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Tell us your Mistletoe Moment and Win $150

By The Fighting Couple on December 15, 2012 in General, Slideshowable

We are looking for the best Mistletoe Moment from 2012! The lovely winner will be awarded a $150 Visa gift card! Wow! Finally it is OK to Kiss and Tell!

So what exactly is a Mistletoe Moment you ask?

Simply put, it’s a moment in time when you and your special someone get taken in by your surroundings, the sights, and smells but most of all, each other! You could be with 10,000 tourists in St. Mark’s Square in Venice or in the middle of the Amazon where you are surrounded by 10,000 bugs! It could be anywhere/anyone?/anytime but it MUST be magical!

The holidays are a wonderful time to remind us the importance of one another. Here at 1000Fights we believe that the greatest gift we give is each other. We celebrate all of you couples, especially those of you that get out and explore the world together.

The Kahles our 2011 Winners

To get your creative juices going, here is the winner from 2011 :

The Kahle’s from Wanderlivin

“A wedding can mean many different things to different people. To the bride it’s the most important day of her life. That’s why when I was told my hairdresser canceled on me the day before the wedding I tried to shake it off. When half of my family couldn’t come because of Hurricane Irene I tried to shake it off. When my photographer didn’t show up – I couldn’t shake it off. Walking down the aisle in distress I saw my husband and the way he looked at me as I walked down the aisle. When I reached him I pulled his face down for a kiss before the minister could even start as the waves of Monterrey Bay crashed around us and bridesmaids giggled at the ministers disapproval.”

You can read the other great entries from last year HERE.

How to enter? Just two easy steps:

1) In 50-ish words or less, tell us about your “Mistletoe Moment” in the comments section below. We want all the details: when, where and why.

2) Give us a “like” 1000Fights on Facebook here. Then leave a comment,: “I had a Mistletoe Moment!” Here.

Stay tuned we will soon announce our celebrity Judges.

The Fine Print (sorry, but it’s really not that bad.)

1) Mistletoe Moment must have taken place in 2012.

2) Entries will be accepted till midnight December 24th, 2012.

3) Final selections will be made by our awesome panel of judges. (To be announced soon!)

4) We will announce the winner on our webpage on December 26th, 2012.

5) This contest is not valid where prohibited. (What a terrible place to be!)

6) Please keep Mistletoe Moments rated (PG-13 or PG, no G’s allowed!)

7) Prize will be delivered via Paypal, or another agreeable method.

8) The last one we promise…remember its OK to Kiss and tell!

Please share our little contest with your friends!!! Just click below to share on Facebook or Twitter. (Thank you!)

Passports with Purpose

By The Fighting Couple on November 27, 2012 in General

How would you like to get yourself a $100 shopping spree and support a great cause?

If you had to make a list of things you could not live without, what would it include? Wifi? Iphone? Diet Coke? Those are all worthy and necessary. But how long could you live without clean water? Not long. That’s why we the Fighting Couple have teamed up with a community of travel bloggers called Passports with Purpose. This year the group has elected to support Water.org.

For more than two decades, water.org has been at the forefront of discovering and delivering solutions to the global water crisis. As a part of these efforts, Passports with Purpose has selected Water.org’s certified local partner: Haiti Outreach to build and rehabilitate wells in Boucan Carre and Mirebalais, serving more than 7,400 people with clean water, sanitary toilets and hygiene education. Passports with a Purpose’s goal is to build five wells as a part of an 18 month program. We can do it!

How would you like to win a prize AND help out a cause?: Win a $100 Shopping Spree.

So we thought long and hard on what we would contribute as a prize to our loyal readers that support the effort. What do couples want most??? What brings them together?…. Yep. That’s what we thought. So we are offering up a lovely $100 shopping spree. Buy yourself or your sweetie something wonderful.

A $10 donation will allow you to put your name in the drawing to win one of the awesome prizes our fellow bloggers have pulled together for this year. For every $10 donation, you get to nominate one prize to win (or put it all into one prize should you wish – every $10 gives you another chance). Please give.

What to Do Next

Visit the Passports With Purpose donation page.
Choose the prizes you’d love to win and enter your donation amount. Remember, for every $10 you donate you get to pick another prize or gain multiple entries for your most coveted prize. It’s up to you! Cool huh? Please contact us if you have questions.

Other ways to support the cause

Follow Passports with Purpose on Facebook.
If you’re a fellow blogger with ad space to spare, host the Passports With Purpose widget on your site. It looks great and will help spread the word to your readers about this awesome fundraiser and all the fabulous prizes they can win with a small donation.
Promote the #PWP hashtag on Twitter and use the buttons for your Twitter avatar and in any free 125×125 space you have free on your site.

Disclaimer: 1000 Places to Fight Before You Die is not affiliated with Water.org nor Passports with Purpose (They are super cool.) Our site is the sole provider of described winning prize, which will be delivered as an online gift certificate.

The Hottest Travel blogger of 2010?

By The Fighting Couple on January 5, 2011 in General

Congrats to our friend Keith! http://www.traveling-savage.com

“A hunter, oft-stubbled and bleary-eyed, driven by an insatiable hunger for exploration and experience – and perhaps a chance to thin the herd of caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. From distant locales around the world to local spots in the neighborhood, I recount the triumphs, trials, and tribulations of life on the road and in the new.”-http://www.traveling-savage.com

Keith writes an impressive blog. He delivers very tight writing and catchy and timely topics. He is as widely traveled as any adventure blogger out there. I think what makes his site the most interesting is his personal story. His compelling story of how he came to the road makes for a good read. We highly, highly recommend following his blog and twitter feed.

