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• The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a Life-changing Journey Around the World Sourcebooks (Naperville, IL), 2017

1. The yellow envelope : one gift, three rules, and a life-changing journey around the world LCCN 2016040631 Type of material Book Personal name Dinan, Kim, author. Main title The yellow envelope : one gift, three rules, and a life-changing journey around the world / Kim Dinan. Published/Produced Naperville : Sourcebooks, [2017] Projected pub date 1704 Description pages cm ISBN 9781492635383 (pbk. : alk. paper) Library of Congress Holdings Information not available.

• Life On Fire: A Step-By-Step Guide To Living Your Dreams - September 9, 2013 CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, https://www.amazon.com/Life-Fire-Step-Step-Living/dp/1492397679/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1478130989&sr=8-2&keywords=kim+dinan

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  Travel Writer: Kim Dinan

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  April 1, 2017
  Kim Dinan is an author and adventurer. Her writing has appeared in Parks and Recreation, Northwest Travel, Trailer Life, Go Explore, and OnTrak, among others. Her blog, So Many Places, was named one of the best outdoor blogs by USA Today and has been featured online by such sites as Huffington Post and BuzzFeed. Her travel memoir, The Yellow Envelope, hits shelves in April 2017.

  How did you get started traveling?

  I don’t come from a family of travelers but, for one reason or another, I’ve always wanted to know what was around the next bend. As soon as I knew it was a thing people did, I decided that one day I would travel the world. It wasn’t until the age of 26, after a few years of working full-time, that I could afford to travel outside of the US. I got my first passport and booked a trip to Costa Rica. It’s funny because I used to think that 26 was such an old age to first get a passport, but now it sounds so young!

  How did you get started writing?

  I’ve always been a writer and I majored in English in college, though I stopped writing for a long time in my twenties while working a 9-5. I eventually decided I wanted to take a shot at this writing thing, so I started a blog. Shortly thereafter I began working (in my free time) for a small online newsletter that reviewed local businesses in Portland, Oregon, where I lived. Then I started pitching local travel magazines. I have a photo of the first check I ever received as a paid writer.

  In 2012 my husband and I quit our desk jobs and sold all of our stuff to travel around the world. While traveling I poured much of my energy into my blog and it grew a strong following. I pitched magazines and slowly built my portfolio.

  Then in 2014 my husband and I were hired to work for Backpacker Magazine. We weren’t actually writing for the magazine, we were on a speaking tour. But the job gave me a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the industry and I made some industry contacts.

  In this writing journey one thing keeps leading to another. It was (and still is sometimes) slow going, but I’m continuously pushing forward.

  What do you consider your first “break” as a writer?

  The job at Backpacker was a fairly big break, but I got my best break as a writer when I landed my literary agent in January 2015. At that time I had a travel memoir I was working on and a friend who’d sold her own travel memoir told me that I should put down the draft and start working on a book proposal. I spent a few months on the proposal and then began the search for a literary agent. I was lucky to find a great one right away and a few months later my book, The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules and a Life-Changing Journey Around the World sold.

  As a traveler and fact/story gatherer, what is your biggest challenge on the road?

  There are times that I want to just turn my writer brain off and enjoy the experience but I struggle to do that. I’m constantly writing the story in my head or jotting it down on the notebook I keep in my pocket. When you’re a writer you’re constantly analyzing every experience and looking for the angle.

  What is your biggest challenge in the research and writing process?

  I really hate making phone calls. I have to fight the urge to just send emails.

  It’s also hard for me when I don’t get clear editorial direction from an editor. I like to know that I am delivering a story that the editor will like but direction is oftentimes vague and I just have to go with my gut.

  What is your biggest challenge from a business standpoint?

  Sometimes the hustle gets old and I miss just showing up at a cubicle and collecting my paycheck. The absolute worst part of freelancing for me is tracking down payment. I don’t like being a bill collector, but it comes with the territory.

  Have you ever done other work to make ends meet?

  Yes! Right now I juggle life as an author (promoting my book and working on the next one), pitching and writing for magazines, blogging, copywriting and consulting with clients to help them work on their non-fiction book proposals. One day I’d like to run workshops, but that’s something to look forward to in the future.

  What travel authors or books might you recommend and/or have influenced you?

  Well, your book, Vagabonding, had a huge influence on me when I was contemplating a trip around the world.

  Love with a Chance of Drowning, by Torre DeRoche, is the kind of adventure tale that I can devour in an afternoon. And I love Pico Iyer. He is a master at evoking the magic and wonder in travel.

  What advice and/or warnings would you give to someone who is considering going into travel writing?

  Be persistent. At the end of 2016 I set a goal to get 100 rejections in 2017. If you aren’t getting rejected on a regular basis you aren’t pushing yourself.

  What is the biggest reward of life as a travel writer?

  I am such an advocate of travel. It opens minds and hearts and makes the world less scary. I think Rick Steves said that fear is for people that don’t get out much and I completely agree. When you’re lucky enough to see the world you realize that people are good and more alike than not. At the end of the day we all want the same things. So, if something I write encourages someone to go somewhere they have never been and, because they went, they gain new insights and less fear, then I can think of no greater reward.

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  TRAVEL TALK TUESDAY
  Travel Talk Tuesday: Kim Dinan | So Many Places
  Posted by Alyse On April 19, 2016 0 Comment
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  Travel Talk Tuesday: Kim Dinan | So Many Places
  trekking in Nepal

  In the inaugural edition of Travel Talk Tuesday, a new regular feature where we’ll showcase travellers who inspire us from around the world, we are thrilled and honoured to introduce a phenomenal writer and travel blogger, Kim Dinan of www.so-many-places.com.

  When we were first contemplating our round the world trip we stumbled across her blog and have since been completely enthralled. Kim’s voice is so genuine and articulate, it’s easy to see how she’s captured the imaginations of so many. Kim and her husband Brian (wanderingsasquatch.com) left their Portland home in 2012 and spent the following years chasing their dreams in some amazing destinations. She’s published two books and her forthcoming memoir will be available next year. Her blog continues to be a huge source of inspiration and she was gracious enough to share some more sage wisdom for all to enjoy.

  Tell us about the feeling you had getting in your first car/plane trip at the beginning your round the world trip?

  Yes- pure terror! I desperately wanted to travel, and we gave up a lot to make it happen, but even though I knew it was the thing I had to do I also wondered if I wasn’t maybe just a tad delusional and about to ruin my life. Now, with the benefit of time and space, I know that I was right to listen to the part of me that told me to travel and write and for godsakes get off my butt and go live my life. But at the time I didn’t have that perspective. We never do. The biggest and best things take a lot of faith and a big blind leap. I always say that fear is not a red flag. All the best things are scary.

  leaving for trip

  Like you, we came to the realization after a number of years in the working world that in our pursuit of all the trappings of professional careers, something was missing. Now that you’ve spent four years outside of that world, has your relationship with money changed?

  Yes, I have a lot less of it. Ha! But seriously, I have learned a lot about money. First of all, that I don’t need much of it (by American standards – still a huge sum to much of the world) and second of all I have truly learned what money can buy you. Brian and I saved for three years to travel but what that bought us was three years of seeing the world, time for me to change careers and write a book, and we still have savings that will be used to launch the next adventure—whatever that might be. And to think that I got all of that with the same amount of money that someone might spend on a luxury car. It’s insane!

  Was there one piece of advice or sentiment that someone gave you about travelling that has stuck with you?

  I know it is kind of cliché, but before we left a friend told me, “Change the world and let the world change you.” The let the world change you part has stuck with me through all the years of travel and always will. Because I’ve learned it’s not enough to just go out into the world and travel. You have to be open enough to allow your views to change, to let the world work it’s magic on you. It doesn’t just happen. You have to break down walls and open yourself up to it.

  When you first contemplated your round the world trip you weren’t certain if children would be a part of your future, now you have a beautiful baby girl. How has travelling shaped the way you want to raise Juniper?

  Before we left to travel we weren’t sure if we would have children. But traveling actually changed that for us. Because as we traveled around the world we realized how important love and family are, not just to us, but to everyone. Traveling helped us define our priorities.

  Juniper is six months old now and it is so exciting to watch her discover the world. Of course we want her to experience everything we love about living- the outdoors, traveling and adventures- so she will have a childhood filled with those things. It is extremely important to us that Juniper understands that the world is very big and that there are many ways to live. We want to expose her to different languages and cultures and landscapes. We aren’t totally sure how it will all shake out yet, but her passport just came in the mail!

  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

  Travelling the world is wildly exhilarating and each day is so different, but we all have to come home at some point by choice or necessity. Post-travel depression can really put you in a dark place, what helped you get through it?

  It has helped me to remember that there are ebbs and flows in life. Sometimes Brian and I get down because he’s back in a cubicle, we’ve got rent to pay and furniture and all this stuff that we got rid of before we left to travel. We’ve been home for a year- sometimes that feels like an eternity and sometimes it feels like it’s happened in the blink of an eye. It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day. But when I take a step back I see that in the year we’ve been home I’ve written and sold a book, and had a baby, and Brian has stepped back into a career after a 3-year break—and it’s all worked out exactly the way we hoped it would. We are so blessed. And this “downtime” is helping us to figure out what we want out of life next. We are so, so lucky to have choices and big dreams that are achievable. I guess another thing traveling taught me is to never take for granted how incredibly blessed I am. When I get down I just remember that.

  What places/experiences are still on your bucket list?

  My bucket list looks very different than it did a few years ago! The first thing on my list is actually establishing a home base. Brian and I want a little place in the mountains that we can always come home to- no matter where our adventures lead. I love to travel, but I am a homebody at heart, so I need a place to come and rest my bones.

  Secondly, Brian and I want to buy a campervan and camp and hike all over the U.S. and Canada. We did this for 8 months when we worked for Backpacker Magazine but it wasn’t enough time! And we want Juniper to have this experience too, so that will be happening eventually.

  Finally, there are so many countries that we haven’t seen yet, but the next time we set out into the world I’d like to spend months and months in one place- more of an expat experience- and travel slowly. When I look back on our RTW trip, I was happiest in the places we really settled in to and got to know.

  Oh, and one more thing! We want to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, but I think we’ll have to wait until Juniper gets a bit older for that one. I sure hope she likes to hike!

  You just finished the manuscript for your book, can you tell us a bit about it and how readers can get their hands on it?

  My book is called THE YELLOW ENVELOPE and it is a memoir. Brian (my husband- you’ve probably figured that out by now!) and I sold it all, quit our jobs and left to travel. Right before we set out on our trip our friends surprised us with money to give away around the world. So, it’s the story of who we met along the way and who we gave the money to. But it’s also about marriage, love, heartbreak and finding yourself and your place in the world.

  I’ve just turned the manuscript into my publisher and the book will be published in April 2017. Anyone who wants to be notified when it hits the shelves can sign up here. I won’t spam you, promise!

  I’ve also self published a book called Life On Fire: A Step-by-Step Guide to Living Your Dreams about the process of pursuing things that feel meant for you. You can learn more, and buy, the book here.

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  Huge thanks to Kim for sharing her thoughts with us. Check out our new ongoing interview series next month with more great travel advice and inspiration!

  If you would like to be a part of our Travel Talk Tuesday Interview Series, contact us and let us know.

  Cheers!

  Alyse & Ross

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  Ruebén Martinez: 'A Century of Languages & Cultures'

  "This is what I pass on to young people today. That passion, that caring, that giving, that participating, that listening... I tell them, 'Did you know that almost 56% of Americans only speak one language, and you've been speaking two since you were in kindergarten?' This 21st century that we live in is a century of languages and cultures. I say, 'Be proud of your parents, be proud of your grandparents, be proud of your first language....'

  "I have the opportunity to go on a national level and talk about books in Spanish, and it's happening in my 70s... I'm never going to retire. It's too late for me. I'm at the point of no return."

  --Ruebén Martinez, founder of Libreria Martinez and winner of this year's Los Angeles Times Book Prize Innovator's Award for his work promoting books and reading within the Latino-American and Spanish-speaking communities
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  Bird Cage Book Store and Mercantile recently opened in the Racing Magpie space located at 406 5th Street, Rapid City, S.D. Native Sun News reported that the store will feature Native American book titles of the Northern Plains, including children's books, women's literature, print on demand books, Native American classics, local Native American authors and more.

  "We are dedicated to preserving our stories by carrying literature of our Indigenous writers and making sure our people and others have access to these stories and books," said owner Lily Mendoza.

  Bird Cage Book Store and Mercantile also carries Fair Trade products, including canned goods from the Cheyenne River Youth Project, book bags made by a local Lakota woman and Julie Boucher Fry Bread Mix. "We will continue to add products, to support our local and regional artisans," Mendoza noted.

  The Racing Magpie space "will allow Bird Cage Book Store to organize community book clubs and discussions, children's activities, such as story times. A place to gather community around literacy," Native Sun News wrote.

