So why is it I FEEL like a winner?

I think when you travel to another country (or even another region within your own) you develop a special relationship with that place, don’t you? PwP has done that for me.

1. Because when I get appeals from Heifer International, I remember the modest beginnings of Passports With Purpose, when I was not yet an official travel blogger, so I could only contribute personally, not participate. But I was happy to contribute because Heifer is such a terrific organization, and I was blown away by what the community of travel bloggers had undertaken. How mind boggling that they could raise $7,500.

2. Because every time I think of Cambodia, a place I fell in love with when I visited,  I see in my minds’ eye a school that I helped to build (if you don’t want to get a lump in your throat, don’t click that link, from Michelle’s blog). That year the effort DOUBLED its goal of $14,000 to raise $30,000.

3.Although I’ve never been to India, I was part of an effort that enabled people to live in solid houses because Passports with Purpose, in its third year busted right through its goal of $50,000  and raised $64,000 to build a whole village. (Beth wrote about her trip to watch the building) A part of India will always be a part of me.

4. Because now I know that kids in  villages somewhere in Zambia will have access to books in TWO new libraries, because once again, bloggers from around the world and YOU, the readers of travel blogs, were so generous that instead of raising $80,000, PwP raised nearly $90,000.  I’ve never been to Africa, but I am now connected to Zambia.

5. Because each year, Passport with Purpose has introduced me to

• new-to-me charitable organizations, like this year’s Room to Read;
• enabled me to form closer ties with sponsors I love;
• made me part of a team of incredible writers with interests similar to mine.

Yep! I’m definitely a winner.

But some people contributed their $10 and walked off with some sensational prizes.  They are winners AND Winners with a capitol W.

I don’t know who all the winners are, but I do have the names of those who won the prizes I sponsored.

I do not yet have permission to use the name of the people who won the New Orleans 3-night stay at Hotel Monteleone. (They possibly are around the world in another time zone and we just have not connected yet).

But I will put them into this post as soon as I get them.  Meanwhile, if you’re checking to see if YOU won a prize from another blogger, check your e-mail messages–and be sure to check the spam filter, too. Not there? That’s okay–trust me, you’re still a winner.

Hotel Monteleone

Justin Lindblad of Willing Foot will travel to New Orleans for a three-night stay at the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Congratulations to Justin and thanks again to the wonderful Hotel Monteleone.

Interlink Books

Winner: Caitlin Fitzsimmons,  writes a wide-ranging travel blog at Roaming Tales (“Travels on Planet Earth” –see! I said it was wide-ranging).  Caitlin’s $300 book library from Interlink Books should fuel her future travels. Congratulations, Caitlin and thanks again to wonderful Interlink.

MacMillan Audio Books

Winner: Monique Rubin, a runner, ex-pat and mother, Mo  writes about her travel at Mo Travels.  She’ll surely enjoy listening to some audio books as she travels, thanks to the generous prize offered by MacMillan Audio Books. Congratulations Mo and thanks again to MacMillan, who have provided me with some great travel-inspiring novels.

You’re probably glad that I’m going to shut up about Passports With Purpose (until next year) and stop nagging you to donate. But I do have one more favor to ask.

Please, when you have a chance, utilize the products and services of our sponsors. And tell them thanks while you’re on line some time.

Sponsors from A Traveler’s Library:

• Hotel Monteleone
• Interlink Books
• MacMillan Audiobooks

The Heavy Hitters Who Underwrote the Whole Shebang this year:

•  RTW with Us (Platinum Sponsor)
•  Traveller’s Point (Silver Sponsor)
• HomeAway (Bronze Sponsor)

I can’t begin to express my awe and admiration at what Pam, Beth, Debbie, and Michelle have accomplished over the past four years. You go girls! What’s next? buy a small country??

Whatever it is, A Traveler’s Library is IN.

So, tell us–are you a winner, or a Winner? And if you’re a Winner–what goodies did you take home?

This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library. We'll leave a light on for you.

©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

Well we did it–4 founders up in Seattle, some big donor sponsors, and lots of donors of prizes, including Hotel Monteleone, Interlink Books and MacMillan Audio.  And YOU who bid on prizes.  The bidding closed last night at midnight, but we had hit 100% before that.  THANK YOU EVERYONE.

