amazing women wednesdays Archives

Amazing Women Wednesday: 4 EmptyNest Travel Bloggers

May 4, 2016 By Tam Warner 18 Comments

Since I have been blogging I have met some amazing women online! I attended the Women In Travel Summit in Irvine, Ca in March, put on by Wanderful, and had the good fortune to meet some of these fabulous women in the real world! Four of us have decided that since we are four midlife, emptynest women travel bloggers, it would be four times the fun to work together, support one another, and travel together. So, let’s meet the team!

First, there is Suzanne Stavert of Adventures of Empty Nesters. Her purpose? “What is life without adventure? Now that our kids are grown and happily living on their own, it is time to focus on what we want! I started AdventuresofEmptyNesters.com in January 2014 to help bring together a global community of people who don’t plan to spend this valuable time in life sitting on the couch! As it turns out… Empty Nesters are very creative and interesting people. We write about subjects that affect all types of age groups. Share the website with your kids as well, I bet they will love it! This blog has been a springboard to my freelance luxury travel and lifestyle writing career specializing in midlife experiences. My geographic locations of special expertise: Maui, Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Francisco, Napa Valley, New York, Seattle, San Diego, Orange County, Italy, France, Curacao and Costa Rica.” Check out her website to follow Suzanne on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat!

Sara Broers, of Travel with Sara, is a co-founder of the Midwest Travel Chat, and a lover of the midwest. “A Disney Enthusiast, Universal Orlando Enthusiast, Colorado Enthusiast (a Gulf Coast Beaches enthusiast) and Too Many To List Here! So- If You Appreciate This View~ You Have Came To The Right Place!” Sara travels often, and is a cruise lover as well. “I have grown to adore the beaches and people of the Alabama Coastline. Mountains, beaches and the Caribbean are also favorites. I do still hold a special place in my heart for the midwest. The midwest is home to me and I can guarantee that I can find you a unique place to discover, right in the heart of America. If you appreciate this view, you have come to the right place!” The grass isn’t growing under her feet, she is always traveling. Adventure is around every corner! Check out her website to follow Sara on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat!

Sunny Melody Pittman is the author of Wherever I May Roam blog and loves luxury travel, culture and eats. I say sunny because not only does she have a sunny personality, she likes warm weather and sunny days. She especially loves going on cruises! A part time ex-pat in Panama, she splits her time between traveling, the USA, and Panama. Melody brings her college daughter Taylor to the mix as well! “We love cruising, football, cruising, Broadway, cooking, family, and traveling. We would love to share our journey with you.” She has many restaurant reviews on her site, and practical travel tips as well. Check out her website to follow Melody on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat!

And…there is me! I love luxury as much as my partners in crime, but I am also an adventurous traveler (maybe more than adventurous) who is very conservation and volunteer tourism oriented. I am an avid diver and love trips where I can perform citizen science, whether I am doing fish surveys, photo IDs, or assisting in the field. You can also find me jumping off cliffs (I did have a paraglider), snowmobiling, swimming with whale sharks, cage diving with Great Whites, and enjoying African safaris…the list goes on. I do have the challenge of a husband who had a double lung transplant in 2013, an unexpected journey which has changed our lives, but we are adaptable, and constantly renewing, revamping and reinventing life!

What a team! I do believe almost every type of travel is included, and we are all empty nesters, enjoying this wonderful stage of our lives by traveling, seeking exciting experiences, and meeting new people! We all want to encourage women and midlifers to get out and see the world. By partnering, we are 4 Bloggers who can reach 4 times the audience while having 4 times as much fun! Be sure to follow these fabulous blogs…you’ll enjoy them immensely! If you would like to explore working together, we are at [email protected]!

How do You Define an Amazing Woman?

October 27, 2015 By Tam Warner 12 Comments

How do you define an Amazing Woman?

There are so very many definitions, and through my Wednesday posts, you have met several women whom I find amazing, for all kinds of different reasons.

The first profile of an amazing woman on Travels with Tam was Ruth Curran, who is a traumatic brain injury survivor, blogger at Cranium Crunches and is currently on her book tour for Being Brain Healthy! She is helping so many people by volunteering her time abroad, teaching others how to keep their brains sharp, and being an inspiring example to anyone who has had a devastating injury or illness. Visit Ruth’s Amazing Woman profile.
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Shannon O'Donnell, Traveler of the Year 2013, National Geographic. — Shannon O’Donnell, Traveler of the Year 2013, National Geographic.

Shannon O’Donnell, Nat Geo World Traveler 2013, travel blogger and author of THE VOLUNTEER TRAVELER’S HANDBOOK has been both friend and mentor to me. Her blog, A Little Adrift, is extremely successful and led her to found Ambassadors for Grassroots Volunteering. Visit Shannon’s Amazing Woman profile!
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Dr. Andrea Marshall, Director and co-founder of Marine Megafauna Foundation, is a true pioneer and an excellent role model for all women, but especially for girls who have an interest in science. Andrea is known as the Queen of Mantas for her BBC and Discovery Channel documentary of the same name. Her organization is protecting megafauna in every ocean, and I am a regular on her Ray of Hope Expeditions! Visit her Amazing Woman profile for more information!

These are the first three women I profiled on my Amazing Women Wednesday series. There are many more, and I urge you to check them all out at http://tamtravels.wpengine.com/category/empowering-women/amazing-women-wednesday/. Each woman is amazing in her own distinct way, but I believe they do share one quality: zeal and infectious enthusiasm for their chosen avocations.