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  Firefly Bookstore has opened its new location at 271 W. Main St., Kutztown, Pa., the Reading Eagle reported, adding that the business, which had occupied a smaller Main St. storefront since 2012, needed to expand.

  "It was a great location, but only about a third of the size we're in now," said co-owner Matthew Williams, who noted that shelves were double-stacked with books and the store was unable to act as a venue for its events. "We crowded out the space we reserved for that."

  The new 3,000 square feet of space was designed with the community in mind and includes a children's section to "encourage shoppers with its amphitheater shape and varied selection," according to co-owner Rebecca Laincz. "When you find anything that's fun for them, it turns them into a reader. Kids, these days, are readers." The front section of the store will provide a flexible area to play board games or conduct author events, as well as a lounge area with comfortable seating for book clubs or meetings.

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  Charis Books' future home
  Last December, Feminist bookstore Charis Books & More announced plans, in partnership with Agnes Scott College, to begin relocating from Little Five Points in Atlanta, Ga., where it has been a fixture for 42 years, to Decatur. This week the bookstore offered "first looks" at its future location.

  "We're excited to share the first photos with you of our future location at 184 South Candler St.," Charis noted. "We think this new house looks pretty great as is (especially since she was built in 1900!), but we're working with an architect, contractor, and a team of amazing folks from Agnes Scott to ensure that this new home feels as welcoming, warm, and inspiring as our current space in Little Five Points. In addition to working with the college to renovate for accessibility, we're also using the years of feedback we have received from all of you to design this space for maximum comfort, beauty, and connection."

  Charis said it has signed a lease to remain in the current building at 1189 Euclid Ave. NE in Atlanta through February 2018: "We will celebrate one more November birthday in Little 5 Points and one last holiday season before moving over to Decatur in late winter/early spring 2018. We are excited for the opportunity to celebrate our current home and our beloved Little 5 Points neighborhood for the rest of this year and to honor this space which has been a gathering ground for so many."

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  Greystone Books: The Inner Life of Animals: Love, Grief, and Compassion--Surprising Observations of a Hidden World by Peter Wohlleben

  Pearson & Chegg Partnering on U.S. Textbook Rentals

  Pearson will partner with Chegg, the online textbook rental company, "to make its higher education textbooks more affordable to use, as part of a new 'rental-only' model," the Bookseller reported. Effective this fall in the U.S. market, print and e-book versions of approximately 50 editions of "high-volume" Pearson titles will be available to rent through Chegg.

  Tim Bozik, president, global product at Pearson, said the program, "along with Pearson's other affordability initiatives, provide faculty and students with quality Pearson materials at an affordable price point."

  Chegg CEO Dan Rosensweig said the partnership will "accelerate our ability to make high quality education resources accessible to every student. We applaud Pearson's recent moves to focus on the financial needs of students while also embracing the new and innovative pricing models and channels that meet the needs of today's students."

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  Chronicle Books: 200 Women: Who Will Change the Way You See the World by photographer Kieran Scott, edited by Ruth Hobday, Sharon Gelman, Marianne Lassandro, and Geoff Blackwell

  Obituary Note: Teddy Getty Gaston

  Teddy Getty Gaston, "who wrote an unflinching memoir about her marriage to J. Paul Getty," died April 8, the Los Angeles Times reported. She was 103. Decades after Getty died in 1976, she chronicled their relationship in the 2013 memoir Alone Together: My Life with J. Paul Getty, "a story of glamour and pain in early 20th-century America that pulled back some of the mystique from one of America's best-known billionaires."

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  Shelf Awareness Sign-up Giveaway: Leaf by Sandra Dieckmann

  Notes

  Image of the Day: Peeps & Prose

  Politics & Prose, Washington, D.C., submitted this entry to the Washington City Paper's Peeps diorama contest (although sadly not a winner): "All the Peeps We Cannot See."

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  Happy 25th Birthday, Saturn Booksellers!

  Congratulations to Saturn Booksellers, Gaylord, Mich., which is celebrating its 25th anniversary with an unusual promotion: for two weeks, every 25th book it rings up will be free.

  As owner Jill Minter explained to customers: "Because we wouldn't be here without you, our fabulous customers, we want to share the joy and thank you all at the same time. So... from Monday, April 17th, through Saturday, April 29th, every 25th book purchased at the store or on our website will be FREE. Yep, FREE! And you won't know if you've bought the 2nd or 18th or--surprise--25th book until you've checked out. We can hardly wait to surprise customers over and over as, after someone buys the 25th book, we'll just go back and start counting with #1 again. All day, seven days a week, from the 17th through the 29th."

  In addition, Saturn is giving away three $25 gift certificates. Anyone who helps "spread the word" by liking and sharing the store's Facebook post for the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for the gift certificates.

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  Personnel Changes at Workman; HCCP

  Kate Travers has been named executive director, digital operations for Workman Publishing, where she will oversee the company's digital business, including web operations, title and asset management, and e-book distribution and promotion.

  ---

  Beth Ryan has been promoted to senior director of sales for ministry services at HarperCollins Christian Publishing. In 1981, she started with the organization as special projects secretary under Royal Publishers, then a division of Thomas Nelson. Since then she has served in various positions in the ministry sales team.

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  Book Trailer of the Day: How to Draw Modern Florals

  How to Draw Modern Florals: An Introduction to the Art of Flower, Cacti, and More by Alli Koch (Paige Tate Select).

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  Are you ready to make a move? The best publishers and
  bookstores tell us whom they want to hire. It could be you!
  Here are 10 of 19 active listings.
  Manager of Digital Marketing, Content & Strategy, Workman Publishing Co., New York, NY
  Sales Support Coordinator, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, NY
  Digital Marketing Manager, Grove Atlantic, New York, NY
  Gift Rep Sales Manager, Special Sales, Abrams Books, New York, NY
  Associate Production Manager, Abrams Books, New York, NY
  Operations Coordinator , Abrams Books, New York, NY
  Operations Support Manager, Ingram Content Group, New York, NY
  Acquisitions Editor, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, MI
  Developmental Editor, Shambhala Publications, Boulder, CO
  Acquisitions Editor, Shambhala Publications, Boulder, CO
  Click here to view our job board.
  Media and Movies

  Media Heat:

  Today:
  The Chew: Clinton Kelly, author of I Hate Everyone, Except You (Gallery, $24.99, 9781476776934).

  Saturday:
  NPR's Weekend Edition: Olivia Sudjic, author of Sympathy (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $25, 9780544836594).

  Sunday:
  Face the Nation: David McCullough, author of The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For (Simon & Schuster, $25, 9781501174216).

  60 Minutes will air a feature on Drs. Sanduk Ruit and Geoffrey Tabin, cofounders of the Himalayan Cataract Project and the subjects of Second Suns: Two Trailblazing Doctors and Their Quest to Cure Blindness, One Pair of Eyes at a Time by David Oliver Relin (The Experiment, $16.95, 9781615193622).

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  Jude Law Is Younger Dumbledore in Next Fantastic Beasts

  Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Young Pope) will play the role of Albus Dumbledore "long before he became Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" in the second film of the Fantastic Beasts series, Pottermore announced, adding that the character "is the wizarding school's Transfiguration professor and a contemporary of Gellert Grindelwald--the Dark wizard we met in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, played by Johnny Depp."

  Five films are planned for the franchise, with David Yates returning as director. Filming begins this summer on the sequel to Fantastic Beasts, which is scheduled for release November 16, 2018.

  "Jude Law is a phenomenally talented actor whose work I've long admired and I'm looking forward to finally having the opportunity to work with him," Yates said. "I know he will brilliantly capture all the unexpected facets of Albus Dumbledore as J.K. Rowling reveals this very different time in his life."

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  TV: The Mist

  A trailer has been released for Spike TV's upcoming 10-episode series The Mist, based on a story by Stephen King, Deadline reported. The project stars Morgan Spector, Alyssa Sutherland, Gus Birney, Danica Curcic, Okezie Morro, Luke Cosgrove, Darren Pettie, Russell Posner, Dan Butler, Isiah Washington, Jr. and Frances Conroy. The Mist, which premieres June 22, was reimagined for television by executive producer and writer Christian Torpe and produced for Spike by TWC-Dimension Television.

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  Books & Authors

  Awards: Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse

  A shortlist has been released for the 2017 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction, the Bookseller reported. The winner, who will be announced just ahead of the Hay Festival, receives a jeroboam of Bollinger Special Cuvée, a case of Bollinger La Grande Année, a complete set of the Everyman Wodehouse collection and a locally-bred Gloucestershire Old Spot pig named after the winning novel. This year's shortlisted titles are:

  Bridget Jones's Baby by Helen Fielding
  To Be Continued... by James Robertson
  Paradise Lodge by Nina Stibbe
  Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen
  Everybody’s Fool by Richard Russo
  Here Comes Trouble by Simon Wroe

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  Reading with... Kim Dinan

  photo: Brian Patton
  Kim Dinan is the author of the travel adventure The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a Life-Changing Journey Around the World (Sourcebooks, April 4, 2017). Her writing has appeared in magazines such as Parks and Recreation, Northwest Travel, Trailer Life, Go Explore and OnTrak. She has backpacked to more than 25 countries on five continents and called India, Mexico and numerous campgrounds around the U.S. home. She lives in Ohio with her husband and daughter.

  On your nightstand now:

  At the moment I'm reading Diana, Herself by Martha Beck and Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, a book I'm particularly interested in, having grown up in Ohio with parents from Appalachia. I've also got A Year with Rumi, which I read each morning before leaving bed. Stacked nearby are The Essential Rumi by Coleman Barks (I'm on a Rumi kick), The Places That Scare You by Pema Chödrön, The Writing Life by Marie Arana, Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv and about 14 children's books.

  Favorite book when you were a child:

  I lived for There's a Nightmare in my Closet by Mercer Mayer. Something about the dark, moody illustrations and the idea that a terrifying beast could be lurking behind every closed door. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised I didn't grow up to write horror. Later I obsessively read every single book in the Baby-Sitters Club series, and in high school I read Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, which started my lifelong obsession with the Appalachian Trail.

  Your top five authors:

  That's a hard one to answer but I'll read anything by Joan Didion, Jon Krakauer, Paulo Coelho, Cheryl Strayed and John Irving.

  Book you've faked reading:

  I faked reading The Chosen by Chaim Potok, which got me kicked out of AP English in high school. I felt so guilty for so many years that I bought it as an adult and tried it again but still couldn't get through it. I guess that one just wasn't meant to be.

  Book you're an evangelist for:

  The first book I ever really loved for its beauty was Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. But the books I continuously recommend are Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris, a book so funny that my husband and I still talk about it weekly, and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, which just sticks with me for both its simplicity and the way Joyce captures the joy and clarity that comes from taking really, really long walks.

  Book you've bought for the cover:

  I do this all the time, especially if the book is on the sale rack. Basically if it has mountains, bears or any kind of foreboding wilderness scenery on the cover I will buy it.

  Book you hid from your parents:

  The only book I hid from my parents was my angsty teenage diary--and they found it anyway.

  Book that changed your life:

  One evening many moons ago I picked up a book called U-Turn: What if You Woke Up One Morning and Realized You Were Living the Wrong Life by Bruce Grierson off of the sale rack at Powell's. I read it on the bus back and forth to my desk job and it gave me heart palpitations. I was living the wrong life and I knew it, but the thought of changing my life felt way too scary. In the book, Grierson chronicles over 300 people he calls "U-turners," who risked everything to "answer a sudden wake-up call." That book made me believe that maybe I could make a U-turn, too. A few years later I sold my house and all my stuff, quit my job and left on a three-year journey around the world, which I eventually chronicled in The Yellow Envelope.

  Favorite line from a book:

  I have notebooks full of my favorite quotes so this is an impossible task, but I'll pick three at random:

  "You don't have to live forever, you just have to live." --Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

  "Sometimes I can feel my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living." --Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

  "Of course I wanted to know. I was a writer. I wanted to know everything." --Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

  Now that I'm reading those quotes at the same time I can see they perfectly sum up my relentless desire to do everything at once.

  Five books you'll never part with:

  The Polar Express, a book that I read as a child every night on Christmas Eve, and that I now read to my daughter each year.

  The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I buy at least five copies of this book every year to mail to any creative person I know who's stuck in a rut.

  Otherwise, I've parted with all of my books at one time or another. I love having books around, but I'll also happily give them away. Great books should be shared.

  Book you most want to read again for the first time:

  The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen. When I'm traveling, I like to read books that are set in that place or written by an author from the area. When I read The Snow Leopard for the first time, I was on a month-long trek in the Himalayas, and Matthiessen's book was the perfect companion--it's beautiful, reverent and filled with yearning. I can't think of my time in those mountains without also thinking of that book. I've read the book again since, and I know I'll be back in the Himalaya someday, but I'll never get to do both again for the first time. It was complete magic.