Now on to SHOPPING….

don’t forget the great discounts offered ONLY to readers of A Traveler’s Library.  All the details are in the post I did called Ten Perfect Gifts for Travelers Who Read, but here’s a short take:

• Lonely Planet  wants to give you 20% off on ANY books you buy at their store.
•  OKA b shoes (the shoes that love you) is offering 15% off on any pair of OKAb s you purchase at their Web Store.
•  Interlink Books matches Lonely Planet and chips in 20% off any books you choose from them.
• Through a Dog’s Ear , will calm your dog with music and when you purchase two particular CDs, they’ll calm your wallet with a g-normous 25% off.

(Be sure to check out the fine print link on the 10 Perfect Gifts page for all these deals from A Traveler’s Library, but trust me,  these are seriously good deals from really fantastic companies!!)

This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library. We'll leave a light on for you.

©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

My favorite New Orleans hotel stepped up for the third year in a row and offered a 3-night stay in the family-owned, French Quarter Hotel Monteleone for Passports With Purpose. Now, if you hang around Passports With Purpose very much, you know that cupcakes are a recurring theme. The four Seattle travel bloggers who thought up the innovative fund raiser (this year raising money to build two libraries in Zambia) purportedly do all their planning over cupcakes. How appropriate then, that my photos from my last stay at Hotel Monteleone (in 2009) coincided with a celebration that involved cupcakes.

Which cupcake do you want?

The crowd was wowed.

Cupcake Tier at Hotel Monteleone

Always a busy place, the very classy Hotel Monteleone lobby drew plenty of people during the Food and Wine Festival and Royal Street Ramble.

Lobby of Monteleone

If YOU win the 3-night stay at the Hotel Monteleone, I cannot guarantee you cupcakes, but I can guarantee you a stay in an attentive, beautiful, well-located New Orleans Hotel.  If you ask nicely, they might even be able to get you a room with a river view. But don’t worry, if your room doesn’t have the view, the roof-top workout room does.

I can’t say enough good things about this wonderful, friendly hotel.  The rooms are classy and gorgeous. The Carousel Bar, which recently reopened after a face-lift, is one-of-a-kind. The hotel’s concierge can help you find whatever you want in New Orleans. Meet your friends as the clock in the lobby, or take in the roof-top view of the Mississippi, or just relax after antiquing on Royal Street, or bar hopping on nearby Bourbon Street. HUGE THANKS to my friends at Moneteleone for supporting Passports With Purpose three years in a row.

How do you win this fantastic prize, you ask?  Click on this link to Passports With Purpose, and pledge $10 for each chance you want. Couldn’t be simpler. And as a traveler who reads, you can be proud of the fact that all your ten dollar bills are going to build libraries for kids in Zambia. HURRY! Tomorrow is the LAST DAY!

This has been my contribution to Travel Photo Thursday. To see more photos from travel bloggers around the world, go to Budget Travelers Sandbox and click on the names of the contributors.

Disclaimer: I was the guest of Hotel Monteleone in 2009, however I was not required to write nice things about them, nor wheedle prizes out of them.

Photos all are my property. And though they are not of a quality that you’d want to copy, I still request permission in case you do want to reuse them.

This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library. We'll leave a light on for you.

©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

Well of course you are going to do that by donating $10 to Passports With Purpose, by picking a travel-related prize that you want, right?

NO? Oh, I see, you are going to donate $50 and put it all on that one prize you’re hankering for.

NO? Still don’t have it right?  Oh, I see, you are going to donate $100, but you are going to put it on 10 different prizes.

See, there are lots of ways that you can help build two libraries in Zambia with Room to Read, to help kids who like to read as much as you do.  Take a gander at that thermometer thingy over there on the right hand side of this page, and you will see how Passports With Purpose is doing.

Okay, but could be better.  After all, your LAST DAY to bid is coming up soon–Friday as a matter of fact.

So I am here to let you in on a little secret.  Those prizes like a $4000 trips to Maui, and a $3000 trip to La Puerta Spa and $3000 Mexico Resort stay are absolutely wonderful. You think so. I think so. Several hundred people think so. Do the math. How are your odds? I have the feeling that the fantastic collection of $300 worth of books that you can win from Interlink Books, or the $100 worth of CDs from Mac Millan Audio you can stock up on for your next road trip– although they are terrific for a traveler who reads, and a great addition to a traveler’s library–may not get as many bids as a $4000 trip.  What do you think? Maybe the odds are better for us library nerds?

