Glasgow to Reykjavik and Cadbury Eggs 4-11-17

Hey everyone, it’s Shauna from Without Bags and today I am standing in the Glasgow Airport. I am headed on my way to Reykjavik. So we learned something really interesting the other day, if you saw the video about the movie theater. We found out that Scotland is actually massively into sugar. We didn’t understand why there were so many candy options at the movie theater. But we found out that Scotland in general is massively into sugar. Apparently this was the first stop way back then and they would process a lot of Europe’s candy from here, from Scotland. So with that being said if any of you guys know me, I absolutely love Cadbury Creme Eggs. It’s probably one of my favorite little desserts, my favorite little passions and so I was told that this is the place to get Cadbury Creme Eggs. So I will be trying this and letting you guys know if it’s even better than the ones at home.

Iceland Reykjavik morning! 4-12-17

Good morning everyone, this is Shauna, correspondence for Without Bags here in Reykjavik this morning. I wanted to do a very brief little i-Video, when I first flew in yesterday into the Reykjavik Airport. The airport is actually on an old lava field so when I was looking out across the landscape it kind of looked like this picture in the background let’s see a very modern hotel. I love it. But very, very rocky and very kind of barren and black and dark browns and that kind of thing so that was my very first impression of Reykjavik.

However, now that I am in the city I am taken. It is absolutely lovely here. The ocean, I keep looking out my hotel room, it has a few of the ocean so I’ll show you that here in a minute. But the colors of the ocean it’s almost like they’re calling to me. I want to go swim, no swimming it’s way too cold, but it’s almost like they’re calling to me that I want to go out to the ocean. It reminds me very much of Tunisia going through the Sahara desert where you see desert and it just looks like desert and then you come up on something that is absolutely amazing and beautiful. The oases in Tunisia these waterfalls come up out of nowhere.

So now I’m really, really excited about being here in Reykjavik and in Iceland. One of the things we’re going to be doing over the next few days is tonight we’re actually going to see if we can find the Aurora Borealis. I think that should be around 10:00 p.m. this evening Reykjavik time. If you’re around and you want to watch. Of course, if it’s cloudy there won’t be any Aurora or none that we can see. So hopefully we’ll actually get a chance to see it tonight which would be amazing.

Then, of course, going to be doing the Golden Circle area which is a lot of waterfalls and a lot of this majesty of nature type stuff. So really, really excited to be here in Iceland. Last night tried something called monkfish and it was delicious in a coconut curry. Without Bags just left Scotland and coming here to Iceland I was really kind of concerned because Scotland was about 45 degrees, 50 degrees and here in Reykjavik we’re at like 27. So Without Bags is based in Arizona in the United States so coming from Arizona you know gorgeous, 85-90 degree weather to 27, I was afraid that there was going to be a little bit of a shock there. But actually, it’s not that bad. Make sure you have proper equipment, right? Proper jackets and gloves and that kind of thing. It’s really not all that bad.

I’m sure everybody out in Wisconsin is laughing at me right now saying, “27 is nothing honey.” But you know there you go. What do you do when you’re an Arizona girl? So, anyway super, super excited about what’s coming this week. A lot of adventure type stuff. I may not be able to do live depending on the signal out there in the wilderness but I will be posting I’ve got my GoPro. So I will be posting GoPro video and of course letting you guys know where I’ve been, what I’ve been doing, all those other lovely things. So watch out for the adventures and I’ll look forward to seeing you guys soon.

 

Whiskey in the Jar 4-4-17

So we are currently down in the wine cellar of Knocktopher Abbey and we have met some absolutely, fantastically, amazing people, and we are about to hear, “Whiskey in the Jar”, live in the bottom of a cellar, and you guys should be here, so make sure you show up in Ireland, because Ireland is awesome! So, as soon as they start playing, we’ll be listening. And at the moment, we’re just live and you guys are staring at me (laughs). Pretty exciting!

She laughs at me every time I do this (laughs). We’re working on it guys, working on it.

May I present a different type of clapping pattern with this song. Three times then once. So, the chorus goes a little like this.