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  Book Review

  Review: On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety

  On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety by Andrea Petersen (Crown, $27 hardcover, 320p., 9780553418576, May 16, 2017)

  Anxiety disorders don't discriminate. As Wall Street Journal science and health reporter Andrea Petersen learned as a student in college, the debilitating fears that paralyze about 40 million adults in the United States, and the racing heart and strangled breaths of panic attacks, don't care about socio-economic status, race or sexual orientation. While women are more likely to suffer from the disorder ("There is no greater risk factor for anxiety disorders than being born female"), men are vulnerable to it as well. Even the young aren't safe from anxiety; in fact, the rate of diagnosis among college students is on a startling rise.

  In On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety, Petersen shares her experiences battling panic attacks and fears as she explains the biological and psychological research underlying current treatments of the 11 anxiety disorders recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). For more than two decades, Petersen has tried many of the therapies she highlights in the book, both drug- and nondrug-related. In plain English, she explains data, scientific rationale and overall success rates, and then includes her personal reactions to them. Petersen has tried a wide array of yoga, including Kundalini yoga, which she describes as "a yoga rave." She was traumatized by acupuncture but fared much better with meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy. She's most often combined these treatments with medication, cycling through various types over the years. She illuminates their pros and cons, with a special focus on those safest to use while pregnant. In addition, Petersen demonstrates that "anxiety disorders almost certainly have multiple causes--from genetics to childhood trauma to how your parents interact with you." This comprehensive and accessible approach to the topic provides a clear understanding of a murky yet widespread problem.

  Readers who, like Petersen, deal with the daily struggles of anxiety--and recognize that there is no cure--will find both similarities and differences between their experiences and Petersen's. The disorder encompasses a wide spectrum of symptoms and is closely tied to other afflictions, such as depression. But despite divergences, those who can identify with any of the evils of anxiety will discover solid research that offers options, understanding and hope. They'll even find some humor. On Edge can even help those who are fortunate enough to elude the irrational fears of anxiety. Petersen quotes Harvard Medical School professor of psychiatry Jordan Smoller: "People underrecognize the toll that [anxiety] takes on people's lives." For those with a family member, friend or employee who is battling with this invisible demon, On Edge can shed light down the dark cavern and help them support their loved ones when "uncertainty far too easily morphs into inescapable catastrophe." --Jen Forbus, freelancer

  Shelf Talker: A Wall Street Journal science and health reporter takes readers inside the world of anxiety disorders using the most current scientific research and her own journey to a healthy life.

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  Deeper Understanding

  Robert Gray: #ScrabbleDay--That's Not Even a Word!

  "I'd like you to play a game of Scrabble with me," he says.
  I hold myself absolutely rigid. I keep my face unmoving. So that's what's in the forbidden room. Scrabble!

  --from Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale
  The game is almost 80 years old. It has long been a sidelines staple for indie booksellers and a lure for community gatherings in bookstores and cafes (though a bookshop selling letters could seem a bit like a bakery that sells flour, eggs and sugar). It takes up floor space at Old Books on Front Street in Wilmington, N.C.; covers the bar at Toronto's Famous Last Words; and appears in this mural at the Last Word bookstore in Lahore, Pakistan. It has not only found extended, perhaps eternal life online, but also inspired too many virtual imitators to tally. (Let's be nice and say they're paying tribute to an elder.) It is probably even stashed away somewhere in your home.

  There's an eight-letter word for it: SCRABBLE.

  Scrabble floor at Old Books on Front Street in Wilmington, N.C.
  Maybe you don't know this (I didn't), but #Scrabble Day is celebrated annually on April 13, the birthday of Alfred Mosher Butts, the game's inventor.

  As someone for whom reading and writing have been a lifelong obsession, I have to admit that when it comes to letters, words fail me. I'm a terrible Scrabble player. You could beat me.

  "Unlike most serious Scrabble players, I don't have the patience to study all the possible three and four-letter words, for example, but still, I am extremely competitive. It's an awkward combination," Roxanne Gay observes in her essay on competitive Scrabble, "To Scratch, Claw, or Grope Clumsily or Frantically" (collected in Bad Feminist). I get that.

  And yet, my outsider's fascination with the game still prompted me to celebrate Scrabble Day by reading and thinking about letters and words--what we do with them, and what they do for and to us. Words are as trustworthy and untrustworthy as lovers, though we want to trust the words we read. We want to believe we "understand" meanings. We want clarity. We want definition. Yet we struggle constantly with a want of clarity, a want of definition.

  What can a word possibly mean? How do you spell it? ("That's not a word!" screams my imagined Scrabble opponent.) And if we can't understand a single word, how can we hope that stringing tens of thousands of them together will make things clearer? As writers and readers, that is precisely what we do hope.

  We may not be able to quantify words, but we do know the value of letters, thanks to Mr. Butts, an unemployed architect who invented the game in 1938 (though it didn't acquire the name Scrabble until a decade later). You have to wonder what would motivate a man to count the number of times individual letters were used on a single page of the New York Times and then assign relative numerical values to them. One hundred tiles, two of them blank.

  What kind of a player was the Father of Scrabble? Butts told the Times in 1981: ''Not the best.... I like to play for fun, so I've never been in the tournament-player class. In fact, my late wife used to beat me at my own game.'' After his death in 1993, the Times couldn't resist rubbing it in: "Alfred Butts, a New York architect who died this week, wasn't much of a speller."

  At literary-themed watering hole Famous Last Words, the bar is covered in Scrabble tiles.
  During my Scrabble Day reading celebration, I learned it is estimated that at least 30,000 games are started every hour and there are more than a million missing tiles. That's from a recent Country Life article in which Jeremy Taylor took on world Scrabble champion Brett Smitheram. Their game was played at Peter Harrington Rare Books in London, "mainly because the shop has an intimidating collection of dictionaries that could prove a distraction," Taylor wrote. "However, I'm going to need more than luck. Even a watching group of well-read staff is bamboozled as Mr. Smitheram reveals his letter mixology: 'I won last year's title scoring 176 with braconid, which is a type of parasitic wasp.' "

  Bamboozled, indeed.

  I remember reading, many years ago, a poignant local newspaper story about the closing of a small Vermont factory that had manufactured Scrabble tiles out of maple boards for more than two decades. The production had been "outsourced" overseas and a domino effect ensued for the area--no more sawdust from the Scrabble tile factory to be used as bedding for local dairy cows, and the wood-fired ovens of the town's bakery could no longer burn rejected tiles, which the baker said were ideal. They knew the value of words. What is the exchange rate for letters?

  Even on Scrabble Day, I just had to take letters and words as they came to me, for what they're worth, and make the best of them. Like these words about words from a love poem, since this is also Poetry Month:

  Want a laugh? Look us up in the dictionary now
  since they changed that old illustration.
  We look stunned by all of this hesitant pleasure
  and sweet, sweet pain. Words get in our eyes.

  --Robert Gray, contributing editor (Column archives available at Fresh Eyes Now)
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  CONTENTS

  Quotation of the Day

  Ruebén Martinez: 'A Century of Languages & Cultures'
  News

  Bird Cage Book Store Launches in Rapid City, S.D.
  Firefly Bookstore Opens in New Space
  Update: Charis Books & More's Relocation Pics, Plans
  Pearson & Chegg Partnering on U.S. Textbook Rentals
  Obituary Note: Teddy Getty Gaston
  Notes

  Image of the Day: Peeps & Prose
  Happy 25th Birthday, Saturn Booksellers!
  Personnel Changes at Workman; HCCP
  Book Trailer of the Day: How to Draw Modern Florals
  Media and Movies

  Media Heat:
  Jude Law Is Younger Dumbledore in Next Fantastic Beasts
  TV: The Mist
  Books & Authors

  Awards: Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse
  Reading with... Kim Dinan
  Book Review

  Review: On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety
  Deeper Understanding

  Robert Gray: #ScrabbleDay--That's Not Even a Word!
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  YOU ARE AT:Home»Girls That Go»Girls That Go! – An Interview with Kim Dinan of So Many Places

  Girls That Go! – An Interview with Kim Dinan of So Many Places 0
  BY SARA BUTTON ON OCTOBER 25, 2014 GIRLS THAT GO, RAD FEMALE TRAVELERS
  This week we caught up with Kim Dinan, the awesome lady behind So Many Places. Check out her take on traveling India in a rickshaw, kindness on the road, and more in this week’s Girls That Go!

  GGG: Hey, there! Welcome to Girls That Go! Can you tell us a bit about who you are, where you’re from originally, and how you got started traveling?

  Hello! I’m Kim. I’m originally from Ohio but moved to Oregon right after college. I lived in Oregon for almost a decade before selling everything, leaving my job, and setting out to follow my passions of traveling and writing.

  I’d always dreamed of traveling and knew, deep down inside, that it was something I absolutely had to do. I didn’t have the money to travel when I was younger, so I worked for almost a decade before I could fund a big trip.

  I’m not sure how I came to have such wanderlust, I’ve just always been this way. As a young kid I would explore the nooks and crannies of my neighborhood. I always wanted to know what was around the next corner. I suppose it’s just in my blood.

  Back in 2012 my husband and I sold our house and almost all of our stuff, quit our jobs, and set out with the goal of traveling for as long as we could. I also wanted to pursue my dream of writing, so this time “off” wasn’t just for travel but also for working towards my dreams as well.

  GGG: You have a really incredible story about a yellow envelope and a gift that you are to use on your travels. In a nutshell, some dear friends gave you money to give away as acts of kindness during your travels (SO awesome)! We know you’re working on a memoir about how that money gets used, but can you share one experience you’ve had as a result of that gift?

  That yellow envelope was the most incredible gift I’ve ever been given (you can read the story here). We’ve given the gift away, in small increments, all around the world. From a sea turtle sanctuary in Indonesia, to a schoolhouse in Vietnam, to a kind waiter in Germany who gave us an incredible gift, the money has been used to spread little bits of kindness to people on five continents. I feel so blessed to have been able to be a part of it.

  GGG: We loved your tips for riding buses in South America. Do you have a favorite mode of transportation while you travel in new places?

  kim

  Well, it depends on the place but I always love taking the local transportation. In South America that is buses. In India it’s trains. I bicycled around Vietnam and loved it. While there’s something to be said for having your own wheels (because you can go to off-the-beaten-path types of places) I also love the experience of being crammed into some sort of public transport with too many other people. It makes me feel like I’m a part of the larger community.

  GGG: You do a lot of hiking and cycling. If you knew then what you do now, would you have done anything differently for any of those longer treks? What’s a dream route you’d like to hike or cycle someday?

  Oh, I can’t think of anything that I would do differently on any of the longer treks that I have done. I just wish I could do them all over again!

  I have so many dream routes on my list it will be hard to name them all. First of all, I’d like to go back to Nepal and do some trekking in the Mustang Region (I did the Annapurna Circuit and Annapurna Base Camp before). I’d like to go back to Spain and walk the northern route of the Camino de Santiago (I walked the French Way before). I’d like trek the Te Araroa in New Zealand, the Appalachian Trail in the U.S. and the Sultan’s Trail in Eastern Europe.

  GGG: Speaking of treks, you did the Rickshaw Run in India. What inspired you to do it, since we know it wasn’t on your bucket list agenda to begin with?

  kim india

  The Rickshaw Run is the craziest thing I have ever done. I’d never have considered doing it myself, but two other bloggers asked if I would like to do it and I felt like I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I’m so glad I did it! We drove a rickshaw 3,000 kilometers from Rajasthan in the north of India to Kerala in the south. And when I say drove I mean WE drove the rickshaw ourselves, on India’s maniacal roads, without any support whatsoever. It was crazy!!

  It was also one of my fondest experiences and why I fell in love with India the way I did. Our rickshaw broke down about five times a day (at least). We got stuck on the roads after dark. We found ourselves in some very interesting situations. And throughout the whole experience the people of India were so kind to us. They took care of us. My experience in India cracked me open in a way that nothing else before or since has.

  GGG: Lately, you have been road tripping the US. What’s it like being a long-term tourist in your own country?

  My husband and I have been driving around the U.S. for the past seven months for a contract job we took with Backpacker Magazine. The job has taken us to every single one of the lower 48 states except Rhode Island!! It’s been a wild ride. We feel very lucky that we’ve been able to see so much of our own country.

  I’ve loved seeing our beautiful country. It’s so diverse. For example, right now I’m in New Orleans. It’s an incredible city. So much culture and so much Spanish and French influence that I feel like I’m in Buenos Aires! New Orleans could not be different than Oregon, where I call home, or Ohio, where I was born. Americans are lucky because we have dozens of countries packed into our one large country.

  However, I do have to say that I am really itching to get out of the country and experience more of the world. I love that I can come back to the U.S. It will always be my home. But my soul is really calling out for foreign lands. I love feeling out of place. I love being in a country where I have to stay on my toes. I don’t feel like that here in the U.S.

