It’s been a while since I’ve done a giveaway. I’m especially excited to share this next one with you. Supporting individuals who use their own skills and abilities to improve their lives is something I wholeheartedly support.

Through my travels from China to Honduras, and places in between, I always come across artisans selling their crafts by the side of the road or in crowded marketplaces. As a traveler who prefers to travel light, it’s easy to buy small trinkets and jewelry but larger items like paintings and handmade rugs are harder to bring home. Many times, those are the items that catch my eye the most.

Now, with NOVICA, you can purchase fair trade items large and small. NOVICA works with National Geographic to provide artisans a place to express their talents and offer their crafts to the world market. You can find thousands of unique fair trade products like paintings, African masks, vases, jewelry, musical instruments, home decor items and so much more on NOVICA.

These items are made by artisans from the Andes, Central America, Thailand, West Africa, Bali and Java, Brazil, India and Mexico. Here is a true story about Nengah Sudarsana, a wood sculpture from Bali, and how NOVICA has changed his life. There are plenty of more of these sucess stories here.

“Novica has created a much better life for me. Before, I could hardly afford to live in a single room home. Now I live in a house with three rooms, and have my own car. Most importantly, I now support many other artisans who work with me. My family and I live a much better life, and five other families now benefit directly from my Novica sales. I am also able to help my relatives, especially the younger children, who now have shoes, clothes, and an education that they couldn’t have before. Since joining Novica, I have also grown in my realization of how we as Balinese fit into the whole world picture. Before, I was like a lot of fellow Balinese in that my thinking was centered on Bali only, as if Bali was the world! Now I realize more how we are just a piece of the puzzle. When I read customers’ comments about my products, I’m filled with a great sense of well being and pride, to be able to create something that others value. After all, in Bali we are a mere spot in a vast ocean, and I realize this now when I see customer responses from all over the world! Often I look on a map or a globe to see where my customers live. It’s amazing that my carvings are now in so many various places, and I am here. It is almost as if part of me has traveled to those other places and is now residing there.” - Nengah Sudarsana

NOVICA offers daily deals of 20% on select items and if you sign up today, they are offering a $7 welcome credit. They are currently promoting accessories like men’s scarves, women’s scarves, wool scarves and men’s accessories.

Giveaway Time!

NOVICA has kindly offered me and my readers each a $50 gift certificate to use in their online shop. Here’s how you can enter for a chance win:

• Retweet my post.
• Leave a comment below.
• “Like” my Facebook status update about NOVICA
• Leave a comment on my Facebook status update about NOVICA.

Each action counts as a separate entry. I will keep a log of them and select the winner with Random Generator. The giveaway ends July 31st at 11:59PM and the winner will be announced August 1st.

Be sure to check out NOVICA to pick our your favorite items ahead of time! I’m there picking out my gift right now!

NOVICA is currently expanding across the country and signing up new consultants every week. They have a lot of promotions going on for their early consultants, including anyone that becomes a Director this year will go to Bali next year! If you’d like more information on being a NOVICA consultant, contact me at monica@apairofpantiesandboxers.com.

Yesterday was the exact definition of Murphy’s Law: “Anything that could go wrong will go wrong.”

Since I’ve been unemployed, I’ve had the luxury to sleep in until 10AM (almost) every single day. Yesterday was an exception. I woke up at 5:30AM to head to the Chinese Embassy. I left the house at 6:30AM and arrived before 8AM. (Yes, it takes me an hour and a half to trek to NYC’s Chinese Embassy even though I live in the same city!) There was at least 50 people already waiting in line.

At 8:30AM on the dot, the security guards began checking our paperwork to make sure we had the correct documents. When they got to me, I was informed that I filled out the wrong form. The security guard showed me a hard copy of the correct one and I pointed out to him that the form letters and numbers are exactly the same. The only thing missing was the footer. He said they won’t accept it without the footer.

Frustrated that I got woke myself up at the crack of dawn for nothing, I called my mother to tell her that that the form she gave me was incorrect and that the embassy wouldn’t accept it. I then proceeded to call my boyfriend to rant. He suggested I head over to my mom’s office, which is about an hour away via the train, to fill out the correct documents and get all this taken care of today.

