Brr, it’s freezing outside! I’m so sick of winter and snow and the windchill already. I’m dying to be lying on a nice beach with some hot, hot weather with nothing to do except relax and enjoy. How about you?

Let’s make it happen! It’s not too late to get away.

The good news for both of us is that Chris Guillebeau of the ‘Art of Non-Conformity‘ fame, is launching his latest public traveling membership site. Chris has wracked up an astounding 1,000,000 travel miles and has a goal is to travel to every country in the world (can you believe that he’s already traveled to 152/175 countries?). I think it’s pretty safe to say that Chris has some major travel hacking tips to share with us. 

Luckily, Chris is launching today, Tuesday January 25, 2011, the Travel Hacking Cartel.

As Chris says: The goal of the Travel Hacking Cartel is to democratize free travel. We plan to demystify the process of travel hacking. Our members can “go anywhere, anytime.”

As a member of  the Travel Hacking Cartel you’ll receive:

• Regular “Deal Alerts” sent via email and SMS/text message (when a big opportunity comes up, travel hacking cartel members will be the
  first to know)
• Tutorials and an extensive Knowledge Base to get people started (most people have no idea what to do with miles and points… the program will guide you)
• The Refer-a-Hacker Program that pays members 500 Frequent Flyer Miles for each referral (everyone has their own referral link directly in their account settings)

Because it’s Chris and his products are awesome and have helps so many people, he’s able to offer The “World’s Greatest Guarantee” – if members follow the directions and spend at least 30 minutes a month travel hacking, they’ll earn enough miles for at least 1 plane ticket every quarter, or 4 plane tickets a year (we also provide info on how to redeem miles for great awards)

Chris is including a free live webinar on “8 Ways to Travel Free in 2011” for the first 1,000 members.  

For more information, check out the Travel Hacking Cartel and sign up for the 14-day trial for $1.

Let’s get traveling!

The 35th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is happening right now in Toronto (Sept 9-19, 2010). Tons of films and even more celebrities are being seen around town. Well, most are being seen in the new TIFF Bell Lightbox building and surrounding Yorkville area haunts.

And, I’m missing it.

In fact, I missed TIFF the entire 10 years that I lived in Toronto.

Not once did I go see any of the films or stand outside the Four Seasons Hotel or any of the venues to see if I can catch a glimpse of the famous stars. Stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Afleck, Matt Damon, Hilary Swank, Natalie Portman, Ellen Page, Rachel Weisz, Ryan Reynolds, Tim Burton, and tons more.

This article isn’t really about the TIFF, though. It’s about getting out of your comfort zone and being a tourist in your own city. It’s so easy to take for granted all of the great things your city has to offer. It’s about saying to yourself, “I’ll go next year”. But, of course, next year rolls around and you still don’t go.

Sure, I did see a lot of the touristy places while I lived in Toronto. But, it took me 7 years living there to visit Niagara Falls for the first time. In case you don’t know, Niagara Falls is only 90 minutes from Toronto. Not very far, but it might as well been on the other side of the country since I didn’t (and still don’t) own a car and I rarely drive. Everyone I knew had already gone to see the Falls and there wasn’t an opportunity for me to go see one of the 7 natural wonders of North Ameria.

Until my 35^th birthday, that is. That’s when I stopped waiting for someone to drive me to the Falls and  when I finally booked a sightseeing bus tour on my own. Best $87 dollar gift to myself that I ever bought

I’ll never forget that tour experience because I was so proud of myself for not waiting anymore and making the decision to explore what I’ve always wanted to see with my own eyes. People travel from all over the world to see Niagara Falls (the honeymoon capital of the world) and I couldn’t even go 90 minutes out of my way to get there? I had no excuses for waiting 7 years. Except my own laziness and willingness to depend on other people.

I didn’t even know that there were two Falls. Of course, I had heard all of my life about the Canadian Falls and American Falls, but I thought that it was the same Falls, just different views of it. No! There are actually two different Falls. Why did it take me so long to learn this? I had no idea, until I saw both of them with my own eyes.

It’s the same thing with High Park. It took me 9 years to go to High Park in Toronto. High Park is on the subway line and was only about 40 minutes away from where I lived. It still amazes me that it took so long for me to go there.

What else did I miss out on experiencing in my own city and my own country? I’ve traveled to Las Vegas four times, but I’ve never been to Banff or have seen the Rockies, which are of similar distances. It’s great to travel and see exotic countries and experience new cultures, but we don’t all have the vacation time or the money to travel to far-off destinations.

What can you experience right now in your own city? Most cities have great festivals that happen all year round. There are tons of places for people to visit within their own city. Why not save your money and have a staycation this year?

I was on a forum today that recommended the Bata Shoe Museum as a place to definitely check out while they were in Toronto for TIFF. I’ve walked along Bloor Street so many times and you would think that I would have gone in to see this museum at least once in ten years? Nope.

Of course now that I no longer live in Toronto, I’m kicking myself for not taking advantage of the fantastic places to see around the city and explore everything that it had to offer. I thought that I had all the time in the world to see the usual touristy places. Believe me, if I get the chance again, I’m definitely going to TIFF.