  GGG: Back in January, you told us that your new year’s resolution for 2014 was to focus it on “nurturing that unshakable core within.” Have you been able to continue working to meet that goal in your travels?

  Ha, NO! Right after New Year’s my husband and I found out that we got this job with the magazine and we flew back to the U.S. It’s been constant, non-stop travel since then which does not bode well for taking care of your physical or emotional self. I learned early on that I prefer to travel slowly and I have not been traveling slowly for these past 7 months!! But our job is almost over and then I’m going back to the things that matter the most to me: Writing, Traveling (slowly), taking care of my physical self and nurturing that unshakable core.

  GGG: What exciting place is up next for you?

  We are headed to Mexico!! We’ve rented an apartment on the beach for five months in Sayulita, Mexico. After our whirlwind tour around the U.S. my husband and I are both so excited to have a home for five months. We’ve been living primarily out of a tent during our time in the U.S. so we are also excited to have a roof over our heads and a refrigerator!!

  In Mexico we have many projects that we are working on. I’m writing my next book (my first book, a guide to living your dreams, is called Life on Fire) and building my Blog Coaching business. My husband is launching an e-course called Travel School where we help everyone from college aged kids to retirees nail down all of the details they need to have in order so that they can travel long-term. We are very excited to see what the future has in store for us.

  How exciting! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Kim! To follow Kim on her adventures, check out So Many Places, tweet with her, or find her on Facebook!

  All photos in this post courtesy of Kim Dinan.

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  ABOUT AUTHOR

  SARA BUTTON Website Twitter
  Sara learned the value of travel at an early age, on annual family trips in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Not to be relegated to the North American continent, she made her first trip overseas at the age of 13 and has been finding ways to travel ever since. She has explored Etruscan tombs in Italy, made hostel beds in Ireland, and hiked volcanoes in Costa Rica. Follow her travels near and far at www.saramelanie.com
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  The Yellow Envelope – Kim Dinan – #blogtour
  APRIL 14, 2017 ~ PAGETURNERSNOOK
  9781492635383-PR

  I’m thrilled to be on the blog tour today for Kim Dinan’s The Yellow Envelope, published by Sourcebooks.

  BLURB:
  What Would You Do with a Yellow Envelope?
  After Kim and her husband decide to quit their jobs to travel around the world, they’re given a yellow envelope containing a check and instructions to give the money away. The only three rules for the envelope: Don’t overthink it; share your experiences; don’t feel pressured to give it all away.
  Through Ecuador, Peru, Nepal, and beyond, Kim and Brian face obstacles, including major challenges to their relationship. As she distributes the gift to people she encounters along the way she learns that money does not have a thing to do with the capacity to give, but that giving–of ourselves–is transformational.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

  Kim Dinan - Photo Credit Brian Patton
  Kim Dinan is a freelance writer and blogger, whose travel blog, So Many Places, was selected by USA Today as one of the 2014 Best Hiking and Outdoor Travel blogs. Her writing has appeared in OnTrak Magazine and Northwest Travel Magazine, among others, and she was on a speaking tour for Backpacker Magazine.

  BLOG TOUR CONTENT – FEATURED AUTHOR Q&A
  Today I am very lucky to be interviewing Kim Dinan.

  Hi Kim, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself and your background? I was born and raised in Ohio and moved to Oregon after college. I’d always wanted to write for a living but life sort of took me in a different direction and I ended up working in the environmental field. In 2012 I took a massive leap and quit my job to take a shot at writing and to fulfil another lifelong dream of traveling around the world. My husband and I ended up traveling for 3 years. Two of those years we spent abroad traveling to 25 countries on 5 continents. One of those years we worked for Backpacker Magazine and travelled around the USA giving presentations about backpacking and adventure. We got to camp and hike in 47 of the lower 48 states. It was a pretty sweet gig! We returned to the US in 2015. I wrote my book THE YELLOW ENVELOPE (which was just released 4/4/17) and began to build my freelancing base. Now I work full-time as a writer.

  What are your ambitions for your writing career? The short answer is that I want to write books for the rest of my life. The long answer is that I want to write and speak to audiences about the things that I am passionate about—travel, adventure, the outdoors, nature and, most important, living a life on fire—a life that excites and inspires you. That doesn’t mean that everyone needs to chuck it all and travel around the world. I think we find a life that excites and inspires us when we hone in on our internal truth and build a life around that.

  So, what have you written? I self published a short book called Life on Fire: A Step-by-Step Guide to Living the Dream that I sell on my blog and on Amazon. I’ve also written a short FAQ guide about walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. My first traditionally published book is my memoir The Yellow Envelope. I have also written for dozens of magazines and websites and do copyediting and blogging work for companies and brands.

  What is your most recent novel? My most recent book is The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a Life-Changing Journey Around the World. My husband and I quit our jobs, sold all our stuff and took off on an open-ended trip around the world. Just before our departure our friends gave us a yellow envelope. Inside was a check and instructions to give the money away as we travelled. The book is about the people we met and gave the money to, but it’s also about my personal journey of self-discovery as I figure out what I want out of life and my place in the world.

  Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special? Since my book is a memoir, I am the main character! My husband also plays a big role in the book as do our friends Michele and Glenn (who gave us the yellow envelope) and the people we meet along our journey. As I mentioned before, the book is so much more than a travelogue. As a character I write about what happens when the big dream I’ve been holding on to for so long suddenly slams up against the reality of living it. I write about my experience giving the yellow envelope money away and how awkward and uncomfortable giving can be. I write about what I learned about giving and vulnerability. I write about the struggles I had in my marriage as I ask big questions about what I want out of life.

  What genre are your books? All of my books are non-fiction.

  What draws you to this genre? Well, I think I just really love writing honestly about the human condition. I know that there are many ways to do this but the way that’s most comfortable to me is to tell the story of my own experiences in the world. I think this comes from my love of poetry. All poetry is just life boiled down to its most essential elements. I like to write about the essential things too.

  When did you decide to become a writer? I don’t think I ever decided to be a writer per se. I always was a writer in the sense that writing is something I have been doing since childhood, and it was (still is) something that made me feel grounded and centred. When I finally decided that I would like to share my writing with other people I started a blog. That was back in 2010. Then in 2012 I quit my job to travel and spent more time trying to freelance. So I never decided to become a writer—it was more like I had a whole lot of hope and a massive work ethic. I still feel like I’m in the process of becoming… I don’t think I’m there yet.

  Do you have a special time to write or how is your day structured? I have a small child at home so I write 10-3 MWF when I have a babysitter and then evenings and weekends. Most of that writing is freelance work and not the lovely creative writing I dream of. I have a new project I’d like to get started on soon, and then some of that effort will switch from technical to creative writing.

  Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day? I have used this tactic at times when I am up against a deadline. What I usually do is tell myself I want to get a draft of a chapter done by a certain date and then make sure I hit that mark. But setting a daily word count is freeing in some ways, because I’ve found it allows me to get over the initial writers block and just put words on the page—even if they’re terrible. As long as I hit my word count I feel I’ve succeeded. The writing can be cleaned up later.

  Where do your ideas come from? I write non-fiction so I draw on experiences in my own life and/or I write about people or things that spark my curiosity. For example, now that I’m a mom I’m interested in writing about adventuring as a mother and tackling that question that most women ask when they’re deciding whether to have children—how do you hold on to your own life (especially if it’s a life lived untraditionally) after becoming a mother?

  Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer to just see where an idea takes you? I start with big questions I want answered and then I see if I can live my way into the answers.

  How long on average does it take you to write a book? That’s a tough one. I wrote THE YELLOW ENVELOPE in about six months but I’d been working on a draft of it for more than two years.

  How do you think you’ve evolved creatively? I think I’ve become better at telling the truth and realizing when I’ve hit on something that other people will relate to. But I’m still evolving. I want to try my hand at fiction someday but I’m scared—that’s a whole other ballgame. When you write non-fiction you work inside the boundaries of reality but with fiction anything can happen. I’m afraid I’d become lost with the choices. Of course I’ll never know until I try it.

  Do you read much and if so which writers inspire you? I read all of the time- mostly non-fiction but I do love a good thriller. I love the truth tellers like Cheryl Strayed, Anne Lamott and Glennon Doyle Melton. I also love Jon Krakauer.

  What is your favourite book and why? I can’t answer that question- there are too many! I read The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen while walking through the mountains in Nepal and it blew my mind. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson kick-started my lifelong obsession with the Appalachian Trail. The poetry of Lucille Clifton and Mary Oliver has made me cry more times than I can count. If a book sticks with me in some way it is added to my ever-growing list of favourites.

  If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why? I would be Rumi—the Sufi poet. Who wouldn’t want to be Rumi?? I’d want to have written everything he wrote.

  What advice would you give to aspiring writers? Write what you need to write. Tell the truth. Don’t write because you think you’ll be the next Stephen King (although you might be the next Stephen King– someone has to be). Writing is a hard way to make a living. But if you love to write that won’t stop you. Nothing will.

  How can readers discover more about you and your work? I’ve been blogging for years at www.so-many-places.com. That’s the best way to connect with me. You can find all of my social media links from there.

  Website:
 http://www.kimdinan.com
  Blog:
 www.so-many-places.com
  Facebook:
 https://www.facebook.com/SoManyPlacesTravelBlog
  Twitter:
 @kimdinan
  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-dinan-4203609
  Amazon Author Page:
 https://www.amazon.com/Kim-Dinan/e/B00EYRASB6
  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7275757.Kim_Dinan

  Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to take part in this interview. Thank you Laura

  BUYING LINKS:
  Amazon UK: click here

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  Home / Book Lists / Life On Fire: An Interview With Author Kim Dinan
  « BRINGING CHRISTMAS TO INDONESIA (HOLIDAY TRAVEL MOVIES WITH A TWIST) | MAIN | “ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN”: THEME SONG FOR THE NEW YEAR »
  BOOK LISTS, TRAVEL WRITING / DECEMBER 26, 2013

  LIFE ON FIRE: AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR KIM DINAN
  Several months ago, I reviewed six books to read before you go walkabout. Kim Dinan’s guide to pursuing your dreams, Life on Fire, was one of the most influential titles on the list.

  Kim Dinan, Life On FireNow, as the year draws to a close, I speak with Kim about travel writing, celebrating holidays abroad, and how she’ll keep her own life on fire in 2014.

  You recently wrote a book about living out your dreams. Would you say you’re living out yours, right now?

  When I first started out on this journey three years ago, I dreamed of traveling and writing for a living. I had no idea how I would make that happen, but I knew that, despite everything, I had to try.

  I guess you could say that I’ve reached my original dream. But I also have so many other dreams that I’m working towards. I have more books to write, more places to see. I want to create things that inspire people, that’s my ultimate dream now.

  Kim Dinan, Spain

  What’s the most difficult part of writing a book?

  The writing part! Just kidding. Actually, the hardest part for me is the editing. Once I get the ideas and thoughts down, it’s sometimes torture to try to shape them so that they flow and make sense. It’s just a struggle to see the book with a birds-eye view when you’re smack dab in the middle of it.

  What’s the easiest part of writing a book?

  I love sitting down to a blank page and just saying, “go” and letting anything and everything come out unedited. I feel on fire when I do this. And when I get to a point where I’ve put something down on paper that I know is real and true and important, I literally feel it pulsing through my body, like I’ve had a little shock.

  Kim Dinan, Nepal

  What advice or suggestions do you have for people who feel ‘stuck’ in their current location at home?

  Sit down, write your dream location or goal down on paper, and then figure out what you can do right now to start working towards that goal. There are always tiny steps we can take, even if it starts as just simply divorcing the image you have of yourself in your head. Changing our attitudes and expanding what we believe we’re capable of is the first step in all of it.

  What advice or suggestions would you give to someone who wants to travel long-term, but hasn’t quite left home yet?

  Keep working at it. Save your money, stop buy crap you don’t need, put everything in order so that as soon as everything lines up right you can hit the road. It took me almost three years of planning and saving everything before I was able to leave to travel. It’s a lot of hard work but it is absolutely worth it.

  Kim Dinan, Belgium

  Where will you celebrate the holidays? What traditions will you bring to Christmas in a foreign place?

  The only thing that has remained the same for us on Christmas while traveling is that my husband’s mom somehow finds a way to MAIL us a package of homemade Christmas cookies. Last year we got them in Germany and this year we’ll have them in Vietnam. It’s so nice to have a little bite of the holidays on Christmas, especially because it is hard to be away from home at this time of year.

  How do you plan to follow the advice in your book in 2014?

  Well, the book is essentially my life motto at this point. Dream big, work hard, and be creative and organized. Above all else, pay attention to the magic of the universe and, when it pulls some strings for you, be grateful.

