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Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

My Cities 2011

January 30th, 2012, by Sloane Berrent.  2 Comments »

Photo courtesy of Taylor Davidson

I started this meme in 2009 and continued it in 2010. Thanks to Taylor for inspiring me to do this project – his meme of cities goes back to 2006. Unlike him, I don’t have a photo of all of the places I slept, but that’s certainly something to aspire to!

As in previous years, a city makes it onto this list when I’ve slept there so any day trips aren’t included. If I was in a city and slept in multiple places, that counts as it’s own entry – since it counts against the total nights away and not spent at home in my own bed.

The big thing this year was having ONE home. A home that started unfurnished – a huge step for me compared to 2009 and 2010! It was still a year of travel (both in the U.S. and then to Haiti, Mexico, Barbados and Portugal) but it was also a great year to sink into New York City and enjoy everything that this glorious city has to offer and start to build a home. It’s been a good year. Here’s where I was in the year that was…

January
New York City (homebase)
Miami (1)
Boca Raton, FL (2)
York, ME (1)
Boston, MA (1)

February
New Orleans, LA (3)
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (2)
Jacamel, Haiti (1)

March
Austin, TX (2)
Austin, TX (2) *separate place
Los Angeles, CA (1)
Los Angeles, CA (2) *separate place

April
Miami, FL (1)
Tecate, Mexico (7)
Fairfield, CT (1)

May
Asheville, NC (3)

June
Kittery, ME (2)

July
Barbados (4)
Manchester, CT (2)
Boston, MA (1)

August
San Diego, CA (3)
Pittsburgh, PA (3)
Luray, VA (3)

September
Hidden Valley, PA (3)
Boston, MA (2)

October
Chambersburg, PA (2)
Kittery, Me (2)
Santa Monica, CA (1)
Burlington, VT (2)

November
Wahington, DC (3)
Hidden Valley, PA (3)

December
Scarsdale, NY (1)
Pittsburgh (5)
Lisbon, Portugal (2)
Duoro Valley, Portugal (2)

Total nights away from home: 76 (20% of nights)

Where did you go last year (work/personal or both? Where are your travels taking you this year? To all the places you’ll go and beyond – happy travels!

The Best Part About A National Park Pass

August 25th, 2011, by Sloane Berrent.  1 Comment »

Photo courtesy of Taylor Davidson


I absolutely love National Parks. It’s amazing to me that my very first visit to one wasn’t until I was 22 when I went to Acadia National Park in Maine. At the time, my friends were somewhat shocked. Me? Camping? In the most wonderful turn of events, turns out I liked it. No…loved it.

Through the years I’ve visited a great many more, including most of the parks in the West. All special, all wonderful. However for the last year and a half, the one I’ve been lucky enough to visit again and again is Shenandoah National Park. Taylor’s parents live at the base of the park just about Luray, Virginia – and it’s the most amazing getaway. We go and hike every day, kayak on the river, cook dinner every night, and sit on the back deck listening to the creek and on occasion watching the “light show” – the thunder and lightening storms that are so perfect to watch in the wilderness of the East Coast.

My favorite part? Using our National Park Pass. This trip ours had expired and it wasn’t even a second thought at the front gate of the Shenandoah’s that we would buy another. The pass is $80 annually. Some parks charge $30 for a 3/day pass, so if you want to get technical, it’s “worth it” after only a couple of visits.

But it’s well beyond worth it even if you just visited a park once a year. The National Park system is part of my American dream. Preservation and protection to forests and the animals that live in them. When we visit, it’s always a mystery what wildlife we’ll see and that’s part of the fun! And usually something comes over me at some point and I just stop at a big tree, wrap my arms around it and SQUEEZE.

When’s the last time you felt that passionate about nature? It’s really an incredible feeling!

It’s so easy to buy a park pass, for more info look HERE. Looking forward to seeing you on the trails!

I process it differently now. Views on my travels in developing countries.

March 12th, 2011, by Sloane Berrent.  No Comments »

Above is a slideshow of my first day in Haiti with the Fairwinds Trading and the #heartofhaiti bloggers. What’s amazing is that each picture tells a story. A photo is really just a moment in time and from the second before to the second after everything changes. It captures how you feel just then.