When’s the last time you were a tourist and appreciated the uniqueness and wonder that already surrounds you?

I bet you that people travel from far away to see the uniqueness found close by to where you already live. Why not make some plans to explore what other people travel distances to experience?

Related Posts:

1. 50 Inspirational Quotes
2. Stop Lying To Yourself
3. Do You Need To Let Go And Forgive?
4. Are You Being Your True Authentic Self
5. What Are You Waiting For?

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I bought a stature of Rodin’s The Thinker when I was a teenager. It’s just a cheap plaster of Paris statue, but I love it. It sit in a place of honour in my home and I find that I look at it all the time.

Every city and apartment that I move to, I always ensure that this statue is placed just right.

I’ve had it for more than 20+ years and it’s one of my treasures.

I look at it and it makes me think. Appropriate, since it appears to be a man deep in thought

Can you just imagine my feeling then being in Paris to see the actual statue?

I went to Paris last year with a friend and besides seeing the Mona Lisa at the Louvre and going up the Eiffel Tower, the one thing I am so happy to do was to visit the Musee Rodin in Paris.

I had no idea that Rodin did so many beautiful statues.

The grounds of the museum were absolutely astounding. If you get to Paris, you should definitely go.

You would expect that the statues would be houses inside the actual building, but no. All the bronze statues were outside, while inside the building were the marble, paintings and other works.

The Thinker (French Le Penseur) and other very famous statues were scattered throughout the grounds outside the museum building.

It felt amazing to see something that you have in your home, that you look at almost daily, and then see the actual statue.

I’m so glad that I was able to complete one of my life-long dreams.

My question to you is: What Dream Can You Cross Off Your Life List?

What are you working on right now to ensure that you will be able to fulfill one of your dreams?

Do you even have any dreams? To get you started, check out my article Just For Today Challenge, 101 Things To Do Before You Die to get inspired.

Let me know what dream you are currently working on or one that you have completed. Let’s share by leaving a comment below. Thanks!

Related Posts:

1. My Top 5 Secret Success Factors
2. Book Review: Crush It: Why Now Is The Time to Cash In On Your Passion
3. Book Review: 100 Ways To Improve Your Life
4. Why It’s Never Too Late For Your Dreams To Come True
5. Invest In Your Most Important Asset – Yourself

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This is me in Paris of this year. I went to Rome for 10 days (with a side trip to Venice, Florence and Pisa) and spent 5 days in Paris.  What a wonderful and memorable trip!

It was a trip of a lifetime, especially since I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would have a chance to go to Europe. You see, travelling to Europe was something that other people did, not me.

Other people can just decide to jet off to Europe and have a vacation. I didn’t think that visiting Europe was in my future, after all, I’ve only done a limited amount of travelling to a couple of cities in Canada and the US. Plus, I’m too busy paying bills to afford an expensive trip overseas.

I made it happen though. I didn’t let the fact that I hadn’t done extensive travel before or that I had never been to Europe before stop me.

A friend was going and even though I wasn’t invited, I made it happen. I found the money. I booked the time off work. I invited myself along for the trip I knew that I had to take advantage of this opportunity and not let it pass me by.

Who knows when I would ever get the opportunity again? I couldn’t afford not to go.

I was letting my past influence my future. Because I had never done it before, I didn’t think it was something that I could do. It was for other people, not me.

Just because it wasn’t something that I ever had done in the past, I wasn’t letting that stop me from going to Rome and Paris. No way!

I needed this experience to build upon. I knew that if I could do this, then I could go to other places, too. Other places wouldn’t be as scary and unknown. If I did it once, then I could do it again. And, again. Confidence builds upon confidence.

Do you think that going to Europe for vacation is for other people, like I did? Small city people don’t go on vacation to Europe, after all. That’s for young, fit, backpackers or for seniors with money. Not for people like me.

What have you always wanted to do in your life?

What is holding you back?

We need to shift our mindset and say “If they can do it, then so can I!”

It doesn’t matter what your limiting belief is, if someone on this planet has done something that you want to do, then you can do it, too. There are over 6 billion people on the planet. Do you really believe that you are the only one in your sitation and in your circumstance?

Lose 100 pounds? Someone has done that, too.

Go back to school at 45? Someone has done that, too

Have a child at 40? Someone has done that, too

Get married at 50? Someone has done that, too

Go to Europe for vacation? I’ve done that!

Change careers at 35? 45? 60? Someone on this planet has done that, too.

I take comfort in that I my situation is not unique. Somewhere out there, there is someone similiar to me who has already done or is in the process of doing what I want to do, too.

If they can do it, then so can I! So can you!

When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened. – John M. Richardson Jr.

Don’t let your past limit your future. Every day is a clean slate that you can fill with whatever you want.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. A cliche, I know, but it’s also very true. You already have within you all the skills and knowledge that you need to figure things out.

Your past does not have to determine your future. Don’t let it hold you back from whatever you want out of life.

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