Interlink Books

INTERLINK BOOKS

Have you looked at the catalog for Interlink Books? You will see:

                                  Interlink Books

Changing the Way That People Think About the World

I quoted their self description once before, but I’m going to repeat it, because it is so enticing for travelers who really want to KNOW the country they are traveling to.

Using travel as a way to build cultural bridges has been part of Interlink’s fabric since its birth 24 years ago…(Our books) give you the background information to enrich your journey; they encourage you to connect with people; they nudge you to leave your comfort zone, and help you to discover the unfamiliar. If you would like to get to the heart and soul of a city, go there with an open mind—independently; read about the city’s history and indulge in its genuine cuisine culture; and most importantly sample the literature of its leading novelists.

Sounds like it could be the mantra for A Traveler’s Library as well, doesn’t it?

I can’t begin to tell you what a joy it is to browse through their carefully selected titles. You can browse by region of the world or by category. Although they have a category called “travel”, every book they carry relates to enriching your travel experience, or tempting you to book a ticket.

And here’s a tip–sign up for their e-newsletter. I get the best ideas for new reading material from them and they are constantly introducing me to foreign authors I would otherwise have missed.  But then go to Passports With Purpose and bid on  $300 worth of  Interlink books. (It’s fourth under Gift Certificates).

MacMillan Audio

And audio books. Don’t you love ‘em? Here’s what Macmillan audio has to say about their business:

Macmillan Audio offers titles both abridged and unabridged both on physical media and by digital delivery. The division was honored with prestigious Audie Awards in three categories in 2007, and has Pulitzer Prize-winning authors and Academy Award-winning narrators on its list. Macmillan Audio publishes audio editions of the best fiction and non-fiction books for adults and children, from among the Macmillan trade publishers including Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Feiwel and Friends, Henry Holt and Company, Picador, Roaring Brook Press, Square Fish, St. Martin’s Press, and Tor Books, and it acquires titles from outside publishers as well.

The Macmillan Audio list is filled with such bestselling and acclaimed authors as Jackie Collins, Michael Cunningham, Jeffrey Eugenides, Janet Evanovich, Thomas L. Friedman, Robert Jordan, Robert Ludlum, Tom Perrotta, Marilyn Robinson, Scott Turow, and Tom Wolfe.

Books we have talked about here that come on MacMillan Audio, The Last Child (thriller and winner of Edgar award) by John Hart; Back of Beyond by C. J. Box; Summer Rental by Mary Kay Reynolds.  Or try something I haven’t read yet:  the Irish Country series by Patrick Taylor or the books about Province by Peter Mayle.

Bid at Passports With Purpose is $100 worth of audio books from MacMillan Audio. (It’s 5th under Gift Certificates.)

Hotel Monteleone

Hotel Monteleone

On Thursday this week, I’m going to talk a little bit about my third sponsored gift, a 3-night stay at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. You can read more about Hotel Monteleone at this article from the archives. (Bid on it, 4th under Hotel-North America)

Good luck winning books or audio books, and please thank MacMillan Audio and Interlink Books for supporting Passports with Purpose.  And while I’m on the subject of thanks, here are the financial sponsors of Passports With Purpose. PLEASE support them in every way possible. Go to their website, check out their products. Tell them we love them.

• Round the World With Us
• TravellersPoint
• Home and Away 
• Good 2 Go (travel Insurance)

But go make your bid today while it is fresh in your mind.

THANKS!!

This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library. We'll leave a light on for you.

©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

Please help a blogger in distress!

I have no trouble deciding to sponsor prizes for Passports With Purpose, where this year travel bloggers are raising money to build TWO libraries in Zambia with Room to Read. After all, A Traveler’s Library is ALL ABOUT far off places and BOOKS.

I have no problem asking sponsors for those prizes, because the sponsors (Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, Interlink Books and MacMillan Audio) are happy to be associated with such a great program.

I have no problem spreading the love by tweeting, posting on Facebook, Google + and by writing blog posts at A Traveler’s Library about Passports With Purpose.

I have no trouble deciding to put a widget on my blog that shows you the progress in fund raising.