Mush a ring dumb a do dumb a da

Wack fall the daddy o, wack fall the daddy o.

“There’s whiskey in the jar …” (singing).

“Oh as I was a going over the far famed Kerry mountains
I met with Captain Farrell and his money he was counting.
I first produced my pistol and I then produced my rapier
Saying “Stand and deliver” for he were a bold deceiver

Mush a ring dumb a do dumb a da
Wack fall the daddy o, wack fall the daddy o
There’s whiskey in the jar.

Oh! Gerald.
I counted out his money and it made a pretty penny
But I put it in me pocket and I brought it home to Jenny.
She sighed and then she swore that never would she leave me
But the devil take the women for you sure tricked me easy.

Mush a ring dumb a do dumb a da
Wack fall the daddy o, wack fall the daddy o
There’s whiskey in the jar o.

I went down to my chamber, all for to take a slumber.
I dreamt of gold and jewels and for sure it was no wonder
But Jenny brought me charges and she filled them up with water
Then sent for Captain Farrell to be ready for the slaughter.

Mush a ring dumb a do dumb a da
Wack fall the daddy o, wack fall the daddy o
There’s whiskey in the jar.

Was early in the morning, now before we rose to travel
Up comes a man with four footmen and likewise captain Farrell
I first produced my pistol, she stole away me rapier
I couldn’t shoot the water, so a prisoner I was taken.

Mush a ring dumb a do dumb a da
Wack fall the daddy o, wack fall the daddy o
There’s whiskey in the jar.

“Ohh, wack fall the daddy oh, there’s whiskey in the jar.” (singing)
There’s some take delight in the carriages a rolling
and others take delight in the hurling and the bawling
but me I take delight in the juice of the barley
and courting pretty women in the morning bright and early

Mush a ring dumb a do dumb a da
Wack fall the daddy o, wack fall the daddy o
There’s whiskey in the jar.
Mush a ring dumb a do dumb a da
Wack fall the daddy o, wack fall the daddy o
There’s whiskey in the jar.
Mush a ring dumb a do dumb a da
Wack fall the daddy o, wack fall the daddy o
There’s whiskey in the jar.”

 

Missing Mardi Gras!!! Are you there? Without Bags!

  • One of the most famous ways to protect yourself is to use a wallet with a chain.
  • Always keep some cash folded up underneath the internal sole of your shoe.

Hey, everyone. It’s Shauna, the Without Bags, travel-crazy person. Today is Mardi Gras in New Orleans and I so wanted to be there, but I am here in Scottsdale, Arizona, where the weather has been crazy enough. We’ve had storms, hail, and sunshine. Today on Without Bags, we’re going to talk about how to travel safe when you’re traveling to a somewhat dangerous location. The parties at Mardi Gras down in New Orleans are absolutely insane; lots of people, which means high chances of pickpocketing.

One of the most famous ways to protect yourself is to use a wallet with a chain. Now, a really good pickpocket will still be able to steal. I remember a long time ago, probably 15–20 years, I was in Spain and I had a pickpocket steal a ring off of my finger. I didn’t even realize it until later when I was at dinner and I noticed that my ring was gone. Besides my ring, five or six other wallets, bracelets, jewelry, and many other things from the group of people I was with were taken.

So, start with a wallet with a chain. It’s definitely a great idea. For men, keep your wallet in your front pocket. Make sure that you’ve got your hands in your pocket. It’s going to be much harder to steal if it is in your pocket.

One of my favorite tips for just in case your wallet gets stolen is: Always keep some cash folded up underneath, inside your shoe; you can pull up the internal sole. I hope everybody is having fun!

 

A necessary gadget for traveling with a friend

  • An adapter that can be attached to your phone, laptop, or iPad
  • It should have two volume controls that can lower or raise the volume, and it leads into two separate headphone jacks.
  • If you are on the plane and your battery dies, you can always watch a movie together on the other laptop, iPad, phone, etc.

