I keep thinking about how difficult it was to participate in “Mental Detox Week.” Originally, it was “TV Turnoff Week” and just this year it was renamed. Well, I only took action for 3 of the 7 days. However, I went outside and was able to photograph my niece (above) and do some other things I probably would not have done if I were allowed to work on my laptop.

Here are some things I learned during my shortened “detox week.”

1. TV is EVERYWHERE – When I go to the gym…there is a tv in the locker room, tv’s on every exercise bike and elipticals….you can barely escape. So, even though I didn’t turn on a tv for 4 days now, I’ve seen tv because I was in the room with others while it was on.

2. The TV thing for me was the easy part. However, Mental Detox Week calls for unplugging ALL electronics basically. Phones are harder. Where TV is not even close to a necessity, phones are a form of two way communication. Therefore much harder to let go of. I did make a phone call to friends, but tried to limit it to phone calls I feel I had to make to avoid being rude and a bad friend. Giving up my laptop and email for 3 days was not as difficult as the phone, but it was the hardest thing to give up.

3. The idea was to give something up…make a sacrifice. It’s like “Buy Nothing Day,” it only works if you give up buying something permanently, not going out and buying it all the next day. And truthfully, I feel its these self sacrificing decisions we have to make to stand a shot in hell at survival. Anyways…enough philosophy.

Site Updates: I’m really excited to get the poster in the store…that will happen this week. Also, I’m going to feature an awesome traveler who is currently in China if I understand correctly, and hopefully get an interview with her soon.

I have been working on a new database, and the closer I get to finishing it, the more I realize it’s further away from being complete. That’s been taking up a lot of time as of late.

After a quick google search and run through of the top search results, I found wi-fihotspotlist.com to be the best for finding wi-fi. They have a very large database and better overseas results than other sites I investigated. Still, there were a few they missed around where I live and it doesn’t say if they are free or not. But overall not a bad tool if you ever are on the road looking for a connection.

In 1994 one of my favorite people, Kalle Lasn, launched a campaign called “TV Turnoff Week.” The idea being that everyone not use their tv for that week. The idea spread quickly and some estimate that more than 30 million people were involved in 2007. This year is the first year they switched the name to “Mental Detox Week.” It runs April 21st – 27th; unfortunately I didn’t know about the dates til yesterday. The name was changed so that it includes all devices such as cell phones, ipods, computers (whoops) etc. So to do my part I will not update again until the 28th. And I won’t be checking my email either…or answering my phone. It’s a wee bit scary, but if I don’t participate, it kind of defeats the purpose of this post. (And yes, I do feel bad about not posting this on the 21st.)

Checking out National Geographic Traveler is something I do once every other month or so. I don’t particularly read the specifics, but I do love their photography. They have a photography tips section that is good for amateur photographers like myself. It’s worth a looksie. I can’t believe I just said “looksie.”

It’s been an interesting week for us here at izunotravel.com. We are attempting to switch databases that will allow us to incorporate better applications. Our marketing has really picked up and we are getting good feedback…which is a good, but time consuming thing. Plus, we have been working with a printer in Lubbock, Texas (CopyCraft…thanks Jennifer) to print some promo posters for us. They were delivered earlier this week and they turned out excellent. And on top of that Josh had a major cleaning project that is really just too disgusting to talk about. I will say a mass of corn syrup was involved.

Here is the explanation of our 08.08.08 promo poster shown above. This August 8th, 2008 we are going to have a “Mass Post Day.” We will post all those great things that we have not had an opportunity to publish, plus you can also plan on some other fun stuff. The poster is to promote that day. “But it doesn’t even have izunotravel.com on it?” says the skeptic. Yes, for two reasons. 1. This was designed as an art piece that can be displayed on your walls, and 2. I only want those who frequent this site to know what it means. So really…it’s not a promo poster at all I suppose. It will be available for purchase in our store in the coming months.

This is what online travel inspiration is about. I spent about an hour going through globetaggers.com and 15 minutes in, I wanted to grab a video camera and hit the road. David Dworsky from Globetaggers got in touch with us and thought we might want to have a look. I have to say I was impressed. It will be fun to watch this site grow. Their tagline…”the common ground for a new generation of world travelers.” Watch their trailer video and you can get a good feel for what they do.