I have no problem budgeting to contribute several $10 bids on fantastic travel prizes in order to help Passports With Purpose reach its goal.

What I DO have a problem with is deciding which of the wonderful prizes to choose. Do I go for broke and put all my tenners on ONE prize? Do I go for all the ones I crave the most, $10 at a time? Do I try to play the odds and bid on ones that may not be quite as popular?  Do I let Ken have a vote? What a dilemma!

Hawaii Big Island

In case you haven’t visited Passports With Purpose to check out the fantastic list of prizes, yet, here’s a run-down on ten that are jerking my chain.

Home Away $1000 voucher from one of the four cupcakes who dreamed up Passports With Purpose, Nerd’s Eye View. We stay in apartments whenever we can, and this would guarantee a nice trip.

110,000 Hyatt Gold Points good world wide. (YEP! I didn’t add zeroes–that’s actually what it is) from Boarding Area, is worth $2640. (Ken’s pick)

Two Nights at Grand Hyatt Kuaui, worth $1000. Donated by No Vacation Required. The one island we HAVE visited in Hawaii, and we loved it SO much. (Ken’s Pick)

Two Nights lodging at any Ohio State Park resort, worth $450. Now how could I resist the chance to return to the state park where I honeymooned? This one is donated by Road Trips for Families (for whom I have written a few pieces.)

Five nights at Big Island Hawaii Resorts.  This year’s prizes include several Hawaii resort stays, and they all are tempting, but I have not been to the Big Island, and it is definitely on my bucket list.  This one, worth $1692,  is donated by another of the cupcakes who thought up Passports with Purpose, Wanderlust and Lipstick.

Five Day Tournament of Roses and L.A. tour.  Even before knowing who is playing in the Rose Bowl this year, Ken picked this one. We’ve never made it over there when our own Ohio State Buckeyes were playing (and this is definitely not their year). The prize does not include game tickets, but does have the hotel, tours and the rose parade. Worth $1696 and donated by Mira Terra Images. Yes, this is a Ken pick.

A Nine-Day Costa Rica Tour. Now there’s a place that’s definitely on my wanna-go list. It was actually the first prize to catch my eye. Donated by G Adventures of Wanderers in Residence, this prize is worth just shy of $1000.

4-Day Raft Trip on the Salmon River with O.A.R.S. We rafted the Colorado through the Grand Canyon with O.A.R.S. and that ranks as a top experience of a lifetime. Would love to do another river. Sponsored by river guide Joslin Fritz of Wander Lust and Lipstick.

5-Night Stay in Budapest. We won an apartment stay in Budapest once before (in a different drawing)–why not again? Worth $796, this prize is sponsored by Inspiring Travellers. A Ken pick.

One- Week apartment stay in Umbria. Ahhh, we only visited Assisi last time, but we could be persuaded to see more of Umbria! Worth $798, this prize is sponsored by Why Go Italy. A Ken pick.

Well, considering that I left all the travel gear off my list (like the Bamboo Blend Traveler’s Pack sponsored by Wandering Educators), and we do not really need the FIVE Kindles or the Nook Tablet from various sponsors–my list is actually pretty reasonable. But it is stretching my budget–particularly if I put more than one ten on an individual prize. You see the problem?

And of course, when YOU bid, you will also be tempted by the prizes sponsored by A Traveler’s Library–a THREE night stay at the gorgeous Hotel Monteleone in exciting New Orleans; $300 worth of books that take you to far off places from Interlink Books; or $100 worth of audio books from MacMillan Audio to listen to on your next road trip. But I cannot win those, so good luck to you–I’d really like to see one of my readers win the prizes I sponsored.

SO–Advise me on how I should allocate my money–which prizes should I bid on? All on one, or $10 each?  HELP! And Hurry, because the bidding ends on December 16. And we want to help kids like this keep reading.

Literacy Day in Zambia

This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library. We'll leave a light on for you.

