About
What is ZEN AND THE ART OF TRAVEL? Today, it’s a place for a group of friends to share thoughts on the “little things” that make travel awesome. We hope that, eventually, other like-minded nomads will use the site as both information source and outlet where they, too, can share their own favorite little things. Our goal is to provide a different take on travel information. Something that’s a bit less like taking your medicine – informative and fun, without seeming to know it all. ‘Cause, really, we don’t know it all. But we do know loads about the really fun and/or cool stuff that most people and sites can’t or don’t tell you.
Why THE LITTLE THINGS? Well, the more we all travel, the more we find it really is the micro-experiences that make a trip memorable – a well-made cocktail (a particular favorite of ours), an exceptional massage, impeccable service, a mouth-watering meal, that gorgeous view. Big marquee tourist sites don’t add the same value for us as they may have at one time. While some are great, many are quite “least common denominator” and often over-run with packaged-tour masses (or hoards of backpackers) that make the experience, well, kind of sucky. You can probably relate to this if you’ve done your own share of traveling. But even if your forays out of town, out of state or out of country are less frequent, we think we can help enhance your time on the road. Because bigger is not always better, as the saying goes. Also, sometimes less is more. Oh, and money can’t buy happiness. We’ve got lots more clichés where those came from, but we think you get the idea. Though, we wouldn’t mind finding out firsthand about that money and happiness thing.
What destinations are covered in ZATAOT? Initially, the site will focus on urban destinations (like Tokyo, NYC, LA and London) because this is where we’ve spent most of our time and places we know the best. And, because there aren’t very many of us right now. Later, we’ll include more exotic locales (like Ulan Bator, where one of us did our Peace Corps stint). Our rule: no destination is off limits, and we can’t wait to hear your suggestions!
Who is ZATAOT? Basically, we’re a bunch of urbanites who suffer from a rare form of life-ADD that seems to prevent us from settling in any one city for longer than a few years, or from taking jobs where we get to stay in our home cities full-time. In other words, we move around a lot. All this motion can stress you out, which is why discovery of these amazing little experiences is so important to us. We come from all professions and backgrounds – the entertainment industry, the international aid world, the banking industry, the packaged foods business. Our travels are sometimes for business, sometimes for leisure, sometimes for relocation. But we all share that “zen” approach to travel and are on a constant search for those little things that make it worthwhile.
How can I contact you? Reach out to us at zenandtheartoftravel@gmail.com.
