• Sign In
  • My Account

darcikunard_saqdo9

Welcome to my adventures. Happy reading!

Morocco

I decided to set out on a solo trip in January 2018 following a particularly dreary Christmas Day.  After our wonderful annual Christmas Eve party, and a nice morning opening presents and breakfast, I suddenly found myself all alone.  

I love Christmas, but here I was with just me and the dogs in the house.  I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad.  As I watched A Christmas Story and scrolled through FaceBook, an email appeared in my inbox that would forever change my life.  

Scott’s Cheap Flights: Denver to Morocco, mistake fare, $800 business class, round-trip. Oh…yes.  I’ve always always always wanted to go to Morocco!  I’ve had the ideal trip mapped out in my head for years.  There was something about the country that called to me, and now I was going to answer.  

I clicked the link to Google Flights and quickly saw there were only 3 dates from which to choose, and one one of those would fit into my busy work travel schedule.  I selected my flights, bought the ticket through United Airlines, and voila.  

It turned into a trip that a month away.  We were still on Christmas Break at my work, and I was headed to Hanover, Pennsylvania the following day for the end-of-year lure coursing with one of my dogs, Cayman.  I couldn’t help but feel excitement and a bit nervous.  Despite having 6.5 weeks vacation, my job always gave me a hard time with taking it.  This time I was going to take it AND go by myself.  I’ve been working myself silly… it was time to make time for me.  Little did I know this trip would not only reset my soul, but spur a new career adventure as well.  

Chiang Mai and The Elephant Sanctuary

Thailand has long been on my bucket list, and my passion for helping animals came full-circle with our volunteer day at The Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  

After a great few days in Cambodia touring Angkor Wat, we flew from Siam Reap to Chiang Mai.  We found an incredibly chic boutique hotel for our 2 nights in Chiang Mai – Na Nirand, which sits on the bank of the Ping River.  The hotel has this stunningly massive tree that adds to the picturesque setting.  It’s centrally located, so we could walk around town and check out various markets, temples, and restaurants.

The next morning, a van from The Elephant Sanctuary picked us up, and drove us 1.5 hours, along with 6 other people also from the US.  

Seeing all the rescued elephants, dogs, and water buffalo was simply awesome.  The compassion shown to these animals that have lived a truly awful life before they were rescued – is second to none.  

Please do NOT ride elephants.  They are broken of their spirit in order to be around people, and the methods used are horrifying.  

We spent the day walking with the elephants: hiking, swimming in the river, feeding them.  An experience we will never forget.  

Fijian Paradise

Quite possibly the best way to end 10 days of driving the North and South Islands of New Zealand: a respite in Fiji at Tokoriki Island Resort.  

Only a short 3 hours flight from Auckland to Nadi, Fiji – so it seemed natural to add this stop onto our adventure.

After driving and hotel hopping, staying in one place, just chilling, sounded heavenly.  As much as I crave the next adventure, downtime is appreciated.

I found this gem of a resort, and about died when I saw the cost per night – no way was that affordable.  But, a girl can dream and hope for a deal.  The deal came over Labor Day weekend, a short two months before our trip.  And, I booked it.  We had a private bungalow, on the beach, with a plunge pool.  We enjoyed the all-inclusive meals, and the incredible sunrise/sunsets.  The chef was well-versed in my dietary restrictions and made each meal delightful.  

One day, I look forward to returned to Tokoriki.  

New Zealand

Our first full day in New Zealand entailed a harrowing, yet fun, ferry from Auckland to Rangitoto Island.  

Once on the island, we found sun and went on a several hour hike to the summit.  

Norway, here we come!!

Probably one of the most strange, and exciting, phone calls I have received in a long time.  I was sitting at a gluten-free brewery in Golden, Colorado with my sister (she lives in Anchorage – and we are both Celiac, hence the gluten-free.)  My Facebook messenger phone was ringing…and it was Simon of Bazinga Pharaoh Hound fame… telling me it was “time” to make travel arrangements and come to Norway.  During the call, Simon mentioned I could take Cayman to Sweden for lure coursing and a dog show – seriously, pinch me!  Ok, yes, I am weird 🙂

Less than an hour later, I booked my flight leaving July 23rd and returning August 3rd.  Now, to make the complicated arrangements of traveling with a dog, internationally.  Yet, I could not believe I would get 2 more countries on my list plus add to my family!  What excitement!

Manifestation

When you put it all out there — what you truly want as a goal, the Universe (God or whatever you believe in), conspire together to make it happen.  I used to think this was a bunch of hooey – and found out it DOES work this way.  Here’s my story on how it worked for me this year… and how it relates to #60by50.

One of the items on my vision board was adding another Pharaoh Hound (dog) to our family.  We were a family of 3 and it felt like something was missing since our Weimaraner Jake passed away in August 2014.  Our youngest was going to be 3 years old, and I prefer to space my dogs 3-4 years apart (more on that in another post!)  

