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SPRING 2015, THE FIRST ISSUE<br />
<strong>TRAVELHAUS</strong><br />
THE INAUGURAL CONVERSATION<br />
Exploring the fundamentals of<br />
conservation, traveler’s responsibility<br />
and the missing piece: diversity in ecology.<br />
THE AFRICAN DESCENT<br />
Travel vicariously through South<br />
Africa with an amazing photoessay<br />
filled with color and personality.<br />
BASKETBALL JONES<br />
The journey of a basketball player<br />
who produced a documentary on<br />
his experiences overseas.
MOVING PEOPLE.
14<br />
20<br />
5<br />
CONTENTS<br />
FIND IT<br />
BAUBLES, BEADS + BEAUTY<br />
Areeayl’s whimsical designs are handcrafted<br />
one of a kind accessories.<br />
FILM<br />
BASKETBALL JONES: THE OVERSEAS JOURNEY<br />
Former NBA player Bobby Ray Jones, Jr. has<br />
played pro-league basketball in Italy for over<br />
four years. He produced a feature-length<br />
documentary of his journey.<br />
PHOTOESSAY<br />
THE AFRICAN DESCENT<br />
Kwaku Morgan-Arhin descended upon the<br />
cradle of civilization for days of fantastically<br />
colorful adventures with photos to prove.<br />
23<br />
15<br />
12<br />
DESTINATION<br />
OFF THE BEATEN PATH, ITALY<br />
Plan on making no plans. Seize the day!<br />
RESPONSIBILITY<br />
DIVERSITY+ECOLOGY<br />
A call for travelers to become conservators<br />
of our planet by changing the habits that<br />
contribute to Earth’s weakening ecosystem.<br />
MUSIC<br />
THE WORLD THROUGH MUSIC<br />
Zo!, instrumentalist and music producer,<br />
has traveled internationally before, but<br />
his first visit to Africa was unlike anything he<br />
had ever experienced.<br />
Travelhaus Magazine<br />
PO Box 899, New York, NY 10021 | hello@travel.haus<br />
travel.haus<br />
Edition 1, Volume 1 “The First Issue” Spring 2015<br />
Published February 14, 2015<br />
Publisher & Designer: AH Creative<br />
Editor-in-Chief: Victoria Haus<br />
Management: Perri Camper<br />
Photography Credits: Complete list of credits for all images used within this issue, travel.haus/photocredits<br />
Special thanks to the contributors and features of this issue: 2016 Summer Olympics, Kwaku Morgan-Arhin,<br />
Areeayl Goodwin, Bobby Jones, Jr., Lorenzo Ferguson, Perri Camper, Uber, Asos and Fuse TV.<br />
Travelhaus and Travelhaus Magazine pending registered trademarks. ©2015 All rights reserved.<br />
SUBSCRIBE COMPLIMENTARY | TRAVEL.HAUS/MAGAZINE<br />
3
<strong>TRAVELHAUS</strong> TIPS+GUIDES<br />
The Tips+Guides blog on travel.haus, features unique opportunities and insights that<br />
help you plan your next trip. It is common and quickest to fly across the Atlantic to get<br />
into Europe, Africa or beyond. What about sailing We’re exploring transatlantic cruises;<br />
an opportunity to cruise across the Atlantic starting at $400, 11-days and all the fun,<br />
entertainment, leisure and food you desire.<br />
Get details on how to book your cruise | travel.haus/tips<br />
4
THE AFRICAN DESCENT<br />
a photo essay by Kwaku Morgan-Arhin
ROBBEN ISLAND<br />
(TABLE MOUNTAIN BACKGROUND)<br />
CAPE TOWN, SA<br />
STARK-CONDE WINES IN STELLENBOSCH<br />
WESTERN CAPE, SA
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE<br />
THE SOUTHERN MOST TIP OF AFRICA<br />
CAPE TOWN, SA
TRUTH COFFEE & TASTING SHOP<br />
CAPE TOWN, SA<br />
Kwaku Morgan-Arhin is a Business Analyst chasing dreams through<br />
travel and illustrating his journey through the camera lens. Arhin<br />
resides in New Jersey, USA.<br />
See more photos | travel.haus/africandescent<br />
8
TRAVEL HISTORY<br />
RIGHTS + PASSAGE<br />
On travel.haus, we explore the numerous countries traveled by Malcolm X and Dr. Martin<br />
Luther King Jr. and how their journey’s influenced their life’s work. Collectively, they flew<br />
over seven million miles.<br />
Go to travel.haus/travelhistory
TO THE LOVERS OF TRAVEL<br />
EDITOR’S LETTER<br />
It is like my culture, my religion, a love of my life. I’ll<br />
never part from it. The stories I’ve gathered, the<br />
memories I hold and the freedom I have, fills my<br />
life with purpose and richness. Nothing else seems<br />
to compare. I’m sure you understand.<br />
I am committed to this brand, and a marathon of<br />
growth for years to come. The Travelhaus Magazine<br />
team and I have years upon years of experience<br />
I am thrilled to present Travelhaus Magazine to all<br />
the lovers of travel out there. The production of<br />
