Explore the world around you and the world within you
I'm Steve Brock: traveler, photographer, and author of the new book Hidden Travel: The Secret to Extraordinary Trips.
Join me as we explore the intersection of your outer journey (travel) with your inner longings, interests and passions. If you're new to the site, start here or sign up on the Resources page to access great tip sheets and tools to make each trip more meaningful. You can also take the Traveler Type Quiz to find out what type of traveler you are.
Or simply read the latest blog post... 
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Get your FREE Trip Planning Workbook!
Learn new ways to select the perfect trip destination, be a more sustainable traveler or determine how to turn any trip into a quest. This workbook will help you plan a trip in a whole new way. Sign up on the Resources page to access the free workbook and other helpful ebooks, tip sheets and guides. The Closet Creative
The Closet Creative is someone who longs to express him/herself more in some creative fashion…but doesn’t. If that’s you, it’s time to come out…
Food tour of Seattle’s International District
A food tour of Seattle’s International District and Chinatown revealed not only some secret gems of restaurants and stores but also the value of a guide to discovering such hidden places.
Chemo Gifts: When delight and need intersect
As I found in making chemo gifts for those undergoing cancer treatment, you find the greatest meaning at the intersection of your delight and others’ needs.
Discover hidden worlds in your own neighborhood
How do you discover hidden worlds in your own neighborhood? As we saw last time, part of it means being open and paying attention to what goes unnoticed even around your own house or backyard. You can also take this one step further and discover other neighborhoods that you’ve either not known about or ignored for years. Such was the case for me with Seattle’s Chinatown and International…
Discover hidden worlds in your own backyard
How many hidden worlds lie in your own backyard? More than you may realize. Literally, if you were to pay close attention to all the details of your home or backyard, you’d be amazed by what you find. Xavier de Maistre did just that. Journey around your own room In 1790, de Maistre wrote a book, A Journey Around My Room. According to Alain de Botton in one of…
The myth of the unique travel experience
You travel far off any known tourist map to encounter what you believe will be a unique travel experience. No one there speaks your language or appears to have ever encountered a Westerner before. You learn enough of the local language which, combined with gestures worthy of Marcel Marceau or an Academy Award, get you by. You come home from this seemingly unique travel experience. You post stories…
How to use textures in Photoshop for better photos
Learning how to use textures in Photoshop has been one of the best ways I’ve found to add interest to some otherwise so-so images. In particular, applying textures in Photoshop to travel photos can add depth and meaning to your trip images. How? Because you’re able to add associations to the image that may convey more of how you felt when you captured the image than the photo…
Get the most out of a guidebook
How do you get the most out of a guidebook? In today’s interconnected world, you wonder if the guidebook itself is becoming an anachronism, a throwback to a time when people read actual newspapers and a social network usually involved a potluck. So I’m less concerned with the medium in which the information is presented – books, printouts of PDFs, downloadable e-books, podcasts, phone apps or live access…