When I get off the phone with him, my mom calls me back immediately with the same idea. So I trekked back into Brooklyn, walked 12 blocks under the blazing sun to get to my mom’s office and filled out the correct form. Half an hour later, I retraced those 12 hot blocks to the train station for another one hour trek back to the embassy.

The walking distance from the train station to the Chinese Embassy isn’t a breeze either. It’s about a 20 minutes long. As I endured the sun beating down on me like there was no tomorrow, I thought to myself, “Would I rather do this or be chained to a desk for 10 hours a day?” I still haven’t come to a conclusion. That was a tough one.

By the time I arrived to the embassy again, the line was gone and I walked right in. When my turn came around, I eagerly shoved all my paperwork to the lady behind the counter. For a split second, I felt a tinge of relief. Then she looked up and said, “Do you have your old passport?” I replied that I didn’t. “I sent in my old passport when I applied for a new one.” I thought to myself, “Isn’t this something she should know?”

She flips through the paperwork and then slips a piece of paper through the window slot. “You need to submit this, this, this, this and this because you have a new passport.” Infuriated at the time and energy I wasted, I turned around and walked right back out the door I went in 3 minutes ago.

Bottom line: Do your homework!

By the time you read this, I’ll be on Trek #2 back to the Chinese Embassy. Hopefully everything is in order this time otherwise I will seriously have a conniption.

I’ve watched and read many bloggers in the travel community highlight their 7 links these past few days. It was a game of tag I was eager but uninvited to play…until now! Thanks to my fellow New Yorker, Connie Hum, from Connvoyage and Kathryne & Dan from Two Go RTW, I’ve been selected to participate.

So here are my 7 links:

My Most Beautiful Post: Jaw Dropping Sunrises Around The World

My Most Popular Post: 15 Ways To Volunteer In Africa

My Most Controversial Post: Tainted Travel Bloggers

My Most Helpful Post: Nine Rule To Follow When Traveling The World

A post whose success surprised me: Photo Collection: Faces of the Future

A post I felt didn’t get the attention it deserved: Climbing Out Of Poverty

And now, with my magic wand I’d like to nominate the following travel bloggers to participate and share their 7 links as well.

• Katie Tibbetts from Breakawaykatie
• Audrey Bergner from That Backpacker
• Sam Lovell from Any Road
• Kelly McCusker from Travelightly
• Jerry & Adrienne from Shenventure

If you don’t know already, I’m starting my MBA this fall at Georgetown University. Today marks T-3 weeks until the start of my graduate school program, beginning with MBA Boot Camp. I didn’t expect to be breaking a sweat this early on but I guess I was wrong.

I’ve been back and forth between NYC and DC this past month looking for a place to call home for the next two years. I’ve got my heart set on Dupont Circle. Georgetown offers a free shuttle bus to campus so my broke behind can save on transportation fees. And also because I’m a 24-year old New Yorker who can’t drive. That’s actually not an anomaly.

• Aside from apartment hunting, there are a few loose ends to tie up before I start this new chapter of my life.
• Purchase short term health insurance since my insurance as dependent under my dad doesn’t kick in until January 2013. (Thanks, Obama!)
• Order the required textbooks for the fall semester, which adds up to about, oh, $600.
• Harass the financial aid office to ensure all my loan applications and approvals are in order.
• Rent a U-Haul pickup truck to lug all my things down to DC. (I’m a little skeptical about it since I’ve read so many reviews about how terrible the pick-up, drop-off and customer service is at U-Haul facilities in DC.)

Sponsored post by John Benson from LondonNights.com

London, London, London. What a wonderful place. There are millions of photographs taken of the city year upon year, from traveler to traveler, street to street – but what are the most famous streets in London? Which ones most often get to be the backdrop of those millions of tourist photographs?

Downing Street

Some rights reserved by art crimes

While you can’t actually get onto Downing Street itself, you can take picture of it through the guarded gates on Whitehall. It’s rare that you’ll catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister picking up his newspaper from the doorstep, but getting a snap in front of Number 10 is still as popular as it ever has been.

