Chris Guillebeau's Blog, page 49

Join Us for Sunset Yoga in Pioneer Courthouse Square on Saturday, July 11

Link: Sunset Yoga in PCS

In less than two short weeks, we’ll welcome many people from all over the world for the fifth annual WDS.

WDS itself is long sold out, but as mentioned previously, you can still sign up for a few events that bookend the main weekend:

Worldwide Waffles: Make History by Eating Breakfast WDS Academies: 11 Half-Day Workshops on Specific Topics

Note: These activities will also sell out. Worldwide Waffles currently has about 150 spots left (out of 600), and several A...

Ending Soon: Earn $200 or 20,000 Points with No-Fee Offer Before June 24

Link: Double Signup Bonus for Chase Freedom

While I’ve been writing a book and preparing to welcome a few people to town, I’ve been greatly neglectful in mentioning several great travel hacking offers as of late.

At any rate, there’s still time for this one: for the next few days, you can earn TWICE the usual signup bonus for one of the best no-fee offers out there, the Chase Freedom card.

Technically, it’s described as $200 cash back after a low $500 minimum spend, and you can certainly g...

All-Female Film Crew Hikes 338 Miles of the California Aqueduct

This is a quest case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . )

Drought is on the minds of every Californian these days, but Samantha Bode took the water shortage a step further. First, she began to think about the water of Los Angeles itself—where it comes from, and why.

This thinking led her on an excitingjourney.

Introduce yourself and your quest.

My name is Samantha. This summer, I’mbackpacking all 338 miles of the Los Angeles aqueduct, from Owens Valley in Inyo County to Upper Van Norma...

A Simple Thing You Can Do To Improve Any Relationship

What if there was one thing you could do to be a better friend, partner, or spouse?

It’s actually pretty easy: to improve any relationship, honor the other person’s dreams.

Figure out what they want to do, to become, or achieve, and then help them do it. Don’t do it for them—it’s their dream, after all—but show interest and offer tangible support.

How can you do that today?

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Image: Nick

“We Don’t Know What it’s Like Not to Travel”: On the Road with Sarah Glashegal and Scott Haywood

This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . )

Sarah and Scott are at an exciting time in their lives: after incorporating regular travel into their routing, they’re now transitioning from a rooted life in America toa more nomadic lifestyle. Here’s their story.

Introduce yourselves!

I’m Sarah, and my partner is Scott. We met several years ago and fell in love – not just with each other, but also with the realization that we could fulfill lifetime dreams of traveling the wo...

To Be More Creative, Schedule Your Work at 80% Capacity

I’m fortunate to work with great partners, including a wonderful design studio right in Southeast Portland called Jolby & Friends.

I was recently with the Jolby crew on a site visit, and one of them mentioned something about how they deliberately operate their studio on an “80% capacity” model.

The idea is that they schedule themselves only 80% full in order to be available for last-minute client requests, as well as their own work. I thought this was really interesting!

I wrote to Steven,...

Going Back to Kindergarten at Age 28: Melia Dicker’s Quest

This is a quest case study. (Read others or nominate yourself.)

Have you ever wanted to go back to your school days knowing what you know now? In her part-Billy Madison style, part-personal developmentquest, Melia Dicker did just that.

Introduce yourself!

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a kid, I loved to write stories and draw, but as I got older, I began to focus on school at the expense of everything else. I put immense pressure on myself to get perfect grades and test scores.

I...

How a Fortune Cookie Changed My Life: On the Road with Jessica Darling

This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . )

We all travel for different reasons. When I heard Jessica’s story of hopingto find herself—and how she went about it—I knew you’d like it, too.

Introduce yourself.

Hey there. I’m Jessica, and a fortune cookie changed my life. Shortly before my 33rd birthday, I read the fortune, “You will never reach your full potential unless you try.” Within six months I had resigned from my job, found myself single after years of being with...

You Don’t Have to Win at Everything

I had coffee with an aspiring entrepreneur who was struggling with priorities.

“I worry I’m doing everything wrong!” he said.

Everywhere he went, people gave him free advice. They told him about email marketing … and webinars … and the latest new social network … and all the things he had to do to keep up.

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to do all these things,” he continued. “I can hardly keep up with the list!”

Well, that’s the thing. It’s very hard to fully “keep up” these days. There’s alwa...

6 Discoveries from Near and Far: Volume XLVI

I. Around the World

Things I found on long walks in foreign cities, or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter.

Quiet Revolution — an inspiring new community for introverts, made by our good friend Susan Cain — Video of a man who’s been spending several hours a day with marbles for more than 60 years Saving $150 in Airfare by Searching Better — When connecting in a hub city, sometimes it’s best to search for each segment one-by-one Graffi...