Book

I’m the author of the travel memoir Two Laps Around the World: Tales and Insights from a Life Sabbatical. It’s about the experience my wife and I had when we took a career break (twice) for a round-the-world trip. We ended up circling the globe once in each direction. You can read more about the book here.

Articles

Arizona Daily Star

Globally Aware Citizens Know their Geography

Matador Trips

World’s best stargazing destinations

Ideal places to watch the sun rise and set

Trazzler

Marveling at the life of the Sonoran Desert

Examiner

A road trip through literary New England

Journey into the roots of American music

Presidential road trip through Virginia

Set aside time to visit these Boston baseball landmarks

Life abounds at these desert botanical gardens

Blog

Travel writing pieces from my blog:

- Athenians, buses and automobiles

- Impressions of Calcutta

- Learning about Buddhism at a Himalayan temple

- Public bathing in a Japanese onsen

- Poetry of travel: Ancient ritual on the Ganges

- Poetry of travel: A cafe by the Red Sea

It’s possible to go beyond the tried and true routes and to craft almost any type of journey that your mind can imagine. A trip that is not only scenic, but which also enables you to focus on topics that you’re passionate about. With that premise in mind, I’ve created a series of articles about themed road trips in North America. Some of them focus on aspects on American culture, such as literature, music or baseball. Some of them allow you to indulge your interest in history. And others are designed so that you can appreciate the wonders of nature and of the diverse American landscape.

Below are overviews of some of these trips, with links to published articles and blog posts. So let’s hit the road…

American Culture

Literary New England, Literary California and Literary Midwest – If you enjoy a good book, you’ll love these dual road trips through the homes of some of America’s greatest writers. Just a few of the places you’ll explore are the transcendental roots of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau in Concord, Massachusetts; the Hartford and Hannibal homes of Mark Twain; the quintessential New England homestead of Robert Frost; the birthplace of John Steinbeck in Salinas, California, the Laura Ingalls Wilder homesteads in the Midwest, and the San Francisco literary hangouts of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and other members of the Beat Generation.

Journey into the roots of American music – A lot of remarkable music was born in the United States and this two-part road trip enables you to do a pretty thorough job of exploring the roots of jazz, blues, soul, bluegrass, country and rock and roll. Among other destinations, it will take you from the birthplace of jazz in New Orleans to the Mississippi home of the blues, and from the country music capital of Nashville to the Detroit source of the Motown sound.

Ultimate baseball road trip– Are you a baseball fan? Then you’ll enjoy this trek, which takes you into the heart of some of the country’s most passionate fan bases as well as to places that shed light on the early history of baseball. You’ll see the site of the game’s first official ballgame in New York and the location of the game’s first World Series in Boston. You can explore the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City. And along the way, you can take in games at Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field and other famed ballparks.

Pizzas of America - This mouth-watering road trip will give you a chance to sample some of the many ways that pizza is tossed and baked in America – from New York’s foldable slices to Chicago’s deep dish pizzas, from Providence’s grilled pizza to Detroit’s square Sicilian style, and from the clam pizzas of New Haven to the tomato pies of Trenton.

History of American Football - If you enjoy the autumn ritual that involves colliding shoulder pads and barbecue-scented tailgate parties, you’ll appreciate this road trip into the history of American football, which takes you to classic stadiums, historic sites and halls of fame.

Landscapes

Volcanic tour of the Pacific Northwest -  The Pacific Northwest has been significantly shaped by its volcanic history. There are stunning calderas, lava tube caves and and bubbling hot springs throughout the region – all connected to the area’s volcanic activity. And the Cascade Range is home to a 700-mile string of active volcanoes, from Mount Rainier to Mount Hood to Mount Shasta. As a result, it’s possible to put together a road trip that takes in some of the continent’s most spectacular volcanic scenery.

