traveler get a chance to indulge in a destination’s culture or learn the “local” secrets. But, there are ways to travel for free and fully experience a destination and Professor Michael Schneider’s book On The Other Guy’s Dime: A Professional’s Guide To Traveling Without Paying has the answer. Michael calls it a working vacation.

I was asked to review the book before its release. And I have to say, it is one of the most inspiring and exciting books I have read. Professor Schneider’s encounter with exotic locations and explanations of how get got there should help you realize how easy it is to travel for free by launching a working vacation. As the book reveals, there are plenty of opportunities for professionals — or anyone for that matter, even the unemployed — to put their experience to work and call an exotic location home. In fact, Michael and his wife have been on 15 working vacations through universities which have ranged from one to nine months.

What I really like about On the Other Guy’s Dime is the author’s candid approach to traveling for free. He admits that not every attempt worked and at one point a misunderstanding made an entire deal fall through, but his positive attitude and determined personality allowed opportunities to pop up even when unexpected. I also admire how Schneider addresses the topic of how children can impact your travels and how working vacations actually embrace families. He also touches on topics such as leaving your home in the care of others, jet lag and the possibility of spousal boredom while overseas. Be prepared for some interesting photos (some will make your jaw drop).

On the Other Guy’s Dime is loaded with tips, which are folded into a captivating narrative about Schneider’s travels and adventures around the world. The book is sure to tempt those with wanderlust in their blood to look at their own experiences and consider taking a working vacation.

Learn more about how Micheal Schneider travels for free and latest adventures on his blog Other Guy’s Dime.

I just finished this book — weeping — on a flight from Denver to Seattle. It’s not the only time I cried while reading this story of a 40-something mom who moved her family from Los Angeles to a small town in Italy in order to save her marriage. Nope, I freely shed tears, laughed, reflected and related while reading Halfway to Each Other (Guideposts), which is available in hardcover now, and in paperback next month.

Susan Pohlman and her husband Tim were thisclose to divorce (having visited attorneys and all), when they made the radical decision to sell their house in California and move halfway across the world with their children, then 11 and 14. Susan did so not only in a last-ditch effort to reconnect with her husband on foreign soil, but also to introduce her kids to a simpler way of life (sans American materialism) in the Italian coastal town of Nervi.

Any parent with tween-age or teen-age children, whose lives revolve around work, carpools, computers and commitments, can likely relate to the appeal of giving it all up to focus on the family without the distractions of “typical” over-scheduled everyday life.

With brutal honesty (and loads of humor), Susan shares with readers in chronological vignettes how she and her husband slowly fell in love again through funny travel mishaps, walks on the beach and relaxing mornings savoring cappuccino. This transformation in their relationship — and their improved bonds as a family on the whole — certainly didn’t happen overnight.

In fact, their year in Italy brought plenty of anxiety, fear and loneliness — not only were the Pohlmans figuring out how to simply spend time together (and enjoy it) after two decades of marriage, but they had to navigate daily life in a foreign country in which they couldn’t speak the language. At all.

The tall Pohlmans (she's 5'8" and he's 6'8") were "tall, thin, celery people invading a city of eggplants."

My favorite tales involved figuring out the local grocery store (and getting the stink eye from the local matrons for not donning a plastic glove to touch the produce — who knew?), deciphering public transportation, trying to communicate with their neighbors, instructing an Italian hairdresser how to best highlight with blond streaks (didn’t end so well) and enrolling their kids in a local international school. I loved hearing about leisurely walks on the beach, a daily cappuccino routine and travels to Switzerland. The stories are heartwarming and ultimately triumphant.

Truly, I did not want this book to end. Susan tells her family’s tale with candor and self-deprecation; she reveals conversations with her husband that are absolutely shocking to me (at first, I was so surprised they’d stayed married that long, they were so bitter toward one another). After finishing the memoir, I’m frankly so curious to know what her life back in the United States is like these days — are lessons learned in Italy still being applied to life in busy, hectic America? (Trust me, I’ve poured over her website and blog, and I’m now stalking following her on Twitter.)

Note that this book is published by Guideposts, a company that produces “inspirational” books, booklets and magazines. If you’re bothered by references to God or Biblical scripture, than this book isn’t for you. I’m not heavy into religious doctrine, but still enjoyed it immensely. (Susan’s talks with God made sense in context.)

I heartily recommend this book to anyone contemplating a long-term move to Italy, with or without children. I think it’s also enlightening for anyone who might be able to relate to a marriage gone stale, who might be in a union that needs some shaking up in order to ultimately last in the long run. With mouthwatering descriptions of vine-ripened tomatoes, savory focaccia and creamy gelato, Halfway to Each Other will, if anything, tantalize your taste buds and inspire you to book a flight to the source of some amazing food — and museums and villages and a slow-paced way of life — in Italy.

