As many of you folks will have noticed, I travel and speak a lot. So much so, in fact, that this new lifestyle has made it tough at times for me to get enough writing done. However, oddly enough, I also have become addicted to traveling. In fact, I find that getting out of Washington and holing myself up to work in strange places helps a lot--and that's what I'm doing for the next two weeks. I'm heading to London, where I'll be staying at the awesome Hempel Hotel and immersing myself in some serious writing. Granted, the city may have its distractions, but I've been to London before and seen them already--this is chiefly a work trip. So, wish me luck. Blogging will continue more or less as before once I'm settled in.....
- Log in to post comments
More like this
One of my many distractions lately is travel planning. After spending several months living in the wilds of Lower Alabama, I'm getting to take a bit of a vacation. Right now, face a 60-minute round-trip commute to get to the nearest bookstore (a marginally acceptable Barnes and Noble). If I'm…
A trip overseas, especially with today's fuel prices and other changes in the airline industry, is different now than it was even a few years ago. This is especially true in regards to the topic of this post: How to deal with the problem of vicarious travelers and their need for trinkets, as well…
I have had a very, very good September.
I traveled across the country, and back, twice (with offset credits for my carbon). I gave fifteen speeches, to (I would guess) over a thousand people in total. At many of my stops I made new friends, or was able to get reacquainted with old ones. I even got…
Well I've just returned from the UK, and am currently writing from a coffee shop in Queens. I'll head back to D.C. this afternoon or tonight. The flight was easy, no hassle; the only disappointment was that although we flew very close to Greenland, if not over it, there were too many clouds for me…
Good grief. You earn that much from your writing?
Great way to fight global warming BTW. Perhaps it's a Cunning Plan to burn all the oil asap so we have no choice but to find alternatives...
Ouch...
Have a great time in sweltering London, a place where air conditioning used to be considered a novelty...
(Hell, I've only ever been to London in the winter!)
Chris-- Have you seen some of the carbon offset sites? Terrapass has a good one for flights:
http://www.terrapass.com/flight/flightcalc.html
I think Gore used something like this during the making of An Inconvenient Truth. It's a small gesture, but it's something.
Thanks Jon. Now my wretched soul can finally find some peace...
Seriously, that's a good idea. I will look into making my flights carbon neutral.
Chris, I'm doubly disappointed. You mentioned your trip to London some time ago. I assumed you were on a book promotion tour. This would have gone at least some way to justify the CO2 emissions. But it appears no public appearances, no campaigning work - the trip is motivated by an "addiction" to travel.
I don't understand. Surely as someone who has written on global warming you understand the need to dramatically reduce CO2 emissions ASAP. Most flying is surely discretionary ie we don't really need to do it. Some of us have taken the pledge and will not be flying any more. Think about it .... please!
Douglas Coker
To clarify: The trip is motivated by a need to get away, hole myself up somewhere so that I can get writing done. I am also doing some research while I am here, and a slight bit of vacationing. It's a mix.
I am certainly not going to pledge not to fly any more; that sounds to me like serious overkill. I want to thank you all for raising the issue, though. I am going to look into ways to offset my emissions. Terra Pass looks promising.
You shouldn't have come to London - primarily because the weather is ludicrously hot here. I'm particularly looking forward to Wednesday and the 37 degree temperatures predicted. The tube should be great fun that day; I can't wait.
Chris,
hello.. Met you at the Hempel Garden party!Wondering if you did make it to Bentleys for dinner and if so, hope it went well!
Glad to read you are enjoying Hyde Park, it's amazing. I often took riding lessons there, its good fun. U should visit Hampstead Heath too, wonderful green space right in London,like being in the country.
Enjoy London and hope writing going well. Sineadx