  I know what I want to write, what new projects I want to take on with the blog, and the steps I need to take to get there. I know things won’t go as I plan, but I also know that I can be flexible and work around whatever obstacles land in my path.

  Kim Dinan, Southern Spain

  Are there any big plans/adventures/destinations you’re looking forward to?

  …my husband and I will be touring around SE Asia. We’ve thrown our hat into the ring for a lot of different things in 2014, but we don’t know what will stick and what won’t. So right now the future is a beautiful mystery, and that’s okay.

  Check out Kim’s e-book, Life on Fire: A Step-By-Step Guide To Living Your Dreams, and follow her future Southeast Asian travels at So Many Places.

  All images courtesy of Kim Dinan.

  FILED UNDER: BOOK LISTS, TRAVEL WRITING TAGGED WITH: AUTHOR KIM DINAN, KIM DINAN, LIFE ON FIRE, SO MANY PLACES, TRAVEL BOOKS

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  24/04/2015
  So many places: an interview with career traveller Kim Dinan
  KIM DINAN talks to us about her and her husband's decision to leave their city lives and travel the world.

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  Nepal backpacking

  MANY OF us dream of giving up it all and embarking on a life of adventure but for most it is an impossibility.

  Step forward then Kin Dinan who did just that – gave up a good job and travelled the world with her husband. Five years later the couple have made a career out of travelling and having visited 20 countries. They now work for Backpacker Magazine as tour ambassadors back in the US.

  Kim is a passionate writer and as well as blogging every step of the way has written a book, Life on Fire, which in her words is a ‘step-by-step guide to living your dreams’.

  To read her blog and find out more about the book visit www.so-many-places.com.

  What job were you doing and how was life before you decided to ‘get up and leave’ and embark upon travel around the world?

  Before I left my job to travel I was working as a sustainability co-ordinator for the city in Portland, Oregon. My husband and I had a wonderful life in Portland. We had good jobs, great friends, and a house in a neighbourhood we loved. Our trip wasn’t about leaving anything but about moving towards something that I’d always dreamed about which was to travel and to write.

  Your husband took the leap with you. How easy was it to persuade him to leave his job and follow your instincts?

  Well, at first he wasn’t too keen on the idea! He wondered how we could give everything up that we’d worked so hard for, which was the same thing that I wondered myself. Over time he came around to the idea because, at first, we told ourselves that we would just take a one-year break and then go back to our old life. I think deep down we both knew that there was a potential, even a hope, that life could change and we wouldn’t go back to the life we had before but thinking about that was too scary. So, at first we just thought, one year. Then once we started traveling we realised one year would never be enough.

  Machu Picchu Peru

  Where did you first travel to and did you have any idea then that you would still be involved in the travelling lifestyle today?

  The first thing we did was take a three-month road trip around the US National Parks because that was something we’d always dreamed of doing. After that we caught a one-way flight to Ecuador and worked our way by bus down South America.

  Traveling has become such an important part of our lives that we can barely remember life before we made this leap. I don’t think we knew that we’d still be involved in the traveling lifestyle today but we hoped that we would be. Somehow along the way we’ve been able to string together a modest income which allows us to keep traveling and we hope this continues for years to come.

  How naturally did living on the road come to you? Was there a lot you had to learn early on to make sure your plans would be successful?

  This is a great question because, at first, we were terrible travellers. We moved too fast, we were exhausted, and we didn’t really realise the true extent of what it would be like to spend 24 hours a day together. It took us a good six months just to adjust to being on the road. Over time we realised we had to approach life in a totally different way. We had to be flexible. We stopped making plans because we always ended up feeling tied down when we had plans. We had to learn to communicate better. It was like relationship boot camp!

  Biking VIetnam

  Where have your travels taken you and what kind of things have you done along the way?

  Oh man, we’ve been to so many places and have done so much that sometimes I can’t believe that this is my life. We’ve been to 20 countries so far and there are more on the way. Because we both really love to hike and be outdoors we’ve done some really awesome hikes like the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and lots of smaller treks in Chile and Argentina’s Patagonia region. We went to the Galapagos Islands which was a highlight. We bicycled through Vietnam. I drove a rickshaw through India and walked across Spain on the Camino de Santiago. And that’s just the big stuff. Sometimes it’s the small moments that stick out the most.

  Galapagos Islands

  You are now working as tour ambassadors in the US. What does this involve and what types of people do you find yourselves helping?
  We are back in the US working for Backpacker Magazine until the end of October. We’ve been on an epic US road trip for this job (45 states and 35,000 miles of driving) where we visit outdoor retailers and give a presentation on the ‘ten essentials of backpacking’ and the gear and skills you need to meet the ten essentials. It’s sort of like a backpacking 101 presentation. We’ve seen so much of the US and have met many amazing people. Be we’re tired!

  Do you have any exciting plans for 2015?

  Well, our job ends soon and we’re headed to Mexico where we’ve rented an apartment on the beach for five months. We’re launching an e-course called Travel School which will help others (from college kids to retirees) plan their own big trip around the world. I’m working on my next book and building my blog coaching business. We’ve got a lot of work to do and we are really excited to have the time to do it.

  After we leave Mexico the future is wide open. We don’t know where we’ll be headed but we hope for another big adventure.

  Life on Fire by Kim Dinan

  Kim's Dinan's Life on Fire is available from the Limitless Pursuits store
  Buy it now
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  Home Interviews Round-the-World Trip Planning – Interview with Kim Dinan of @RTWsomanyplaces
  Round-the-World Trip Planning – Interview with Kim Dinan of @RTWsomanyplaces
  February 14, 2012, Lily, 16 Comments

  Kim Dinan - So Many Places Travel Blog
  Kim Dinan - So Many Places Travel Blog

  Kim Dinan is a Sustainability Coordinator and aspiring writer from Oregon. Kim and her husband Brian are quitting their jobs and taking off on an around-the-world adventure starting May 2012. Since I only planned my round-the-world itinerary two months in advance, it’s been interesting reading about Kim’s travel preparations the last 6 months.

  You can follow Kim on:
  Her travel blog: so-many-places.com
  Twitter: @rtwsomanyplaces
  Facebook: facebook.com/SoManyPlacesTravelBlog

  What originally inspired you to make your plans?

  When I was a child I loved to write and explore the woods and neighborhoods in our sub-division. In many ways, nothing has changed. I still feel most like myself when I am writing or when I am discovering a place for the first time.

  By my late-20’s I found myself a married homeowner on a great career track. I had everything that I’d always thought I wanted, but I wasn’t happy. What had started as a little knocking inside of my chest had manifested into a loud, screaming voice that I couldn’t ignore anymore. The voice said: Kim, this is not what your life is for.

  After a lot of soul searching I knew that the only way I could live authentically was to listen to the voice inside. I told Brian, my husband, about what I needed to do. He was surprised (clearly!) but ultimately supportive.

  From there, we began the process of putting ourselves in the position to live the dream. We started saving every spare penny, we sold our stuff, we put our house on the market. We’ve been working diligently towards this dream for over two years, but it all started by acknowledging my inner voice.

  Read Kim’s article about why she’s quitting her job to travel.

  What fears did you get over while deciding to follow your travel dreams?

  I’ve had a million fears and they’ve changed over time. My first fear was that my dream was impossible and unrealistic. Then, I feared how my husband would react. After that, I worried about what my parents and other close friends and family would think.

  I worried about whether we should sell our house or not and then, once we decided to sell it, I worried that it wouldn’t sell. I feared I was destroying my career by quitting my job. I feared that I’d run out of time to have children if I decided I wanted them some day.

  Basically, every step along the way I’ve been afraid of something. The important thing is that I didn’t let the fear stop me. Eventually, the thing that seemed so scary ends up fading away into the background.

  Now that I am so close to achieving this dream, I have another great fear, which I’ve written about in my fear can kick my other fears’ ass. I guess I will never stop worrying!

  What are most anxious about now as you are preparing for your trip?

  Well, in many ways I have less anxiety about the trip now than I have had in the past, mostly because I know it is within reach. I had a lot of anxiety early on that something would happen to derail us- we’d lose our jobs and not be able to save money, we’d have some kind of emergency, that sort of thing.

  I’m anxious about leaving our dogs. It really breaks my heart, but we know they will be well taken care of and loved (Brian’s parents are going to watch them).

  There was a lot of anxiety around breaking the news at work, but we’ve recently jumped that hurdle: telling our jobs about our plans to travel

  How much are you budgeting for your trip?

  Our budget is $60,000. We plan to travel with $50,000 and save $10,000 for our “next step,” whatever that may be. We plan to travel for at least a year but hope we can make our budget stretch longer.

  We leave for our trip in May, 2012. The first leg of our adventure is a three month road trip of the U.S. National Parks. In August we fly to Ecuador and we will spend 4.5 months traveling overland through South America.

  We don’t know exactly where our journey through South America will take us but we do know we need to be in Buenos Aires about a week before Christmas to meet friends. Right after Christmas we will fly to India. After India we’ll head to Nepal. After that we don’t know where the road will take us, but we’re excited to find out!

  What are you 5 tips for planning an extended travel break?

  Get started. I’ve been amazed at how many times the Universe has made things possible for me. Put all of your energy into achieving your goal but allow room for magic, too.
  Be patient! Big things take time. Living a dream will seem impossible at first, but break your dream down into smaller, achievable steps. You’ll get there eventually.
  Talk to other travelers. When I first started dreaming of traveling I found travel blogs through google and devoured them. Reach out to the people who are doing what you want to do. I guarantee they will be willing to encourage you and answer your questions, and they’ll help you feel less alone.
  Don’t let people talk you out of your dreams, and don’t talk yourself out of your dreams either. If you really want to do this, do it. There will never be a perfect time to take a big leap, might as well do it now.
  Start saving, but know that it might not cost as much as you think. I had no idea how much it would cost to travel for at least a year, but I knew how expensive my vacations were! When you travel full-time you can move slower and that reduces costs. At least, that’s what everyone tells me. I’ll be able to verify that soon.
  >> If you could take a round-the-world trip, what would your itinerary look like and how long would you give yourself to prepare? Leave your thoughts below.

  Subscribe to Explore for a Year email updates, follow me on twitter.com/lilyleung, or like me on Facebook.com/ExploreforaYear.

  Other articles you may like

  Lawyer Turned Photographer: Interview With Holger Mette
  Ad Agency Account Director to World Travel: Interview with Ayngelina Brogan
  Yup, I Quit My 9-5 Job Today!
  The 45 Most Inspiring Quotes on Change
  How to Declutter and Move Forward
  Posted in Interviews.
  Next Post →
  13 Months of Life-Changing Travel in 30 Photos
  ← Previous Post
  Round-the-world expenses: $4,520 for 19 flights
  Author

  Lily
  Still glowing from a 13 month, 26 country solo adventure around the world. Now works at a fearless mobile start-up. More about Explore for a Year. Follow me on facebook.com/exploreforayear

  Related Posts

  Connect with me

  About

  I left behind my corporate job and to travel around our beautiful world for a year. Sharing my adventures in real-time on Facebook & Twitter. Started my journey in India, Southeast Asia, Europe, Middle-East and currently in northern Thailand... read more⇒
  Lily is currently in…

  Toronto, Canada :)

  Previously:
  Summer 2013: Europe, Abu Dhabi, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vancouver

  Nov 2010-Dec 2011: 26 countries around the world (photos)

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  Round-the-world expenses: $4,520 for 19 flights
  2011: A Year of Making Impossibles, Possible
  5 World Wonders Worth Visiting
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  Home Interviews Round-the-World Trip Planning – Interview with Kim Dinan of @RTWsomanyplaces
  Round-the-World Trip Planning – Interview with Kim Dinan of @RTWsomanyplaces

  February 14, 2012, Lily, 16 Comments
  Kim Dinan - So Many Places Travel Blog
  Kim Dinan - So Many Places Travel Blog

  Kim Dinan is a Sustainability Coordinator and aspiring writer from Oregon. Kim and her husband Brian are quitting their jobs and taking off on an around-the-world adventure starting May 2012. Since I only planned my round-the-world itinerary two months in advance, it’s been interesting reading about Kim’s travel preparations the last 6 months.

  You can follow Kim on:
  Her travel blog: so-many-places.com
  Twitter: @rtwsomanyplaces
  Facebook: facebook.com/SoManyPlacesTravelBlog

  What originally inspired you to make your plans?

  When I was a child I loved to write and explore the woods and neighborhoods in our sub-division. In many ways, nothing has changed. I still feel most like myself when I am writing or when I am discovering a place for the first time.

  By my late-20’s I found myself a married homeowner on a great career track. I had everything that I’d always thought I wanted, but I wasn’t happy. What had started as a little knocking inside of my chest had manifested into a loud, screaming voice that I couldn’t ignore anymore. The voice said: Kim, this is not what your life is for.