The Mall

Some rights reserved by TGIGreeny

The colour of this paved avenue almost gives the effect that you’re walking down a red carpet to the home of the British monarchy, Buckingham Palace. Often lined with Union Jacks, it connects the 775-room palace with Trafalgar Square, so a picture at any point on this street is a picture worth taking.

Oxford Street

Some rights reserved by Paolo Margari

London’s busiest shopping street stretches for one and a half miles from Marble Arch all the way to St Giles’ Circus, intersecting with Regent Street and Charing Cross Road. If you can find a convenient place to stop for a second without holding up the shopaholics, then you’ll have a snapshot to remember.

Regent Street

Some rights reserved by Djenan

If you get a photo on Oxford Street, you have to get one on Regent Street, too. It is the home to Hamley’s, the oldest and biggest toy store in Europe. The curving architecture of Regent Street is more than aesthetically pleasing, so it will be difficult not to take a picture here.

Piccadilly Circus

Some rights reserved by Stuck in Customs

This neon-flashing, full on frills central hub is a popular meeting place for many London nights on the town. The huge electric billboards overhead occasionally feature adverts that are specifically designed to provide the backdrop to visitors’ photographs – a bit like the ‘holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa’ effect.

Carnaby Street

Some rights reserved by Vicente Alfonso

In the 1960s, Carnaby Street was the coolest street in capital, the Mecca to the Mods. They, along with the hippies, converged to the boutique and quirky shops that still stretch along the street that is widely accredited with defining the fashion of the swinging 60s.

Savile Row

Some rights reserved by urgetopunt

Tailors on Savile Row have been cutting suits for the likes of Winston Churchill and Napoleon for almost 300 years. It is world famous for the quality of its bespoke tailoring and, while you might need to win the lottery before you can buy a suit here, you can take a picture, keep it and dream on.

Abbey Road

Some rights reserved by Sander Lamme

The Beatles (who actually played their last live gig on a Savile Row rooftop) immortalised Abbey Road with their final studio album by the same name. The front cover has probably become the most replicated photograph in London, but it’s not one you can do by yourself – if you’re heading to Abbey Road, take three or four friends with you and, like The Beatles did, suit up in Savile Row beforehand.

Old Compton Street

Some rights reserved by Alan Light

London’s gay community have made Old Compton Street their own. Whether you’re gay, straight or bi, this is undoubtedly one of the most characteristic and charismatic streets in London, so, if you’re stopping for a drink or just passing through on your way to Soho, it’s worth getting a picture here.

Baker Street

Some rights reserved by Cindy Andrie

The famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes held residence at 221B Baker Street (an address that actually did not exist at the time of writing of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 19^th century classic). Over one hundred years later, the number was assigned to a building on the street and a Sherlock Holmes museum was officially opened. Thus, it has become a popular attraction for picture-taking fans of the cunning detective.

John Benson

This article was brought to you by John Benson from LondonNights.com the simple way to book discounted accommodation in London. London Nights offer a broad range of specially selected hotels at discounted rates – making your trip to London a lot simpler to manage.

Sponsored post by Peter H. from moneysupermarket.com

Some rights reserved by lichtmaler.at

It’s funny how quickly your opinion of a country can change, sometimes through no fault of its own.

I was full of excitement after booking up to go on short golfing break to Austria back in 2009. It seemed to be too good to be true as it offered the chance to marry together my passion for exploring the great outdoors with my love of a sport I rarely get chance to play abroad.

The plan was simple. Jet into Salzburg, enjoy two, maybe three rounds at Kaprun golf club at the foot of the breath-taking Kitzsteinhorn glacier, see the sights of Zell am See and head up the Schmittenhöhe mountain to test myself in some of the most challenging terrain I’ve ever experienced on foot. Then back to Salzburg for a quick tour of ‘Sound of Music’ country before returning to the UK.

Some rights reserved by kleer001

As I said, that was the plan. In truth, the writing was on the wall that my solo trip to Austria was going to be a disaster before I’d even left Gatwick airport. Well, that’s probably because we sat on runway for three hours before we were finally given clearance to take off.