Twitter: @travelingsavage

Congrats Keith!

Guest Post: Ever thought about global volunteering?

By The Fighting Couple on October 30, 2009 in General

You may have heard now about short-term international volunteer opportunities, where you’ll have the chance to soak in a new culture while giving back to your host community. You also might have looked into different programs – figured out where you’d like to go, what you’d like to do, how much it costs, and more. It sounds like a fun trip, so what are the pros and cons?

Pros

– You’ll help an underserved community! There are so many options out there, whether it’s education, health care, orphanage work, wildlife sanctuary assistance, business startup, and more.

– Many organizations charge very little for your assistance. My website, for example, lists hundreds of groups who ask their volunteers to pay only $15 per day for their food and accommodations.

– You’ll experience a new culture, and in many cases, live with a local family. Depending on the type of trip, you’ll be immersed in the host community’s way of life – from working alongside them to living with them.

– Many new opportunities are short-term, allowing those who only have limited vacation time to help others and explore a new area.

– You’ll meet new people – both in the local community, and from around the world.

Cons

– Is the group helping or hurting the community? Unfortunately, some organizations may have the best intentions, but aren’t going about their “help” in ways that are sustainable, or that involve the host community in the best capacity. Try to find one that actively involves locals, giving them the tools necessary to help themselves.

– Costs can pile up. The first organizations you’ll find in Google searches charge upwards of $5,000 per week, not including your airfare! Look around until you find something affordable, and don’t become discouraged. Find people who have volunteered before, and see what they recommend – many can be found through Facebook and Twitter.

– Immersing yourself in a new culture will take you out of your comfort zone. Perhaps you’ll be in a community that views women’s rights differently than your own; are you comfortable adapting to and being respectful toward it?

– Short-term isn’t always the best. My general rule of thumb is that if you’re working with animals, children, or victims of violence, disaster, or neglect, it may be best to go for at least one month. A revolving door of one-week-workers isn’t exactly the best plan for vulnerable people or wildlife.

– It’s work! And it can be tough, uncomfortable, frustrating, and you probably won’t see the effects of it by the time you leave. But if you understand that before you go, and prepare yourself for it, you’ll have a great time.

Are you up for it?

As you can see, there are pros and cons for embarking on international volunteer projects. They can be frustrating but rewarding, and as long as you prepare yourself and know what you’re getting into, I can almost guarantee you’ll love it. And by “almost” I mean, I’ve only met one person who didn’t.

I’ll sign off here with one last bit of advice: Figure out whether you want your trip to emphasize “volunteer” or “vacation”, and then find a group that’s on the same wavelength. Once you do, you won’t be disappointed – and probably want to go again and again!

A huge thanks to our friend Sarah Van Auken for a great guest post! Sarah runs a website called www.Volunteer Global.com. Her site highlights the ins and outs of volunteering! Volunteering is the next best thing to fighting!

My First Bath (Turkish)

By admin on September 21, 2009 in Best of the Fighting Couple, General

An experience that is difficult to fully describe. We chose the Cagaloglu Hamami or Turkish bath. It is medieval design. The Cagaloglu Hamami is probably the world’s most famous Turkish Bath. It’s featured in the 1000 places to go before you die book, and is reputed to have been visited by King Edward VII, Florence Nightingale, Tony Curtis and Cameron Diaz and now my wife Luci. You walk in and are greeted by two “bath guys” they give you the run down on the different bath options. We chose the bath and massage. We put down our green backs, picked out our soap and soapmit. Luci was whisked away to the women side. From what she described, I should of followed her.

Ok, they give you the key to your “compartment” and in you go. Directions from the aging gentleman were simple. “take off clothes, put on towel”. No welcome to the bath, no: you may be concerned about modesty etc… now the mens waiting room is right in front of the main entry way. So I walk out and some French girls are pointing an laughing at me. I think they thought something was funny with my towel…I don’t know.

You are escorted into the back, which opens into a huge domed room At center is a huge marble slab. It is about a 1000 degrees. 10 bathers total. One of the employees (blue towel) says: go to hot room. I am thinking, this is fairly hot. I head to back. Hot room was an understatement. I sit down careful to keep knees together. How do you girls do it? I cook for 10 minute, then my “man” comes. “I am Ali” I said, yes you are. “come”. Ali is light on words and heavy on pounds. Ali looks to be expecting twins, and has the hair from planet apes. He directs me to lay flat on the center stone. I do. Enter Turkish massage. A lot of chopping, and pulling muscle from bone, which is not as pleasant as it sounds. Ali is ingueiness in using elbows, and knees to knead soft tissue. At one point, knee is used to “soften buttocks area”. This was the most unpleasant portion of the adventure as marble was not very forgiving of my reverse side (enough said).

Once my entire body has been stretched, pulled and properly kneaded. Ali explained, “now wash”. I was directed to one of the side marble benches. being completely washed by another man is not something that i do on a regular basis. Ali puts on a sandpaper glove and begins to methodically remove 1 inch of my skin. He keeps showing me the glove. It is completely covered in skin removed. I nodded like this was great. Then he took his finger nails and removed the top layer of my scalp for 10 mins.

Enter more soap, more scrubbing. At last I look like a drowned cat. Ali says: “done”. I can’t move. I finally find my way back to my compartment and change. I take a pic with Ali. I tried to wish him luck with the twins…it didn’t translate well.

It was a once in a lifetime experience (I hope!)