T minus 2 days....

Ooooff!! Two weeks without posting an entry… dangerous. I leave in three days, with a wedding in between…. rush!

I can’t even say ‘where has May gone’ because I know…. it went with two weddings, two birthdays, a baby shower, a christening, a graduation, two trips to Rochester, fourteen business meetings, five evenings classes, a writing group critique where I laughed so hard I cried (thanks ladies!), a camping trip to Ohio, a case of wine and five extra pounds on my belly…. with all my running, even I would like to know how THAT happened!!

I now have two websites - www.honeyteer.com and www.wovenjourneys.com My first ever proposals went out to my first ever clients (they chose Guatemala) and I am leaving for my Central American journey in just three days. I have business cards, an itinerary, a new biz plan (yes, I will now be doing group trips in addition to individual trips – thanks John!), a new web domain www.volunteer-vacations.com (thanks Ben!!), the promise of two articles on my project, an iPod full of great music (thanks Steph!) and an itinerary. Phew!!

So what’s my plan and how do I feel?? Well, part one is easy. I got lucky. You all know I volunteer with Habitat and last spring, for my birthday, I led a build to the Dominican Republic. My Habitat contact was a woman named Stephanie who was great to work with. We only spoke once or twice, never met, but swapped e-mails for about six months planning the trip. Just by chance she is now working for Habitat in the San Jose, Costa Rica office. We kept in touch and, when I told her I would be in the area, she invited me to stay. How awesome is that??

So here’s the outline of the trip…

• Fly to San Jose, 3 nights with Stephanie
• Fly to Puerto Jimenez – southern Cost Rica and a little off the tourist track, but lots of great eco-lodges and volunteer opportunities
• Wing it – make my way by bus to the northern part of the country and hoping that my friend Katinka will be able to join me for part of the adventure
• 4 or 5 days in Nicaragua. My friend Amy, who I met in Buenos Aires 4 years ago, raves about Leon and Granada. There’s also supposed to be some great beaches there.
• Honduras – okay, so my friend Juan from Panama warned me about El Salvador and Honduras. I’m not spending too much time here, just a night in Tegucigalpa and then a day or two in Copan. (I also figure El Salvador and Honduras can’t be too bad because Habitat still sends team there and they wouldn’t risk their reputation if they weren’t safe. I visited El Salvador in 07 and didn’t haven any problems outside rogue caterpillars and suicide showers.)
• Guatemala. Mmmmmm Guatemala!!! I LURRRRVE Guate!! So Buenos Aires Amy, who gave me excellent pointers on South American destinations when we were there, told me about a secret little island off the Pacific Coast… oh wow!!! I visited the website and it’s just lovely!! Will visit there for sure and then tour around Guate some more, visiting charities and checking on the itinerary for my clients. Will hit the best market in Chichi before the real fun….
• July1- my best friend Stephanie and five other friends will meet me in Guatemala City. We’ll have a pre-party before our Habitat build on July 4-12. After we’ll tour more of Guatemala before making our way to…
• Belize!! We’ve got a 5 bedroom waterfront house rented on an island, Ambergris Caye, off the coast…. Oh wow, just writing that makes me squirm in excitement!!
• I’ll spend a few extra days in Belize after they leave and will fly home on July 23…. I think my friend Christy is already planning my welcome home party. Gotta love her!! Xoxo
  
  So how do I feel??? I’m relieved to have a friendly place to go and start my adventure with Stephanie - that’s a huge relief. I’m also nervous. Why? Because I’ll be visiting hotels and charities tying to sell them on my idea and partnering with me. Yes, I have good thing to offer, but it’s a different culture and who wants to faux pas??
  
  Also, the language. To train myself I try and translate my thoughts into Spanish, but in the six hour car ride from Rochester to Norwalk this week I failed… miserably. What if I show up and can’t communicate? What if they think I’m a nut job? What if they think I’m just another tourista not worth their time of day? What if I get too shy and self conscious and give up too easily? Why if my social anxieties rear themselves at the most inopportune moment??
  
  Failure is not an option.
  
  Tomorrow morning marks my last day of internet access at home…. My next update will be from Costa Rica and I promise to bold every few days or as frequently as I can access an internet café! Hasta la vista!!
  
