Pop-Up Craft and Art Market Event

Save The Date!!! December 6. In New York City -- starting at 8:30PM.

Handmade goods -- including my new bag collection

and tee-shirts, photographs and plush AngryJ dollies  -- from
seven creative people.

And artisanal chocolates by Rue Claire .

Plus, yummy tacos and tostadas, wine/sake/beer available
from NYC’s prime poke place, Sons of Thunder.

If you're in NYC, I hope you can stop by.

Fun, informal vibe, good food, and big sales on some of my
creations for this event.

continue reading "Pop-Up Craft and Art Market Event "

My New Product Line: JCreatures® - T-Shirts With Attitude

Anyone you follows me on Twitter or Instagram knows that my handle is JCreature Travel. But the JCreature is not just part of my social media presence. I'm very excited and happy to have found such as awesome actor,India Choquette for my photo shoot featuring my new product line: JCreatures® - T-Shirts With Attitude. These American Apparel silkscreened shirts are oh-so-soft (100% fine Jersey cotton), featuring different colors on each short-sleeve as well as a different colored pocket. Perfect as a Pajama-Tee or Beach Cover-up for kids or adults who are kids at heart. They are available in two color tones: pastel or vibrant + bold. (Notice that little pink creature? She will be go sale later in the year.)

continue reading "My New Product Line: JCreatures® - T-Shirts With Attitude"

JCreatures™ T-Shirts for Kids

Bet you thought that the only people wearing my JCreatures™ t-shirts are adults. After all, I've blogged about wearing my t-shirts that show different emotions or states of being -- happy, sad, frustrated, surprised, sleepy, hungry, and naughty -- when I teach English in Spain. They've  real conversation starters.

But, as you may already know, I originally designed these JCreatures™ when I was 10 years old. (I blogged about the history of the JCreatures™ here.) And I've been drawing them ever since, whether it was in my high school yearbook, on postcards I sent friends in college during my summers in Europe, or on the top of my students' exams when I was a teacher.  So it makes sense that kids of all ages, including toddlers and infants, can be found wearing these shirts, too.

Moms and dads or adults who are just kids at heart can find my t-shirts in an array of colors and styles, including long-sleeve, baseball jersey, girls cap sleeve tee, organic and the little onesie above, by visiting my store. 

And, because the holidays are fast approaching, if you buy one of the few toddler or kids tees or onesies offered here from today until New Year's Day, you'll also get a free copy of my new travel tips e-book: The Travel Authority: Essential Tips for Hassle-Free Travel. (Simply use the code HOLIDAYS when you checkout.)

continue reading "JCreatures™ T-Shirts for Kids"

Giveaway: Best On-The-Road Lost Item/Pick-Pocket Story

My best pickpocket story is definitely unforgettable. It took place in one of my favorite cities, Madrid, in the afternoon as I stood outside a museum. Suddenly bird poop (or so it appeared) plopped all over my shoulder. And, just as suddenly, two well-dressed young girls appeared with tissues to help me clean up. Or, rather, they cleaned out my small backpack that I had on my back. Within seconds, as I was talking to one of them, the other managed to lift my passport, all my credit cards and money, my driver's license, my ATM card and even my hotel key. I later found out that this was an elaborate scam that employed someone with a high-powered water gun who shoots the faux poop on unsuspecting tourists -- though I thought I looked like a Madrileña and I even spoke Spanish.

 

If I had been wearing a pair of underwear or a t-shirt with hidden pockets, like those sold by Clever Travel Companion, at least I could've protected some of my valuables. This is one of the companies I recommend in my travel tips e-book, The Travel Authority: Essential Tips for Hassle-Free Travel. And, I'm happy to announce that the Clever Travel Companion is giving away any one of the many products they sell -- men's and women's underwear, t-shirts and tank tops -- to the one person who writes the best on-the-road lost item or pick-pocket story. To be eligible for the product of your choice, you must like the Clever Travel Companion on their Facebook page as well as submit your best story that involves either an item you lost while traveling or a situation where your pocket or purse was picked.  You can either post your story here on this blog or email it to me at jbarone2000@gmail.com -- no more than 200 words, please. (If you decide to post here, please provide your contact email so that I can reach you should you win.) All stories must be submitted by 11:59pm on December 10, 2012. Your story must be true and, aside from mentioning your own name if you post here, there's no need to identify anyone else who may have been involved or who you felt was involved in the incident. In addition, you must be a U.S. resident to be eligible to receive the prize. Good luck everyone.

continue reading "Giveaway: Best On-The-Road Lost Item/Pick-Pocket Story"

Teaching English In Spain

What could I possibly be doing in a stone-made hamlet in Spain where there's no shopping, no cars, no air conditioning and little in the way of WiFi? Almost every summer I travel to the Soria province to teach conversational English to Spanish business men and women and sometimes college students. The setting is idyllic, the distractions are few and each day offers so many possibilities in terms of making a difference in the lives of others.

