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Thursday, July 28, 2011

Passport Project

Kenji Summers' Passport Project is a fund that helps young non-passport owners (in the 18-29 year old demo) in subsidizing passport application fees and facilitating travel abroad experiences.  We both launched in 2011 and while we didn't have a clue about one another until recently, I find our common ground incredibly cool.  (And before I get one more email asking me if I know about Kenji's project, yes, we've been in touch.  Thanks so much for reaching out.)  Check Passport Project out on Twitter too. 
Cheers to Kenji and giving folks a world view.  =)

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

3rd Annual Classy Awards

I found out yesterday that The Passport Party Project has made it to the semi-finals for the 3rd Annual Classy Awards, the largest philanthropic awards ceremony in the country.  #verycool  The write up is here.
That means that from now until August 26, 2011, I should be in "campaign mode" so that I can get enough votes to possibly move on to the Top 10 finals.  But for some reason, I'm hesitant.  Mainly because the other 24 semi-finalists in my category (Most Successful Fundraiser by an Individual or Group) are causes that pertain to babies with hearing loss, curing cancer in kids, autism awareness, pedatric HIV/AIDS, etc.  And as important as giving girls a world view is, I'm not sure a passport party holds the same kind of weight.  #stillgivingthisthought 
A really cool woman in my Facebook tribe suggested that I campaign just to bring awareness to The Passport Party Project, but I don't think that soliciting votes will do that.  What it will do is bring awareness to the Classy Awards and I kinda think my time is better served doing things that can tangibly empower girls through travel.
In any event, if you would like to vote for The Passport Party Project, I would be honored to have your vote (click here to vote in the Most Successful Fundraiser category).  If I move on in this process, it would be fantastic.  If not, the party doesn't stop here.
Either way, I've got some parties to plan so let me get a move on.  Thanks for listening.  =D

Monday, July 25, 2011

Give a Girl a Passport and Open Up Her World

This supportive blog post is courtesy of Jennifer Huber of Solo Travel Girl - Travel alone, not lonely. Obviously, Jennifer snapped my photo (pictured left) at TBEX 2011 during a side conversation I was involved in about The Passport Party Project. I can tell because I tend to get a little intense expressive when some- thing is important to me. (Smiling.) Jennifer is a girl after my own heart, not just because her curiosity has led her to Afghanistan, Cuba and Japan to understand cultures, and not just because she has worked in the tourism industry for almost 20 years, but because she isn't waiting around for Mr. Right or a travel buddy to explore the world, a lesson I learned from my mum years ago. 
To read Jennifer's post about The Passport Party Project, please click here.  Thanks again!  =D
Tracey
The Passport Party Project

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Will Travel for Food

This blog post is provided courtesy of Renee, a registered dietician and lover of all things delicious.  Her blog is Soul Food Therapy where she balances the love of food with the love of you.
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This delightful (!) picture is the property of Soul Food Therapy
My time in Saudi, and my passport, allowed me exposure to places and foods I'd never heard of. One Christmas vacation spent in Mombasa taught me to love, love, love seafood. A spring break in Crete gave me a brand new appreciation for all foods Mediterranean. A weekend visit to Taif taught me that bananas and fish actually can go together, and very well.
Read more here.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

The Passport Party Project

This thoughtful blog post was written by Amanda, a curious world traveling mom of two busy boys, a foodie at heart who is addicted to social media, and lover of all things Moroccan.  Her blog is MarocMama, where she discusses cultural insights on Morocco; shares traditional, fusion, and re-invented Moroccan recipes; and much much more.
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Sixteen was a big year for me. I got my drivers’ licence, my first passport and my first trip out of the country. Most kids pine for their drivers licence, to open up all kinds of new opportunity and freedom. For me, my first passport held that same promise. For years and years I dreamed, read, wrote and waited for my opportunity to travel internationally. I knew there was so much more outside of the small Midwestern town I grew up in. I couldn’t wait to see and taste the world.  Read more here.

Girls See The World

This blog post is courtesy of Ann, an Ivy-league mom-MD passionate about travel, wine and the best in beach & water vacations so it only makes sense that her blog would be called Water Wine Travel™ - Seeking The Best In Leisure, Wine and Travel.  =D
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When I was growing up in Brooklyn, every summer my classmates would head down South to see their relatives. They would eagerly ask me if I was going down South too. Well not exactly. I was traveling in a southern direction, but not to Georgia or South Carolina. I was going to the Caribbean. My grandmothers lived in Carriacou, Grenada...a teeny tiny island with a population of 5,000. ... Traveling as a girl gave me an appreciation for another culture and made me grateful for the life my immigrant parents had built for me. I began to think of myself as a global citizen.  Read more here.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

One Traveling Latina & Three Passports

This blog post is courtesy of travel blogger Ana Serafin of Traveling Latina, a young traveler that has traveled to all five continents and continues to expand her travel wish list every day.  Her Passport Party Project blog post is being featured on Hispanicize, the complete resource for Latino social media marketers and bloggers!  Wepa!

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I woke up one morning and on a whim, I decided to look at my passports…all three of them. As I turned the pages, I remembered every single visit of every single corresponding stamp. My first stamp on my Venezuelan passport was to the United Kingdom and even though my home country passport is about 8 years expired, it had been renewed several times and pages had to be added. Nevertheless, my American passport is the passport that has opened the doors of the world for me. It is hard to believe that only 30% of Americans have a United States Passport.   
Read more here.