this magazine is indeed a labor of love, and the<br />
vision for it is to experience the world with and<br />
provide opportunities for multicultural<br />
millennials.<br />
Ten years ago I began my traveler’s journey. After<br />
returning home from an architecture exchange<br />
program in Italy, I made the decision to quit<br />
college, launch my own business and design a life<br />
that was built around seeing the world. Recently,<br />
I connected with a few young exchange students<br />
who were experiencing what I experienced<br />
nearly a decade ago. Their enthusiasm for travel<br />
and life reminded me of what I felt when I left<br />
Memphis, my hometown. It reminded me of my<br />
first trip abroad. And it was amazing to see that I<br />
never lost it. It was then, that I came to terms<br />
with my reality: travel is simply part of who I am.<br />
traveling to nearly every continent, and we’re here<br />
to share everything we know to make your<br />
journey easier and enjoyable. I have a particular<br />
passion for conservation and sustainable living.<br />
After spending time leisurely traveling and enjoying<br />
the beauty of Earth, I found that I was taking from<br />
it, but never giving to it. I’m on a mission to change<br />
my ways while encouraging others to do the same.<br />
As a digital nomad who can work anywhere in the<br />
world, and as editor-in-chief of this travel lifestyle<br />
magazine -- I plan to dutifully equip young travelers<br />
with the inspiration and guidance they need to<br />
achieve the life of their dreams. Thank you for<br />
being on this journey with me.<br />
victoria<br />
Victoria has been an entrepreneur and Writer in the<br />
business market for 8 years. Her first book, “LEAVE”, is<br />
slated to be published Fall 2015.<br />
She resides in Italy.<br />
11
MUSIC<br />
EXPERIENCING THE WORLD THROUGH MUSIC<br />
After fourteen years and sixteen musical releases<br />
(including eight mix CDs, three EPs, two collaborative<br />
projects and two full-length solo albums), Lorenzo<br />
Ferguson, better known as “Zo!”, experienced a<br />
homecoming of sorts, when he traveled for the first<br />
time, to South Africa in 2014.<br />
A stop in Cape Town during his forty-three city,<br />
year-long tour was the highlight of his musical<br />
career, he says. “It was the first time I felt like a<br />
hardcore rock star!” Headlining alongside The<br />
Foreign Exchange, Zo! relived the experience,<br />
12
After shows, we normally take a few minutes and go out into<br />
the crowd and mingle with them. In Cape Town, we had to<br />
wait. The energy was that crazy, the people were so hype!<br />
He noticed something different about the fans and the<br />
reception of music in general while traveling and performing<br />
in foreign countries, that he hadn’t experienced back home.<br />
He describes the differences of touring internationally, versus<br />
in the States:<br />
I asked a couple cats who live and perform overseas all the<br />
time, ‘What is the difference -- why is it when we travel<br />
overseas, it seems like there’s a different energy’ The<br />
consensus was that international fans appreciate more of the<br />
art behind the music, as opposed to how record companies<br />
view and promote music over in the U.S. My favorite places to<br />
play are in Paris and South Africa. When you arrive to<br />
perform, it seems like they feel your music differently. Here, I<br />
have to grind and hustle, music artists have to produce hitsingles<br />
and look a certain way. Music is more about being a<br />
product and music in the States can be popular, regardless of<br />
quality.<br />
Invested in producing good music, fans have come to know<br />
Zo! for his signature use of live instrumentation. Playing<br />
keys, guitar, bass and drums, travelers and locals can expect<br />
an amazing show that he performs with some of indie’s<br />
hottest vocalists.<br />
Zo! returns to the United Kingdom:<br />
21 March 2015 @ Temple, The Institute in Birmingham, UK<br />
22 March 2015 @ Jazz Cafe in London, UK<br />
Featuring Carmen Rodgers and Sy Smith<br />
GET SHOW INFO + TICKETS | TRAVEL.HAUS/ZO<br />
13
BEADS BYAREE<br />
Whimsical, culture-inspired accessories from the<br />
imagination and creativity of Areeayl Goodwin. Each<br />
piece is handcrafted and one of a kind,<br />
made for women.<br />
“Dream and it will spread like wildfire.”<br />
FIND IT | TRAVEL.HAUS/FIND
