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Girl Gone Travel

Girl Gone Travel

Travel
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April 1, 2013

Do what you love.

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The video below has been circulating around the Internet for some time now. I saw it a few months ago, but saw it again just recently when a friend saw it and thought of me – something which I have to say flattered me deeply.

And this is because I believe in this message wholeheartedly. I have blogged about it often, I live each day by the mantra that money is not the answer to happiness, and that we should resolve to live a life that makes us happy, as a opposed to a life that can afford us the things that we think will eventually bring us happiness.

For the record, I know what the fear of “other” is. I know poverty very well. I also know wealth and lived at both ends of the spectrum in various stages of my life. The difference, as I recall it, is that poverty spared us so much more than money ever could. The simplicity in things provided us with a sense of freedom I never saw in my father, or in our life, when money dominated our existence. It’s a strange phenomenon, but it’s true.

Of course, I work. My husband works. Our children go to school, as we once did, with the hope that one day they will find a place, a way to sustain themselves with whatever tools education has provided them. But we have eventually learned, and I hope with enough years left before us, that so many of the things we held as a means to our overall self-fulfillment, never really brought us any closer to it. It turns out, that when we decided to let things go – like a “traditional” job, or the need to own so much – a house, a nice car – we stepped further away from what society dictated was the American Dream, but closer to what we saw as Our Dream. So we set out to live a life where we would need money less to have the freedom to do more.

We live in a world where what you do, who you know, where you live, what you drive, what you wear, defines so much of who you are. By not following the standards, we leave a lot of people wondering, guessing, judging. Our children will most likely feel the pressure to fit it, to not be so difficult to define, to belong.

Our hope is that in the end, they will find their courage and their path, the one we work so hard to show them, and pursue their joy in a way that not only doesn’t fit the mold, but breaks it. The way I see it, travel gives them the courage and insight they need to be different, be free, and be happy.girlgonetravel

As I tell me children often, “Be careful with your ambitions. If they are too small, or too big, you risk living a life unfulfilled. Be kind, be strong, be brave, but most of all always aim to find the middle ground so that you can also be happy.” Of all my dreams, that they live a life of joy, as I am living mine, is my greatest desire.

What do you desire?

Tragedy and Hope – What if money did not matter? – Narrated by Alan Watts

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Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, whether close to home or farther away. She is a small business owner and travel writer. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and Principal of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of NY.

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About me

Hi! I'm Carol! I am an award-winning travel blogger, a keynote speaker, and the Principal and owner of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. I a wife to a handsome Irish/Scot and a mom to 3 sons. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading and for your support!

Carol Cain

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  • caincarol@gmail.com

Follow @girlgonetravel

Sometimes it’s like I never left. #newyork Sometimes it’s like I never left. 

#newyork
SHOUT OUT to our oldest, @davidacain_, who carries SHOUT OUT to our oldest, @davidacain_, who carries with him the entrepreneurial spirit he’s inherited from his parents. 

While successfully working in supply chain management for a global corporation based in NYC, he continues to manage and operate his own product, @getcalma, a comforting heated eye mask that is currently on the Amazon top seller list for two years in a row and has a growing consumer following! 

We are so incredibly proud of David and his growing success as an entrepreneur and in his career, and know the future will continue to be bright for him!

To learn more about Calma and make a purchase, visit his website at GetCalma.com. 

#proudmomma #getcalma #entreprenuer #smallbusiness
The time has come to move on from my role as a bar The time has come to move on from my role as a barista at @the_garage_at_rye and towards my next adventure. 

I started this journey with a curiosity for a craft I admired and wanted to learn more about. It turned into a job. Then a serious passion. And now here I am, launching Café Cómodo (KOH-moh-doh), which means “Comfortable/cozy” in Spanish, a pop-up café serving espresso and seasonal drinks at local farmers markets and private events! (@cafecomodony)

Starting yet another business was never my intent…and yet, I fell further in love with the craft, the industry, and the culture.

I owe so much of what I have learned to @seschieber, who took me under her wings and taught me so much (and still does) and who embraced my nerdiness and eagerness with patience and kindness….and in the process became one of my dearest friends. Working alongside her has felt like winning the golden ticket. She further instilled in me a respect for the craft, the industry, and a commitment to always strive for a quality product, even in a world of Dunkins and Starbucks. 

Grateful for @abbdawes, @hannahmariee93, and Amanda who tolerated my clumsiness at the start while I fumbled my way through the register and the various drink recipes!

I wasn’t sure where this journey would lead, and as I look back at these clips I realize how much I have changed in the process. It’s not always a place that impacts you, but rather the people in it.

I will miss the regulars I’ve gotten to know whose names and drink orders I memorized and who I looked forward to serving. 

I’m so grateful for everything I learned, beyond just making coffee, because I know it will help me to further grow as a leader, an entrepreneur, and a team member wherever I go and in everything I do next.

I won’t miss the dark morning wake ups and long drives before sunrise though! 

I’m proudest of myself for wanting to develop a new skill and ✨DOING IT✨ even when it felt awkward, nerving, and impossible. I hope you will follow me on this next chapter and come say hi at the market (and hire me for your next event)!

Thank you to Charlie Hunter, owner of The Garage for this opportunity.

#coffee #cafe #popupcafe
Recently took a moment to slow down and enjoy the Recently took a moment to slow down and enjoy the sounds of this beautiful place I call home. 

#fingerlakes #newyork #upstateny
Barista training = Trial by fire. 🔥 This is the Barista training = Trial by fire. 🔥 This is the way. 

@shellyk_025

#baristalife #barista #coffeeislife
Woke up feeling rested after going, going, going f Woke up feeling rested after going, going, going for over a week…and grateful for the privilege that is living in such a beautiful region. There are so many points of access for relaxation and stillness here, including right outside my door. So before delving into the work day, I took a peaceful walk, stopped for brekkie (thanks, @ellasacreshomestead), and continued the day refreshed.

If 10 years ago…or even 5 years ago…you had told THIS Brooklyn girl that she would find joy living full time in rural NY, I would’ve laughed in your face. And while NYC will always be home and #1 in my heart, as I live through my 3rd year here, I have to say…yeah. I get it. 

#fingerlakes #newyork #citygirlinthecountry

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