I was running late for my 7 a.m. flight from Denver to Charlotte, en route to the Type-A Mom Conference in Asheville, North Carolina. First, the shuttle from my airport-area hotel was 12 minutes late. Then TSA found a 5-oz tube of facial cleanser at the bottom of my backpack (I’d been looking for that soap for weeks!). I didn’t want to toss the nearly full container, so I took the time to empty it into smaller bottles I had with me. Going back through security took at least another 5 valuable minutes.

But my morning was pie compared to the man I met at gate C-31.

As I made my way to the jetway with the cattle herd of other folks with Zone 4 (last) seating, a handsome, 40-something man in jeans, hiking shoes and graying, closely cropped hair approached. “Is this the plane to Charlotte?” Yes. “Did I miss Zone 3 seating?” Yes. He attempted to blend in with the crowd, and I was annoyed, “Hey, you were here late,” I thought, but didn’t say. “Move to the back of the line.”

Instead, I ushered him in front of me, saying, “We’re all going to the same place.” A few moments passed, and he said to no one in particular, “I just totaled my car.”

Whaaaaa?

Turns out he left his home in the Denver-area foothills early – at 5 a.m. – so he could take his time driving to the airport to catch his flight. Instead he hit an elk (“a 10 pointer”) on Interstate 70, deploying the airbag.

The lanky kid with the guitar next to me piped up, “That was you? I saw that elk. It was huge!”

State police responded quickly. The front of the Toyota 4-runner was smashed – the car was totaled. A woman in the car behind the accident pulled over and offered to drive the gentleman to the airport – she’d just won $1200 at the Blackhawk Casino. What a juxtaposition of two strangers – one celebrating her good luck and one dealing with the consequences of crummy luck.

The man in front of me in the boarding line was certainly on edge, but composed. A little jittery, but not falling apart. I said, “I can’t believe you made it here, for the flight.”

“I had to,” the man said, “I haven’t seen my parents in 10 months. I couldn’t call them to say I wasn’t coming.”

He didn’t want to disappoint his mom and dad. That brought tears to my eyes.

And I was embarrassed – I was annoyed at this guy for wanting to “cut me” in line, when he’d had such a traumatic morning.

Ironically, in my carry-on was a book, Step Back from the Baggage Claim, that I devoured on my two-hour flight. The author, Jason Barger, explains how small changes we might make in the way we behave in an airport, can help improve how we, as a society, can change the world for the better.

Heavy stuff. But so simple. And so right on.

One of the lessons in this short book – based on Jason’s insights gleaned from spending 7 days in 6 different U.S. airports – is to “share compassion with those along your journey.” Jason notes, “We have no idea what tugs at the hearts of the people we sit next to on the airplane, stand next to in security lines, bump into in the food court or box out in baggage claim.”

We don’t know what metaphorical baggage people are carrying with them as they make their way through their days … instead of getting annoyed at folks who want to “cut the line” (!), why not “travel gracefully,” as Jason suggests, with a smile on your face and and kind words and gestures for everyone you meet.

I sure felt lousy after I found out about the incredibly crummy morning my fellow passenger had. And after reading Step Back from the Baggage Claim, that message of sharing compassion sure hit home. (Here’s a more thorough review this thoroughly inspiring book on the Practical Travel Gear blog.)

I sure hope the mystery man can find peace during his visit with his folks – and that he’s got a great insurance company and he can replace his car soon.

Travel gracefully!

Photo courtesy Colorado.com, Matt Inden/Weaver Multimedia Group.

Our friends at Wanderlust and Lipstick have a new book on the shelves: Traveling with Kids is filled with tips from expert authors Michelle Duffy and Leslie Forsberg, as well as anecdotes from more than 40 other moms.

The general guide is geared toward parents who are new to traveling with children. In fact, the book  would make a nice baby shower gift for soon-to-be parents who would like to keep up their on-the-road lifestyle but aren’t sure how that’s going to work with a little one in tow. Chapters include everything from Pre-Trip Planning to Flight Plans to Responsible Travel, which focuses on teaching your children how to respect other cultures and respect the environment.

I like the book’s master packing list, which reminded me I need to update the list I keep on my hard drive. I think it dates back a few years, when I was still packing water-wings and sippy cups for my preschoolers! (The kids are now 7 and 9.) And because I am a list fanatic, I also appreciate the 200 “essential websites” for travel planning and buying gear that makes travel easier (like my beloved Klutz activity books).

Purchase the 349-page Traveling with Kids on Amazon.com for $12.