Time Off with No Passport
My employment on a series I’ve been on since June 13 came to an abrupt end yesterday afternoon when we kept hitting legal walls with our talent and locations. It became apparent that nothing would materialize before Monday, the day we were scheduled to shoot, and so, I cleaned off my desk and left, with no employment on the books until I return from my trip to South America on January 11th. A few weeks ago, I would’ve lept at the opportunity to have a full 2 months off — hello, more travel time! — but as it became apparent that I’d only have 3 weeks off around Christmas, I focused solely on my South America trip and finally began obtaining the dreaded Brazilian visa, and was grateful for the work at a time of year that traditionally has been dead. The Brazilian Visa There are several Brazilian consulates scattered across the United States – probably 6 or 8 in total – and they each cover a jurisdiction consisting of the surrounding 4-5 states. It takes 10-12 business days on average to process a Brazilian visa, with the exception of Atlanta, which takes a whopping 20-22 business days. I realized with horror that Tennessee falls under Atlanta’s jurisdiction. I’m joined at the hip to my passport — the thought of being without it for one month was terrifying to me. I pleaded with the folks at Travisa to allow me to send my application to Texas, which had a much quicker turnaround time, but was denied. Due to my work schedule, I knew I couldn’t pop down to Atlanta and try to get it done faster, so I conceded and mailed off the requirements to Travisa’s Atlanta office with a pleasant “Thank You!” note in hopes it would brighten the spirits of the consulate and they’d process my visa a bit faster. No luck. Travisa sent me an e-mail on November 1st letting me know my documents had been received and dropped off at the Brazilian consulate, and they would be picked up on November 28th. Well, whatever. I was to be in Nashville working, anyway, what would I need a passport for?… The Brazilian consulate in Atlanta, where my passport is being held captive for the next 3 weeks. (Thanks, Google street view!) Hello, Free Time With the legal debacles at work, I find myself sitting at home on the couch on a Friday already bored out of my mind. I’ve told myself all year that whenever I would be presented with a solid 2 weeks off, I was going to dart off to Costa...
If I Were Leaving Tomorrow…My 5 Top Trips
Although loving my present job that accommodates travel on a national level, my adventuresome spirit still prevails in most of my free time apart from work. The yearning of a distant country is always on my mind, and crafting my next potential trip helps to tame the beast – at least, temporarily. And after purchasing 80,000 miles for less than $1200 via US Airways’ Dividend Miles program (thanks to Brooke!), I should be able to fly to any of the following locations so long as a STAR Alliance member flies there. And so, here’s a short summary of each of the 5 trips that I’ve been planning and researching for over the last year — plus what I estimate the cost to be. I left the estimated flight costs in although that portion is already paid for. Let me know your thoughts or tips if you’ve been to any of these places or are planning a trip of your own!! 1. Overland safari from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania to Cape Town, South Africa This has been a new fascination of mine. I was never drawn to the dark continent (with the exception of South Africa) until I became enraptured with the idea of venturing through established cities as well as the unknown, somewhat uninhibited lands; exploring various game parks and spotting exotic wildlife, all the while camping in tents — it screams adventure in one of it’s purer forms; something I was seeking in New Zealand but never quite found. Botswana Sunset In addition to the rural landscape of Africa, most of the groups take a quick jaunt over to Zanzibar — have you ever seen photos of Zanzibar? — a beachy place likely teeming with Europeans on holiday, but still a sunrise I’d love to see. The tours I’ve looked at range from 30-40 days long. I’d love to end it top it off with a 2 week stay in Cape Town. Estimated Time Frame: 6-8 weeks Estimated Cost: $1700 flights + $1500 tour + $50/day in Cape Town + $800 for incidentals = $4,700 USD Potential Challenges: Malaria Photo credit: potters pics 2. Ireland, y’all The Emerald Isle is ALWAYS beckoning…maybe it’s my love of U2 and Snow Patrol, maybe it’s because my two dear roommates and my boyfriend have already been… Cliffs of Moher …maybe it’s because of too many chick flicks set in rural Irish settings with a sappy ending, or maybe because it’s a lateral move in terms of travel difficulty…but I’m constantly spellbound by the thought of exploring both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland on my own time, in a rental car, at my leisure. Dublin? Of course! Belfast?...
Dancing with Matt at the Parthenon — no, not in Athens.