You’d think, given those delays, that when we touched down in the baking heat of Salzburg, all the passengers would’ve collected their belongings and been on their way quickly and with the minimum of fuss. Wrong. Oh so very wrong.

The luggage carousel started up as usual and out came a trickle of bags that all too quickly dried up, yet there was still a sizable group of us waiting…and waiting…and waiting. We were, eventually, put out of our misery.

“I’m afraid there’s been a problem,” shouted a stewardess from company we’d flown with. That was an understatement as we were then informed that the rest of the suitcases were back on English soil. This is when the realisation kicked in that I hadn’t got my belongings covered. It’s just typical that the only time I didn’t bother is when I actually needed it.

Some rights reserved by Andreas März

There was little point taking it out on the stewardess, who, by now, was being swamped by complaints, so I left my contact details and details of the hotel I was staying in with another travel rep and headed for Zell am See. It was 5pm on the Saturday night by the time I arrived in this picturesque city, which is located on a huge lake, and my immediate thought was to check in and then try and pick up some essential clothes and toiletries from the nearby shops. The receptionist at the hotel couldn’t have been any more helpful or sympathetic about my situation. She then, however, dropped the bombshell that the shops in the resort were now shut and that they’d remain that way until Monday morning at the earliest. There’s no Sunday trading in Austria.

I’d swapped rainy London for blisteringly-hot Zell am See, where the temperature outside was pushing 100 degrees Fahrenheit at early evening, and all I had were the clothes I’d arrived in, my wallet and my passport. It didn’t bode well for the outdoor activities I had planned.

Golf the next day was a nightmare in the heat. The course itself was spectacular, but my clubs were somewhere between England and Austria and my outfit was far from comfortable. Then came the walk up Schmittenhöhe, which was unbearable in my attire.

By the time Monday morning arrived, I’d worn the same clothes for the best part of three days solid and toiled in the heat. But the worst was yet to come. The price of clothes was astronomical. Now, had I taken out the best travel insurance policy I could afford, I would’ve have happily bought what I wanted and then claimed all the cash back. However, I wasn’t covered and I didn’t have the money to buy any new clobber whatsoever.

I was still, after all, hoping and praying that my case would arrive. And it did – on the morning of day four, by which point I was all set to leave! I was fuming. I might as well have picked up my case when I returned to Gatwick. The city tour of Salzburg at least proved an enjoyable way to end what had been a torrid trip, but, by this point, I just wanted to get home.

Will I ever return to that part of Austria? Maybe, but if I do I’d like to do so with my luggage this time!

Peter H.

This article was provided by Peter H. from moneysupermarket.com, the UK’s leading price comparison site.  The moneysupemarket.com travel insurance service features a wide range of companies to help UK holiday-makers find the right cover for themselves and their family whilst taking a well deserved break.

Sponsored post written by John Benson from Central London Apartments

A permanent resident of London, I decided to explore what was on my doorstep and have myself a mini London staycation (they’re all the rage now, I believe). We weren’t looking to do it especially cheaply, although we did decide to forego the opportunity to book into one of the copious luxury central London hotels around the city and instead stay in our respective victoria apartments and docklands apartments. We just had a look at what was on offer and, ever the diplomats, voted on the day’s itinerary.

My body clock well and truly trained to military standard, I started the day early. I got up at 6:30am (a whole half an hour lie-in) and was out of my flat by 7:30am to meet the girls. I hate calling them ‘the girls’, but for the purpose of this exercise, I’m afraid I’m going to have to bite the bullet and call them ‘the girls’.

Some rights reserved by EtienneSA

For a light breakfast, we headed to Bill’s in Covent Garden. A favourite of ours when we were students in Brighton, we were delighted to find out it had finally branched out into the city to dutifully feed its now grown-up patrons. For me, it had to be the playful vegetarian version of the traditional fry-up, consisting of two poached eggs (the only way to do eggs), mushrooms, sweet chilli sauce, guacamole and toast, garnished playfully with a couple of lush green basil leaves. It was just what my stomach was growling for.

