Take A Leap With Us!!

Thank you to everyone for your positive feedback; as well as the constructive feedback that has been offered.  Everything to the good, and future episodes will be great for it.  The biggest feel from everyone was that they felt like they were "with us".  So the question we ask, why not join us?

It is our desire to incorporate the Take A Leap concept into the many facets of your life- personal, professional, and spiritual.  So how can you join us?

Religious: bible study groups; Sunday school groups; singles ministries; couples ministries; family ministries; young adult ministries; adult ministries; older adult ministries; youth ministries; college students; solo travelers; etc- travel with us  internationally on a religious tour. We need a group of a minimum of 10 committed individuals, and we can make it happen.  We're looking at using Globus, and the first tour will be to Greece & Turkey, following the Footsteps of Apostle Paul in Summer 2014.  More info to come.  Email us weconnectedprod@gmail.com if you have an interest.  Please put Footsteps in Subject line.

Budget travelers; solo travelers; family travelers: Traveling can be affordable even for those on a budget; traveling solo; or with a family.  Join us in a few ventures traveling via Friendly Planet. More info to come.  Email us at weconnectedprod@gmail.com if you have an interest. Please put Budget travel in Subject line.

Filmmakers- youth film camp; writers retreats; acting workshop; filmmaking workshop (topic varies- editing, videography, producing, etc)- come  join us as we offer both a youth film camp and adult workshop in exotic locals.  We're looking at offering a youth film camp (age 10-17 w/ accompanied adult) and an Adult filmmaking workshop to Costa Rica in 2015.  We plan to use Friendly Planet. More info to come.  Email us at weconnectedprod@gmail.com if you have an interest in facilitating or attending. Please put Youth Camp or Adult Workshops and area of interest (Acting/Film/Writing Retreat)

Take A Leap: Guest Post by Michelle from the UK

Take A Leap would like to welcome Michelle from the UK as our Guest Blogger.

Tips to Experience a Worry Free Luxurious Travel

Luxurious travel remains as one of the treasured memories of life. In order to enjoy comfortable travel you must have an efficient plan. A blissful trip takes you to a new world where you can have fun and enjoyment. Travelling gives a new experience where you can meet different people, know about their culture, food habits, tradition and can explode beyond the horizons. When you travel to new place you can taste different popular foods in those places by this way you can have self-experience rather than listening and reading about those places .There are several tips to experience luxurious travel such as:

Research: Firstly, decide your travel destination. Then start researching about the famous places to be visited at those locations. Shop intelligently to get the best packages. Most of the sites like Jetsetter, Tripalertz, kayak etc., offer total travel packages. Compare the travel deals from different agents and opt for the best one that suits your budget.

Budget: Prepare a travel budget and make sure that you include all the travel costs such as accommodations, ticket fares, shopping expenses etc. By this you can organise your plan in an efficient manner which helps to reduce the total travel cost.

Planning: Planning is important as it reflects the quality of the trip; if you do not plan well then you cannot enjoy your trip. After choosing the particular destination, decide for the mode of transportation. Book tickets early which reduces the travel costs. Collect all the necessary information about that location. With early bookings you can enjoy many facilities such as good deals, watching shows, fine dining in five star hotels.

Plan off-season: In order to enjoy worry free luxurious travel plan the trip during off seasons. There are many benefits like:

• You can have the best travel experience as there will be limited crowd.
• Can save your money by getting cheaper packages.
• Can take the advantage of various options like selecting the desired hotels, seats etc.
• You will have wide choices of participating in different games and sports.

Accommodations: Know the popular restaurants in those regions through travel guides, magazines or websites. Choose the best hotel that provides luxurious facilities. Go through their amenities and customer reviews. Make sure that they offer the following services:

• Intramural dines
• 24 hours facilities
• Swimming pool
• Laundry facility
• Fitness rooms
• Wi-fi access
• TV’s and snacks.

Travel insurance: It is must have this policy to face all the unexpected situations during the journey. As you can’t predict these circumstances having this policy beforehand gives you peace of mind. It covers the cost of

• Medical expenses
• Flight delays or interruptions
• Belongings loss
• Liabilities
• Accidents costs

Pack all the requirements: Make sure that you pack all the necessary items to avoid difficulties while travelling. For example if you travel with family, pack all the essential food items for children. If you’re under particular treatment pack all your medicines to evade all the risks. Know about the weather conditions and pack the right clothes.

Travel advice: Take advice from friends or relatives who have already visited the places. Taking advice from travel agents can also be helpful as they can guide you to enjoy the trip without any hurdles. By this you can have the best travel experience than ever.

About the Author:

crazy-payday.co.uk offers easiest and fastest same day cash loans for people who require fast cash for any purpose. My name is Michelle. I am a tech writer from UK. I am into Finance. Catch me @financeport

Expats Education

My cousin has been in the military for 10 years now, and in that time has traveled quite extensively.  He has said time and time again that he would consider going back to school, but with a wife and rambunctious three year in tow, it appears he's going to be a lifer in the military.  His wife, on the other hand, has taken advantage of pursuing her education.  Utilizing his benefits, she has continued her education despite being uprooted from Germany to the United States in the last year in a half.  She's almost finished her Bachelor's degree, and plans to pursue a Master's as well. All the while, not knowing where they will be sent off next.

As I talked to her, a few thoughts came to mind about opportunities for Americans who have considered pursuing their education outside of the United States beyond the semester or year long study abroad experience.  I looked into a few schools that many Americans have attended that gave them an opportunity to live in a foreign country.  These schools are not listed in any particular order, and are not a full list of the educational opportunities one can attend.  Some are associated with American schools.  Most have classes taught in English.  In a future post I would like to highlight Black Americans who have attended or currently attending a college abroad in pursuit of higher education, either at undergraduate or graduate level.