  After a lot of soul searching I knew that the only way I could live authentically was to listen to the voice inside. I told Brian, my husband, about what I needed to do. He was surprised (clearly!) but ultimately supportive.

  From there, we began the process of putting ourselves in the position to live the dream. We started saving every spare penny, we sold our stuff, we put our house on the market. We’ve been working diligently towards this dream for over two years, but it all started by acknowledging my inner voice.

  Read Kim’s article about why she’s quitting her job to travel.

  What fears did you get over while deciding to follow your travel dreams?

  I’ve had a million fears and they’ve changed over time. My first fear was that my dream was impossible and unrealistic. Then, I feared how my husband would react. After that, I worried about what my parents and other close friends and family would think.

  I worried about whether we should sell our house or not and then, once we decided to sell it, I worried that it wouldn’t sell. I feared I was destroying my career by quitting my job. I feared that I’d run out of time to have children if I decided I wanted them some day.

  Basically, every step along the way I’ve been afraid of something. The important thing is that I didn’t let the fear stop me. Eventually, the thing that seemed so scary ends up fading away into the background.

  Now that I am so close to achieving this dream, I have another great fear, which I’ve written about in my fear can kick my other fears’ ass. I guess I will never stop worrying!

  What are most anxious about now as you are preparing for your trip?

  Well, in many ways I have less anxiety about the trip now than I have had in the past, mostly because I know it is within reach. I had a lot of anxiety early on that something would happen to derail us- we’d lose our jobs and not be able to save money, we’d have some kind of emergency, that sort of thing.

  I’m anxious about leaving our dogs. It really breaks my heart, but we know they will be well taken care of and loved (Brian’s parents are going to watch them).

  There was a lot of anxiety around breaking the news at work, but we’ve recently jumped that hurdle: telling our jobs about our plans to travel

  How much are you budgeting for your trip?

  Our budget is $60,000. We plan to travel with $50,000 and save $10,000 for our “next step,” whatever that may be. We plan to travel for at least a year but hope we can make our budget stretch longer.

  We leave for our trip in May, 2012. The first leg of our adventure is a three month road trip of the U.S. National Parks. In August we fly to Ecuador and we will spend 4.5 months traveling overland through South America.

  We don’t know exactly where our journey through South America will take us but we do know we need to be in Buenos Aires about a week before Christmas to meet friends. Right after Christmas we will fly to India. After India we’ll head to Nepal. After that we don’t know where the road will take us, but we’re excited to find out!

  What are you 5 tips for planning an extended travel break?

  Get started. I’ve been amazed at how many times the Universe has made things possible for me. Put all of your energy into achieving your goal but allow room for magic, too.
  Be patient! Big things take time. Living a dream will seem impossible at first, but break your dream down into smaller, achievable steps. You’ll get there eventually.
  Talk to other travelers. When I first started dreaming of traveling I found travel blogs through google and devoured them. Reach out to the people who are doing what you want to do. I guarantee they will be willing to encourage you and answer your questions, and they’ll help you feel less alone.
  Don’t let people talk you out of your dreams, and don’t talk yourself out of your dreams either. If you really want to do this, do it. There will never be a perfect time to take a big leap, might as well do it now.
  Start saving, but know that it might not cost as much as you think. I had no idea how much it would cost to travel for at least a year, but I knew how expensive my vacations were! When you travel full-time you can move slower and that reduces costs. At least, that’s what everyone tells me. I’ll be able to verify that soon.
  >> If you could take a round-the-world trip, what would your itinerary look like and how long would you give yourself to prepare? Leave your thoughts below.

  Subscribe to Explore for a Year email updates, follow me on twitter.com/lilyleung, or like me on Facebook.com/ExploreforaYear.

  Other articles you may like

  Lawyer Turned Photographer: Interview With Holger Mette
  Ad Agency Account Director to World Travel: Interview with Ayngelina Brogan
  Yup, I Quit My 9-5 Job Today!
  The 45 Most Inspiring Quotes on Change
  How to Declutter and Move Forward
  Posted in Interviews.
  Next Post →
  13 Months of Life-Changing Travel in 30 Photos
  ← Previous Post
  Round-the-world expenses: $4,520 for 19 flights
  Author

  Lily
  Still glowing from a 13 month, 26 country solo adventure around the world. Now works at a fearless mobile start-up. More about Explore for a Year. Follow me on facebook.com/exploreforayear

  Related Posts

  Connect with me

  About

  I left behind my corporate job and to travel around our beautiful world for a year. Sharing my adventures in real-time on Facebook & Twitter. Started my journey in India, Southeast Asia, Europe, Middle-East and currently in northern Thailand... read more⇒
  Lily is currently in…

  Toronto, Canada :)

  Previously:
  Summer 2013: Europe, Abu Dhabi, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vancouver

  Nov 2010-Dec 2011: 26 countries around the world (photos)

  SUBSCRIBE

  enter your email
  Add me!
  Subscribe by RSS
  Recent Articles

  Explore for a Year 2013 Blog Statistics
  13 Months of Life-Changing Travel in 30 Photos
  Round-the-World Trip Planning – Interview with Kim Dinan of @RTWsomanyplaces
  Round-the-world expenses: $4,520 for 19 flights
  2011: A Year of Making Impossibles, Possible
  5 World Wonders Worth Visiting
  Reader Favourites

  The 45 Most Inspiring Quotes on Change
  Leaving a Job, Travelling Solo – Highs and Lows of An Unforgettable Year
  How to Declutter and Move Forward
  10 Questions to Free You From Status Quo
  Yup, I Quit My 9-5 Job Today!
  Travel Update Favourites

  Romania to Budapest on a 1st Class Train
  10 Days of Silent Meditation: First 3 Days Were Torture
  26 Highlights from 26 Days in Incredible India
  6 Months of Travelling Alone – a Safety Update
  Traveller Interviews

  Extended Travel for Couples: Interview with Jack and Jill Travel
  Location-Independent Living: Interview with James Clark of NomadicNotes.com
  Aussie lawyer turned photographer: Interview with Holger Mette
  Ad Agency Account Director to World Travel: Interview with Ayngelina Brogan
  Featured Sites

  hotel reviews
  Deals on Bilbao hotels
  Home Round-the-World Travel About Contact
  © Explore for a Year, 2012.

