The Myth That Americans Don’t Travel

Steve Bloom 17 Comments

“Americans don’t travel. They’re scared of the world and fear the unknown. All they’re concerned about is the money they make at their boring jobs to pay for the massive houses they don’t need. They don’t care about seeing the world.”

I heard these words at the Nicaraguan border crossing as I made my way to Costa Rica. I’ve been to many places and heard this same criticism aimed at Americans many times before. The person who said this to me was American, like me. The other times I heard these words they were also spoken by Americans in foreign countries. But is it true? What’s really going on here?

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5 Fun Writing Contests You Can Enter (And Win)

Steve Bloom 10 Comments
Creative writing competitions are everywhere. The list is endless since more and more are added every year.  However, not everyone is a Hemmingway or Tolstoy.

That’s where these competitions come in. They’re fun and anyone can enter. And some of the best entries have come from some of the unlikeliest of places. So let loose your creative ideas and free your wild imagination as we take a look at these fun writing contests.
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4 Hobbies That Can Change How You See the World

Steve Bloom 8 Comments
 
Hobbies are a great way to spend your time. The skills and discipline hobbies bring can be great for your life. They have been shown to reduce stress, boost self-esteem and can even make you healthier. When thinking about hobbies, coin and stamp collecting come to mind. However, the list of hobbies you can do is large and varied.
 
Some hobbies can even change the way you see the world. These activities can make you see the world in new and unique ways that you might not see otherwise.
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Eliminate Distractions: The Secret to Finding More Free Time

Steve Bloom 7 Comments

Distractions are everywhere. It’s easy to get caught in even the most mundane attention grabber that wants your time. Once they have your attention, it can be difficult to get it back.

Advertisements are a great example of this. They don’t make your life any better by watching them. They don’t give you any real world benefits, yet their ability to grab people’s attention is amazing. Think about how much time you’ve spent watching them. What could you do with all of that time?
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6 Incredible Shrines You Need to See

Steve Bloom 6 Comments

Shrines are found in most religions around the world. They’re different from temples in that they hold a relic or cult image which is worshipped. Since a place is designated a shrine solely from the object inside, anything can be considered a shrine.

In fact, over the 5000 years or so that people have been marking places as shrines, just about everything has been made into a shrine. Shrines have been made out of caves, churches, tombs, people’s yards and personal shrines even exist in homes or businesses.

Some of these absolutely incredible shrines you need to see.
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How to Do What You Want

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The pressure to conform is everywhere. People want you to be what they think you should be. This pressure can come from parents, media, the workplace or even friends. But the fact is you are in control of your life. Therefore, you decide what’s best for it.

Chances are, there are things you want to do in life, right now, that you aren’t doing. Think about it for a moment and pick one that really sticks out in your mind. Now follow these steps to set you on the path to do what you want.
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20 Travel Movies to Inspire You to Travel the World Part 2

Steve Bloom 10 Comments

I got a great response to the first half of this list. If you haven’t read the first half yet, I suggest you start there. Many people were just as moved by these travel movies as I was. I know that there are more travel movies out there since I got some great recommendations for more and I wish I could include them all, but that would probably make this list massive.

Now that we’ve seen New Zealand through Lord of the Rings, France with Amelie and just about everywhere else with Indiana Jones, let’s see where else there is to go in this second half of the list.
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