  P.S. Thanks to all you lovely people who came out for my leaving do tonight!!

I now pronounce you Woven Journeys...

No. I do not sell low maintenance hair extensions perfect for travelling or long days at the beach. No, my trips are not just for women and no you will not find yourself sitting at a loom or any other textile producing machinery while on a trip that I have designed. Maybe Travel Weave is a little confusing….

Woven Journeys – sounds a little serious and intense, but expands beyond a name to encompass a concept. Weaving volunteer service with travel and fun. Get it? There’s lots of unique elements that go into the design of my trips that make it original… and I’m selling that originality. It’s my personal travel experience combined with hands-on cultural emersion and fun.

I also like the parallel of weaving. It’s symbolic. My trips take people to developing countries where weaving is still a common aspect of the culture. The materials they use; alpaca in the Andes, yaks in the Himalayas, grasses in the Caribbean, plus the patterns, plus the products the dyes are made from are native to their area. Even the materials their looms and tools are constructed out of are local and unique – just like the experiences I design.

Okay, maybe it’s too deep, too abstract, too foreign, but it’s me and I like it. Done!

Scene from Caffeine, Part II

I finish my brownie… chocolate always makes me feel better. Sometimes I’m still like a little kid. If I fall and scrape my knee, buy me an ice cream cone and the world will be sunny again. (Even sunnier if you actually put some ice cream in the cone.)

I sit up a little and start bouncing names around with Federico. He’s great at helping me with this stuff and I never feel like I’m being a burden to him. I often feel like I am being a burden when I ask for help, so that’s a big credit to Fed.

Names start flying and we check the domain availability for each. Most are taken, forcing us to get more and more abstract, like Planet Bond, as in uniting the world. I veto it on the grounds that it sounds too much like an action hero. The name’s Bond, Planet Bond. Nope, you don’t get Ursula Andress appearing out of the water of your developing world destination if you book a trip through me, Sir.

I’m hoping for a feel of organic, earthy boutique. For the name and the website and the everything; a bit of class, a bit of nature and lots of personal touches. (Just not Ursula type touches- don’t get confused.)

So we start brainstorming nature feeling names; earth reach, sun bridge, etc. Federico’s phone rings, and I tune out as he switches to Spanish and consults with a Colombian co-worker. Mindlessly, I scan the crumbs on my plate, the wood floor, and the tapestry hanging on the exposed brick wall. I see an image of the Earth in my mind and picture a long line extending from the US down to South America. The line curves and gains texture like a rope. It wraps around one person, then another, and another connecting them. It becomes a piece of colorful yarn, then a hank of yarn and then switches to a string. But it’s not a singular line connecting them, I think. It’s a series of strings uniting them. Strings woven together.
“Weave!” I say, okay I’m a loud speaker anyway, so I probably shout it.
Federico, mid conversation, stops and looks at me. His eyes pop, “Weeeeeeeeave!”
Travel Weave.
The domain is free.
Travel Weave.
Weaving culture, fun and volunteer service.

I am exhausted. I am up at 9 and working until 1am, sometimes 2 or 3. I have learnt more about SEOs, web marketing, professional liability, business lines of credit, cash flow projections and organic ink in the past week than I thought I could. It’s all interesting (relatively) and necessary, but ugh, I’ll be glad when it’s sorted.

I did have two exciting moments last week….

1. I bought my tickets – I fly into San Jose, Costa Rica on June 1 and fly home from Belize City, Belize on July 23. My itinerary is starting to take shape too and I can’t wait!

2. I talked to my clients… I had the official consultation with Michelle and Rick. Up until then it had been a series of e-mails swapping preferences and ideas. I led them through my questionnaire and it felt great, on two levels.
For one, my AmeriCorps team is family and Michele was one I was closest to. Despite it being ten years ago I still hold that bond, so being able to help her plan her honeymoon is a privilege. For her to trust me and put something that means so much in my hands is an honor.
For two, they asked questions, described what they wanted and I had the answers. Tropical locale, volcanoes, unique architecture, beaches, mountains, hotels with character, hiking, an eco-mind set – it might sound like a lot, but I know that place. I knew it in an instant. I know it because I’ve been there. It was a tremendous confidence boost, not only because I knew it, not only because I realized I was on the right track, but because I could help. Because I could plan an amazing honeyteer for an amazing friend.

