In a city chock-full of bookstores, Dog Eared Books still manages to stand out. The San Francisco shop has used books on almost every topic you can imagine — from architecture to dance to travel — in addition to a great selection of new releases still available at affordable prices.

While Dog Eared Books isn’t the biggest bookstore in San Francisco, its interior is cozy and warm. Bookworms can be found sitting at the ends of aisles reading or perusing the shelves, and the staff is friendly and ready to give a recommendation. The establishment also sells books from indie publishers, which means you can find reads here that you won’t find anywhere else.
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The cliché is that everyone has a novel inside them, and that very may well be true — I think another truism, however, is that oftentimes that novel is going to stay inside of them. Writing a full-length manuscript is a taxing exercise in endurance. One need only to look at the discarded remains of NaNoWriMo manuscripts to realize that writing a book is tough. Forget about publishing — just getting it out of you is like wringing water from a dry sponge.

Which is why, after another abandoned attempt to complete NaNoWriMo, I set up a different challenge for myself: I would write up a 60,000 word novel* in two months. 1,000 words a day — how hard could that be?

The answer: pretty hard. But not impossible. Here’s how I did it and how you can do it, too. Remember though, the point of this exercise is not to create a full-fledged book in a month. This merely gives you something to work with. It’s a way to get all of your ideas on paper, see what works and fix what doesn’t and show yourself that you can get that novel out.
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With that in mind, read on.

Read more at Medium.

I’m far from being a professional writer, but I have had a few stories published online, both for money and for exposure, by various literary websites.* I’ve also read manuscripts for a literary agency and literary magazine, so I know a little bit about what it’s like on the other side of the slush pile, too.

Getting that first story online somewhere can seem almost insurmountable — without having been published, it’s tough to know what to include in your cover letter, how to format your manuscript and whether or not your story is actually ready to send off.

It’s a paradox, but it’s my theory that it’s easier to get published once you’ve already been published, much like how it’s usually easier to get a job while you still have one. It’s kind of like a screening process — they know that someone else deemed your work worthy at one point. But it’s not impossible, especially if you focus on newer literary websites and publications that are actively looking for writers.

Below, I’ll help you figure out how to get that first short story published using what I did as an example. Of course, I can’t help with the most important part: writing that story in the first place. Getting to the point where you’re capable of producing something publishable can take a long time and tons of writing practice. If you think you’re at the point where you know you have something people want to read, then the following advice is for you.

Read more at Medium.

If you’re tired of Disneyland or Universal Studios, why not try something a little stranger? The following seven theme parks are some of the weirdest in the world and feature everything from child-sized public trials to miniature versions of Mount Vesuvius and Big Ben.

Diggerland, England

Have you ever dreamed of operating a crane on a construction site? Diggerland, which has four locations in England and one in the U.S., can help make your dream come true. The theme park allows guests to operate real, full-sized construction machinery, such as a Dumper Truck or a JCB 3CX, in addition to riding the Sky Shuttle and Spin Dizzy. But if you need a break from driving, Diggerland also offers an indoor and outdoor play area, sandpits and coin-operated rides. 

​Read more at TravelAge West.

It takes more than one setback to stop Leora Rothschild from doing what she loves. After Rothschild’s previous employer, a safari company, went belly-up in 1998, the native South African saw an opportunity on the horizon. She decided to start her own business — Rothschild Safaris — using the knowledge she had gained from previous work with luxury safari operators.

Personal touch is everything at Rothschild Safaris, due in large part to the extensive knowledge each employee has of Africa. The company always has someone traveling through the continent at any given time, and guides keep up to date with the latest lodges and operators. They then leverage their personal travel experiences to craft the best itineraries for clients.

“From day one, everything we’ve done is based on firsthand experience,” Rothschild said. “While our clients are booking high-end travel in Africa and beyond, we never sell on price alone. For us, it’s all about creating the best possible experiences and crafting custom itineraries that are totally unique for each and every client.”

Read more at TravelAge West.

“Your horse thinks he’s the boss — show him you’re the boss!” is what the guide advised me as my horse leaned down to eat grass for the fifth time along the trail.

I was in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on the Horseback Ride ’n’ Swim in Sandy Bay tour from Chukka, an adventure operator that offers a variety of adrenaline-filled activities in Jamaica, Belize and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Despite not feeling like the boss of anything, let alone a hungry horse, I dutifully pulled the reigns a little more, and Alex, my horse companion for the hour, reluctantly stopped snacking, only to start again when he smelled the leaves of a lemon tree we passed by a few minutes later. I couldn’t exactly blame him — the smell had me longing for a good cup of lemon tea, too.

Read more at TravelAge West.

When you think of the word “canal,” the first place you (and your clients) probably think of is Venice. People travel from all over the world to see the Italian city’s world-famous waterways, but Venice isn’t the only beautiful canal city around.

These seven towns and cities from around the globe also can provide clients with the chance to sightsee by water and take in historic charm — but with fewer crowds.

Read more at TravelAge West.

This year’s Global Wellness Summit (GWS) was held Nov. 13-15 at The St. Regis Mexico City and gathered a record number of attendees from the many fields that constitute the wellness industry.
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“The Mexico City Summit was a watershed moment, because passionate leaders from economics, medicine, government, technology, spa and wellness, travel, education and the arts came together to debate how to bring preventative health into our chronic-disease- and healthcare-cost-burdened world — much like when the world first came together in Kyoto to declare solidarity against climate change,” said Susie Ellis, chairman and CEO of GWS.
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In past years, the hospitality delegates at GWS seemed wary of the spa and wellness category; however, this year, the two fields were inseparable. According to summit experts, the emerging trend of employees working less and traveling more — especially in the U.S. and Asia — will help wellness tourism skyrocket even further than it has in the last few years. 

Read more at TravelAge West.

Iceland has the highest per capita rate of books published in the world, with five titles released for every 1,000 citizens. Statistics show that one in 10 of its citizens will publish a book. Its capital, Reykjavik, is a designated UNESCO City of Literature. So it should be come as no surprise that the country is a treat for literature lovers.

To explain Iceland’s love of reading and writing, Brynhildur Sverrisdottir, co-owner of Nordika Travel, a travel agency specializing in travel to Iceland and the Nordic and Artic regions, pointed to the country’s economic history and gloomy winter weather. 
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“Iceland was an extremely poor country, and the winters were long and dark,” Sverrisdottir said. “Families used to huddle together and someone would always tell a story or a poem.”
Sverrisdottir also provided a few tips for those interested in exploring Iceland’s rich literary history, so read below for some of the best stops for bibliophiles.

Read more at TravelAge West.http://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/Europe/A-Book-Lover-s-Guide-to-Iceland/#.Vl-cDdKrTcs

Known for its delicious cuisine, beautiful landscapes and world-renowned wine, Portugal is a must-see for anyone who wants to add snaps to their Instagram feed. Whether it’s Praca do Comercio in Lisbon, the Douro River in Porto or just one of the country’s ubiquitous cable cars, this European nation will inspire plenty of Instagram-worthy shots  during a traveler’s itinerary. Below are the top attractions in Portugal’s major cities and regions according to Instagram users’ feeds.
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Lisbon (Posts: 1,872,000+; Hot Spot: Praca do Comercio) 
The country’s capital, Lisbon, is all over #instatravel. Common pictures in the Lisbon hashtag include selfies in Praca do Comercio, the city square located near the Tagus River, and Parque das Nacoes, one of Lisbon’s parishes. Other hot spots include the historical Rua Augusta Arch, the Moorish Sao Jorge Castle and the Madre de Deus Convent (specifically its tilework).  

Read more at TravelAge West.