I feel I should report this, although my love for Intrepidtravel.com is non-existent. (Too many errors on website and I generally just dislike most tour operators). Oh well. Intrepid Travel is however giving away a chance for some free trips tho if you want to fill out their online form and be blasted with spam mail….damn I really don’t like this site at all do I?

I keep telling myself I’m going to attend one of these events. And one day I hope too. Red Bull Flugtag (human powered flying event) announced it’s summer dates for the US. July in Tampa Bay, August in Portland, and September in Chicago. If you need to kill some time online, check out their site because they have an online game.

Backpacking in a foreign country generally requires you to do a lot of walking.  These tips will help you get the most of your time on foot.

1. Do not put money or valuables in back pockets.  Front pockets are a little safer, but still not encouraged.  Most likely, you are going to be pegged as a tourist, so just try not to act like one by having your rectangular shaped wallet hang halfway out of your back pocket like at home.  It will get picked.
2. Walk up hill to start when you start exploring.  If you are just out to see the city, and have no particular place to go, walk up hill in the mornings.  This does two things.  First, it allows you to have downhill walks when you’re tired at the end of the day.  The second advantage is that it gives you another sense of direction.  You know you were at an intersection, but you forgot which way you turned?  If you always choose uphill, you can find your way back by simply going downhill.
3. When you see a street vendor, purchase their food.  This is an unwritten rule while I travel.  I want to experience the food the locals eat, and anytime I see a street cart selling food, I purchase something.  It’s always cheap and most of the time it’s better than overpriced tourist lunch specials.
4. Avoid wearing sandals or flip-flops in busy and dangerous areas, you may need to make a quick getaway or run to avoid getting hit by a bus.  I learned this the hard way in Amsterdam.  Walking around in sandals and not paying attention to the fact I was standing over train tracks, I had to quickly get out of the way, but my sandal came off easily and I had to hop away in one sandal and one bare foot.
5. Try not to use a map, and if you must, make sure it’s small.  Nothing pegs you like a tourist more than unfolding the giant map.  Don’t be afraid to get lost, ditch the map and ask a local if you need directions.
6. Unless you are a serious photographer, take a camera small enough to carry in a front pocket or small travel bag.  You will get fewer people staring at your all the time.
7. Find a bench in a crowded park and observe.  The theory behind travel is to see and experience the culture.  Don’t get so caught up with an itinerary that you forget to observe.
8. Talk to as many locals as you can.  They always have the best advice on food, hotspots and shortcuts.  You will always learn something you didn’t know.
9. When you find a city loaded with street traffic, and you need to cross the street, most likely there isn’t going to be any form of an organized crosswalk.  So in order to dodge the Vespas and dented cars, walk with confidence, most importantly do not hesitate as drivers will not purposely run you over.  Generally, I just aim for the back bumper of a car, if I can do that, then it gives the car behind him the most time to react to my crossing and not run me over.
10. Relax and enjoy the experience.  So many “tourists” get caught up trying to do too much and see too many sites.  Find a good bar and have a relaxing drink for two or three hours. Backpackers know this.

It’s kind of sad, but I just have to smile. If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately you know American Airlines had to cancel a lot of flights due to not passing safety inspections. Fine. If you’ve been paying attention to the news in your entire life, you know air travel pretty much sucks. (I can really only speak of USA based Airlines, I’ve heard other countries have better systems).

Well, American Airline employees are starting to strike and they have a sloppy website put together to get back at AA management. One video shows an employee trying to explain what happened to a canceled flight to a mob of customers. The first minute she is trying to get them quiet enough to listen, the second minute she explains all the f-ups, and the third minute she explains how the customers will get screwed…all in a very nice manner. Basically, it must really suck to be an AA employee. Personally, I have seen some pissed off customers while in airports, and most of the time, the employee just has to stand there and let the customer vent, then tells them nicely…”you’re fucked…I can’t do anything…thanks for flying.”