Do you remember that viral video about the guy who danced his way around the world? Roman first shared it with me about two or three years ago. I was enraptured by it, as were millions of others. I was inspired. Dangit, if this guy could do a silly dance around the world, certainly I could go to at least AUSTRALIA if nowhere else. And so this video has served as encouragement for travel over the past few years. It’s been fun to go back and watch it again after a few trips, only saying “Hey! I’ve been there! and… there too!” So, when I found out via his e-mail list that he would be dancing in Nashville — I nearly fell out of my chair. I wanted to run around the house shrieking with joy. The meeting place? The Parthenon. (Nashville is the only city in the world with a life-sized replica of the Parthenon in Greece, and it’s in pretty good shape, and it sits in the middle of Centennial Park — definitely worth a visit in the daytime and/or nighttime.) I arrived at the steps of the Parthenon – and quickly spotted ten to fifteen others who were there for the purpose of dancing with Matt. One guy with a fair amount of knowledge about Matt’s travels was informing some jazzercisers of the monumental event that was about to take place. I eavesdropped casually, as a work comrade arrived. I don’t get starstruck anymore, but I still experience that “first moment”: when you first lay eyes on someone in the flesh who you’ve only seen through media, and your mind takes a second to readjust to the reality of the person — their look, their aura — not the image that you’ve perceived through two-dimensional mediums. But when I noticed my palms getting clammy and my excitement level was so high it impeded any rational conversation with my work comrade, I knew I was bound to be a bit starstruck. When my friend began asking questions about Matt’s travels, I tried to play it cool, pretending like I had no idea where exactly he’d been — when in reality, I was shrieking ohmygoshI’mabouttodancewithMatt,THEmattwhoi’vewatchedonthatvideoahundredtimeswho’sbeen EVERYWHEREbutnowhe’sHERE… And suddenly, there he was — dragging a cooler around the corner of the Parthenon, surveying the lay of the land. I experienced that “first moment”, followed by a “Wow, he actually came to Nashville? And I’m actually standing here?” He gave us all a big Hello, and soon enough, we were all lined up on the Parthenon, dancing. He taught us how to do the “Matt” dance, and we did a...
A word about Couchsurfing.
I first learned about couchsurfing a few years ago when I was scanning gumtree for potential sublet opportunities. It struck me as an irresponsible thing to consider — a breeding ground for potential kidnappers and rapists. I immediately dismissed the idea and went on living my life, pining away all the while with desire to one day venture to Australia. Two years go by. I’ve finally purchased the plane ticket to Sydney and everyone in close proximity to me is freaking out. My mother suggests, “You should look into finding a friend down there to show you around.” I suddenly remembered the idea of couchsurfing, and forgetting my previous notions, it struck me as a brilliant idea. I joined the official CS website and attended a local CS meeting and started sending out requests. That’s how I found Jim. I was slow to send requests to guys at first simply due to the solo-girl-in-a-new-continent fact and the safety considerations that come with it, but he had the highest praise out of other Sydney hosts, including the thumbs up from multiple female travellers, so I figured I’d be in good hands. I arrived in Sydney, stayed in a hostel the first few nights, and met up with Jim on my second evening. I met a bunch of his friends, another couchsurfer, and we headed out to a rugby game. In my short two days that I couchsurfed with Jim, he took me to the fish market, South Head, and Bondi Beach, I met Melissa and Raquel, and we spent Easter together (in the form of a pub crawl – ssh). I then left Sydney and did a small tour of Australia, including Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast. But I got along so well with Jim, Raquel, and Melissa that I decided to pay them another visit before heading to New Zealand (plus Switchfoot was playing a show in Sydney…) Anyway. I stayed with Jim for another 5 days and hung out a great deal with Raquel during that time. I also had a firsthand celebration of ANZAC day as Sam and Jim are in the Australian Navy. And, finally, I left Sydney and moved on to New Zealand. I’ve been back in the US for almost three months. In that time, I’ve stayed in pretty good contact with both Raquel and Jim, if only through Facebook chat and the occasional text. I’ve missed both of them a great deal, and Melissa posted a photo of the gang out without me, and commented on my absence. Jim said he was planning on “swinging by” North America next year after...
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I'm Laryssa, and when I'm not working in film or television, I'm attempting to travel -- or I'm here, providing resources for working in film or travel. Read more Elsewhere on the internets
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