Parties with a Purpose

This blog post is courtesy of Passport Party Project supporter, professional journalist and personal blogger Monica of Black Broad AbroadOne woman's journey.  Come along for the ride.  (The name of Monica's blog always makes me giggle.  Clever.)
Photo courtesy of Monica, Black Broad Abroad
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It was just a small gesture but one that had an impact: When I first moved to Boston from my hometown of Detroit, three new girlfriends suggested I get a passport.
"Just in case," said one. "You never know when you might need it."
It was advice that paid off. Several months later, I attended my brother's wedding in Rome. Not long after, I was going to Paris ALONE! Although I had traveled to much of the United States and had worked in several states as a journalist, I'd never had a passport. Where I was from, I didn't know anyone who was traveling traveled abroad. What I quickly discovered was that I was one of few of my colleagues who didn't. Looking back, was I the only?
In the several years since that time, I've traveled to 30 or so countries....  Read more here.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

A Passport to a Different World

This lovely blog post is written by author, professional freelance writer and self-proclaimed vagabond Shelley Seale who has written for National Geographic, CNN, USA Today, Yahoo and AOL Travel, just to name a few. Shelley blogs with Keith Hajovsky at How to Travel for Free, an unconventional guide for traveling the world on little or no money.  She is also a volunteer for the Austin Passport Party in March 2013.

Inle Lake, Myanmar - October 2010
Photo property of Shelley Seale
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...[A] passport is about so much more than travel. And travel is about so much more than sightseeing and vacationing. It’s about witnessing different ways of life than your own, experiencing different cultures and ways of thinking, meeting and interacting with people who have a completely different lifestyle than your own.  It’s about their traditions, beliefs, loves, foods, hardships, dances, songs, history, geography, and passions. It’s about life itself – and there is far, far more to life and the world than what any of us see in our own backyards, in the little corner of this planet that we are born into.
Read more here.

Robinson Passport Family

This blog post is courtesy of flight attendant and travel blogger Janice of The Skichi Travel Guide.

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When I received my first passport in my twenties, I had only dreamed of traveling to Paris.... During my first six months living in Paris, I traveled to 12 countries [although] I had never dreamed of traveling the world.  Read more here.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Passport Power!

This original blog post is courtesy of Leslie - a twentysomething career girl with an obsessive love of travel - who blogs at Career Girl Travels, a travel blog for the working professional.  Give in to the wanderlust...
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Dear Passport,
Let’s just start with the hard truth.  I’ll be honest – I never really gave a second thought about having you.  Growing up you were kind of on par with my library card – something mom made me apply for.  Gripping you in my playground-stained hands at the age of 9 when I took my first trip out of the country (remember Alberta?) was cool, but I didn’t know why.  All I know is I’ve never been without you since, and the older I get, the more I appreciate you.  Your wonderful leathery cover, your glossy front page, your full, colorful pages.  
Confession time: Even though you are heavily-stickered, inky and slightly bent, I’ll admit you’re one of my most prized possessions.  You might be a little nondescript booklet, but you’re the gateway to worlds beyond, places I have only dreamt of, places I could never have imagined.
Read more here.

Monday, July 4, 2011

The Passport Party Project

Blog post courtesy of bad-a** lifestyle blogger Jewel Figueras of Jewel's Fab Life, covering celebs, fashion, events & everything fab!
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Every once in a while, I come across a project that makes my heart go pitter patter. A few months back, my bestie Tracey of One Brown Girl, told me about her new venture, The Passport Party Project. She was so excited about it and her passion came right through the phone. Now, anyone who knows Tracey knows that travel is in her blood. I follow her adventures across the globe via Twitter and Facebook. She’s a suitcase carrying chick, for sure! ... I’ve already let Tracey know that I will host a South Florida Passport Party this fall/winter.  Read more here.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

The Importance of a Passport

This blog post (written in April 2011 and updated today) is courtesy of Canadian travel blogger Alouise Dittrick of Traveler Ahoytravel...it only takes one time.
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Photo Source: Wiki
I  got my passport in 2005 to go to Seattle. At that time I didn’t need a passport, I could have driven across the border with my driver’s license. But getting a passport allowed me to feel like a traveller, and it got me into a traveller mindset. I began to slowly see that travel wasn’t some inaccessible act. Once I had my passport my mind could easily accept that travel was possible.
If I didn’t have a passport I wouldn’t have thought about going to New York twice or Europe, or going to Mexico. Since I have a passport I know I can travel to different places.  Read more here.

Friday, July 1, 2011

The Passport Project...giving girls 11-16 yrs their 1st passport!

Blog post courtesy of world traveler Evita Robinson aka Evie Robbie of Nomad•ness TV, a travel experience for the young adventurer that has a creative edge.
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I LOVE THIS INITIATIVE! Major big ups to Tracey, creator of the One Brown Girl blog. She is spearheading the Passport [Party P]roject, giving young women their very first passport! The love I have for this project is inexplicable. Seriously. Amazing concept and project. They have my life long co-sign. The project, and rightfully so, has qualified for a...Classy Award.  Read more here.