Keep in mind I ran a nonprofit, all-volunteer dog rescue for over 10 years – and while I will always wholeheartedly support responsible rescue groups, I also do that same for responsible breeders.  Full disclosure – both my purebred Pharaoh Hounds, Kaba and Cayman, are intact.  While Kaba will never be bred, I find it is healthier (through years and years of proven peer-reviewed studies.)  Cayman has sired 1 litter to-date, and I did not keep a puppy from that litter (though I know exactly where each and every puppy he produced lives and that they have wonderful families.) If you are going to judge, move along to another post about travels.  You have been warned.

I wanted a puppy, a male since I only have males in my house, from Cayman but I needed to find an ideal match for him before I would agree to let him sire another litter.  This is not a simple process.  Cayman is fully health-tested (results posted online at ofa.org and available to the public) and he has a CHIC number, which means he passed all the tested required of our parent club (Pharaoh Hound Club of America has guidelines of which health tests this breed should have completed before being bred.)  The female must have all her health testing completed.  Then, since the gene pool is a bit small for the breed, we have to ensure there is not too close of a relative.  And, I want to make sure the female complements Cayman, adding components I would like to improve.  Further, the female must be a show and field champion – like Cayman – has proven their abilities in both venues.  Above all, and the most important aspect to me, is temperament – the female must be very outgoing, friendly, good with children and other dogs, and not overly hyper.  It’s a tall order.

In order to fulfill my goal, I started conversations with several breeders of Pharaoh Hounds, most of whom I’ve known for a number of years and only a few I had met.  One stood out to me, due to his in-depth knowledge of pedigrees and ability to speak very honestly and frankly about the good and not-so-good points of the females.  With that being put out into the Universe….all I had to do was wait (and pray.)

And, today… my prayers were answered – we found the ideal match!  Talking via Facebook messenger (did you know there are FREE international phone calls using this app??!!) – we hatched a plan for me (and Cayman) to go to Norway!!  SOOOO excited!!  Now, we wait, for the ideal time.  But, 2016…Norway… here we come!!

#60by50

Vision Board: 2016

After years of creating vision boards to frame my goals for the year, I have finally found a rhythm!  I have 5 categories of goals, and put a few items in each.  

This year my categories are:

  •  Dogs (list under each dog’s name for the things I want to achieve with them.)
  •  Work (a few points of inspiration) 
  •  Travel (New Zealand, Fiji, and a ? – my goal is 3.)
  •  Personal (things related to health, relationships, finances, well-being, etc.)
  •  Outside of work – work does not define me, so there are other things I want to work towards, like this blog.

I found it easier to divide my board into these 5 sections, and create my own points of inspiration.   Although it is a lot of stuff – I know I can achieve it.  I am not going to share it – it is personal.  I am going to look at it every single day.  Tally ho – towards these goals!

#60by50

Eeep! Here we go…

I did it!  I booked a ticket.  It’s crazy.  OMG.  Can’t believe it!

All the thoughts that rushed through my head when I booked our plane tickets to New Zealand and Fiji.  It was not completely out of the blue, but it was.  Less then two weeks after joining Facebook groups, email lists, and following pages… there it was: a bright and shiny beacon, calling my name.  “Air New Zealand flights from $800 roundtrip.”  I blinked again, did they miss a “1” in front of the “8?”  Is there a catch?  There HAS to be a catch!  (Note: sometimes there is a catch so read all the fine print – all of it!)

I first saw the post as was getting ready for work, the day before (an idle January Wednesday.)  When I got home from work that day, I revisited the post (I saved it – ProTip!) and I went to work on checking dates.  Like all travel deals, there are RESTRICTIONS to when they are offered.  Do not be bummed or disappointed – great deals come to those who are willing to be flexible.  PERIOD.  

ProTip: If you want to go to destination X at time Y, be prepared to pay and not find deals.  That is how it works.  Also, if you want to travel, you need to be able to go with the flow – travel is not for the weak of flexibility.  

Anyway, back to the deal.  First, the deal was from LAX and I live in Denver.  But, where there is a will, there is a way.  I can easily get from Denver to LAX on a number of airlines, any time of day.  That will not get in my way of this deal.  The deal was specifically for November, and the flight departure times were specific, as well.  Meaning, the deal was only for certain flights, certain days, and certain times.  Again – be flexible.  

November – New Zealand – sounds legit.  But first, I checked out some online advice (google is your friend) on whether this was an ideal time of year to visit.  Hint: it is!!  Even if the time of year is less than ideal for your destination, weigh the pros/cons of the deal – if it’s $200 for a trip to where you’ve always wanted to go, then go.  Just buy the ticket!

Adding on – well, New Zealand is a long way to go (13 hour flight) and there is a lot to see.  After scoping out the length of time we could get off work, and combining it with the Thanksgiving holiday, there were a few days we could hop over to Fiji – and who doesn’t want to go there?  Luckily, Air New Zealand made it super easy to add-on.  I found their website easy to navigate, and I was able to book the following trip >>  LAX to Auckland; Auckland to Nadi, Fiji; Nadi to LAX.  Total cost: $2600 ($1300 each) which included upgrading from the lowest-tier economy seats to much nicer ones (worth it for a long trip,) but did not invest in first class, as that was prohibitive to the budget.  