©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

Uzbekistan ornament, from National Geographic Gift Store

Passports With Purpose–Libraries in Zambia

It’s Passports With Purpose time again. Travel bloggers around the world join forces to raise money for a single worthy cause.  You can see all the details in my last post about the launch of PwP. This is a reminder, you have just two weeks to bid on the fantastic array of prizes. Bidding ends on December 16. Win fantastic trips, photo equipment, luggage, books, hotel stays and all kinds of travel gear. And this being the giving season–you’ll give that stuff you win to somebody else, won’t you? Each entry costs only $10, so bid several times. 100% of your money will go to build a library in Zambia. Winners of raffle prizes will be notified at the end of December, but everyone is a winner who helps this great cause.
Out of Print– Books for Africa

This is one of my favorite shopping expeditions this year.  I’m buying things for (XXXXXXXXX) and (XXXXX) [sorry, had to censor that since relatives read these posts sometimes.  But here’s the deal. Out of Print has taken the fantastic vintage art work from old (and sometimes out of print) favorite books (think The Great Gatsby, Clockwork Orange, Wuthering Heights) and put the designs on t-shirts (a purple one for Alice Walker’s The Color of Purple, of course), notebooks, tote bags, journals, note cards, and my favorite…e-reader covers. Can you imagine, whipping out your e-reader to read a frivolous romance, but nobody knows because it is disguised inside the cover that depicts James Joyce’s Ulysses?

Okay, great gift shopping, but what about the give back? Like Passports With Purpose, Out of Print cares about books in Africa. Each purchase enables the purchase of a book for Africa, through the charity, Books for Africa.

Hydros Water Bottles–Fighting the Global Water Crisis

In my original gift post, 10 Perfect Gifts for Travelers Who Read, I introduced Liberty Bottleworks. Before tellling you about Hydros, I need to add that Liberty also gives back to several different charities. You can see a list of charities here, and they pledge 1% of their profits and 1% of their working hours to helping those charities.

Now on to Hydros. Hydros bottles are environmentally friendly and made in the USA like Liberty Bottleworks, but they add a water filter to their product, so they are particularly good for people who are camping, hiking, or visiting third world countries. Hydros works with Engineers Without Borders to bring clean water to places in need. In addition to buying filter water bottles on their site ($1 from each sale goes toward ending the global water crisis), you can also purchase gift cards AND you can buy wrist bands that are a more direct way to contribute to providing water for people who need it.

Global Artisan Gifts–Fair Trade Helps Fight Poverty

Each year I like to find a place where I can buy gifts made by craftspeople, micro businesses in third world countries. Many people depend on their living by making small trinkets and there only market has been tourists who come to their remote location. But with the Internet, some lucky artisans have banded together or been sponsored by larger organizations so that they can sell their creations around the world.

• Global Handicrafts is a fair trade store based in Hong Kong, but you can buy their goods at the Global Handicrafts online store. There is a wonderful variety here from handmade clothing to chocolate, coffee and tea. Have fun browsing in their “Shop” section.
• Ten Thousand Villages is well known and has a fabulous selection of fair trade items. I particularly like their toy section for children’s gifts. Not only do such gifts carry a lesson, but they are the kind of toys that give a child room to imagine and think instead of just pushing buttons to make things light up and make noise. Sadly, the independent toy stores where I used to get things like German carved wooden toys have gone out of business in my town, so I welcome the opportunity to find handmade toys.
• Google It. If you have visited a country and want reminders of your travelers, while helping local business, try googling handicrafts (name of country) or a more specific item you are looking for. Be a good neighbor to the countries you have loved.

This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library. We'll leave a light on for you.

©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

We, a far-flung group of travel writers under the leadership of the 4 cupcakes from Seattle–Pam Mandel, Debbie Dubrow, Beth Whitman and Michelle Duffy, have contributed to Heifer International, built a school in Cambodia, and built a village in India. Travel writers, like all travelers, tend to see both the beautiful sights of the world and the areas of need. Because we are so fortunate to be able to travel, some of us want to give back to the world.

TODAY the Participating Bloggers will simultaneously announce the beginning of this year’s bidding at Passports With Purpose.

NOW we are building two libraries in Zambia. Each year the 4 cupcakes get together and consider worthy projects. Each project partners with a well-vetted organization–this year it is Room to Read. What could be more perfect for the readers of A Traveler’s Library, than to help build libraries in a far off place?  I know you are going to want to be part of Passports with Purpose this year. Just in case you somehow missed out on the past excursions into cyber-fun, here’s how it works.