ECOLOGY<br />
THE INAUGURAL CONVERSATION<br />
DIVERSITY + ECOLOGY<br />
by VICTORIA HAUS
What if I told you that your favorite travel destination will be under water in 20 years Or what if<br />
you learned that the adorable locals you met while backpacking through South America will have to<br />
permanently migrate because of severe drought We all want to know how to get travel deals, plan<br />
getaways and work remotely in foreign and exotic destinations — but our Earth is in trouble. It is<br />
our right to explore and enjoy every corner of the globe; however, it is equally our responsibility to<br />
protect and defend it. As global citizens, contributing to the sustainability of the world we love to<br />
travel is essential.<br />
CLASSIC CASE | A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF CAUSE AND EFFECT<br />
The plight of our ecosystem due to excessive carbon emissions began during the late 1700’s — the<br />
Industrial Age. Carbon emissions are gases, mainly CO2, released into the air as a result of burning<br />
fossil fuels (think of the manufacturers that produce water and shampoo bottles, the plastic bags<br />
used for groceries and the paper used to show your ATM transaction). Earth produces its own,<br />
natural CO2 which is needed to warm our planet. However excess CO2, primarily caused by manmade<br />
ploys, are so overly produced, that it gets trapped in the atmosphere and results in our planet<br />
overheating. These chain of events, for example, causes polar caps to melt. When polar caps melt,<br />
not only are animals displaced, but the melted ice contributes to the rising sea levels. Land<br />
dwellers, us, as well as wildlife and vegetation suffer when our environment is threatened by flood,<br />
or worse, because of rising sea levels.
The Case for Ecology | Primitively, ecology deals with the relations of organisms one to<br />
another and their physical surroundings. Conservation is the simple act of preserving,<br />
protecting or restoring natural environments, ecosystems, vegetation and wildlife. The<br />
fundamentals of ecology and conservation are that (1) we as humans are to share this<br />
earth with other organisms, (2) we must recognize the code of cooperation hardwired into<br />
everything that breathes and moves (3) we must dutifully respect and protect both, the<br />
organisms and that code. I am reminded of the movie Lion King. Mufasa explains the natural<br />
order of things to his son, Simba:<br />
Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand<br />
that balance, and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope.<br />
(Simba asks, “But, Dad, don’t we eat the antelope”) Yes, Simba, but let me explain. When<br />
we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all<br />
connected in the great Circle of Life.<br />
Western societies especially have a habit of excess and wasteful consumption needlessly<br />
placing burden on the Earth, and we consumers barely think twice. Running water in the<br />
kitchen or bathroom sink, overuse of plastic and paper, leaving the lights on, mishandling<br />
waste, using the elevator, escalator and automatic doors, the use of chemical-based health<br />
and beauty products — these are all everyday practices that harm our environment, its<br />
inhabitants and us. My personal challenge was to begin living a conservation-centric<br />
lifestyle; to stop being a consumer of earth, and begin conserving it.
Out of sight, out of mind | Ignorant and oblivious of my actions, I<br />
simply didn’t realize the short and long term consequences of such<br />
careless behavior. It wasn’t until I began traveling and interacting with<br />
the environment, as well as staying current with world events, that I<br />
saw the truth.Typhoons in the Philippines, wildfires in California and<br />
Australia, tsunamis in Southeast Asia, frequent hurricanes in North<br />
America and Latin America, destroyed habitats of creatures who can<br />
only survive in climate-specific environments. This is no hypothesis --<br />
there are and will continue to be an influx of people groups who<br />
must abandon their homeland because vegetation won’t grow, and<br />
animals can’t survive. I read a noteworthy article in National<br />
Geographic with this alarming headline, “Earth’s Dashboard is Flashing<br />
Red -- Are Enough People Listening” I certainly know what it means<br />
when a car’s dashboard is flashing red; a breakdown is about to<br />
