humor

If you’re an English language educator, I’ve got the book for you. Humor is one of the most difficult things to teach in a different language—and this book helps you teach just that! Edited by educators John Rucynski, Jr. and Caleb Prichard, this is JUST the book you need to help your students navigate and understand humor.

Wonder what it's like to be a travel writer? Luckily for all of us, Bob Payne has a new memoir about just that, entitled Escape Clauses — Getting Away With a Travel Writing Life. He shows (and tells) what a life of travel—and sharing about it—is like. 

Ingredients:

• A reliable car
• 1 suitcase per person
• 1 backpack per person
• A good plan

Total time:

• 2-3 weeks - Planning
• 1 week - Packing
• 8 weeks - Travelling
• 1 week - Post-trip relaxation

Oven temperature:

Metric: Mid-Summer in Spain

Imperial: Very hot

I cherish my girlfriends - they are by me through travel, kids, life's ups and downs - and I am by them, too. So it was with great pleasure that I read a new book that celebrates friendship, entitled You're the Best. Written by the Satellite Sisters, who have a radio show/podcast and a zillion listeners and fans, this book is a gem. If you're looking for a gift for your besties, THIS IS IT. 

There comes a time, in every holiday, where there is a high-point every bit as evocative as the view from the Eiffel Tower or the sight of the Acropolis, or a dip in a lagoon in Bora Bora – and I am not talking bomb crater in Afghanistan here! I’m talking about that most pleasurable of moments when you say, “I’m going home.” It happens no matter how great the holiday has been, no matter how many “I don’t want this to end” moments you have had.

Whoever said it’s about the journey, not the destination has never traveled with my family. We get adventures, but not the kind you scream ‘yeah! Let’s do that again!’ If anything, you’re close to yelling ‘get me out of here!’ and not just because we want to escape each other.

My family could probably afford to stop and smell the roses and see the beauty of the journey, but some journeys should remain the road less traveled.

Snorkeling is something that’s never piqued my interest. If given the opportunity, you’re likely to hear me say ‘meh.’ I could live without it, as there are plenty of other things that I would be happier to do. This was why when on my latest vacation to Cancun, Mexico, when my two friends wanted to go and one friend didn’t, I nobly offered to stay behind with the lone friend.

Vacations wouldn't be complete without a family photo. You need something to show off to all your friends and relatives after you get back. Hearing about isn’t enough; I want the visual aids, like the picture of your family (hopefully) having the time of lives at some destination that I wasn’t invited to.