  email
  ShareThis Copy and PasteExplore for a Year A year of travel around the world and back Home Round-the-World Travel Personal updates Travel blogs About Contact Home Interviews Round-the-World Trip Planning – Interview with Kim Dinan of @RTWsomanyplaces Round-the-World Trip Planning – Interview with Kim Dinan of @RTWsomanyplaces February 14, 2012, Lily, 16 Comments Kim Dinan - So Many Places Travel Blog Kim Dinan is a Sustainability Coordinator and aspiring writer from Oregon. Kim and her husband Brian are quitting their jobs and taking off on an around-the-world adventure starting May 2012. Since I only planned my round-the-world itinerary two months in advance, it’s been interesting reading about Kim’s travel preparations the last 6 months. You can follow Kim on: Her travel blog: so-many-places.com Twitter: @rtwsomanyplaces Facebook: facebook.com/SoManyPlacesTravelBlog What originally inspired you to make your plans? When I was a child I loved to write and explore the woods and neighborhoods in our sub-division. In many ways, nothing has changed. I still feel most like myself when I am writing or when I am discovering a place for the first time. By my late-20’s I found myself a married homeowner on a great career track. I had everything that I’d always thought I wanted, but I wasn’t happy. What had started as a little knocking inside of my chest had manifested into a loud, screaming voice that I couldn’t ignore anymore. The voice said: Kim, this is not what your life is for. After a lot of soul searching I knew that the only way I could live authentically was to listen to the voice inside. I told Brian, my husband, about what I needed to do. He was surprised (clearly!) but ultimately supportive. From there, we began the process of putting ourselves in the position to live the dream. We started saving every spare penny, we sold our stuff, we put our house on the market. We’ve been working diligently towards this dream for over two years, but it all started by acknowledging my inner voice. Read Kim’s article about why she’s quitting her job to travel. What fears did you get over while deciding to follow your travel dreams? I’ve had a million fears and they’ve changed over time. My first fear was that my dream was impossible and unrealistic. Then, I feared how my husband would react. After that, I worried about what my parents and other close friends and family would think. I worried about whether we should sell our house or not and then, once we decided to sell it, I worried that it wouldn’t sell. I feared I was destroying my career by quitting my job. I feared that I’d run out of time to have children if I decided I wanted them some day. Basically, every step along the way I’ve been afraid of something. The important thing is that I didn’t let the fear stop me. Eventually, the thing that seemed so scary ends up fading away into the background. Now that I am so close to achieving this dream, I have another great fear, which I’ve written about in my fear can kick my other fears’ ass. I guess I will never stop worrying! What are most anxious about now as you are preparing for your trip? Well, in many ways I have less anxiety about the trip now than I have had in the past, mostly because I know it is within reach. I had a lot of anxiety early on that something would happen to derail us- we’d lose our jobs and not be able to save money, we’d have some kind of emergency, that sort of thing. I’m anxious about leaving our dogs. It really breaks my heart, but we know they will be well taken care of and loved (Brian’s parents are going to watch them). There was a lot of anxiety around breaking the news at work, but we’ve recently jumped that hurdle: telling our jobs about our plans to travel How much are you budgeting for your trip? Our budget is $60,000. We plan to travel with $50,000 and save $10,000 for our “next step,” whatever that may be. We plan to travel for at least a year but hope we can make our budget stretch longer. We leave for our trip in May, 2012. The first leg of our adventure is a three month road trip of the U.S. National Parks. In August we fly to Ecuador and we will spend 4.5 months traveling overland through South America. We don’t know exactly where our journey through South America will take us but we do know we need to be in Buenos Aires about a week before Christmas to meet friends. Right after Christmas we will fly to India. After India we’ll head to Nepal. After that we don’t know where the road will take us, but we’re excited to find out! What are you 5 tips for planning an extended travel break? Get started. I’ve been amazed at how many times the Universe has made things possible for me. Put all of your energy into achieving your goal but allow room for magic, too. Be patient! Big things take time. Living a dream will seem impossible at first, but break your dream down into smaller, achievable steps. You’ll get there eventually. Talk to other travelers. When I first started dreaming of traveling I found travel blogs through google and devoured them. Reach out to the people who are doing what you want to do. I guarantee they will be willing to encourage you and answer your questions, and they’ll help you feel less alone. Don’t let people talk you out of your dreams, and don’t talk yourself out of your dreams either. If you really want to do this, do it. There will never be a perfect time to take a big leap, might as well do it now. Start saving, but know that it might not cost as much as you think. I had no idea how much it would cost to travel for at least a year, but I knew how expensive my vacations were! When you travel full-time you can move slower and that reduces costs. At least, that’s what everyone tells me. I’ll be able to verify that soon. >> If you could take a round-the-world trip, what would your itinerary look like and how long would you give yourself to prepare? Leave your thoughts below. Subscribe to Explore for a Year email updates, follow me on twitter.com/lilyleung, or like me on Facebook.com/ExploreforaYear. Other articles you may like Lawyer Turned Photographer: Interview With Holger Mette Ad Agency Account Director to World Travel: Interview with Ayngelina Brogan Yup, I Quit My 9-5 Job Today! The 45 Most Inspiring Quotes on Change How to Declutter and Move Forward Posted in Interviews. Next Post → 13 Months of Life-Changing Travel in 30 Photos ← Previous Post Round-the-world expenses: $4,520 for 19 flights Author Lily Still glowing from a 13 month, 26 country solo adventure around the world. Now works at a fearless mobile start-up. More about Explore for a Year. Follow me on facebook.com/exploreforayear Related Posts Connect with me About I left behind my corporate job and to travel around our beautiful world for a year. Sharing my adventures in real-time on Facebook & Twitter. Started my journey in India, Southeast Asia, Europe, Middle-East and currently in northern Thailand... read more⇒ Lily is currently in… Toronto, Canada :) Previously: Summer 2013: Europe, Abu Dhabi, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vancouver Nov 2010-Dec 2011: 26 countries around the world (photos) SUBSCRIBE Subscribe by RSS Recent Articles Explore for a Year 2013 Blog Statistics 13 Months of Life-Changing Travel in 30 Photos Round-the-World Trip Planning – Interview with Kim Dinan of @RTWsomanyplaces Round-the-world expenses: $4,520 for 19 flights 2011: A Year of Making Impossibles, Possible 5 World Wonders Worth Visiting Reader Favourites The 45 Most Inspiring Quotes on Change Leaving a Job, Travelling Solo – Highs and Lows of An Unforgettable Year How to Declutter and Move Forward 10 Questions to Free You From Status Quo Yup, I Quit My 9-5 Job Today! Travel Update Favourites Romania to Budapest on a 1st Class Train 10 Days of Silent Meditation: First 3 Days Were Torture 26 Highlights from 26 Days in Incredible India 6 Months of Travelling Alone – a Safety Update Traveller Interviews Extended Travel for Couples: Interview with Jack and Jill Travel Location-Independent Living: Interview with James Clark of NomadicNotes.com Aussie lawyer turned photographer: Interview with Holger Mette Ad Agency Account Director to World Travel: Interview with Ayngelina Brogan Featured Sites Deals on Bilbao hotels Home Round-the-World Travel About Contact © Explore for a Year, 2012. email Explore for a Year A year of travel around the world and back Home Round-the-World Travel Personal updates Travel blogs About Contact Home Interviews Round-the-World Trip Planning – Interview with Kim Dinan of @RTWsomanyplaces Round-the-World Trip Planning – Interview with Kim Dinan of @RTWsomanyplaces February 14, 2012, Lily, 16 Comments Kim Dinan - So Many Places Travel Blog Kim Dinan is a Sustainability Coordinator and aspiring writer from Oregon. Kim and her husband Brian are quitting their jobs and taking off on an around-the-world adventure starting May 2012. Since I only planned my round-the-world itinerary two months in advance, it’s been interesting reading about Kim’s travel preparations the last 6 months. You can follow Kim on: Her travel blog: so-many-places.com Twitter: @rtwsomanyplaces Facebook: facebook.com/SoManyPlacesTravelBlog What originally inspired you to make your plans? When I was a child I loved to write and explore the woods and neighborhoods in our sub-division. In many ways, nothing has changed. I still feel most like myself when I am writing or when I am discovering a place for the first time. By my late-20’s I found myself a married homeowner on a great career track. I had everything that I’d always thought I wanted, but I wasn’t happy. What had started as a little knocking inside of my chest had manifested into a loud, screaming voice that I couldn’t ignore anymore. The voice said: Kim, this is not what your life is for. After a lot of soul searching I knew that the only way I could live authentically was to listen to the voice inside. I told Brian, my husband, about what I needed to do. He was surprised (clearly!) but ultimately supportive. From there, we began the process of putting ourselves in the position to live the dream. We started saving every spare penny, we sold our stuff, we put our house on the market. We’ve been working diligently towards this dream for over two years, but it all started by acknowledging my inner voice. Read Kim’s article about why she’s quitting her job to travel. What fears did you get over while deciding to follow your travel dreams? I’ve had a million fears and they’ve changed over time. My first fear was that my dream was impossible and unrealistic. Then, I feared how my husband would react. After that, I worried about what my parents and other close friends and family would think. I worried about whether we should sell our house or not and then, once we decided to sell it, I worried that it wouldn’t sell. I feared I was destroying my career by quitting my job. I feared that I’d run out of time to have children if I decided I wanted them some day. Basically, every step along the way I’ve been afraid of something. The important thing is that I didn’t let the fear stop me. Eventually, the thing that seemed so scary ends up fading away into the background. Now that I am so close to achieving this dream, I have another great fear, which I’ve written about in my fear can kick my other fears’ ass. I guess I will never stop worrying! What are most anxious about now as you are preparing for your trip? Well, in many ways I have less anxiety about the trip now than I have had in the past, mostly because I know it is within reach. I had a lot of anxiety early on that something would happen to derail us- we’d lose our jobs and not be able to save money, we’d have some kind of emergency, that sort of thing. I’m anxious about leaving our dogs. It really breaks my heart, but we know they will be well taken care of and loved (Brian’s parents are going to watch them). There was a lot of anxiety around breaking the news at work, but we’ve recently jumped that hurdle: telling our jobs about our plans to travel How much are you budgeting for your trip? Our budget is $60,000. We plan to travel with $50,000 and save $10,000 for our “next step,” whatever that may be. We plan to travel for at least a year but hope we can make our budget stretch longer. We leave for our trip in May, 2012. The first leg of our adventure is a three month road trip of the U.S. National Parks. In August we fly to Ecuador and we will spend 4.5 months traveling overland through South America. We don’t know exactly where our journey through South America will take us but we do know we need to be in Buenos Aires about a week before Christmas to meet friends. Right after Christmas we will fly to India. After India we’ll head to Nepal. After that we don’t know where the road will take us, but we’re excited to find out! What are you 5 tips for planning an extended travel break? Get started. I’ve been amazed at how many times the Universe has made things possible for me. Put all of your energy into achieving your goal but allow room for magic, too. Be patient! Big things take time. Living a dream will seem impossible at first, but break your dream down into smaller, achievable steps. You’ll get there eventually. Talk to other travelers. When I first started dreaming of traveling I found travel blogs through google and devoured them. Reach out to the people who are doing what you want to do. I guarantee they will be willing to encourage you and answer your questions, and they’ll help you feel less alone. Don’t let people talk you out of your dreams, and don’t talk yourself out of your dreams either. If you really want to do this, do it. There will never be a perfect time to take a big leap, might as well do it now. Start saving, but know that it might not cost as much as you think. I had no idea how much it would cost to travel for at least a year, but I knew how expensive my vacations were! When you travel full-time you can move slower and that reduces costs. At least, that’s what everyone tells me. I’ll be able to verify that soon. >> If you could take a round-the-world trip, what would your itinerary look like and how long would you give yourself to prepare? Leave your thoughts below. Subscribe to Explore for a Year email updates, follow me on twitter.com/lilyleung, or like me on Facebook.com/ExploreforaYear. Other articles you may like Lawyer Turned Photographer: Interview With Holger Mette Ad Agency Account Director to World Travel: Interview with Ayngelina Brogan Yup, I Quit My 9-5 Job Today! The 45 Most Inspiring Quotes on Change How to Declutter and Move Forward Posted in Interviews. Next Post → 13 Months of Life-Changing Travel in 30 Photos ← Previous Post Round-the-world expenses: $4,520 for 19 flights Author Lily Still glowing from a 13 month, 26 country solo adventure around the world. Now works at a fearless mobile start-up. More about Explore for a Year. Follow me on facebook.com/exploreforayear Related Posts Connect with me About I left behind my corporate job and to travel around our beautiful world for a year. Sharing my adventures in real-time on Facebook & Twitter. Started my journey in India, Southeast Asia, Europe, Middle-East and currently in northern Thailand... read more⇒ Lily is currently in… Toronto, Canada :) Previously: Summer 2013: Europe, Abu Dhabi, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vancouver Nov 2010-Dec 2011: 26 countries around the world (photos) SUBSCRIBE Subscribe by RSS Recent Articles Explore for a Year 2013 Blog Statistics 13 Months of Life-Changing Travel in 30 Photos Round-the-World Trip Planning – Interview with Kim Dinan of @RTWsomanyplaces Round-the-world expenses: $4,520 for 19 flights 2011: A Year of Making Impossibles, Possible 5 World Wonders Worth Visiting Reader Favourites The 45 Most Inspiring Quotes on Change Leaving a Job, Travelling Solo – Highs and Lows of An Unforgettable Year How to Declutter and Move Forward 10 Questions to Free You From Status Quo Yup, I Quit My 9-5 Job Today! Travel Update Favourites Romania to Budapest on a 1st Class Train 10 Days of Silent Meditation: First 3 Days Were Torture 26 Highlights from 26 Days in Incredible India 6 Months of Travelling Alone – a Safety Update Traveller Interviews Extended Travel for Couples: Interview with Jack and Jill Travel Location-Independent Living: Interview with James Clark of NomadicNotes.com Aussie lawyer turned photographer: Interview with Holger Mette Ad Agency Account Director to World Travel: Interview with Ayngelina Brogan Featured Sites Deals on Bilbao hotels Home Round-the-World Travel About Contact © Explore for a Year, 2012. email ShareThis Copy and Paste

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Print Marked Items
Dinan, Kim: THE YELLOW ENVELOPE
Kirkus Reviews.
(Mar. 1, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text: 
Dinan, Kim THE YELLOW ENVELOPE Sourcebooks (Adult Nonfiction) $15.99 4, 1 ISBN: 978-1-4926-3538-3
In 2012, sick of her job and uncertain about her marriage, Dinan (Life on Fire: A Step-By-Step Guide to Living Your
Dreams, 2013, etc.) quit work and persuaded her reluctant husband to sell their house and other belongings and take
off for more than two years to travel around the world.Along with them went the envelope of the title, which contained
$1,000 handed to them by Dinan's former boss, with the instruction that the money was to be given away during the
trip. She attached three provisos: "Don't over think it"; "Share your experiences (...if you want to)"; and "Don't feel
pressured to give it all away." The first goal proved easier said than done; the second the author accomplishes in this
book. At first waffling about whether she would seem condescending or culturally insensitive, she gradually began to
feel comfortable with distributing the cash to a school where they volunteered in Ecuador, a rickshaw driver in India, a
dog shelter, a Nepalese holy woman, and the owners of a turtle sanctuary in Bali. If the yellow envelope provides one
strand unifying the book, Dinan's marital troubles form the other. Readers looking for insight into the locales through
which the author traveled instead receive sometimes-repetitive descriptions of quarrels in which the author blames her
husband for her unhappiness and he refuses to take the blame. The two separated temporarily, with the author climbing
"into a rickshaw with two women I'd never met before to drive the length of India on some of the world's deadliest
roads." Overall, Dinan narrates a memorable adventure even if she spends a good deal of time brooding about her
marriage.Readers won't accuse the author of sugarcoating her experiences, and if the narrative sometimes seems to bog
down in self-analysis, it's likely an accurate account of her interior life on the road.
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Dinan, Kim: THE YELLOW ENVELOPE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2017. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA482911532&it=r&asid=13993a54ce28e3ef5bb862ec1bd6bea2.
Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A482911532

---

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The Yellow Envelope
Becky Libourel Diamond
BookPage.
(Apr. 2017): p25.
COPYRIGHT 2017 BookPage
http://bookpage.com/
Full Text: 
TRAVEL
THE YELLOW ENVELOPE
By Kim Dinan
Sourcebooks
$15.99, 368 pages
ISBN 9781492635383
Audio, eBook available
It takes a great deal of planning, support and courage to leave a life of comfort to travel around the world. But this is
exactly what Kim Dinan and her husband, Brian, did. After saving their money, selling their belongings and quitting
their jobs, they traveled to locales such as Ecuador, Peru, India, Nepal and Vietnam. The story of their transformative
journey is chronicled beautifully in Dinan's debut book, The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a LifeChanging
Journey Around the World.
Before embarking on this powerful experience, Dinan was at a turning point. She wasn't sure what she wanted; she just
knew she wasn't happy and wished to see the world. Happily, some generous friends give her and Brian a yellow
envelope with $1,000 inside that they named the "Kim and Brian Yellow Envelope Fund." They wanted the couple to
help "make the world a better place" by giving the money away however they saw fit. As Dinan fondly describes, they
"were asking us to be a conduit for their goodness."
However, things don't go exactly as Dinan had imagined in just about every way--from the places they visit to her
relationship with Brian to the gifting of the Yellow Envelope money. Her brutal honesty is admirable, particularly
when recounting her doubts, mistakes and mishaps in vivid detail. She doesn't sugarcoat the situations they encounter
that end up having life-changing ramifications for them both.
But there are many joys along with the missteps. These experiences help Dinan find inner peace and realize that she
was already everything she needed to be. Having the Yellow Envelope made "ordinary interactions more meaningful,"
teaching her how to give not just money, but of herself. The Yellow Envelope is an uplifting memoir of bravery and
self-discovery.
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
Diamond, Becky Libourel. "The Yellow Envelope." BookPage, Apr. 2017, p. 25+. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA490551643&it=r&asid=f0c2ea802ad06302c454b1b6e4f174a0.
Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A490551643

---

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The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules,
and a Life-Changing Journey
Bridget Thoreson
Booklist.
113.13 (Mar. 1, 2017): p34.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text: 
The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a Life-Changing Journey around the World.
By Kim Dinan.
Apr. 2017. 320p. Sourcebooks, paper, $15.99 (97814926353831.910.
The truth burst from 28-year-old Dinan while she was on a run in a Portland, Oregon, park. She wasn't happy with her
life--the predictable desk job, earning a salary to cover the mortgage and car payment. Instead, she admitted to herself,
she wanted to travel and write. So she gathered up her courage and convinced her husband to dismantle their life so
she could pursue her dream. Before they left, friends gave her a yellow envelope containing $1,000 to be given away
on their journey. The simple guidelines for handling the money, designed to make the experience as rewarding and
stress-free as possible, gained significance as Dinan faced the hardships of travel through South America, India, Nepal,
and more. Far from a carefree existence, her life on the road was fraught with challenges, including questions about
the health of her marriage. This is a capably narrated, decidedly introspective, soul-searching travel memoir of the Eat,
Pray, Love variety and will likely draw the same audience.--Bridget Thoreson
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
Thoreson, Bridget. "The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a Life-Changing Journey." Booklist, 1 Mar.
2017, p. 34. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA488689465&it=r&asid=f290f847ff7d804db8848a56c15810d8.
Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A488689465