happen. Are you listening
In an effort to understand Earth’s condition and its<br />
state of wellness, I considered my own health and<br />
wellness. Whenever I’m careless about covering up in<br />
the cold, or overeating junk food, for example, I get<br />
sick; I gain unhealthy weight. My body can only do so<br />
much to keep me well and running unless I take steps<br />
to protect myself and eat cleaner, more nutritious<br />
foods. Excessive carelessness to ones health leads to<br />
severe infections, illnesses, disease, obesity,<br />
psychological disorders and countless other risks.<br />
Earth is subject to the same breakdown in<br />
functioning. The first step to creating change, is to<br />
consider ourselves as co-owners of this planet; owning<br />
the challenges, and creating solutions. Upon the<br />
discovery of adverse conditions and events, the<br />
passing of responsibility saying, “they will fix it, someone<br />
will take care of it,” is no longer acceptable.<br />
“Somebody” is everybody. They is you.<br />
Conversing with Leaders + Change Makers | This<br />
conversation will be featured in every issue of<br />
Travelhaus Magazine, and we look forward to its<br />
evolution. Sadly, while researching African-American<br />
ecologists who could offer valuable insight into<br />
sustainable practices and diversity in ecology, only a<br />
few old websites were returned in search results. One<br />
journal’s website, Scientific American, published an<br />
article, “Five Names You Should Know in Urban<br />
Ecology” in 2012. The majority of the profiles lead to<br />
other articles. However, the team and I are making<br />
contact, and our findings will be featured in our online<br />
journal throughout this quarter. My hope is to call<br />
multicultural biologists, ecologists, conservationists,<br />
wildlife experts, oceanographers, atmospheric<br />
scientists and the like out of hiding -- they may be few<br />
in numbers, but I believe they’re out here. Their<br />
expertise and specific field of study will contribute to<br />
our conversation and plan of action to make the<br />
world a better place. Furthermore, a basic<br />
understanding of conservation can help millennials<br />
make educated decisions, intelligently contribute to<br />
and take political action regarding climate change<br />
reform. These are hot topics, high on government<br />
official’s lists, and our voice in this matter does matter.<br />
START A CONVERSATION<br />
TRAVEL.HAUS<br />
19
FILM<br />
BASKETBALL JONES: THE OVERSEAS JOURNEY<br />
Bobby Ray Jones, Jr., born in Compton, had a fear of flying. He also had aspirations of playing basketball for<br />
the NBA. His mother challenged him to overcome his flying phobia because it was the only way to<br />
achieve his dream -- basketball required travel. Bobby, or Basketball Jones he is sometimes called,<br />
conquered his fear of flying and later pursued the NBA after college. The Minnesota Timberwolves<br />
selected the young athlete in the 2006 NBA Draft and he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers shortly<br />
after. Unimaginably, Basketball Jones’ passion for playing would take him farther than he dreamed. After a<br />
season in Sioux Falls for the NBA D-League, his mother’s advice would come full circle when his agent<br />
presented him with an opportunity to play basketball overseas.<br />
In 2009, Jones was signed by an Italian team. After<br />
his first experience and year in Europe, the 6’7”<br />
shooting guard chose to continue playing in Italy,<br />
and has lived and worked as a professional-league<br />
basketball player for over four years. How is<br />
basketball and life for a foreigner different than in<br />
the United States Bobby’s interest in film and<br />
degree in writing led him to produce his own<br />
feature-length documentary, Basketball Jones: The<br />
Overseas Experience.<br />
Viewers will catch a glimpse into the lives of more<br />
than ten professional athletes who have all played<br />
in various countries and who specifically make<br />
playing internationally their choice career. The<br />
ballers share stories of how passionate (and<br />
unruly) the fans are about winning and losing, how<br />
the rules of the games differ and how focused one<br />
has to be in order to maintain a career. The<br />
aspiring author also says anyone who’s thinking<br />
about moving overseas will enjoy the film.