AND.... I also canceled my cable last week – oddly liberating to be without a TV!!!

Scene from Caffeine, Part I

I am slumped on a sofa in the back corner of the local coffee shop. It’s a drizzly May afternoon and the weather has turned my hair into a wiry bird's nest.

I am dejected. I have broken up with the ‘Goldens’ and still need a name. I have learnt ‘honeyteer’ can’t be trademarked and that the website I envisioned will take thousands of dollars and weeks to create.

My friend Federico sits next to me trying to convince me to use a social networking site as a platform for my website. He has some good points, but I am not convinced. I love Federico. Federico is a cutting edge visionary. His creativity and conversation are boundless. I am more conservative. I do not own an ipod, though I did stop making mix tapes last year. I do not own a computer.

Federico teases me about my mood – he's never seen me vulnerable.
“I can NOT fail, Federico. I just CAN NOT fail.” There’s raw emotion emanating from somewhere inside that I haven’t discovered. I feel tears burning behind my eyes, just for a moment, and it becomes clear how poignant and true those words are. Even I am caught off guard by the intensity. Failure feels catastrophic.

Federico assures me of success and I eat the chocolate chip brownie that was supposed to be saved for dinner time dessert. If nothing else, chocolate and carbs make me happy….

Single Again

The wedding didn’t happen. 31 of you wonderful people came out and voted in the polls and another 41 wrote back politely telling me I was out of my head.

My favourite response came from Amy P (who’s actually Amy P-T nowadays, she married that James Taylor who’s not the James Taylor… see what driving a giant purple and yellow car can do for a guy?)

Amy says:
You know when a friend introduces you to someone they are excited about? "He's PER-FECT" she squeals, "we're moving in together!" And all you can think is, "don't get rid of the moving boxes too quickly." But you'd never say it out loud because she lovvvvves him. And how could you break her heart?I hate to share my initial thought, but you're asking.I see "Golden" and I think "the golden years" aka for the older folks.

Yep, point taken, thank you for saving me from divorce. Thank you for participating, thank you for humouring me, that you for so diplomatically redirecting my crackhead idea. Feeling a little foolish I got so excited, but that’s what I need all of you for – saving me!

So for now it’s back to the dating pool on the company name front, although I think I might have a plan….

Wedding Bells are Ringing...

I think I may have met The One last night…. It was love at first sound. We cuddled through the night and come morning I wanted it to stay.

We are not married yet, but I am definitely engaged. We’ll court through the weekend and shares vows of commitment at sundown on Sunday.

This morning I met the family and discovered a set of triplets to choose from, though I need only one name.

Here are my options, please cast your vote below – I really, really, really need your thoughts and welcome any comments!!

Golden ~ I’m in love with the family and prefix! Golden embodies a duality. It reflects the special occasions: weddings, anniversaries, and other events my clients are celebrating. Golden also represents the value of the volunteer actions and good deeds being contributed.

Golden Works ~ my initial love.
Pros: Easy to understand, simple, concise
Cons: Works can be associated with factories and utility companies (??)

Golden Turns ~ I like the originality of ‘Turns’ and again it has multiple meanings:
1. change of course or direction, as in changing lives
2. doing someone a good turn, as in a favour
3. opportunity, as in the once in a lifetime experience my trips offer
Cons: Can be hard to understand when speaking, easily confused with ‘terms’ or ‘tours’. Could lose word of mouth business.

Golden Hands ~ I like it, again it’s simple, easy, concise. Not really any cons to it, other than it feels a little cutesy to me… and I’m not really the cutesy type!

So go scroll to the bottom of this page and vote!! ...or if you have suggestions of other words to put after Golden, leave me a comment.