What remained, was getting from Denver to LAX, LAX to Denver… and plotting the driving portion of the North and South Islands, oh, and where to stay.  This part is the most fun, after booking the ticket of course.  More to come on this exciting trip.  Now… to tell my husband we are going!  Ha!

#60by50  2 unique countries – and 1 more to go, to meet my goal in 2016!

A matter of focus

Here it is, the end of 2015, and I have not made any progress towards by #60by50 goal (60 unique countries by the time I’m 50 years old.)  

But, I did reach my goal of visiting all 50 States!  Yay!  

While I have significant progress towards the #60by50, I missed an entire year of international traveling.  So, I have to buckle down and focus on making a dent in some international destinations for 2016.  Remember, slow and steady wins the race.  I have started my vision board list with this goal: visit 3 countries that I have not been to in 2016.  That is the GOAL.  I will not miss on this.  Utter commitment.  

Where do I start?  I have my list of all the places I want to see, ranked in order.  But now what?

Here’s what I did:

  •  Subscribe to e-newsletters/email lists:

– TravelZoo – offers weekly Top 20 travel deals

ProTip: Do Not subscribe to too many – you will be overwhelmed with information and cannot make a choice.   Notice, I only listed one – the one I subscribed to – choose wisely.  Most of these are FREE – some have premium options that require payment.  Before you commit to paying, be sure you find the content valuable.  Also, create a folder in your email, and send these emails there (use a filter,) so that your inbox isn’t cluttered. 

  •  Follow these pages on Facebook (Instagram was not in my plan, yet.)

 – An Airline – because they often post their deals on Facebook before you                     will get an email about it! Choose one (or two or three) that service your closest airport.  I chose Air New Zealand, lucky break – read on!

 – The Points Guy – he offers tips about how to maximize your airline miles, hotel points, etc.  He often shares offers and travel deals as well.  

ProTip: Do Not follow too many – unless you want your feed to be bogged down and then you get sidetracked, and then… oh, I don’t know what I am saying, there’s great deals on Facebook.  

  •  Joined these groups on Facebook

– Just Get Out of Denver – in the likely event you don’t live where I do, there are usually other groups in your area – search Facebook for your city.

 – Groups specific to my interests – I am not going to list these here, as some are private and some are about solo travel, which is not for everyone (and the subject of a future post.)  If you like birdwatching and travel, there’s a group for that.  If you like cruises, Disney, cooking, scuba diving, eco-adventures – there are groups out there for you to follow.  You can be inspired in these groups, or find information on how to travel for your interests.  

Now, I am being fed information about what I want to do – travel internationally.  And, I did not have to spend hours on the internet, scouring “deal” sites, nor did I have to chance it with a travel agent.  I am not against travel agents, if that’s what you want to do, cool – you do you. I like to research and plan my own travel, at my own pace.  More on that later.  

What’s in a number?

It has been one month since I set my #60by50 goal, and setup this blog.  A wise woman once wrote: “Life isn’t about what you have; it’s about what you have to give” -Oprah – I have this quote ripped out of O Magazine, May 2007 issue, hanging on the wall of my home office.  I look at it every single day I am home, and it propels me forward, along with my vision board, which occupies the same home office.  

Vision board: it’s a collection of what I plan to accomplish in one year.  I create this with my best girlfriends – the ones with whom you can be really vulnerable and deadly honest.  So, for 2015 I added the goal of visiting the 2 US States that will satisfy the goal of visiting all 50 US states.  As a side note, did you know the average American has only been to 8 States?   

I was a bit stuck in how to get to my #60by50 goal – there’s a whole lot of countries out there…now, how do I choose which to visit first?  And I have roughly 11 years in which to do it.  

My point of mentioning the quote from Oprah is this – I want to give you the tools to achieve whatever goal you have in mind.  If it’s travel, then I want to share with you my tips and tricks.  To get unstuck, I put on some lively music, and did the following:

  1. Made a list of every country I have visited to-date
  2. Made a list of every country I want to visit in my lifetime, carefully sorting the list in the order of desire to visit.  (i.e., my #1 place to visit is Bali.)
  3. Tallied up the number of countries I have visited, and the subtracted that number from my goal of 60 countries.  
  4. Divided that number by 11 years (the number of years that I have to achieve it) – and this gave me the number of unique countries I needed to visit each year in order to achieve my goal.

Pro-Tip: I keep these lists in the notes section of my iPhone.  It’s easily accessible, and easily updated.

I know you are dying to know my number, and here’s the thing… I am not going to tell you.  Nope – that’s not the point of all this.  My goal is just that – mine.  It is not a competition with anyone else.  It is not for comparison as ‘better than’ anyone else.  It’s for me.  

#60by50

#Experiencesnotthings

Categories

All Posts

Categories
Copyright © 2025 Darci Kunard | Made with love by Dreamhost
Scroll to Top