---

9/28/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1506652815139 4/4
The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules,
and a Life-Changing Journey Around the World
Publishers Weekly.
264.4 (Jan. 23, 2017): p72.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text: 
The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a Life-Changing Journey Around the World
Kim Dinan. Sourcebooks, $15.99 trade paper (320p) ISBN 978-1-4926-3538-3
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
In 2012, unhappy with the life she and her husband led in Portland, Ore., Dinan and her husband Brian made a
decision that altered the course of their lives. Though Dinan looked successful to the outside world, she notes, in this
uneven memoir, that all the middle-class trappings the couple had accumulated held no satisfaction. She was
consumed by a "vast emptiness." Her dreams of becoming a writer and seeing the world seemed to have gotten lost
along the way to adulthood. The couple quit their jobs; sold all their possessions, including the home they had lovingly
remodeled; and set out to travel the world. Before they left on their trek, a good friend offered a surprise gift: a yellow
envelope filled with cash along with rules on how to share the money during their travels. Over the course of a nearly
three-year trip, the couple visited India, Ecuador, Peru, Germany, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Mexico. Dinan
dissects her rigid personality and anxiety as she recounts their travels. The yellow envelope's money helped Dinan
understand the transformative power of giving financially and psychologically. Many readers will enjoy the uplifting
moments Dinan experiences during her quest; others may find the slog through Dinan's interior landscape irritating or
just plain exhausting. (Apr.)
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a Life-Changing Journey Around the World." Publishers Weekly,
23 Jan. 2017, p. 72. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA479714218&it=r&asid=613bdc0f39180bcdae77c2b5f1f5f86a.
Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A479714218

"Dinan, Kim: THE YELLOW ENVELOPE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2017. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA482911532&it=r. Accessed 28 Sept. 2017. Diamond, Becky Libourel. "The Yellow Envelope." BookPage, Apr. 2017, p. 25+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA490551643&it=r. Accessed 28 Sept. 2017. Thoreson, Bridget. "The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a Life-Changing Journey." Booklist, 1 Mar. 2017, p. 34. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do? p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA488689465&it=r. Accessed 28 Sept. 2017. "The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a Life-Changing Journey Around the World." Publishers Weekly, 23 Jan. 2017, p. 72. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do? p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA479714218&it=r. Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.

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  April 2017

  THE YELLOW ENVELOPE
  Setting out into the unknown
  BookPage review by Becky Diamond

  It takes a great deal of planning, support and courage to leave a life of comfort to travel around the world. But this is exactly what Kim Dinan and her husband, Brian, did. After saving their money, selling their belongings and quitting their jobs, they traveled to locales such as Ecuador, Peru, India, Nepal and Vietnam. The story of their transformative journey is chronicled beautifully in Dinan’s debut book, The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a Life-Changing Journey Around the World.

  Before embarking on this powerful experience, Dinan was at a turning point. She wasn’t sure what she wanted; she just knew she wasn’t happy and wished to see the world. Happily, some generous friends give her and Brian a yellow envelope with $1,000 inside that they named the “Kim and Brian Yellow Envelope Fund.” They wanted the couple to help “make the world a better place” by giving the money away however they saw fit. As Dinan fondly describes, they “were asking us to be a conduit for their goodness.”

  However, things don’t go exactly as Dinan had imagined in just about every way—from the places they visit to her relationship with Brian to the gifting of the Yellow Envelope money. Her brutal honesty is admirable, particularly when recounting her doubts, mistakes and mishaps in vivid detail. She doesn’t sugarcoat the situations they encounter that end up having life-changing ramifications for them both.

  But there are many joys along with the missteps. These experiences help Dinan find inner peace and realize that she was already everything she needed to be. Having the Yellow Envelope made “ordinary interactions more meaningful,” teaching her how to give not just money, but of herself. The Yellow Envelope is an uplifting memoir of bravery and self-discovery.

  This article was originally published in the April 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

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• Jaipur Book Reviews
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  Word count: 1331

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  MARCH 2, 2017 BOOK REVIEWS
  Book Review of The Yellow Envelope by Kim Dinan
  You read books you may like them. But there are very few books with which you can actually connect. The Yellow Envelope by Kim Dinan is one such book. Thanks to the publishers and NetGallery for providing me the ARC of this lovely book which I could relate with.

  It was my first time reading a travelogue and second time in a long time reading a memoir. When I had requested this book on NetGallery I actually thought that the book would be boring but because the synopsis appealed to me, I went ahead and requested the book. I am glad I did and read the book as well.

  It takes real guts to just give up your daily mundane life and travel. One needs to deal with a lot of things such as societal pressures, risks of not having a stable job, risk of risking your life for something that is just unknown and unpredictable. Kim took that risk and was supported by her husband who also left everything and the couple decided to travel.

  They say “All those who wander are not lost”. This quote fits aptly with the experiences that Kim has shared in the book. Probably this is the most honest book I have ever read till date. Kim has not been shy in stating what was going in her life, how (while they were travelling) she just wanted to leave her husband Brian despite being aware of the fact how much he had supported her in all walks of life. She discovered her truer self even more when she started travelling and how travelling made her mindful of her personal state. She didn’t lose herself but instead found what she really wanted from her life.

  Words have a tendency to spoil the feelings and thoughts but Kim chose just the perfect words to spill out her feelings. It is her first book and i am amazed at her style of writing. Kim is a natural writer. She not only has the gift of expressing her feelings in simplest of words, but also the description that she has given of some of the mundane things make you visualize and value those mundane things. Some of my favourite quotes –

  “The emptiness inside of me had spread like spilled oil, leaving a stain of darkness in its wake”
  “When I closed the door behind me, it clicked into place and the tiny sound was magnified by utter silence of my surroundings”
  “Ending your relationship carries the loss of possibility of your future together, pain of past and perhaps the fear of being alone”
  “It is the small kindness, so ripe and available yet so rarely exchanged that turn ordinary interactions into miracles”
  Describing India “An incredible, beautiful, hideous cauldron of humanity as stripped and exposed as a skinned deer. If we tried to control our experiences in India, if we tried to make sense of the chaos, we’d hate it. In order to love it, we’d have to accept it just as it is”
  “Enthusiasm is faith set on fire”
  “That was the irony of travel. The bigger the distance between you and the familiar grew, the smaller and safer and friendlier the world felt”
  “The magic of everything was that we would not have become who we became without each other”
  The writing is fast, simple and very personal. A reader may actually relate with what the author has written in one way or the other. Her honesty is infectious and will make you ponder about are you really happy in what you are doing or may even force you to ask the important question “are you really satisfied with your life”. If you read this book as her memoir and if you are able to relate it with you life you may love this book. However, if you pick this book learn about her experiences in different countries, you may be slightly disappointed there. She has described the locations very superficially i felt.

  One noteworthy thing was that when she began her travel, I felt there was a slight negativity in her writing about the places she visited (probably because a lot was going in her life at that time with herself and with her husband). And as she herself claims that visit to India would change her completely and you can see that change through her writing. The places she visits such as Nepal, Bali, Vietnam, after visiting India, she has described the good things about the places too and not just the negative ones.

  I am in love with this book. Not just because the book is about learning to give selflessly but also because of how Kim has described what was going in her life during the travel and how step-by-step she overcame the problems and found the best solution possible.

  Will recommend it to all those whose life is probably complicated at the moment and would want some answers. Even if it is not complicated, just buy this book when it is released on 1 April 2017 and enjoy. I am now also an avid follower of her blog.

  Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

  About the reviewer

  Vipul Murarka likes to learn something new every time he picks up a book. He has done BSc (Hons) in Plant Biotechnology from University of Nottingham after which he has done MBA in Marketing from School Of Inspired Leadership. Right now he resides in Myanmar doing business in agriculture.

  Posted in Book Reviews and tagged with Book reviews, Harverd business book reviewer, jaipur book lovers, kim dinan, The Yellow envelope.
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  Gabrielle ON JUNE 15, 2017 AT 5:04 AM Reply
  This is a subject close to my heart cheers. Thanks

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• The Vince Review
  http://vincereview.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-yellow-envelope-by-kim-dinan.html
  Word count: 1477

  The Vince Review
  Home Fiction titles reviewed Non Fiction titles reviewed About Me Fun Discussions Offbeat Lists Classics and Best Sellers Road Test Back to the Classics Challenge, 2017 Underrated Heartthrobs
  THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017
  'The Yellow Envelope' by Kim Dinan
  32671360

  After Kim and her husband decide to quit their jobs to travel around the world, they’re given a yellow envelope containing a check and instructions to give the money away. The only three rules for the envelope: Don’t overthink it; share your experiences; don’t feel pressured to give it all away.

  Through Ecuador, Peru, Nepal, and beyond, Kim and Brian face obstacles, including major challenges to their relationship. As she distributes the gift to people she encounters along the way she learns that money does not have a thing to do with the capacity to give, but that giving—of ourselves—is transformational.

  Kim Dinan is a freelance writers and blogger, whose travel blog, So Many Places, receives over 200,000 unique visitors per year and was selected by USA Today as one of the 2014 Best Hiking and Outdoor Travel blogs. Her writing has appeared in OnTrak Magazine and Northwest Travel Magazine, among others, and she was on a speaking tour for Backpacker Magazine.

  MY THOUGHTS:
  Kim Dinan tells the story of her own true adventure. She and her husband Brian decided to leave the rat race and set out on a journey around the world. They had to sell everything, and sacrifice their lifestyles in order to do so. It's a pipe dream for many of us, so since these guys were prepared to make such a hardcore decision for real, I was happy to grab the book and live vicariously through their experiences.

  The yellow envelope was given to them by their friends Michele and Glenn, who wanted to make a tangible gesture toward the trip. They presented the envelope, full of cash, to be distributed along the way to worthy recipients as Kim and Brian felt led.

  Whew, the first part wasn't at all like I expected, and I found myself getting irritated by Kim's impossible-to-please attitude toward Brian. The travelogue took the back-burner to whether or not their marriage could be salvaged. She convinced him to quit a job he liked to jump on board with her idea, then decided that maybe what she really wanted was just to be alone, because being regarded as one half of a whole cramped her style! The theme of that chunk of pages was, 'I want to figure out who I am without being defined by you. Just sit in this corner and give me space until I figure it out.'

  At that stage, she gave me the picture of a totally self-focused person. Kim does whatever Kim wants to do, and Brian learns that even when he gives up everything and lets her call all the shots, she's still not happy. Whenever she expressed puzzlement over not having as much fun and joy as she expected, I remembered the old saying, 'Wherever you go, there you are.' I think her spiritual crisis was the type we westerners have. From what I've observed, Easterners just seem to get on with their lives, knowing deep in their hearts that there's no point in buying into all the angst about finding ourselves, since we're all part of something larger anyway.

  Yeah, her attitude drove me nuts at that point, and all that kept me reading was the fact that she wrote Brian's point of view with sensitivity and understanding too. It gave me hope that she'd discover a new way of looking at things, which is what did happen. She experienced a revelation about the misguided focus of her attitude which revolutionised her way of seeing things and saved their marriage. The second part, when they set out as best friends on the same page, is far nicer to read.

  The descriptions of the places they visited were great, although there wasn't enough of them compared to the emotional angst. I love their initial plan, which was to have no plan. The book introduces snippets of the lifestyles of people who are living lives poles apart from most of us, with several interesting culture shock moments. Even day to day greetings show the different mindsets. While Americans and Aussies may ask, 'What do you do?' people in India naturally ask, 'What's your concept of God?'

  When they bump into other first world tourists along the way, Kim and Brian figure out the difference between tourists and true travellers. Tourists never actually leave home in their hearts, and demand their usual comforts wherever they are, whereas travellers are driven by a true desire to enter other worlds to the extent that this is possible. It's what Kim and Brian felt they achieved after the experiences of this book take them through Ecuador, Peru, India, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Mexico.

  I do like how she says she found what she was looking for, even though it didn't look like she expected it to. That's something that tends to happen even to those of us who don't travel the globe.

  Thanks to Net Galley and Sourcebooks for my review copy.

  3 stars.
  Posted by Paula Vince at 5:00 AM
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  This blog is my cosy place to relax and chat about books and all things literary. You'll find a good variety of lists and topics under the headings. I also invite you to treat it like a book-finder. People often ask, 'What should I read next?' I try to read widely, so hopefully you will find something that will strike a chord with you.

  If this blog was to have a motto or two, I'd choose the following.

  1) 'Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writing so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for' Socrates

  2) 'Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.' Mary Oliver

  3) 'You may end only with the satisfaction of knowing you passed your existence in devotion to the noble human virtue of inquisitiveness. That should be more than enough for anyone to say that they lived a rich and splendid life.' Elizabeth Gilbert

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  Can sworn enemies ever become friends?
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  Should Classics be adapted for Young Readers?
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