Otherwise the wedding ceremony will be at 6 o’clock on Sunday, all readers welcome to attend. Honeyteer to follow… :)

Just to recap, here is the business overview:
To be the premier online source of customized honeyteer and volunteer vacations allowing people to celebrate their special occasions by contributing to the improvement of people and communities in need around the world. Experiences blend volunteer service, cultural explorations, and traditional R&R to meet the customer’s preferences.

(That no-name travel place) is committed to responsible tourism and environmentally friendly operations. We seek like-minded vendors and organizations as business partners.

That which we call a rose....

I feel like a blindfolded cow in a closet full of web marketing professionals. (I’ll come back to this in a sec.) The learning curve ahead of me is steep. I know that. I feel that. Among everything else I need to find a name for my business. I’ve polled family, friends and everyone else. I’ve gotten some good suggestions. Ones I’ve winked at, flirted with, taken to my birthday party and even spent the night with, but sadly, ultimately, we had to breakup.

I like the roots of some offerings and the prefixes of others: ‘share’, ‘works’ and ‘good’ are all solid and easy to spell, even if they lack pizzazz. I really liked Mixed Greens, until everyone said they’d be looking for me in the produce aisle.

A lot of people have suggested using ‘green’, but out of the salad context, isn’t it really the latest in a long line of a buzzwords? Choose it and it’s like putting a time stamp on a photo. I don’t want to be that girl walking around town wearing a sateen jacket, leg warmers and a side ponytail in 2020.

Ironically, as someone who likes to write, I rarely struggle to find a decent title for my work– they just pop right into my head. I got the slogan without a conscious thought, 'Volunteer Vacations for Special Occasions', and was hoping for the same result with an instant perfect name. Nope, this is a lot more complicated than titling an essay. Not only are there certain criteria that branding experts tell me I should follow, there’s also the game of web marketing….

First up, the experts dictate these Rules:
1. 2 or 3 syllables, definitely no more than 4
2. Catchy, easy to remember
3. Capture the essence of the business
4. Can grow with the company, not too defining
5. Has personality (okay, I made that one up… but it would be nice.)

Now let’s mix in the Internet effect. For example, I like the name Good Works. We’ve dated, separated and are now back on speaking terms. It meets the criteria above, but guess what? It’s married! Somebody already owns goodworks.com and goodworkstravel.com was nabbed by some flighty travel agent out in Iowa! Disheartening. I guess I could use ‘.net’ or ‘.biz’ but it always feels second-rate when I’m stumble on those sites. Sooooo…. try again.

I’m also learning the value of buying a pre-existing web domain, but this is where I don the aforementioned cow suit. The workings are complicated and boring, but buying a pre-existing name means I’ll pop up higher in search results = greater visibility, more traffic, better potential for business. Starting out with a new name could take six months to a year, plus lots of effort to achieve the same effect. Think about it – how many times do you ever get past page two when you Google something? How many times do you even get to page two??

My head is spinning with all this, but what it means is the name of my company could be dictated more by domain availability and web ranking/optimization than by me picking a pretty name out of the air – I guess if I want to do that I should buy a goldfish.

So, how do I know all this? Well, I haven't really touched on how lucky I’ve been with contacts and connections- that’s a whole other blog entry. I will say I’ve had some great advice from a couple friends and then there’s the son of a friend of mine who lives in California. He been a really great help, but even so, with all I’ve learnt, I still feel like a blindfolded cow.

I learned from Ben, my new friend in California, that the cost of web domains can vary from $200 to $25,000+. Microsoft paid $1 million for iphone.com a month before it launched the product. Although goodworks.com and goodlinks.com, another married favourite, are both ‘taken’ neither is actually a working site. Ben kindly did some research for me and suggested ‘goodworks’ would be worth around $500 and ‘goodlinks’ wasn’t worth a dime.

I take what he says and think ‘buyers market’. Then send an-email to the owner of the ‘goodlinks’ domain asking if he’d sell.

He writes back the next day: “Sure, I’d be open to offers.”

Alright, I think, the domain isn’t worth much. So I put on my blindfold, moo like a head of cattle and reply: “How about $50?”

“I feel it’s worth more,” the owner responds, “try $6,000.”

Ouch. Honeyteer!! (See, you can ad lib it as an expression too.) I think this breakup is the last.

At least he was polite, but I still need a name….