What is your definition of an amazing woman? I would love to know which attributes you find amazing, and who the women are that inspire you. I’d love to have guest posts profiling amazing women! What do you think?

Amazing Women Wednesday: Citizen Scientists in the Yucatan!

August 4, 2015 By Tam Warner 44 Comments

I wrote this blog in 2015, after a fabulous trip to the Yucatan with an amazing group of women! I have stayed in touch with all of them. I will update you in the blog itself! Enjoy!

Andrea, Elnora and Fin with a Whale Shark

Amazing Women Wednesday: Citizen Scientists in the Yucatan!

Two weeks ago I met a stunning group of women. We were all citizen science volunteers on the Ray of Hope Expedition 2015 to the Yucatan. Our goal was to take ID photographs of Manta Rays and Whale Sharks, and to obtain 30 genetic samples from Mantas. The Whale Shark goal was awesomely met, the Mantas were elusive, but the group of women on the expedition made the trip more than worthwhile. [Read more…] about Amazing Women Wednesday: Citizen Scientists in the Yucatan!

Amazing Women Wednesday

March 25, 2015 By Tam Warner 1 Comment

In honor of International Women’s Day, which was March 8, 2015, NatGeo has been running a Portraits of Strength “Your Shot” photo contest.

The photos really capture the spirit of what it is to be a woman.

“Courage. Patience. Tenacity. Wisdom. Wit. We all know a woman who fit this bill. In honor of International Women’s Day share your images and stories of the women who inspire you.” Well, that’s what Amazing Women Wednesday is all about. Here are a few photos, and links to stories, and there will be more to come, every Wednesday!

The Shark Lady, an Amazing Woman who recently passed away at 92. Read about Dr. Clark here: http://tamtravels.wpengine.com/amazing-women-eugenie-clark-the-shark-lady/

Andrea working with Ocean GEMS, girls in science. Photo from http://ocean-gems.org/about-us/meet-team/

Dr. Andrea Marshall (back left) is a Conservationist and an amazing woman. In front is another amazing woman, Katherine Burgess (yes, Katherine, I’m going to write about you!). Check it out here: http://tamtravels.wpengine.com/?p=11042

NatGeo’s 2013 Traveler of the Year! Read all about Shannon and her journey here: http://tamtravels.wpengine.com/?p=10987

Ruth is an Amazing Woman, in so many different ways! Read her story: http://tamtravels.wpengine.com/?p=10908

Gloria Steinem, a feminist icon. What feminist doesn’t admire the wonderful Gloria Steinem?

And here are some of the images I sent to NatGeo depicting feminine strength and empowerment! Be sure to check out their Portraits of Strength on NatGeo!

There are so many women I admire and who have made a difference in the world. How will I ever tell all of their stories? Check out these photographs of women by female NatGeo photographers.

Introducing Amazing Women Wednesday, and Ruth Curran!

February 18, 2015 By Tam Warner 19 Comments

Today I am introducing a new Category and event on Travels with Tam: Amazing Women Wednesday. I plan to pay tribute to those amazing women who are out there in the world making a difference, and in doing so, they are setting incredibly strong examples for our girls. In addition, they are empowering women everywhere to take a leap of faith in their own abilities.

First up: Ruth Curran. Ruth is a fellow blogger and scuba diver. Her blog is Cranium Crunches, a Blog about Brain Health. She provides puzzles and word games, updates on research, memory matching, and now, she is in St. Lucia working with Global Volunteers on the St. Lucia Project.

Ruth is a perfect match for the St Lucia Project. St Lucia looks like, and is, a tropical paradise for tourists, but that is not always true for the island’s inhabitants. 30% of the island’s population lives in poverty. The project is centered upon global research showing that lack of nutrition and parasitic diseases in developing countries negatively impacts the growth and development of brain function in children. Children who do not fully develop their own potential are at a terrible disadvantage in the world. The top three goals in the program are Hunger, Health, and IQ. Providing essential services in these three categories is the mission of the St. Lucia Project. Take the next 100 seconds and learn all about it HERE, in a short, quick video.

And who is Ruth Curran, and why does she have a blog about brain health? Several years ago, Ruth suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury. If you’ve ever known someone who has had such an injury, you know that the consequences can be life-changing, not just for the person with the injury, but for their loved ones. Ruth’s long rehabilitation made her feel like “she was trying to think her way out of a paper bag with no clues” on how to do it. Ruth decided to get a Master’s Degree in Cognitive Psychology as a part of her rehab process. Isn’t that amazing? What a way to recover brain function….go back to school. To learn more about her journey and reasons for starting her blog go to http://craniumcrunches.com/about.php.

So, at this moment, Ruth is in St Lucia with Global Volunteers making a difference in the quality of family lives, nutrition, and learning. So many children may be helped by her contribution to their education and to their current circumstances. To read her first blog on her trip, go to THE JOURNEY BEGINS: DROPPING ASSUMPTIONS. Here is her second post, just up today! http://www.craniumcrunches.com/bepurposeful/changes-cultural-adjustments-and-wardrobe-malfunctions/

Ruth has taken on the challenge of changing her own life, and in doing so, she has inspired others to do the same. Thank you, Ruth! You certainly inspire me! I can’t wait to hear about the entire trip on Cranium Crunches!