Confessions of a Cruise Director

Following is an excerpt from my travel memoir, “Travels Through Egypt,” which I am currently working on.  Comments are welcome…
Our first day in Egypt, we all got on a bus and went to Lake Moeris, a sacred site to Rosicrucians.  The group, all Rosicrucians except for me and one other spouse, were having a ceremony there, which my husband Greg could participate in, but I could not. (Aside: I later became one on the trip, because of the trip and the things I experienced there, and it was my first spiritual home, for which I will be forever grateful).
Our [...] Continue Reading…

Tags: ancient egypt, King Zoser, Lake Moeris, Lake Mueris, pyramids, Sakkhara, spiritual tour, spiritual travel, step pyramid, travel memoir, travel writing, Zoser

This is the 2nd excerpt from my work-in-progress memoir, Travels Through Egypt.  This is the last part of chapter 3.  If you have a suggestion for the name, let me know.  I’m about halfway through writing it, and I’ll try to publish a chapter a week.
***
Food helps to ground me, but for two days, I foundered, as we traveled from site to site visiting Cairo.  Jet lag, the newness of the Middle East, the strangeness of the “getting to know you” period with the group, and my general work exhaustion, all seemed to overwhelm me until I felt as [...] Continue Reading…

Tags: ancient egypt, Cairo, Egypt, Emil Shaker, Graham Hancock, Greg Braden, Karnak, Luxor, Marianne Williamson, Mohamed Nazmy, Nile cruise, Nile tour, Quest Travel, travel memoir, travel writing

Ever since Letterman, these Top 10 lists are really popular.  I think it’s a great way to drill down to the really important stuff, so without further ado, here are my top 10 reasons why you want to travel with us!
Top 10 reasons to take a spiritual tour with Spirit Quest Tours

1. Make a deeper spiritual connection - whatever your higher power is.

2. Create new habits of meditation, yoga, prayer, journaling, and connection to “all there is”

3. Give yourself the treat of a “trip of a lifetime” - and we really mean that.

4. Get away from your day-to-day distractions [...] Continue Reading…

Tags: deeper connection, spiritual tour, spiritual travel, top 10 list, top 10 reasons to travel

Did you read “Eat Pray Love”? Do you want to meet with a famous Balinese Shaman? Ketut Liyer, thanks to the best-selling book, “Eat Pray Love”, has found himself catapulted to fame and at least some small fortune as the most important Balian on an island of very spiritual people. And earlier this year, Spirit Quest Tours was in Bali for two weeks with a group of 35 American tourists, many of whom had read the book and were hoping to meet Ketut. Luckily, our Balinese guide knew him, and where he lived, and I was able to send him over to Ubud to set up an afternoon for our group to see him. [...] Continue Reading…

Tags: Bali, Bali Tour, Bali Tours, Bali Travel, Bali Trip, Bali Trips, Balian, Balinese, Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ketut Liyer, Liz Gilbert, shaman, Ubud

This is the first entry in the excerpts of my work-in-progress Egypt memoir, tentatively titled, “Travels Through Egypt” (if you can think of a name you like better - that still has the word Egypt in it - please let me know!)  After 10 years of travel to many cities throughout Egypt, and with 5 years under me as “Julie the Cruise Director” for Spirit Quest Tours, I have some interesting stories to tell. Sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, the Egypt I have experienced is always warm, welcoming, and one of my favorite places to be on the planet. I [...] Continue Reading…

Tags: ancient egypt, Cairo, Egypt, Egypt Trip, Great Pyramid, Karnak, Luxor, Mena House, Nile cruise, Nile tour, Sphinx, Spirit Quest Tours, spiritual travel, travel memoir, travel stories, travel writing

Most of the guests who come on our trips have never been to Egypt before - hey, some of them have never left their country before! We want to make everyone comfortable and at ease, but we do always get the same questions in advance of a trip and after ten years, I thought this should be the first thing I address in my brand new blog! [...] Continue Reading…

Tags: Egypt, Egypt safety, Egypt tips, Egypt travel, evian mister, Nile cruise, travel, travel insurance

I am sitting in the stunning, airy bar of my gorgeous Balinese hotel and I am sweating… a lot.  I’ve just had a ten-minute walk, the slow, meandering kind, but it has still taken its toll in the sticky, humid weather.  There is a delicate balance here between freshly showered and breaking out in a full, glorious dancer’s sweat and I am hoping to find it.  Like the heroine of “Eat, Pray, Love”, I have come to Bali searching for balance. 

 
It’s a challenge, because I am not exactly here on vacation.  My partner Greg and I lead spiritual tours to sacred sites around [...] Continue Reading…

Tags: Bali, dispatch, Hotels & Resorts, Maya Ubud, relaxation, spa, spa treatments