the paradise pack.

I follow a number of travel bloggers and subscribe to many of their newsletters. It's partly because I like their writing and their pictures, but it's mostly because I am always dreaming of being somewhere other than where I am - no matter where I am - and this is a free and easy way to travel the world from my own computer. Currently the bloggers I follow are in central Asia, Greece, Sikkim, Goa, Ghana, Ireland, and Colombia, and others are just returned to the States from Prague, Canada, and Italy. If I can't get there myself, at least I can live vicariously through others.

Another bonus to following these travelers and bloggers is they often have tie-ins with companies for discounts on airfare, accommodation, books, and other great products. And if they don't have codes for discounts, then they have advice on how to get good deals, where to stay, places to visit, things to do, etc. in locales all over the world. I may not get to all those places - or even most of them - but if I do, I have great information on all of them right at my fingertips.

Today one of those follows paid off big-time. I received a newsletter update from Lauren at Never Ending Footsteps this afternoon with information on where she has recently been and where she is heading to next. And at the end of her update was information about The Paradise Pack -- I was intrigued, so I clicked on the link she provided.

And wow. The Paradise Pack is a downloadable collection of travel resources worth over $800, all available for purchase for $97 for the next 72 hours [slightly less by the time I post this]. There are books on nearly every possible travel topic you can think of -- flying cheap, living for free, maintaining relationships, keeping your data safe on public wifi networks, setting up an online business, etc. You name it, there's a book about it. They are all books written by people who have been traveling and working from the road for years, and it's all their best information and advice collected into one giant package.

I went back-and-forth for about 5 minutes on whether or not I really needed to purchase this. And the answer is simple: I don't need any of it. But is it all information that could come in handy in the next few years as I figure out what it is I'm doing with my life? Absolutely. And with a few of the books retailing over $40, I realized I needed to bite the bullet and do it; even if I use only 2 of the books, it'll still be worth it.

So I did it. I made the purchase and downloaded the books. I don't need them immediately, that's for sure, but they'll be great resources to keep coming back to whenever I need them. And as an added bonus, you can download the items up to 5 times, meaning that you could even split the cost between you and up to 4 friends and each download it once. That sounds like a pretty good deal right there.

And did I mention that along with providing you with resources to help you plan your travels, The Paradise Pack is also giving back? That's right, $10 from every purchase will be donated to Pencils of Promise to build a school in Guatemala. You may remember that I got to meet Adam Braun, founder of PoP, when I was in New York a few months ago, so I was excited about the opportunity to also be able to support his organization in the process.

So if any of you out there are planning trips now or in the distant future, or if any of you - like me - are itching to hit the road but don't know how you can sustain yourself along the way, purchasing The Paradise Pack could be a great investment for you. But remember, the sale is only on until Thursday night, so act fast before it's too late.

Happy and safe travels, to all of us.

xx