Hello, everyone. This is Shauna, your Without Bags adventure traveler. I have to admit, I’m so excited. This coming up April, I am going to be traveling with a very dear friend of mine to Ireland and Scotland. She’ll be joining me for that part of my trip, and then, of course, I will be headed to Iceland,  Denmark, Finland,  Sweden, and Norway. I can’t wait to be bringing you guys live videos from there.

Today, I wanna talk about a necessary gadget for when you are traveling with a friend. I love this thing. Honestly, I’m not even sure if I could tell you what it is or the name of it. We will find the link and make sure the link is posted below. You have your adapter to attach to your phone, laptop, iPad, or whatever it is that you’re traveling with. Then, you’ll notice two volume controls that can lower or raise the volume, heading into two separate headphone jacks. If you guys are on the plane and someone’s battery dies, you can always watch a movie together on the other laptop, iPad, or whatever device you have.

I think this little guy cost me $6.95, something like that; probably one of my favorite travel gadgets. You guys know how much I love gadgets – always about the gadgets. In preparation for this upcoming trip, I’m making sure that all my gadgets are in line and I have everything ready to go. I would love to hear about what your favorite travel gadget is. Give me a link down in the listing below on this post. I would absolutely love to get one and review it. I love new gadgets. Anyway, hope you guys are having a great day. I can’t wait for the upcoming trip. I’ll talk to you guys later, bye.

Conwork 3.5mm Stereo Male to Dual Female Audio Headphone / Headset Y Splitter Cable with Volume Control Switch

 

5 Secrets to Managing Your Business While Traveling

20150105231230-desk Traveling the world and running a business at the same time seems like a glamorous lifestyle: You can work from anywhere you want, make your own schedule and be your own boss.

But the characteristics that make it desirable also turn it terrible.

After all, with complete freedom to choose between exploring far-off lands (and people) and sitting in an Internet cafe doing SEO chores, participating in conference calls and writing emails, who would choose to do the latter tasks? Not many people.

Given the option, you would probably close your computers and go exploring with those beautiful Scandinavians who just invited you to the beach.

The digital-nomad lifestyle may seem appealing, but there’s nothing glamorous about freaking out because your Internet connection in a small town suddenly went out two minutes before an important conference call or product launch.

Yet it’s possible to find a balance and successfully run a business from the road, relying on time management and careful planning.

All this might sound intuitive but striking the right balance isn’t easy. It takes work to settle into a routine when you’re constantly changing locations and time zones. It took me a long time to get into a routine. It’s easy to decide that work can wait when you have people imploring you to join them at that new festival.

When I first left to travel, running a business on the road was never my intention. I just wanted to travel. Starting a blog was an afterthought so when it started to gain traction, I was reluctant to give it more of my time. I just wanted to travel.

My business grew more slowly than it could have because I wasn’t optimizing my time. I once went offline for a week so I could go sailing around the coast of Australia, thereby missing four interview and guest-posting opportunities.

Travel always has come first for me but I have longed to have my cake and eat it, too. So after my company endured years of mismanagement, I finally developed a routine for running a business overseas.

There’s a way to balance everything out. It requires discipline, but by developing a schedule around your own rhythm, it can be accomplished. Here are my five secrets:

1. Know your optimal working hours.

This is the most important part of running a business overseas. You need to know when you work best and are the most productive. By knowing yourself, you can plan out your day for maximum productivity.

I work best in the mornings. Therefore I do as much work as possible before lunch, then head out to sightsee and enjoy happy hours. I save my “busywork,” such as emails and comments, for after dinner when I want to do a few things before heading out for the evening.

2. Create a schedule.

Maintaining a schedule on the road is tough since you’re always moving. But creating one, even if you can’t adhere to it all the time, will enable you to batch your work onto certain days, make your to-do list more manageable and free up time for all the fun stuff that comes with traveling.

3. Take a day off from the road.

Dedicate a day to work. Develop a routine whereby every few days, you sit down and only focus on work. This will help you catch up on things and free your mind from thinking about emails while you’re out sightseeing.