1. Approximately 100 bloggers have spotted, requested, cajoled and sponsored gifts to be raffled off in a cyber raffle. At the end of this post you will see the THREE prizes being sponsored by A Traveler’s Library, but for Heaven’s sake, don’t limit yourself to those (although we think they are pretty nifty). Take a look at the entire list at the Passports With Purpose site.

2. When you have found a few of those great prizes that you simply can’t do without–or that would make great gifts for someone you love–”you pays your money and you takes your chance.” A mere $10 per chance means you could walk away with a prize worth more than $1,000. Bid $10 on each prize you want, or put all your chance on one coveted item.  For less than the price of most paperback books, you might be flying high, staying plush and dressing to kill. And NONE of the prizes is worth less than $100!

So bid whatever your budget will allow knowing that everyone wins here. At the very least you will get a warm fuzzy feeling because you’ve helped open up the world of books to some kids in Zambia. And since we know you love books, or you would not be HERE of all places–how cool is that?

3. Act quickly, because this raffle only lasts for two weeks. The final day for bidding is December 16, and we’ll tell you who won which prize just before Christmas.

And here are the PERFECT Raffle prizes for Travelers Who Read. I am so excited. You are gonna LOVE these prizes!

Padllewheeler on the Mississippi

Hotel Monteleone

The wonderful Hotel Monteleone, my favorite hotel in New Orelans, is known as a Literary Landmark. So OF COURSE they are the perfect prize for an event raising money for libraries. For the third year in a row this gorgeous, family-owned hotel is offering a New Orleans vacation to one lucky contributor to Passports With Purpose. I always stay at the Hotel Monteleone when I am in New Orleans because I love being walking distance to the Mississippi, on  Royal Street with its fantastic shopping,  and right in the center of great jazz and fabulous food. I’m not alone–Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, even Ernest Hemingway have stayed there.

The Details: A Four-Day/ Three-Night Stay in deluxe accommodations as guests of the historic Hotel Monteleone located in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter. The $900 certificate is valid Sunday-Thursday nights. (Excludes Friday and Saturday nights and Special Events/ Blackout Dates.) The certificate includes room & tax charges.

Interlink Books

 Interlink Publishing Group, Inc.

Another perfect tie-in to this year’s project–building libraries.  If you have read much of A Traveler’s Library, you know how much I love Interlink Publishing, specialists in inter-cultural books.  I even recommended them as a source for one of those Ten Perfect Gifts for Travelers Who Read.  With the gift certificate that Interlink is offering, you can buy enough books to keep you reading on every country on your wish list, or cook foods from every place you ever visited, or fiction to keep you entertained while you’re flying away on your travels.  You might even feel generous and turn this into gifts for the whole family.

The Details: Winner will receive an e-mail gift certificate for Interlink books worth  $300.  The choice is yours!

MacMillan Audio Books

Audio book MacMillan

We have reviewed some audio books here at A Traveler’s Library, because they are perfect companions on a road trip. And MacMillan Audio supplies most of our audio books, like a Louise Penney mystery, a Mary Kay Andrews romance and a C.J. Box thriller. At one stage in my life I drove from Tucson to Phoenix on a weekly basis and could not have survived that boring stretch of I-10 without a collection of audio books. A friend listens to them as she works out. Some people have their ear phones on as they do housework. Of course that only applies to people who actually DO housework, but I digress…

If you win the great prize offered by MacMillan Audio, you will have enough listening material for your next cross-country road trip, for sure.

The Details: The winner will receive a catalogue of MacMillan’s latest offerings, and the winner will be able to choose $100 worth of audio books. It is all up to you–fiction, non-fiction, educational or frivolous. You and your ears can have fun with your favorite literary form.

So that’s it from A Traveler’s Library for prizes for the Passports With Purpose fund raiser for libraries in Zambia. Now go check out what all the other prizes are, and then come back and tell us which ones you really, really want to win. We’ll be waiting.

This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library. We'll leave a light on for you.

©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

Congratulations to Susan Johnston, writer of a blog for writers called The Urban Muse, for winning the YakPak student backpack that was part of our Christmas Giveaway. If you’re disappointed, stick around, we have another YakPak to give away in January.

Huge thanks to YakPak for sharing one of their indestructible bags for readers of A Traveler’s Library.  Take a look at their colorful web site, and check them out on Facebook, too.  And thanks to everybody who entered the contest.

