This post marks my first for G Adventures as part of their Wanderers in Residence programme, and in a few weeks I’ll be hopping on my first ever group tour. Other than smaller, short-term trips – climbing Salkantay to Macchu Picchu or a trip on the Galapagos – I’ve never went on a destination trip with a tour company. But when G Adventures put together its Wanderers in Residence programme, I was very excited to be a part of their push to educate people about travel and to see travel as a way of learning by doing, tasting and seeing.
That’s a big part of my philosophy as well, and I’m the first to say it doesn’t matter whether you go with a group tour, with a other travelers or alone; what matters is the desire to experience the world in a totally new way. In joining WiR and helping demystify the process of travel and share my stories from the G Adventures trips, I hope to inspire others to travel and explore.
Photo by Jodi Ettenberg
I’m from Montreal, and have long suggested G Adventures as an option for people who are excited to travel but worried about doing so alone, or don’t have time to deal with the logistics of planning a trip on their own. My cousin loved his trip in Southeast Asia, and even got a chance to come visit me for dinner when he was in Chiang Mai during his tour. As part of the WiR programme, I’ll be joining a few G Adventures trips per year in a variety of places and writing about here and on my own site, Legal Nomads.
A bit of background about me: I’m a former lawyer who practiced law in New York for over 5 years before quitting my job to travel the world. I started out my website as a way to keep family, friends and colleagues involved in my trip, and it has organically morphed into a place for me to share not only photos and stories, but also general musings on politics, culture and street food. I started my trip with a one-way ticket to Chile and spent quite a bit of time in South America, then heading to South Africa, moving up to Russia and the trans-Siberian trains through Siberia and Mongolia, and arriving into China via Erlian at dawn.
Spicy eggplant dip, Photo by Jodi Ettenberg
The trip into Asia was a defining one – I expected to spend a few months in the continent but after 2.5 years I still had more to explore. And eat. With emphasis on the “eating”. In the process, I have also been shat on by 12 birds and one bat, which people love to attribute to luck but at this point I believe it’s a vendetta from the birds. I tweet mostly science and technology links but my site is a warehouse for all things lifestyle and travel, and I am looking forward to continuing those trains of thought here in on the G Adventures blog.
My first tour will be Highlights of Morocco (DHCM), a trip I have long wanted to take. I’ve got quite the obsession with food and spices, and back in 2001 I was living in the South of France, finishing my schooling there. I took a weekend jaunt to Marrakesh, and vowed to come back – the markets and sprawling, maze-like medinas were captivating. Ever since, I’ve deepened my knowledge of foods and spices, and have wanted to return to Morocco and continue my discovery. Starting October 17, I’ll have a chance to do just that. I hope you’ll join along!