Your mind can’t be in two places at once. I found that out while in the Galapagos once, when all I could think about was work, prompting me to enjoy the trip a lot less than if I could give it my undivided attention.

When I returned, I knew something had to change. I decided then that I would devote every fourth day solely to work. This has let me focus on where I was and be a lot happier while still getting work done.

4. Just say no.

This operates on two fronts: First, say no to things that don’t help your core business. It’s easy to say yes to interviews, guest posts, phone calls and the like, but when you’re traveling and working, every second of your day matters.

If something won’t push your business forward, don’t say yes simply out of courtesy. Learn to say no.

Second, learn to say no to people you meet on the road. They are probably traveling on vacation and not at that moment running a business like you are. They have a ton of time and will always be trying to encourage you to go out. Resist. There will always be another night to party. Staying in one night isn’t the end of the world.

5. Plan ahead.

I’m a planner and a list maker. This allows me to prepare for periods when I might not be able to go online or I am too busy enjoying life. Keep a calendar, plan and use the days dedicated to work to stay on top of your schedule. Don’t be reactive: Be proactive. Use every moment.

Through planning, I’ve been able to stay ahead in my work and go offline with ease. When I traveled through Africa a few years ago, I didn’t worry about my website. I had prewritten blog posts and scheduled messages on Facebook and Twitter so if I couldn’t get online, my content would still be updated. Planning ahead can reduce stress.

Using these four techniques, you can develop habits to help block out distractions that can deter you from reaching business goals. It’s harder to maintain discipline on the road but not impossible. Have your cake and eat it, too.

The 3 Best Places for Hikers Visiting Las Vegas

If you find yourself headed to Las Vegas, either for a conference, music festival or because of a cheap flight deal, then you might be surprised to learn that it’s a great destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Sure, the flash and sparkle of The Strip gets all the credit, but there is more to Las Vegas than casinos and cheap booze. In fact, there are some great places for hikes in the vicinity of the city. So, if you find yourself in Sin City and craving a good hike, below are some of the best hikes for you to check out.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Located about a half hour west of The Strip, Red Rock is a local favorite for day hikes, mountain biking, and rock climbing. More than 20 trails are easily accessible direct from the 13-miles scenic loop that goes through the park. If you’re traveling with kids, or just want an easy hike, choose either the Red Spring boardwalk or Lost Creek Children’s Discovery trail. But if you only have time one for trail, and can handle easy to moderate terrain, then go on the Calico Tanks trail. You’ll get to experience the best of the scenery that Red Rock has to offer, and when you reach the highest vantage point you’ll be rewarded with an amazing view of the Las Vegas Strip.

 

Valley of Fire State Park

Located about an hour’s drive northeast east of the city, this 35,000-acre park is the oldest in the state. And it offers up some amazing scenery. With more than 10 official trails to choose from, the Rainbow Vista trail is one of the most popular due to the array of colors that hikers get to see on the rocks. This trail is easy to moderate, with only some slight inclines. For an easier trail, check out Mouse’s Tank trail where you can view some ancient petroglyphs on the canyon walls. Just be warned that this trail floor is entirely desert sand that will get in your shoes.

Valley Of Fire Sunset

Mount Charleston

Located about a half hour northwest of the city, Mount Charleston is part of the Spring Mountain Range and Toiyabe National Forest and a welcome cool retreat for visitors and local during the hot summer months. There are over 50 marked trails to choose from, which range in difficulty. But the best part about these trails is that Mount Charleston is often less crowded than the other popular hiking spots. The Mary Jane Falls trails is the best option for those who want an easy hike, plus you get to see a waterfall on this trail. If you prefer to take in canyon walls, then go on the equally as easy Fletcher Canyon trail. For those a bit more seasoned, the best half-day hike options are the Cathedral Rock trail for it’s amazing views and the Big Falls trails for its 100-foot waterfall.

Mount Charleston view

Though these three parks offer some of the best hikes in Las Vegas, you can also find great options just a few hours outside of the city. So, if you have the time, consider a day trip to Death Valley or Zion National Park in Utah.