Wednesday, February 25, 2015

The World from your Couch

These days, a TV is a regular staple of our homes. In fact, the average American home has at least 2 TVs, and the average American watching a whopping 5 hours of television each day (which, when considering that most of us work at least 8 hours per day, is a bit ridiculous - it's like watching tv is our part time job on the side!)!

So this means that you have most likely stumbled upon a show that had travel at it's core - maybe The Amazing Race or Bizarre Foods or Rick Steve's Europe. Perhaps you caught a documentary, or a fictionalized movie that got your mind blurring what is real and not real.

Either way, there's one truth - television can help to make the world seem a lot smaller.

However, that comes with a catch - when you watch these shows, you may see many fascinating places, but you aren't really getting the full experience. For example, you can always watch one of my travel videos (like the one below from my visit to Furnas, in Sao Miguel in the Azores), but you won't be able to experience the smoke burning your eyes or have the stench of sulfur choke you while you bravely try to pretend like it's not so bad.


True, that may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think you understand what I am illustrating - there is often no substitute for getting out and experiencing the world yourself. You may discover that the world is actually a big place filled with fascinating people and extraordinary phenomena, some of which may not be around much longer with the way the climate has been changing.

My challenge to you is to try to get in at least one international trip in your lifetime. It can be something relatively simple - such as a cruise down to the Bahamas where you can try conch fritters for the first time while enjoying island music - or something relatively complicated - like a trip around Europe via rail and car. You can do this with a travel agent (my completely biased first pick for you lol) or maybe turn in your credit card points or book something yourself.

The world really is bigger when you go out and see it firsthand - it's much more fun than settling in for a night on the couch!

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Upcoming Show Schedule for 2015 - Come Meet Jess!

Who's that girl? It's Jess! :) Ok, seriously though, have you ever wanted to put a face to the name and meet the owner of Operation Relax? Well, you have several chances to see Jess in person all over Nebraska in 2015!

Operation Relax is proud to be participating in many great shows and events throughout the area this year, providing free travel brochures while selling our travel accessory products (currently HipKlips and Mighty Wallets). Even if you don't want to buy a product, feel free to stop in for a free travel brochure or to talk travel with Jess at any of these shows.

You can also find a continuously updating list on our website: www.operationrelax.com/vacationshop.html . We update the list every two weeks or so with new additions or changes to our schedule.

Hope to see you there!

Show Schedule 2015 (as of 2-4-15): 
- Feb 15  Norfolk Bridal & Prom Extravaganza, Norfolk, NE
- Feb 20-22  Abate Bike Show, Lincoln, NE
- Mar 1  Lincoln Pius X Spring Fling, Lincoln, NE
- Mar 15  Omaha Bridal Showcase, Omaha, NE
- Mar 20-22  Husker Lawn & Leisure Show, Lincoln, NE
- Mar 29  Nebraska Bridal Show, York, NE
- Apr 3-4  Mother of All Garage Sales, Lincoln, NE
- Apr 11  St Wenceslaus Spring Bowtique, Omaha, NE
- Apr 25  West O Spring Boutique, Omaha, NE
- May 8-10  ConStellation 6, Lincoln, NE
- May 16  Woofstock, North Platte, NE
- May 29-31  O! Comic Con, Omaha, NE
- June 12-14  Wizard World, Des Moines, IA
- July 4  Seward 4th of July Celebration, Seward, NE
- July 10-12  John C Fremont Days, Fremont, NE
- Aug 28-Sept 7  Nebraska State Fair, Grand Island, NE
- Sept 18-20 AppleJack Festival, Nebraska City, NE
- Sept 26  Bryan High School Fall Craft Show, Bellevue, NE
- Oct 3  Harvest Arts & Crafts Boutique, Gretna, NE
- Oct 24  St Wenceslaus Fall Bowtique, Omaha, NE
- Nov 6-8  Anime NebrasKon, Omaha, NE
- Nov 21-22  Norfolk Yuletide Market, Norfolk, NE