future articles

The Big Blue Marble Newsletter

We travellers are in very hard circumstances. If we say nothing but what has been said before us, we are dull and have observed nothing. If we tell anything new, we are laughed at as fabulous and romantic.
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

List of Anticipated Future Articles

The Big Blue Marble Newsletter will feature profiles of people whose lives have been changed by traveling like a local rather than tourist, advice on planning a round the world trip, and unique programs and travel advice that I, Paul Heller, discover on my round?the?world trip. All issues will also include useful ideas for traveling safely, inexpensively, comfortably, joyfully, and purposefully.

I plan to issue six editions a year between July and December. All editions will be produced from the road. The first five to seven years will cover Latin America, though much of the advice and ideas presented in the newsletter will be applicable anywhere.

First issue: Northern Mexico (July 2005)

Finding tickets/accommodations, etc.
Critical review of computer/camera equipment/backpacks and luggage
Tips on saving money for the trip
Getting yourself mentally prepared for the trip (clearing out the mental cobwebs)
Tips for losing weight/getting yourself in physical shape
Pre-planning advice
Travel tips on interesting hidden places in Northern Mexico
Review of Global Exchange's Reality Tour of US-Mexican border region

Second Issue: Northern and Central Mexico (August 2005)

Profile of Cooking and language schools in Mexico
Joining social organizations such as Toastmasters/Hash House Harriers
Staying in SERVAS (and other homestay organization) homes
Becoming involved with expatriate communities through cultural institutes, chambers of commerce, bars/social clubs, etc
Tips from Americans in Mexico on buying a home there
Studying gay/lesbian issues in Mexico

Third Issue: Central Mexico (September 2005)

Volunteering to help with turtle conservation in Oaxaca
Renting an apartment in Mexico
Teaching English in Mexico or Journalism in Mexico

Fourth and Fifth Issues: Central Mexico (October and November 2005)

Enrolling at a Mexican University to study Mexican history and culture
Business internships with Mexican firms
Tips for staying in Mexican homes and being a good guest (etiquette tips)
Keeping in touch with home
Attending church services
Visiting grocery stores and local marketplaces to meet locals
Using a hobby/career as a way to meet people
Hanging out where backpackers hang their backpack (hostel bulletin boards, using their experiences to help make ?inspired? travel plans)
Checking out university bulletin boards/talking to students/taking classes
Taking the local Peace Corps volunteer for lunch
Tips for passing time while waiting for transport, etc.
Profiles of minority travelers? experiences (i.e. disabled, gay/lesbian, blacks, etc.)

Sixth Editions: Central Mexico (December 2005)

Advice from travelers and residents in Mexico on living your dreams south of the border (supplemented by information from internet, books, and personal experience).
Taking writing, arts/crafts classes in San Miguel de Allende.
Visiting Mexican tequila factories
New Age experiences (yoga, spas)
Interviews with interesting locals about their perceptions of life in USA
Culture shock, adjusting to life overseas
Bringing bubbles, Frisbee, etc. to break the ice
Attending baseball games in Mexico

Future Issues

Shadowing an archaeologist on a dig
Visiting/buying goods in craft villages
Volunteering to work in an orphanage
Learning Quiche (Mayan) in language schools
Weaving/arts and craft schools (Guatemala)
Interviews with interesting political leaders, archaeologists, etc
Great folk beliefs, sayings
Great Chinese restaurants
Connecting with expatriates at bars
Best place to eat in Guatemala City
Studying herbal medicine in Belize
Taking surfing classes in Costa Rica, Peru, or Chile
Learning tango in Argentina
Studying Afro-Cuban music in Havana
Studying Quechua (Peruvian indigenous languages)
Taking classes about Latin American culture/history in Costa Rica
Running a Bed and Breakfast in Nicaragua
Buying property in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Argentina
Studying environmental education in Costa Rica
Summarizing how residents feel about political changes (i.e. views of the effect of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua)
Comparing life today at Panama Canal with Paul Theroux at the Canal in 1979
Joining a carnival team in Brazil,
Staying at unique hotels (like the salt hotel in Bolivia, casa de ninos in Cusco, love motels),
Festivals in Bolivia
Hidden alternatives to ?on the beaten track? sights (such as the alternative Galapagos Islands in Ecuador/Peru),
Finding the ideal item of clothing/art etc. (i.e. Panama hats in Ecuador, Andean hat, Haitian painting). Visiting craftsmen
Entertainment around South America (penas in Bolivia, baseball games in Cuba, soccer matches in Brazil/Argentina)
Visiting Pisco distilleries (Peruvian/Chilean brandy)
Touring cigar manufacturers (Nicaragua/Cuba)
Visiting a rum (Puerto Rico) factory
Profiles of unique backpackers traveling across South America
Interesting ?adventure? travelers met on the road
Tongue-in-cheek stories of me trying to do adventurous things like paragliding, bungee jumping
Walking tours in Buenos Aires
Unique tours/ museums in Latin America (Coca Museum and Jail Visit in Bolivia)
Profiles of great tour guides
Interesting labels/products (photos)
Eating exotic foods (i.e., finding the best iguana in Managua or guinea pig in Quito)
Sex, love, and relationships on the road
Odd travel experiences from famous persons, authors, etc.
Endangered places (Easter Island/SE Brazil coast)
Working as a tour conductor
Helping orphans in Peru
Teaching environmental education and English in the Galapagos Islands
Working with a micro-enterprise loan program in Peru
Staying on a farm in Argentina
Joining a circus
Being a travel companion? advertise in a travel magazine/newsletter
Selecting good accommodations, restaurants/stalls, and learning experiences
Staying healthy/safe
Shopping tips
Finding great, safe food (eating from food stalls)
Taking public transportation, visiting supermarkets, etc. (profile of experiences)
Transitioning (between legs of trips, lifestyles, and cultures)
Practical information about the costs of traveling/living in various parts of Latin America (a diary of my costs)
Regular column evaluating whether certain popular tourist splurges are worth the money

Want more information about the Big Blue Marble newsletter? Send me an e-mail or check out some sample articles.