Hotel Monteleone

And thanks to the Passports With Purpose fund raiser for the purpose of building a village in India, Jessica Spiegel, blogger at Why Go Italy Guide, will be going to an Italian-family owned hotel in New Orleans, the wonderful Hotel Monteleone. Here’s a preview of what she’l enjoy at the Literary Landmark Hotel.

Sun C brand of Los Caballeros

AND Laura L. C. will be rounding up her cowboy gear for a trip to Wickenburg Arizona, compliments of Passports With Purpose (and thanks to the generosity of the Rancho de los Caballeros.) You can read about Ken’s and My experience at the ranch. Huge thanks to everyone who donated and helped bust right through the $50,000 goal to over $58,000. To keep track of the progress of the village that YOU built, and the lives you have changed, tune in to Passports With Purpose now and again. Thanks to the Five Cupcakes (aka Meg, Beth, Pam, Debbie, and Michelle) who organized and made it work.  Thanks to the major sponsors who put up the front money–lots of it. And hugs and kisses to the two terrific properties who let me host outstanding prizes–Hotel Monteleone and Rancho de los Caballeros, you’re da bomb!

This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library. We'll leave a light on for you.

©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

Building Lafti Houses

On my way home from shopping today, I heard an NPR segment on Marketplace about how giving to charity makes you feel as good as chocolate or sex. No kidding! Giving trips the same chemicals in your brain and gives you a glow.

And I gotta tell you that my participation in Passports with Purpose has been a real high. I hope that you will partake of this totally helpful feel-good opportunity, too.

Think how great you’ll feel to know that you have helped build a house in India through the charitable organization LAFTI, which strives to give independence to the poorest of the poor. If you have any doubts, think about what it would be like to live in this house, the normal housing for the Dalit, and click on the picture to read about the rough times they are having right now.

A Dalit family home before the new houses are built.

This is Why I’m Glowing

1.When I heard about travel bloggers using their travel contacts to round up prizes to be raffled for a good cause, I thought, “Now that’s a great example of the power of blogging.”

2. When I called Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, they quickly donated a two-night stay, plus breakfast and drinks in the famous Carousel Bar. And when I brazenly asked the manager of Rancho de Los Caballeros in Wickenburg, who had just hosted Ken and me for a weekend stay, if they would also like to donate to PWP, they volunteered a 3-night stay worth $1500.

I thought, “That’s the way a travel writer’ and her contacts are supposed to help each other out.”

3. When I first posted about this year’s efforts to build a village in India, one of my readers left the following comment:

What a worthwhile project. I had not heard of PwP or LAFTI before, but after reading up about both I put a note about (and a clickable image link to) PwP’s fundraiser in my blog’s sidebar. Thank you for blogging about this, pen4hire! Danielle, from Romantic Armchair Traveler.

She not only thanked me, but she put the PwP widget on her blog. And I thought, “Now that’s the way social networking is supposed to work.”

4. I sent e-mail blasts to friends and family members about the great prizes in Passports with Purpose.  A fellow women journalist offered to write about Passports with Purpose on her blog. When I thanked her, Linda Radke said, “It’s a small contribution to a worthwhile cause.” She has a fast growing publishing business in Phoenix, Arizona, and you can see her work at Five Star Publications.

I thought, “When you have a good cause, you just have to let people know about it, and that’s what networking is all about.”

So I’m letting you know about Passports With a Purpose one more time.  The deadline is Monday, December 13, midnight on the west coast of the U.S.  You put down a $10 bid on however many travel goodies you have your eye one, and when the drawing is done, you’ve won. Yes, everybody wins, because even if you don’t take home my recommended prizes of a two-night stay in New Orleans at the great Hotel Monteleone or a 3 night stay in Wickenburg at the luxurious Rancho de los Caballeros , you will have that Passports with Purpose GLOW.

P.S. Just keep your cotton-pickin’ hands off that Norway cruise, because although I’m ineligible to bid on the New Orleans and Wickenburg stays, I AM going to win the Norway cruise..or maybe the stay at Kimpton, or the one at Omni, or maybe Homewood Suites, or Home Away. Of course if I win the Nova Scotia B & B, I’ll have to go to Nova Scotia, but that’s a GOOD thing.

By the time you read this, I believe the original $50,000 goal will have been met, but why not build a few more houses for a few more families?  Why stop at only 25 families? Get glowing.

