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Rules of leadership #1

  By Hank Martin • April 22, 2014

When you travel alone you are your own oracle. But, studies have shown that once you enter in to a social setting with other people the responsibility to make decisions and act according to your belief system and values diminishes. Why? Too many cooks in the kitchen. This theory of crowd psychology, where blame is diffused among many people instead of focused on one person takes away our ability to be a good leader. It’s why riots happen, mob lynchings occur, and Nazi Germany existed. Not everyone agrees to the system, but everyone agrees to buy into the system. So, … Continue reading

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Tell us a story

  By Hank Martin • April 17, 2014

Keyser Soze, played by Kevin Spacey, in the movie “The Usual Suspects” is a legend among the criminal and police world. He is a ruthless, highly feared crime lord who has built up a masterful image of himself as someone with a mythic past. Be aware, reading in will spoil the movie if you have not seen it. The movie starts off with a crippled, petty criminal named Verbal Kint witnessing a boat explosion that kills 27 people at a dock yard. In exchange for immunity he tells the police everything. He claims the murder was perpetrated by Keyser Soze … Continue reading

Tips for Team Travel: Maintaining Sanity While Traveling with a Group

Gallery

  By Payton Lee • April 15, 2014

This gallery contains 10 photos.

Throughout my life I have traveled in groups of 5 or 6 down to solo, just me. Experience has shown that it is easier traveling in a pair, and the easiest, although a bit frightening at times, to travel alone. It can be quite a challenge, however, to travel in a group larger than 2. Not only are there more people to keep track of, there are more temperaments to deal with and feelings to juggle. Decisions start to take longer because everyone has an opinion or no opinion, which can then lead to conflict of interest thus ending in feelings … Continue reading

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What’s in Your Book?

  By Hank Martin • April 13, 2014

Stretched out on the red sand I watch small waves crash into the shore. Whoooooo puuuusssshhhhh. Poseidon sends row after row of the rippling Aegean Sea out to meet the wet sand. The cliffs and sand were infused with red from volcanic eruptions. This is how the nearby city of Akrotiri, a greek city preserved and buried under volcanic ash gained its fame. The excavations are deep, as if they are digging to the middle of the Earth. This is the alleged lost city of Atlantis, a mythical city where a perfect society existed. People here were perfect human beings … Continue reading

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Don’t Be a Ripe Tomato, Wear Some Sun Protection

  By Payton Lee • April 10, 2014 ,

It is that time of year when the sun is starting to feel warmer, and we expose the parts of skin that hibernated under layers of clothing all winter. As we all begin to plan those trips to warmer destinations with outdoor activities, I want to give you a healthy guide to preventing sunburns or worse, exposure to skin cancer.   I’m sure at one point or another everyone has experienced some kind of sunburn. It may have been moderate with minor discomforts or it may have been torturous, sensitive to the touch, skin bubbling pain. Either way it’s no … Continue reading

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Travel as a restorative act

  By Hank Martin • April 6, 2014 ,

Sometimes you just gotta get away. There are times when events in our lives cast us down in to the depths of depression. It isn’t that we’re depressive, or that we take meds to keep us on the right side of the grass, but rather our world seems to collapse quickly and with no silver lining. There are many effects of depression. We may become so consumed by a problem or debilitating blow that seeing the light at the end of the tunnel seems impossible. Or, we may be overworked, underpaid and stressed out, wondering what any of it matters … Continue reading

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Alaska: Out of the Darkness Into the Light

  By Breaking Trail • April 3, 2014

This is a guest post by our dear friend Rachel who lived in Alaska growing up, and has recently found the joy of travel and new light in discovering the world.     With spring around the corner, winter is starting to feel long and drawn out. As the sun edges back more each day, the thought of summer nights with friends makes the dark winter just endured seem more than worth it. But what we may not realize is winter can be the most transformative time for us. For myself, I realized winter is a time for me to … Continue reading

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Spring has Sprung; Photo of the Week

  By Payton Lee • April 1, 2014

Spring has officially been in swing for nearly two weeks, and this means that most of us have summer plans on the brain. This may include outdoor activities, gardening, or taking a vacation. These pictures were taken in Baden-Baden, Germany on a beautiful afternoon. The lush gardens enticed me to walk through the park and photograph a few of my favorite flowers. What are your plans for the summer? What bright colorful adventures will you be looking for? Stayed tuned in to Breaking Trail and we will bring you some of life’s brightest places and most enticing adventures.

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Banish Passive Traveling

  By Hank Martin • March 30, 2014

Travel is daunting. The foreign words that sound like deep guttural grunts or sing-song tunes, the city maps with streets weaving in and out of each other like the stitchings of a well sewn tie. And the exasperation of waiting an hour for a bus that only runs on Sundays not on a rainy Tuesday, or missing the last train to your destination by five minutes because you couldn’t find which of the thirty-five train departure gates to leave from. With so many barriers to traveling, and in an age of convenient everything you might as well just have someone … Continue reading

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A guide to drinking your way through Porto

  By Hank Martin • March 27, 2014

Portugal produces the world’s only authentic port wines. In fact, the port is the most popular wine made and exported from Portugal. The modern culture of port wines makes most sense only when first looking at the past, as many historical events raised the Douro region and its grapes into the viticultural world and gave port wines the distinct taste and creation process that exists today. History Portugal’s inhabitants have produced wine since 2000 BC. When the Phoenicians arrived around 10 BC they brought with them new winemaking techniques and grape varieties that exploded the grape growing and wine producing … Continue reading

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A Long Flight into the Unknown: Part 2

  By Breaking Trail • March 25, 2014

This is a guest post submitted by Jim. This is part 2 of a 2 part story on Vietnam from a Veteran’s perspective. You can read part 1 right here.  Dedicated to my wife Diane. Putting the war aside, I would like to touch on a few things about Vietnam and the people. Please keep in mind it was War time and this country had been fighting off intruders or occupying armies since forever. The cities and villages were nothing like I imagined The huts (we called them Hooch’s) were small and, to be honest, I would not have wanted … Continue reading

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Travel Trips: How to Prepare

  By Payton Lee • March 23, 2014

The Seven P’s for an Epic Trip Prior:  Before you get to said destination, one question you should be asking yourself is, what do I NEED to know about this place that may affect my travel?   Is it a peaceful safe place? Does it have extreme weather certain times of the year? Do they speak any English or do you know any of their language? Do you need a passport, visa or special privileges to enter this place? Are their certain cultural practices or festivities happening?   All of these are necessary questions to answer before you even book … Continue reading

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The Last Great Race

  By Payton Lee • March 20, 2014

For most of us spring fever has hit, and the weather is beginning to warm up. However, for those in Alaska, March is not known for the changing of seasons. March is known for something much more important, the Iditarod. The adventurous folks who join the challenge of crossing 1,000 miles of some of the most uncharted, roughest terrain deserve to be acknowledged. Known as the Last Great Race on Earth, the Iditarod, is a man verses nature, historical race. Traveling from Anchorage to Nome these sled dog teams face less than desirable weather conditions and terrain. Not only do … Continue reading