So when I was thinking about Haiti and the difference in the experience for me versus some of the other women bloggers who haven’t traveled as much to the developing world I couldn’t help but have an important revelation.

I process it differently now. Developing countries have a different affect on me now than before.

I’m still struck from the moment we land at how different the developing world is from the developed. And I’m still in awe at the differences. But certain aspects I see differently. I still see the trash on the streets and the lack of infrastructure (old cars, building falling down) but now I see past that a lot more quickly.

My eyes now focus on the kids playing, the laughter of women gathered on a street corner, the way people are helping each other cross the street and carry heavy loads.

People ask me what draws me to the developing world and what I say is that it sets me straight. It reminds me of what’s important in this world – people. And I simply love experiencing new places, my senses alive and taking in every moment, every sight and every smell. I like testing my internal compass, I like finding a way to connect with people when I don’t speak their language. And I love being able to debunk myths of what traveling to developing countries is like to people when I get back.

When you look at the photos above, I hope you see the life in them. I hope you see the hope, creativity and progress. There’s more than the ruins, you just have to look beyond the obvious. In other words, process it differently.

National Anthem of Haiti Live From Port-au-Prince

March 9th, 2011, by Sloane Berrent.  No Comments »
YouTube Preview Image

When I was in Haiti last week for the #heartofhaiti blogger trip, we were touring around on the Saturday morning and pulled up in our van to the Palace (their version of the White House). As many people have seen in the news, it completely collapsed. So did their National Cathedral and Congress building. Ruins, rubble, dust, trash and in general disarray are everywhere you look. Directly across from the Palace is one of the biggest tent cities in Port-au-Prince. It’s a lot to process.

We step out of the van to take photos of the palace and suddenly a marching bands starts. The national marching band for Haiti was in procession to the flagpole and played their national anthem as they raised the national flag.

It was one of those moments of perfect timing that you couldn’t have planned if you wanted to.

While I was filming I looked over my right shoulder behind me and noticed an odd quiet. Everything had stopped in its place. Men were half stride, cars had come to a complete halt, women washing dishes or clothes had stopped, even kids running around were paused.

Everyone and everything paused to pay tribute to their country. It was one of the largest acts of patriotism I’ve ever seen.

So the video above is the view straightforward but imagine for a moment what it was like with a 360-degree view.

The Digital Sisterhood In Haiti

March 2nd, 2011, by Sloane Berrent.  3 Comments »

I have returned from the most moving trip to Haiti. It’s really truly amazing what happens when you dive into an experience with your whole heart and soul. I am going through photos and videos and will be posting as much as I can over the next few days.

I want to give a huge shoutout and thank you to my digital sisters that shared in this experience with me. Without them, this trip would not have been the same. We bonded in a way that is hard to describe, in part because we had the opportunity to share with each other and in part because we were all really open to sharing with each other.

I created a Twitter list called Heart of Haiti to keep these digital sisters connected and also to let more people follow along with the goodness they are creating in this world.

Our inspirational leaders!

Who are these inspiring women? Let’s see…

And the partners that helped make this possible:

A special shoutout to the non-Twitterers of the group: Deana, Juliana and Chad. It was amazing to spend this time with you. Thank you for sharing yourselves and making this trip so incredible. Many thanks also to Natalie and Pascale, the program directors in Haiti for Fairwinds, you both were simply amazing. Your passion and dedication to your culture within Haiti was an inspiration. And another hello to Taryn who had planned to join us but couldn’t at the last minute. You were there with us in spirit.

Here’s to creating special bonds with amazing women. Willa said on the trip that so many people have asked her about Haiti and her work in Haiti. She told them, “Come to Haiti and see for yourself.” Until this past weekend, no one had gone. The biggest success of the whole trip? THAT WE WENT. That we made the trip. That we said YES. That we broke through our own barriers and made room in our busy lives as professional women to make this trip come alive. That is the most magical part of all. Thank you to all you incredible, beautiful women for joining me in Haiti. #onelove

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