Some rights reserved by vsureshkumar

After a catch up and some light morning refreshment, we got the tube over to London Bridge and round the corner to the Floatworks on Thrale Street where we were booked in for an hour’s floatation session. All but one of us (not me) were floatation virgins, and we went on the strong recommendation that it was the most relaxing thing EVER. Warmed to body temperature (93.5 degrees, to be precise), the salty, salty water helps the body stay afloat; once you’re in there for a few minutes, it’s virtually impossible to feel the body-temperature water against your skin, which gives you the most wonderful sensation of floating in mid-air – well worth £45.

Some rights reserved by massdistraction

An hour’s worth of wonderful weightless bobbing under our belts, we bravely soldiered on to Wandsworth for elevenses.  Although, by the time we sauntered at a leisurely pace along the Thames and through Battersea Park, it actually turned out to be more like quarter-past-oneses. We were heading for none other than French Master Patissier Eric Lanlard’s boutique cake shop, Cake Boy. And boy, does he do good cakes. I sampled his exquisite lemon meringue cupcakes accompanied by a deliciously creamy espresso pick-me-up. I was so engrossed in my own cake that I can’t for the life of me remember what the rest ate; I can, however, assure you that we were all suitably blown away by the standard of everything at this beautiful little Thames-side boutique.

Some rights reserved by WagsomeDog

After a couple of glasses of the good stuff (yep, we saw fit to crack open the bubbly in celebration of our day off), we found that we’d effortlessly whiled away a whole three hours, so it was time to move on. Another on-foot jaunt, this time across the river and up into the north side, took us to Charing Cross where we were to meet up with those poor unfortunates among us who couldn’t get the day off work.

Some rights reserved by Ewan-M

Opened in 1890, Gordon’s Wine bar (right outside Charing Cross tube station), is the oldest wine bar in London, and has a wines-by-the-glass list that’s sure to make you dizzy (not least when you’ve had a few of them). With a devilishly dark décor, this candlelit cave of a tavern does its wine bar thing with matchless expertise, offering a whole host of delicious meats, cheeses and various other foodie titbits on the side to boot. It was the perfect end to a perfect day’s staycation in London, and it looks like Gordon’s has just acquired itself a few more loyal regulars.

John Benson

This post was written by John Benson from Central London Apartments, the home of serviced London apartment rentals. We specialise in providing short-stay apartments for leisure and business travellers who want more from their stay in city apartments London. Our clients enjoy spacious, comfortable, well-managed accommodation in some of London’s finest central locations, at up to 30% less than hotel rooms of equivalent standard.

Sponsored post written by James Kazinski

Some rights reserved by joshfassbind.com

Over the past few years French golf holidays have increased in popularity, particularly among British travellers. This is unsurprising given the large number of pristine golf courses littered throughout the country, the favourable French climate, the great food and wine and the numerous other cultural attractions that France has to offer.

France has almost 600 golf courses, more than all other countries on continental Europe combined. Something I wasn’t aware of until I dug a little deeper and with a low course to player ratio, most courses are underused. This means tee-times are spread well apart giving plenty of time and space. What’s more, as I found, golf in France is not just about quantity of courses. The country boasts 25 of the top 100 European courses and according to the Golf Magazine’s 2000 Best Golf Courses Rankings, four French courses are among Continental Europe’s top ten. It is then unsurprising that French golf holidays are increasingly popular.

The Eurotunnel makes the amazing golf courses, as with all attractions in Le France like the resort towns of Le Torquet and Hardelot accessible to British and Irish tourists. Several other phenomenal courses are located just a short drive inland. St Omer, has an excellent hotel, a wonderful 18-hole championship course and a 9-hole area for the less serious holiday golfer.

Paris and its surroundings are home to excellent resorts – that’s no secret I suppose. Dolce Chantille resort, the demanding links Golf National at Albatross and the woodland course of Fontainebleau are among France’s most famous tracks. If you wish to combine a beach holiday with a spot of golf in France, La Baule, Deauville and Trouville are perfect destinations and each is filled with bars, restaurants and casinos. The majestic architecture of the French capital makes it appealing to those who wish to taste all that France has to offer, you can’t golf all day, especially not with the bars and casinos calling!

