August 2008

Many people I know keep growing lists of all the experiences they’d like to have, of the wonderful worldwide events they’ve read about or heard of via a friend. The Arts & Culture section on Spire is one of my favorite categories, mostly due to the Music Festivals. I adore music, and all the more in a gorgeous setting, especially outdoors. Take a peek at our growing files of recommended events.

I’ll never forget watching Pavarotti in the Champ de Mars, Paris one summer with the Eiffel Tower behind him, the most dizzying array of cheeses, artisanal breads and wines laid out on our picnic blanket…or the Celia Cruz concert in Santa Barbara, California with the ocean lit up and the talented dancers shimmying through the aisles. Add some to your list and book ahead! Guys: this type of trip/event combo gets many stars in the romance book… Read the rest of this entry »

So, I thought I’d convey my “tricks” in case you come across any new hints. I do travel a fair amount and have given much thought to making it easier – wherever possible! Here we go, my 8 Greats:

• If you have the flexibility, fly at ‘off-peak’ times, this way getting to/from the airport takes less time and the airport itself is less busy, less waiting; just more tranquilo.
• Luggage doesn’t always arrive with you…and often can cause for an hour or more delay when you arrive at your destination. I use Luggage Forward, on some multi-destination trips and find the service to make my trip less hassle and lighter. There are other services I’ve not yet tried like First Luggage and Excess Baggage Company. Have you tried these services? I’d love to know what your experience was?
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My side business passion (next to Spire.com and being its Curator) is around products that are fabulous, those that seem to become market leaders overnight, those we refer to when we use them as if we can’t now live without them. It excites me to think about all that has gone into a product launch; the work, raw passion, effort of many or few, the lessons learned.

One of my favorite product stories is from a UK-based beverage group called Innocent. There are Innocent smoothies (my personal favorite is the vanilla bean), waters flavored just a bit, and Juices ( I adore the Spring Water Lemonade sweetened with beet sugar). The founders, in their 20’s at the time they launched in 2000, felt there should be healthier on-the-run options that would taste great and not be loaded with chemicals and sugar. Packaging, recipes, marketing, customer feedback forums…

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If you never take time to do nothing, you are missing out. Of course it’s hugely challenging — we are all so busy, oversubscribed, some of us frenetic. But, doing nothing, just breathing for a few minutes at a time, is one of the healthiest, smartest things I’ve learned to do in recent months. I feel like I ‘learned’ it years ago, but lost it! Funny how it does not come naturally to many of us and now that it’s a staple in my stable of tactics shall we say…I’m so grateful. Without sounding like a self-help book, here’s what I find it does for me:

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Have you seen this wonderful film? The Bucket List. I really enjoyed it. Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson are always fab - but it was the story and purpose that brought their talents to life.

I have a Bucket List — even though I’m young in my 30’s. One never knows… and why not focus oneself around what we know and think we’d love to do, learn, experience, taste, feel.

Some of my list items are in the form of files - take a browse, and think about listing yours and getting inspired on Spire.com by searching keywords and browsing categories.

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