ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

My motto: Life is an adventure - take detours

Updated on June 18, 2009
annetteghallowe1 profile image

Annette is a self-proclaimed nomad who puts her motto-"Life is an adventure-take detours" to heart. She always takes the road less traveled.

Life is an adventure - take detours

What do I mean when I say, Life is an adventure, take detours? Well, simply stated, it is my life motto. Life has taken me on many adventures. I look for adventures wherever I go. Sometimes my detours take me to a dead end, but more often I have found that the unplanned brings unexpected rewards.

Feeling the need to explore? Ever wondered what went to the left when the map says to go right? Love travel, art, people, photography and food? Welcome to a bit about me!

My favorite detour? Travel

My earliest memory of knowing I wanted to travel was when I was about 5 and my grandparents were traveling around the world. I have been fascinated by people and cultures for the same length of time.

It is my adventures that have made me well, me. Along the way to who I am today, I have lived in 9 states ( 3 times in Illinois) , traveled in 49 states, lived in 6 countries and traveled in over 30 countries.

I can not sit still for long without getting itchy feet!

Got the itch? Read some travel books

When I can't travel, I am reading about other places and other cultures. Here are a few of my favorite books from around the world

Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World
Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World
This is one of my top 10 favorite books. I have loaned this book and given this book to all my female friends with an interest in travel and cultures.
 
Mutant Message Down Under, Tenth Anniversary Edition
Mutant Message Down Under, Tenth Anniversary Edition
Another one of my top 10 books. This is the ultimate adventure! If you have any interest in Australia, Aborigines and walk abouts, this book is not to be missed!
 
The Harmony Silk Factory
The Harmony Silk Factory
My most recent country of residence was Malaysia. This book takes place there.
 
The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel (covers may vary)
The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel (covers may vary)
Yet another book in my top 10! The descriptions in this book about the life, smells, sights and sounds of Africa bring me back every time!
 

Don't just dream it, do it! The next time you have some free time, take a different route and keep your eyes wide open!

Where I have been. Let's starts where I have lived

To put things in perspective, until I went to college I had lived in two states. Illinois and Minnesota. Everywhere else on the list is where I have lived since I was 18!

Illinois- I was born in Danville

Minnesota - I moved to Stillwater when I was 4

Texas- My first year of college was in Arlington

Switzerland- My second year of college was in Luzern

Wisconsin- Menominee

Texas- Houston

Minnesota- Minneapolis

England- London

Maine- Portland

Alabama- Mobile and Fairhope

Liberia

Connecticut- Woodbury and Bethlehem

Ivory Coast- Abidjan

Illinois- St. Charles

Colorado- Durango

Illinois- Geneva

Malaysia- Kuala Lumpur

Virginia- Charlottesville

My last stop before returning to the US? SE Asia

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Bac Ha Market - North Vietnamphoto by Rikki HallowellBuddha Caves near Luang Prabang, Laos
Bac Ha Market - North Vietnamphoto by Rikki Hallowell
Bac Ha Market - North Vietnam photo by Rikki Hallowell
Buddha Caves near Luang Prabang, Laos
Buddha Caves near Luang Prabang, Laos

So Many Countries So Little Time!

Where I have traveled- Internationally

Switzerland

England

Scotland

Wales

France

Italy

Austria

Germany

Luxembourg

Belgium

Netherlands

Spain

Monaco

Denmark

Lichtenstein

Liberia

Ghana

Ivory Coast

South Africa

Panama

Mexico

Canada

Australia

New Zealand

Fiji

Tahiti

Bali

Indonesia (Jakarta)

Singapore

Malaysia

Thailand

Vietnam

Cambodia

Laos

Whew!! Some of these countries I have been to multiple times, but there are so many more on my wish list!

A Day in DC ( a 2 hour trip from Charlottesville) - All photos by Rikki Hallowell

Click thumbnail to view full-size
America!Korean War MemorialWashington Monument reflected in Vietnam MemorialA child's drawing at the Vietnam MemorialCaptain Robert Kuhlman Junior- MIA I wore his POW/MIA bracelet for 15 years, now my daughter has it.Mr. LincolnThe reflecting pool to the Washington MonumentWashington MonumentGeorgetownGeorgetown
America!
America!
Korean War Memorial
Korean War Memorial
Washington Monument reflected in Vietnam Memorial
Washington Monument reflected in Vietnam Memorial
A child's drawing at the Vietnam Memorial
A child's drawing at the Vietnam Memorial
Captain Robert Kuhlman Junior- MIA I wore his POW/MIA bracelet for 15 years, now my daughter has it.
Captain Robert Kuhlman Junior- MIA I wore his POW/MIA bracelet for 15 years, now my daughter has it.
Mr. Lincoln
Mr. Lincoln
The reflecting pool to the Washington Monument
The reflecting pool to the Washington Monument
Washington Monument
Washington Monument
Georgetown
Georgetown
Georgetown
Georgetown

Take a detour, feed your soul

Travel is more than the destination. It is the journey. The detours that allow you to experience the soul of the place. To me, in the end what makes a successful detour is what you take away with you. Each experience, each interaction, each glimpse of the life and heart of a country makes me a better person. If I can leave something positive behind, I have helped change the world for the better.

So you see, where I have been has been instrumental in making me who I am today.

This is a small glimpse of me. I hope my motto has in a small way made you consider your detours. Where will they take you?

All photos on this lens belong to

Rikki Hallowell and me....

Annette Hallowell

Please respect our copyrights.

Thanks for visiting!

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)