Best of the Rest (Weekly Links Ending 10/02/11)

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Happy October fellow travelers!  This month is HUGE for Tony and I. Tony’s last day of work is October 21st and I will be wrapping up my consulting project on the 26th.  At the end of the month, we will also be moving out of Miami and road tripping all the way up to Boston to live with our family for the holidays before our RTW adventure begins on January 1st.  Insanity.  This month will be crazy busy but all of our efforts in October will be worth it, as they will get us that much closer to our year abroad!

During this crazy month, we will be sure to take some time away from our hectic to-do list to follow our favorite travel bloggers to help us get even more pumped to begin our journey.  Here were this weeks favorites:

• I spotted this article on all things chocolate in Europe at my desk at 4:00 on Tuesday when I was STARVING.  Complete with pictures and videos. Cruelty.
• Speaking of food cruelty, this article from Akila and Patrick is a collection of their most memorable meals on the road for the past 2 years.  What a great post!  Warning: DO NOT read this on an empty stomach.
• I thought this post on fear as a motivator was spot on. It sends a great message to readers that it’s good to be scared of something because it means you are pushing our boundaries and going outside your comfort zone. I bet EVERY RTW traveler was initially scared to take the leap of uprooting his or her life to travel the world… but how many of these people regret their decision?
• What is your idea of the American Dream? Graduating from a prestigious business school in Boston, I thought that the American Dream meant finding a high paying job, buying a big fancy house, getting married to a handsome, successful man, having 2.5 kids and a dog.  Halfway to getting all these things (high paying job: check, awesome husband: check), I realized that I didn’t want all of this (except the husband obviously). As a result, I decided to say “screw it” to the stereotypical American Dream and now plan to live life how I truly want to… Which, for me, means giving it all up to travel the world with my best friend (Tony)!
• This story might be more traumatizing than your rare shark attacks at the beach… Oy!! This is ruining Brazil for me!
• I am a fat kid at heart and, therefore, a total sucker for food articles.  I am also a total sucker for carbs and shellfish.  So, naturally, reading about Jill’s encounter with Peruvian seafood in Lima was a mouth watering experience for me.  How amazing does mashed potatoes stuffed with crab meat sound?
• When reading Jane’s article on the 5 best places to travel in the Southern Hemisphere in 2011/2012, I realized that 4 out of 5 of these places are on our RTW list for next year… I’m so glad Tony and I are ahead of the game on travel awesomeness. So PUMPED for next year!
• You gotta love all the travel destination lists this week.  This one from As We Travel lists out the 4 European Cities worth Visiting More Than Once. Between me and Tony, we have been to all of them and would be more than willing to pay them a second visit. However, for next year, I really want to experience some great new places this continent has to offer.  Any suggestions on other must-see cities in Europe?
• As I mentioned earlier, we are road tripping all the way from Miami to Boston at the end of October. In November, we are also driving up the Pacific Coast from San Fran to Seattle – EPIC road trips ahead. This article provided us with some great tips on how to make these road trips even more awesomesauce!
• Both Tony and I have never been to Prague and have heard great things about it from our friends. Hopefully, we will be able to visit this city next year. After reading Heather’s article on Prague, I am sure it will not disappoint!
• I studied abroad in Barcelona in 2005 and lived right in Plaça de Catalunya.  What a migical city.  This photo essay of Barcelona at Night made me so nostalgic!