Fall foliage tour through quintessential New England – There are many spectacular fall foliage drives, but the destination most associated with the beauty of autumn is New England. Visitors who come for the colorful leaves also enjoy sampling the local culture, as they wander through colonial towns, take photos of covered bridges, and warm up with cups of steaming cider. So take a fall foliage driving tour of New England that also enables you to discover some of the region’s most picturesque towns and traditional experiences.

Stargazing the Southwest – A dark sky filled with thousands of glittering stars is one of the most sublime sights in nature. The region from West Texas to Southern California boasts some of the best stargazing locations in the world, and Arizona has more observatories than any other state or country. You can spend your days seeing the sights of the Southwest and your nights enjoying the majesty of the universe.

Wonders of California’s Central Coast - Although Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco get much of the attention, don’t dismiss California’s Central Coast as a travel destination. The region has an abundance of natural wonders and you can piece together quite an enjoyable road trip there. It’s also not an exaggeration to say the journey from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz is one of the most beautiful drives in the country.

History

Atomic tourism: Road trip through Cold War history – In New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada, it’s possible to construct a unique road trip through an era of 20th century atomic history. This journey will take you to the New Mexico site where the first atomic bomb was tested, to an underground Titan missile complex in Arizona which once had missiles pointed at the former Soviet Union, and to numerous other sites representing the Cold War and the dawn of the nuclear age.

Presidential tour of Virginia – If you’re a fan of politics, presidential history, or even just American history, then you should spend some time in Virginia. Of the country’s 44 leaders, seven of them have firm roots in Virginia, including such Founding Fathers as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Virginia has more presidential landmarks and homes than any other state, so it’s possible to construct a nifty little road trip that will enable you to take in a treasure trove of American history.

Black history road trip- This journey gives you a chance to explore the civil rights movement and to visit the historic homes of prominent African Americans. It runs from Kansas to Georgia and takes you to such places as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, the Selma-to-Montgomery National Historic Trail in Alabama, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, and the Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka.

Cross-Cultural Business Writing

I have extensive experience in writing about cross-cultural subjects. As former Manager of Editorial Services for Eaton Consulting Group (now Aperian Global), I researched and wrote more than 70 country-specific manuals that were used in corporate trainings with such international clients as Dell, Sony, Bechtel, L.L. Bean and AT&T. I also wrote materials for the company’s online Globesmart training tool and co-authored a cross-cultural chapter for a business book.

Samples of my cross-cultural business writing:

-  Orientation for a Global Population (published in the book Creative New Employee Orientation Programs).

-  East Asian Cultural Themes (Eaton Consulting Group)

- The Cultural Context: United Arab Emirates (Eaton Consulting Group)

-  U.K. Culture Shock: A Comparison of American and British Styles (Workforce Magazine)

-  Brazil: A Cultural Profile (Relocation Journal)

-  South Africa: A Cultural Profile (Relocation Journal)

More Cross-Cultural Topics

Samples of my other cross-cultural writing:

- Soccer cultures of the World Cup

Cross-Cultural Consulting & Education

In addition to my writing, I have experience in cross-cultural consulting and education. In this capacity, I have:

• Conducted cross-cultural workshops for business executives and their families who were being relocated overseas.
• Designed a cultural re-entry program for individuals who were completing a one-year educational experience away from their home countries.
• Administered a cross-cultural education program for several hundred international university-aged students.
• Taught a cultural immersion class for EF Education. The course was an Introduction to U.S. Government for college students from outside the United States.

Testimonials

“As a Brazilian living in the United States for seven years, I was amazed about how precisely some of the cultural differences were expressed in your study. Although I can understand those differences very well, putting it into words can be a very complex job.”                                                    - Victor D.

“I am writing to let you know how much I enjoyed reading your article in the latest edition of Workforce. As an Englishwoman currently living in Boston, I found your points to be right on target.”            – Sue C.

“I am a Professor in the Graduate School of Business. I teach several classes within the Master’s of International Management program. Recently, I came across a very good article written by Bob Riel on the subject of U.K. cultural shock. I would like your permission to reprint that article for distribution to students in my classes.”               – Rodney B.