There are many charming holiday towns along the coastline through Normandy, Western Loire and Brittany, and these make for some of the more picturesque courses to play. The cities of Bordeaux and Biarritz are also surrounded by courses and the almost guaranteed sunshine of Cote d’Azur and Provence make them ideal of golfing holidays. Dolce Fregate offers stunning views of the Mediterranean and Sainte Baume golf course is a popular choice. The Alps are an emerging destination for golf in France with the clean air and spectacular views making the courses there increasingly popular, this makes it a great place to go if you’re holidaying with friends who enjoy skiing.

The second ranked course in Europe, Les Bordes, is just two hour drive from Paris. This divine venue is located 30 kilometres southwest of Orleans in the Loire Valley. The wooded masterpiece was designed by Robert von Hagge and opened in 1986. The course is supremely challenging and the current course record is 71. At 7,062 yards, it isn’t just the golf that’s a challenge; simply getting around the course can take some time – cutting short my evening visit to the bars and casinos! The local lakes are ingeniously integrated into the course and water is utilised in 12 of the holes. Les Bordes is great for those looking for a challenge and the majestic beauty of the Loire Valley, make it a great destination for French golf holidays and is one I will certainly look to visit again.

Located 30 miles north of the capital, Golf de Chantilly is one of Europe’s most spectacular courses. Constructed in the forests of the Ile de France, the club has hosted countless French Opens. The main challenge of Chantilly comes in the form of its extreme bunkers designed by Tom Simpson. With 36 holes over its two courses, Chantilly is a beautiful and challenging venue although Les Bordes is still my clear favourite. Only around 598 more courses for me to play, maybe I should attempt more than two courses on my next golf holiday.

I took a one day trip to DC this weekend with my parents to go apartment hunting. Driving down the I-95 (or was it the I-295?) my parents blabbed on and on about how beautiful the scenery was with the acres of farm land. As we approached the center of town, my parents said,

Mom: A Kohl’s!
Dad: Home Depot

I chuckled at their comment and then proceeded to wonder what life would be like for me if I had to drive a mile to buy a gallon of milk instead of walking a block. For some reason, I pictured life in Smallville. Maybe it’s because I recently finished watching the entire series for a few moments, I felt like I was there – small town, acres upon acres of land, little red barns. All that was missing were just a few cows.

Six hours later, we finally reached DC. All of the places we looked at were in Dupont Circle. It’s the most ideal location for me since it’s only two blocks away from the free shuttle bus to Georgetown University. It’s also close to the metro, restaurants and supermarkets. That’s pretty much all I need to survive – easy access to transportation and food.

We saw 8 different units and I really hope I don’t have to make another trip down there again. That 10+ hour round trip drive exhausts my parents and trying to give directions to my father can almost be as stressful as driving. There are at least one or two with some potential. Here are some pictures of my favorite apartment.

The rent was pretty painful in Dupont Circle. It hurt so much that I didn’t even realize the 17 mosquito bites that suddenly appeared. Good news is that at least I’m scratching my ass in the privacy of my own home.

Sisters of the Sari is a light and entertaining read that reveals the strength of women, regardless of socioeconomic backgrounds. Kiria Langdon is a high-powered and driven American CEO of a major gaming company and Santoshi is a poor working woman in Chennai, India.

Together these two women explore one another’s idiosyncracies and cultural differences, bond over language barrier by learning one another’s mothers tongue and free each other from the invisible chains of who they thought they were suppose to be.

Each chapter in Sisters of the Sari are written in alternative perspectives – one of the narrator and the other of Kiria Langdon. The bond between Kiria and Santoshi isn’t merely a bond of friendship but of admirable respect for one another over the struggles the both of them have endured and overcome.

Sisters of the Sari makes the reader feel that potential can be hidden in anywhere and in anyone. Strength can be found in the weakest link. Courage can be ignited and surprise the one it came from.

The book is humorous (thanks to Kiria’s witty and sometimes unfiltered words), charming, real and touching. The stories of every supporting character is just as interesting, although short-lived, as the main characters. Any book that can make me chuckle out loud in public and not care is definitely worth a read.

A free copy of Sisters of the Sari was provided to me for this review.