#1 Parsons Paris

#2 Le Cordon Bleu Paris

#3 Hult International Business School

#4 John Cabot University

#5 Webster University- Worldwide Campuses

#6 Richmond, The American International University in London

#7 American InterContinental University London

#8 Girne American University- Turkey

#9 King's College London

#10 Trinity College Dublin

#11 McGill University Montreal

#12 University of St. Andrews Scotland

#13 Peking University China

#14 University of Waikato New Zealand

#15 Jacobs University Germany

Do you know of a college or university abroad that is actively recruiting Americans? More specifically, Black Americans?  Are you a Black American who have attended college abroad and would like to be highlighted in a future post.  Please contact us at weconnectedprod@gmail.com and share your Take A Leap story.

Take A Leap Logo

We officially have a Take A Leap logo. We want to personally thank former magazine Art Director Errol Alger and Graphic Designer Allen Johnson for collaborating on the logo. We will be using it as much as we can to market the Take A Leap Webseries.

We have until September 1st to raise $5,500. We recently added a new perk of 2 XL Black Girls Travel T-shirts for a donation of $50, plus the $20 donation level perks.

www.indiegogo.com/takealeap

Rhonda W.

Guest Post: Top 5 Common Excuses (Black) Americans Make for Not Travelling

This post is from guest blogger- Terra Robinson, a black chick In Europe. She has her MA in International Relations and a BA in Journalism. She currently live in Brussels, Belgium (aka the land of frites, chocolate and waffles) after going to school in London and living/learning French/working in Toulouse, France. 

Photo by Terra Robinson; Great Wall of China- Beijing, China

Below are the top five reasons I hear from fellow black Americans for not travelling abroad:

1. It’s Too Expensive! Travelling doesn’t have to be expensive if you know how to shop around. If you can avoid it, don’t go during the high season. Summer trips to Europe are ALWAYS expensive. Airfare, hotels, etc. all go up, plus it’s crowded to boot. Look at fares in the spring and fall. The weather is still nice and the prices are much lower. Or if you don’t mind the cold, winter fares (with the exception of Christmas/New Year) to much of Europe are rock bottom. Also, don't be afraid of travelling a bit off the beaten path. Central and Eastern Europe tend to be cheaper than Western Europe but still just as impressive in terms of things to see and activities to do.

Plus, you don’t have to limit your travels to Europe. Many Asian countries (with the obvious exception of Japan) are still much easier on the old American wallet than European countries, as are African and South/Central American countries.

For you young/solo travellers, staying in hostels can save you a ton of money, as can cooking dinner in your hostel/rented apartment and eating out at lunch time (when you can often get the same food much cheaper at restaurants) to get a taste for the local cuisine. And of course, use the Internet to compare prices and get the best deals.

2. Folks in Country X Are Racist! Please, there are racist folks in America and yet you still live there. That shouldn’t keep you from travelling. There are racist folks everywhere. Acknowledge it, deal with it and get exploring! Some of the countries I’ve been to have a reputation for being racist towards black folks (Germany, France, Spain and Italy just to name a few), but I haven’t had any racist incidents in those countries yet. I’ve actually found the Germans that I’ve met in my travels to be quite kind and helpful. I will admit that in some countries (*cough*France/Spain/Italy*

cough) black Americans are sometimes treated better than the native black population/African immigrants. Totally not fair I know. But still something to be aware of.

3. There Aren’t Any Black Folks in Country Y! There are always black folks. Always. I don’t care what country you go to, there will be black folks. You might not see them because there very well may only be two in the entire country, but they’re there. Besides there’s more than just black folks in the world. Go forth, travel and interact with some of our more melanin-challenged brethren. You might actually enjoy it or learn a few things. I know I have. Like when I learned the Romanian word for a black person after wandering by a school with kids playing outside in a town in which I'm pretty sure no black person had ever been through either before or since. Cute kids. Nice townfolks. Pretty sure I’m the first and only black person they have ever met...and to this day they probably still think I’m African, despite me repeating “Sunt American (I’m American!)!” over and over again.

4. I Don’t Speak the Language! This should never be a reason not to travel. And I won’t use the old line that “everyone speaks English anyway” because I can tell you from experience that it’s not true. In order to travel to a country that doesn’t have English as an official language, all you have to do is head to your local library and do a little research. Most libraries have travel books that include useful travel phrases in the back. You don’t need to be fluent, but learning some key phrases like “Where is...?”, “How much is...?”, “Do you have...?”, “Please”, “Thank you”, and “Excuse me” really do come in handy. Especially in France. Make an attempt to speak their language and the Frenchies (outside of Paris) will love you forever. Even if you butcher it like I do.

5. Why Would I Want to Leave America? OK yes, America is a pretty awesome country. But it’s not the only awesome country in the world. Just think about all of the things we study while going to school. We read about the wonder that is the Great Wall of China. I can tell you from experience, it’s even more awesome hiking it. We read about the Vietnam War...which became even more real for me as I took a river cruise down the Mekong, the same Mekong my father (a Vietnam vet) waded through with is gun over is head while praying that no snakes would decide to make him dinner. Travelling makes all those (often boring) history lessons more tangible, more alive.

And as much as I love Southern food, Tex Mex and other regional variations of typical American cuisine, the food lover in me also loves trying the local cuisine of whatever country I happen to be in. I did, however, draw the line at trying the fried scorpion in Hong Kong. I would have been more willing to try it had the thing not still been alive...and moving on its stick.

Granted, many of the above are reasons given by Americans in general, with the exception of #2 and #3. I think those two are very specific to black Americans and other minorities.

Now it's your turn! What are the top 5 reasons y’all hear from fellow black folks/minorities for not travelling?

Follow Terra's blog at http://americanblackchickinlondon.blogspot.com