“<br />
The film isn’t just about basketball. It is about adjusting to life off the<br />
court, so that you can succeed on the court. But we also talk about<br />
language, food, safety, family, dating and culture. Some players play in<br />
different countries but after my first year in Italy, I wanted to stay, learn<br />
the language and be comfortable. My mind was focused on playing<br />
basketball, so it wasn’t always about the travel. If I didn’t play basketball at<br />
all, I don’t think I would want to travel as much as I do now.<br />
READ MORE + SEE THE TRAILER | TRAVEL.HAUS/BASKETBALLJONES<br />
21
ABOUT<br />
Travelhaus Magazine is a quarterly digital magazine created for multicultural millennials who<br />
desire to see more of the world. We celebrate diversity, fresh literary-style articles, handsome<br />
photoessays and a passion for the sustainability<br />
of the world we love to travel. Our contributors who travel extensively and live overseas offer<br />
perspectives on traveling that range from budget backpacking to luxury jet-setting; volunteering<br />
to relocating.<br />
Our first issue is focused on establishing tone and acquainting readers with a sense of who we<br />
are. Future issues are typically centered around a single destination or theme and features a<br />
diverse selection of reading, including destination and food guides, fashion editorials, ecology<br />
journalism, people stories and the latest travel news and trends. For a limited time, become a<br />
2015 subscriber and receive all four 2015 digital issues, complimentary.<br />
22
#99PASSPORTS<br />
a Travelhaus campaign for 99,999 Americans to collectively obtain their first passport by 2017<br />
COUNTDOWN BEGINS MARCH 2015<br />
Why “99,999” If we can report that one extra person successfully obtains their first<br />
passport, making the total count 100,000 passports by 2017, we’ll be ecstatic. Because the<br />
figure 100K can sometimes seem generic, we deviated to show that our goal is for ninetynine<br />
thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-nine real people to apply for and receive their<br />
passport. Only then can they begin planning a trip outside of the country, as well as applying<br />
for educational exchange programs.<br />
MORE | TRAVEL.HAUS/99
DESTINATION<br />
BEYOND ROME: OFF THE BEATEN PATH<br />
Rome is great. It’s an impressive historical city, not a place to be missed and I consider it to<br />
be the mecca of all things food. It is an amusement park for foodies where sweet things,<br />
gelato, pasta, pizza, cheese, fresh seafood and local wines can be found all around.<br />
Exploring Italy, off the beaten path, however this is where the best and most memorable<br />
stories happen. It’s easy to get lost in the quaint little towns hidden and tucked away in the<br />
small country. The people are very relaxed, move at a slow pace and enjoy every waking<br />
moment with seemingly no cares in the world. Four-hour siestas. Month-long vacations.<br />
Stress and worry are hard habits to hold when spending time there. I learned early on that<br />
seizing the day wasn’t just a latin phrase to hang over my door, it was something people<br />
actually believed and practiced.
I fully adopted the “carpe diem” lifestyle, and as a result, I’ve found myself in places I never planned on going by<br />
being in the right place, at the right time and around the right people. Last summer, I traveled down to Naples<br />
to meet up with a few friends and barhop. It turned into a weekend road trip down the Salerno coast. On<br />
another occasion, some friends and I booked a last minute flight to Barcelona, found a room on a yacht (for<br />
sleeping only) and ended up cruising the Mediterranean all on our own! If anything, Italy teaches you to live your<br />
life to the fullest! Here are a couple of tips that can help you enjoy a unique, off the beaten path experience that<br />
most tourists and tourist guides will never tread:<br />
Find networks before arriving. If you’re<br />
vacationing for a short stay, it’s always helpful to have a<br />
local by your side. Most times when you mention<br />
deviating from the day’s plans, Italians are your<br />
spontaneous best friends. Before you arrive, connect<br />
with some expat groups that will likely be hosting happy<br />
hour and mixers on a weekly basis.<br />
Try something unique. Instead of staying in a<br />
traditional hotel or bed ‘n breakfast, and even beyond<br />
booking a typical room on Airbnb, seek out boats that<br />
rent their cabins and amenities on board. Having dinner and wine on the deck of a boat, surrounded by the<br />
marina at nighttime and waking up to seagulls in the morning is simply amazing.<br />
Follow the music. Whether you understand the language or not, anywhere there is a live performance,<br />
you can count on a good time. This is especially so in the summer and early fall, for outdoor festivals and<br />
concerts, some of which are held on the beaches.<br />
Make friends with locals. Go out of your way to talk to the waitress or compliment the chef. Hold a<br />
conversation with the artist painting on the beach or the lady in the gift shop. Get business cards and save<br />
them. Return to those places and recommend that your friends who may be visiting the country, do the<br />
same. This allows you to begin building relationships with people overtime, all over the world.<br />
25
2015 FESTIVALS<br />
MUSIC FESTIVALS<br />
SXSW<br />
MARCH 13-22<br />
AUSTIN, TX<br />
COACHELLA<br />
APRIL 10-12; 17-19<br />
INDIO, CA<br />
MEMPHIS IN MAY<br />
MAY 1-3<br />
MEMPHIS, TN<br />
SASQUATCH!<br />
MAY 23-25<br />
GEORGE, WA<br />
FIREFLY MUSIC FEST<br />
JUNE 18-21<br />
DOVER, DE<br />
LOLLAPALOOZA<br />
JULY 31-AUGUST 2<br />
CHICAGO, IL (and also Santiago, Chile)<br />
FOOD+ART FESTIVALS<br />
2015 BEER CARNIVAL<br />
MARCH 21<br />
ATLANTA, GA<br />
21ST DEEP ELLUM ARTS FEST<br />
APRIL 3<br />
DALLAS, TX<br />
FRENCH QUARTER FESTIVAL<br />
APRIL 9<br />
NEW ORLEANS, LA