This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library. We'll leave a light on for you.

©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

GIFTS TO ORGANIZATIONS

Are you IN?? Click on image to bid on travel prizes.

PASSPORT WITH PURPOSE/LAFTI

DEADLINE DECEMBER 13. Time is running out. You can donate $10 to LAFTI in India through the Passport With Purpose web site, for each chance you want on a pile of fantastic travel prizes. And you can get creative and contribute  $10 in another person’s name as a gift to them. The drawing is on December 17, so if its a Christmas present you can either tell them A) Look what I won just for you; or B) Look how you are helping build a home for a person in India.

Here’s where to find a list of all the terrific Passports With a Purpose travel bloggers. They spread the word so YOU can make it happen. Many thanks to Peter Carey, adventurer and photographer, and keeper of a beautiful web site for this PwP list of bloggers and their prizes.

LAFTI is the Indian organization that the donations go to, and they operate in such a wonderful way, that I can’t possible explain it as well as this video.

The only problem is how to choose:

• A $1500 handbag?
• A zeppelin ride?
• 3 days at a luxury guest Ranch?
• An airplane ticket to anywhere in the United States?
• A cruise in Norway? (Hands off! That one’s for ME)
• 2 nights in New Orleans?
• And much more.

HEIFER INTERNATIONAL

When you donate to Heifer, you may choose the life-sustaining animal (or group of animals) that will go to a family in a developing country. Besides, didn’t you always want to tell your sister, “I got you a goat for Christmas”? Or give your busy brother bees? And Heifer will send a creative print or e-card announcing the gift of any amount. Or how about giving a very special travel gift?? Go  on a study tour.  Read more about Heifer’s travel and books.

COMMUNITY FOOD BANK

1 in 6 Americans, including 1 in 4 children is at risk because of insufficient nutrition. You can’t help everyone, but you can help one family for a year. Tucson Community Food Bank, started in 1976, is one of the pioneers in a movement that now can be found in most every community.  Besides giving bags of food to the needy, they provide a low-cost shopping store, have a gleaning program, and a community garden.  I’m sure you can find a food bank near you, or go to Feed America and help share the word, by giving a donation in the name of a gift recipient. Travel Gift Idea: Give someone a ticket to the January 29th Mardi Gras in Tucson. $100.

PRODUCTS THAT GIVE

DOY BAGS

Fruit Bag from Doy

I’ve talked about Doy Bags before, because I absolutely love them so much that one year I bought them for every female on my Christmas list, from one year old to–forty-something.  These bags

• Recycle material
• Provide  jobs to 500 women
• Are fair trade items
• Cut emissions by transporting by ship rather than airplane as much as possible.
• Are practical and durable.

Do yourself a favor and check the varied and colorful product list at their website. Great for travel, they offer Purses, shopping bags, wallets, backpacks,  and even jewelry–all from recycled containers and magazines. And if you can engage in some virtual travel to the Philipines by helping this enterprise.

TASSA TAG–cloth luggage tag

5 Tassa Tags

Order by phone, e-mail or PayPal

Price: $12.00 each, including sales tax (shipping extra–see web site)

TassaTags are fun, bright, hand-woven, cotton luggage tags that help you spot your luggage more easily when you travel.  I wanted one as soon as I saw them.

Women at the Regina Center in Nongkhai, Thailand produce the tags. The Center  provides education and income generating skills and opportunities for women. All proceeds from sales are returned to the producers. The project enables women to stay in their villages and keep their children in school, which are two major strategies in reducing sex trafficking. Now don’t stop reading, please. (I recently read a terrific book by mystery writer Nevada Barr that was harder to take than her knock-down-drag-em-out fights, because it was about child prostitution.)

And this gift helps an NGO called ECPAT-USA (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Child Trafficking), a non-profit children’s rights organization whose mission is to protect all children from commercial sexual exploitation. The tags do more than just raise money and give work to women in Thailand. Take a look at the Tassa site.

Books for Travelers (Music Road)

Music Gifts (Music Road)

Gifts for Travelers (What a Trip)

10 Perfect Gifts for Travelers Who Read With DISCOUNTS (A Travelers Library)

Do you look for gifts that give?  Share some of your favorites here with us. Thanks.

This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library. We'll leave a light on for you.

©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.