I've written about this program in the hamlet of Valdelavilla before. It's definitely not for everyone. You have to enjoy almost non-stop conversation from breakfast to sometimes way into the night as conversations move from the dinner table to the one laid-back bar. There's little down time. Some volunteers find it difficult to come up with entertaining topics that keep everyone engaged. Others get burned out with the constant interactions. Since I have a background as a teacher and I thrive on meeting new people and engaging them in all manner of conversations, whether political, social or cultural, I'm in my element in this hamlet.


But, recently I've come upon a new conversation starter: my quirky line of JCreatures™ t-shirts. Each t-shirt has a cartoon image that I designed, which reflects a different emotion or state of being, like emoticons, of sorts. It's hard to look at one and not wonder what it means.


Recently, I guest blogged for the PhotoFly Travel Club on teaching English in Valdelavilla and how I use my JCreatures™  t-shirts (such as those below) to promote conversation while also boosting camaraderie and providing a few laughs.

continue reading "Teaching English In Spain"

Volunteering in Spain + Why T-Shirts are Conversation Starters

With all the exotic places in the world, why would I return almost every after year to a tiny hamlet in Spain that's more than four hours north of Madrid? Many reasons: I can stay for free in a medieval environment;  wander car-free stone lanes that wind from your two-story dwelling; live among a group of Spaniards (mostly business men and women) where we spend our days learning about each other while I'm volunteer teaching them the intricacies of the English language (and without being stuck in a classroom); and engage in hours of role playing, group games, fun brainstorming sessions, and theater rehearsals. These are some of the many reasons I return to this hamlet named Valdelavilla.

Since the native English speakers have to chat one-on-one with the Spaniards for hour upon hour over the course of a week, that's where my JCreatures™ t-shirts come in. (I've blogged about the origins of the JCreatures™ several months ago.) These images are curious enough that wearing any of the seven t-shirt images almost guaranteed a lively conversation.

 I recently guest blogged for TravelProducts.com about Valdelavilla and how my t-shirts serve a couple of functions. Find out about my adventure here.

continue reading "Volunteering in Spain + Why T-Shirts are Conversation Starters"

Origins of JCreatureTravel

Many of you may wonder about the origins of the name JCreatureTravel, which is my Twitter handle. The JCreatures™ are characters that I created and have been drawing since I was 10 years old. At that time, they reflected a 10-year-old's emotions: happy, sad, angry/frustrated, and so forth.

When I was in elementary school, I'd add the Happy J to letters and notes I sent my girlfriends. In high school, I signed my friends' yearbooks with the Happy J. In college, when I mailed postcards from my spring break or summer travels, one of the JCreatures™ always appeared to illustrate how the trip was going. Then, when I was a high school biology teacher, if my students performed particularly well on an exam, I would draw the JCreatures™ (of course, the Happy J) at the top of their exam, along with an A+.

That's why, when I decided to open a Twitter account, it seemed only natural to use JCreatureTravel as my handle.

As a travel writer and blogger, I wanted the JCreatures™ as my icon. Each of the different characters reflect my emotions during the course of my trips:

Happy J -- When I met a new friend in Tel Aviv, revisited my favorite plaza in Madrid (Plaza Santa Ana) or found a great bicycle path (such as one of the rails-to-trails I recently blogged about).

Sad J -- When I was forced to say good-bye to one of my favorite cities (like Reykjavik) or when I found that a tree that I loved in my neighborhood toppled because of a tornado that we suffered this past year in New York City.

Frustrated J -- When I somehow missed the last bus of the day in a small town in Spain because of a communication error, or when the restaurant I hoped to visit in Lisbon was closed for a week in the summer.

Sleeping J -- Though not an emotion like the others, sleep plays a big role for me, as it does for any traveler. Luckily, I rarely get jet lag, because, among other things, I immediately set my watch to the time of my destination after my flight takes off. That means that on most flights from New York City, I'm asleep.

I'm now selling a variety of T-shirts, including shirts with long sleeves and those with spaghetti straps, that each bear one of the four JCreatures™. Should you decide to buy one, I hope you enjoy it. Wear it when you travel. It certainly might be a conversation piece and maybe a way to help you make new friends, which, after all, is what travel is all about for me.

continue reading "Origins of JCreatureTravel"