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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

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