The New Year is a time for celebration and a time to start over anew. Last year was an eventful year for me, filled with new jobs, a new home and lots of travel. While 2008 had me bouncing around from place to place and job to job, I am definitely ready to be settled in for 2009. Well, not completely settled because that would get a little boring, but I am excited to be in one place with one great job!

The New Year is also a time for New Year’s resolutions. Most people vow to work out more and lose weight, but that is not always easy. With a busy work schedule it is almost impossible to get to the gym. At least, that is the excuse I use! This year I have decided to forgo the whole New Year’s resolution thing and work on just being myself. I am going to try to go on more runs and I want to start my own jewelry line, but I am not calling them resolutions. I am calling them plans. That way I won’t be disappointed if I don’t follow through with them. But to all of you who are making resolutions, good luck!

May your New Year be filled with good health and good fun!

-Jackie Adam, advertising and editorial coordinator

It’s about 30 degrees outside and I am snuggled in my comforter thinking about my favorite place on Earth - Sayulita, Mexico. I find myself thinking about Sayulita daily, longing for its beach-side restaurants and salty margaritas.

I’ve been lucky enough to have traveled to over 15 countries, but I haven’t enjoyed anywhere else as much as Sayulita. It could have been the company, or it could have been the fresh fish tacos, the surfing or the local Mexican reggae band that blasted its music throughout the town. Whatever it was, it stuck with me so much that I long for the Sayulita life.

Sayulita is a tiny little surfing town 35 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta with only about 2,000 full-time residents. It’s a secret spot that is unknown to many and loved by those who know the secret. I would like to keep it a secret, so SHH….. - don’t tell anyone.

Sayulita is home to many Mexican families that have lived there for generations as well as American surfers that have come there for everything that Sayulita has to offer. And believe me, it has a lot to offer.

While there, I surfed daily, rode quads through the jungle, fished for mahi mahi (we caught 20 and fed the entire village) and relaxed. The only thing that wasn’t relaxing was hiking the 200 extremely steep steps that led to our villa, but I would do that hike a million times over if I could spend more time in Sayulita. And the food–I could write an entire blog just on that! Fresh fruit smoothies, mahi mahi tacos with pineapple salsa, burritos so spicy that you have to take a break in between bites and homemade banana muffins are just a few of the mouthwatering bites that Sayulita offers.

Unfortunately, words do not do this place justice, and you just have to see it for yourself. And, if you do go, I hope you fall in love with Sayulita just as I did.

-Jackie Adam, advertising and editorial coordinator

I have moved five times in the past year and a half. Why, you ask? To find that place that is warm and cozy enough to call home. While home will always be the house I grew up in in Mystic, Conn., that house belongs to my parents. I have been in search of that place that feels comfortable enough to call my own.

You would think since I have such a passion for travel that home wouldn’t have such meaning to me, but after those trips abroad it is always nice to come to a place where you find comfort. I find so much happiness in traveling to new destinations and experiencing new cultures that I feel all of those places are my second home. I am just looking for the first one.

I have been all over the place since I graduated and left my college town of Burlington, Vt. Well, I have been all over the palce while being in only two different places, my hometown in Connecticut and New Jersey. Why Jersey? I fell in love, and love can take you to a million different places.

Some people think I am crazy because I have had six jobs in the past year and lived in four different apartments, but I am not willing to settle until I feel right at home. And recently I have. With a great new job here at Global Traveler and an apartment just big enough to fit my belongings, I can finally say I feel at home. While the world is my vacation house, there really is no place like home.

Jackie Adam, advertising and editorial coordinator

As I write, I am sitting in my hotel room at the new Hilton Baltimore. My room overlooks Camden Yards, the Baltimore Orioles baseball stadium, and a roof that is surprisingly different than most hotel roofs I have ever seen. The Hilton Baltimore has a greef roof, which provides a haven for wildlife, reduces storm water runoff and reduces the heat island effect - which lowers utility bills. These are just a few of the environmental benefits. This excited me. It always makes me happy when I see or hear of someone helping our environment.

I try my best to give back to the environment every day. I drive a hybrid, I use energ- efficient light bulbs, I unplug appliances when they are not in use, and I use reusable bags when I go shopping. I am not doing anything huge, like living in a solar-panel house (although one day I would like to), but it is all of the little things that can help the bigger problem.

So maybe, even if just for today, try walking somewhere nearby that you normally drive to, or unplug your cell phone charger when the phone isn’t being charged. If all of us just cut back on a few things, we could make a huge difference. And I don’t know about you, but making a difference makes me smile, and maybe you will, too.

-Jackie Adam, advertising and editorial coordinator

**Jackie is the newest addition to the Global Traveler staff and will be guest blogging regularly.**