An uneventful trip to Israel. That’s always a good thing when you’re traveling by plane to the Middle East. The entire plane clapped when we landed safely, which is something I haven’t heard since I was on an Aeroflot plane 15 or so years ago.
I went Delta – don’t get me started on the quality of their service. My words will only be of frustration and tears.
Tel Aviv has changed dramatically since I was last here. I’m here as part of a social media blogging expedition sponsored by the Israel Consulate. “It’s all about tech baby,” however our voices over the next week and a half will be about so much more than technology because Israel is about so much more. It’s a place of passion, innovation, complexity, intensity, contradiction, spirit and drive.
Together with nine other bloggers, I’ll be meeting with visionaries in the areas of tech, social media, renewable energy and the arts. All of our content will be aggregated to Traveling Geeks.com. Right now, we’re having a glitch with images, so you should continue to tune into our individual blogs as well to get the raw data.
Before the more structured agenda kicks into gear, it was necessary to head to the Dead Sea, a place of great healing and mystery. And venture to the desert which is where I am now; sitting in a zimmer listening to the sounds of birds, crickets and stray cats outside my window.
Below: on the road to the Zohar Junction, where more than twenty years ago, I stood on the side of the road for three hours trying to hitch a lift to Eilat. Hitchhiking is now apparently illegal in Israel for soldiers, who were frequent hitchers in the eighties and nineties. Now, its no longer safe.
Photo taken by: Susan Mernit
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
