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Stephanie Tolk
Stephanie Tolk

466 Followers

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Published in

The Expat Chronicles

·Dec 22, 2022

Waking Early, Feeling Cold, Skipping Breakfast, and Other Benefits of Travel

A travel tale featuring Egypt and Guatemala — With only a swallow of coffee and juice in our bellies, we trudge downstairs in the dark to the waiting tuk tuk. Across our dirt road, free of street dogs at this hour, rice reaches its straight, chartreuse stalks up to the sky. Donkeys bray in the distance. The driver…

Travel

6 min read

Waking Early, Feeling Cold, Skipping Breakfast, and Other Benefits of Travel
Waking Early, Feeling Cold, Skipping Breakfast, and Other Benefits of Travel
Travel

6 min read


Published in

In Living Color

·Dec 20, 2022

Community, Castles, Coca-Cola, and Crossing Cultures

Part of the A to Z Challenge series featuring the Czech Republic — C is for Community Guide books, blogs, vlogs, and social media posts point you to the same destinations as you plan your trip to the Czech Republic: They suggest similar sites in Prague, a few surrounding castles, a stop at the beer museum in Pilsen, and perhaps the small town of Karlovy Vary. The…

Writing Challenge

4 min read

Community, Castles, Coca-Cola, and Crossing Cultures
Community, Castles, Coca-Cola, and Crossing Cultures
Writing Challenge

4 min read


Published in

Globetrotters

·Dec 18, 2022

One Month Per Country, Minimum

The benefits of very slow travel, featuring Peru — When my family began our worldschooling year, two or three weeks in a country felt luxurious. We researched our destination, choose spots within its borders to visit, booked accommodation for a few nights, and we were off and running. A few months into the journey, though, we lagged. We languished…

Travel

4 min read

One Month Per Country, Minimum
One Month Per Country, Minimum
Travel

4 min read


Published in

Globetrotters

·Dec 11, 2022

A Nester Leaves Home for Christmas

A travel tale featuring Egypt and Guatemala — Mothers feather nests When I was little, my mother was a nester: She created spaces like a mother bird, ensuring my sister and I had the coziest pillows, homemade meals, and warm coats in winter. As an adult, when I returned home for visits, my mother set out slippers and robes in the…

Travel

4 min read

A Nester Leaves Home for Christmas
A Nester Leaves Home for Christmas
Travel

4 min read


Published in

Six Word Photo Story Challenge

·Dec 4, 2022

Above Luxor, Egypt at Sunrise

A new perspective from the air: “December Freestyle” — Waking up at dawn IS better. Waking up before dawn has never been my first choice; in fact, I’ve avoided it at all costs. Yet somehow, in every country I visit, tour operators promote sunrise experiences. Boat trips to spy blue whales off the coast of Sri Lanka depart at dawn. Guided tours to Guatemala’s Mayan…

Travel

1 min read

Above Luxor, Egypt at Sunrise
Above Luxor, Egypt at Sunrise
Travel

1 min read


Published in

In Living Color

·Dec 4, 2022

Beauty, Batik, Boats, Boredom & Boys

Bali and its neighbor, Lombok, show two sides of Indonesia — B is for Beauty The beauty of Bali blows you away. Every morning, you watch women gently carry offerings to the sidewalk, palm-sized square grass baskets filled with fresh flowers, cookies, a handful of rice, sometimes a cigarette, a wrapped candy. They murmur words over a cup of water and sprinkle the water on…

Writing Challenge

4 min read

Beauty, Batik, Boats, Boredom & Boys
Beauty, Batik, Boats, Boredom & Boys
Writing Challenge

4 min read


Published in

Globetrotters

·Nov 27, 2022

Seeing the World Through Younger Eyes

Gratitude for the greatest of travel companions — A few blocks from the central plaza in Cusco, Peru sits the Church of Santo Domingo, one of hundreds of Catholic churches that dot the city. It’s unremarkable in almost all ways. Only the abundance of vendors marks the church as significant. …

Monthly Challenge

5 min read

Seeing the World Through Younger Eyes
Seeing the World Through Younger Eyes
Monthly Challenge

5 min read


Published in

In Living Color

·Nov 22, 2022

Altitude, Ancient, Agriculture, and Art in the Andes

In the path of the Incas in the Sacred Valley of Peru — A is for Altitude You can stay along the coast of Peru, visiting pre-Inca sites along the Pacific or feasting on dishes adorned with flowers in Lima, but of course, you move east. Machu Picchu beckons. And once you do, you immediately hit altitude. The Andes Mountains are second in height only to the…

Writing Challenge

4 min read

Altitude, Ancient, Agriculture, and Art in the Andes
Altitude, Ancient, Agriculture, and Art in the Andes
Writing Challenge

4 min read


Published in

Globetrotters

·Nov 21, 2022

Cultural Immersion: A Soft Term with a Lot Of Muscle

A travel tale featuring Mali, West Africa — I awake in a small village in Mali, West Africa and pull water from the well in my enclosed yard. After carrying it to my roofless outhouse, I pour cups of lukewarm water — the perfect temperature on this hot day — over my hair in the shade of a…

Africa

5 min read

Culture Immersion: A Soft Term with a Lot Of Muscle
Culture Immersion: A Soft Term with a Lot Of Muscle
Africa

5 min read


Published in

SNAPSHOTS

·Nov 16, 2022

Moving Beyond the Tourist Sites as Worldschoolers

A travel tale featuring Italy — My daughter and I wove down cobblestone streets and out a primary gate of Orvieto, Italy, a town that sits atop a plateau of rock high above the plains of Umbria. To reach Orvieto, one must ascend 1,000 feet via elevator, funicular, footpath, or windy road. …

Photography

3 min read

Moving Beyond the Tourist Sites as Worldschoolers
Moving Beyond the Tourist Sites as Worldschoolers
Photography

3 min read

Stephanie Tolk

Stephanie Tolk

466 Followers

Worldschooler | Author | Peace Corps Mali ‘98-’00 | Top Writer: Parenting, Travel | Founder of Deliberate Detour. Deliberatedetour.com

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