Literary road trips

Literary New England

Literary California

Literary Midwest

Destinations for book lovers

Seven travel-worthy independent bookstores

Literary tourism in Concord, Massachusetts

Author homes

Celebrate Mark Twain in Hannibal, Missouri and Hartford, Connecticut

The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Florida

Visit the homes of Robert Frost in Vermont and New Hampshire

Remember Walt Whitman at historic homes in New York and New Jersey

(Photo credit: Flo21 via Wikimedia Commons)

Travels in the Riel World - There is a photography section on my blog where I regularly post photos.

Flickr – I have a collection of travel photos on Flickr.

Political road trips

Birth of Democracy

Presidential Virginia

Presidential homes, libraries and historic sites

Historic sites that celebrate the life of Theodore Roosevelt

Discover John Adams at these historic sites

John Kennedy’s birthplace and presidential library in Boston

The best President’s Day destinations for learning about Washington and Lincoln

Homes of the presidents: Andrew Jackson and James Madison

Herbert Hoover presidential library and museum in Iowa

Unique destinations for travelers interested in politics and history

Learn more about the Cold War at these tourist destinations

Civil rights and African American history sites

Discover women’s history in Seneca Falls and Rochester, New York

Riel World Communications provides editorial services to businesses, nonprofits and individuals. My skills and experience give me the ability to meet diverse writing needs. I’m a freelance writer who has work experience at a daily newspaper, an international consulting firm and in the communications office of a nonprofit organization.

WRITING SERVICES

Business writing – Let me help with your business writing needs. Letters, brochures, presentations, training manuals, newsletters and more.

Editing and rewriting – Sometimes, an individual or organization has a communication piece that has gone through a first or second draft, but needs someone to provide a fresh perspective. I can help.

Feature writing – I have work experience as a journalist for a daily newspaper and I can use this ability to produce articles for your organizational magazine or newsletter.

Cross-cultural and travel topics - I’ve done extensive writing on international topics, including researching and writing a wide variety of training materials for cross-cultural consulting firms.

Ghostwriting – Let me know if you have a letter, article or speech that needs to be developed or polished. Or, if you have a more extensive topic that could be turned into a book, I’d be happy to speak with you about editing the manuscript, developing a book proposal, or working with a self-publishing company.

Press Releases – The best press releases need a good hook to make them newsworthy. I’ll make sure your release is original and well-written.

Histories and biographies – Do you need someone to write a company history? Or a personal biography for your website or media kit? I can help with these projects, for both corporations and individuals.

Web content – If you need a writer to produce or rewrite your web content, please contact me.

Fundraising and special event materials – I have experience in nonprofit fundraising and have written case statements for capital campaigns, as well as appeal letters, special event brochures, and other material for annual funds and individual fundraising projects.

CLIENTS

A partial list of clients:

Aperian Global/GlobeSmart
Eaton Consulting Group
Up with People
University of Arizona
Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls
Equally Shared Parenting.com

Life sabbaticals

Although most people associate sabbaticals with the academic world, it has become a more common activity among the population in general, with individuals taking anywhere from a month to a year away from work. Many people who have never contemplated this idea could benefit from a life sabbatical – whether to travel, do volunteer work, learn a new skill, or spend more time with family. At the very least, extended time off from a job enables one to return to work with new enthusiasm, added confidence or more varied knowledge and interests. In some cases, it gives individuals a chance to redefine themselves. Here is an overview of life sabbaticals, as well as a few ideas and resources to get you going.

Round-the-world travel

Do you know that list you keep in your drawer of dream destinations around the world? Can you imagine visiting several of them during a single trip? It’s possible if you plan a round-the-world adventure. Lots of people fantasize about a journey like this, but few follow through and make it a reality. You can. Believe it or not, a round-the-world trip is both easier to plan and easier on the budget than you might have imagined. Here is some information and resources to get you started.

Interviews with travelers

- Lillie Marshall