"The Gud Life"

In order to understand what "GudieGuides" is all about, I must first explain how I live my life and why I think it's valuable to share with you.

Like the name of this website, "the Gud life" is a play on words based on my unique and unpronounceable last name (Gudenius) and the term "the good life."

When we talk about "the good life" there are, of course, a variety of meanings that could have. Surely happiness, family, love, freedom, security, good health, success -- these are all things that contribute to a good life. Gudie Guides, however, focus on the mundane meaning of "the good life" as it is often used: how to enjoy the finer things in life. In this case, the finer things are going to be unique, memorable experiences and wonderful, sumptuous creature comforts. Specifically, there will be posts and reviews regarding: travel tips and sample itineraries; tea reviews; wine/beer and winery/brewery reviews; food and restaurant reviews and recommendations.

Normally, these things are reserved for the elite upper echelons of society: the upper classes, or at least the "well-to-do." Does that mean the rest of us should suffer through a life devoid of art, culture, and wonderful taste sensations? Things like great food, great wine, fine teas, and amazing trips require something a lot of us don't have: plenty of money. But, I've learned, that's not the way it has to be! Sure, you can't change the cost of an airline ticket or a bottle of fine wine. What you can change, however, is how you live your life. You can set your own priorities and goals, and you can choose how to allocate whatever time and money you do have.

"The Gud Life," therefore, is all about a shift in your way of living and thinking about what you "can" and "can't" have. It's not about living like royalty all the time. That's not really possible unless you are... well... royalty. The Gud Life is about balance. In a sense, it is a form of Taoism applied to the material realm in order to experience a life less ordinary. It is about making sacrifices sometimes so that you can experience luxury other times. Some people call it "the high-low game": in order to live the high life sometimes, you must also make some sacrifices at other times. In the end, this system balances out so that you are not spending any more time or money than if you were playing the "middle of the road" game, in which case you spend a moderate amount of time or money on smaller, less luxurious expenditures, but on a more frequent basis.

Which one is better? Well, that is for you to decide. Consider this: if you were to buy a venti latte at Starbucks every day for a year, it would cost over $1300. For that price, you could cruise down the Rhine, see Germany's oldest city and the birthplace of cologne (Köln, aka Cologne), have a private wine-tasting tour of famous Riesling vineyards, and spend the night in a fairytale-like tower of a medieval castle that is now a 4-star hotel. Which one is better? That's up to you. For me, I would take "experience of a lifetime" over "daily cup of Joe" any day. But that's just me.

Or is it? I have a feeling other people out there -- in the same boat as me (hey, I'm a teacher, so I have a steady job but I don't rake in the big bucks!) -- would love to experience "the Gud life" but don't know how. Many people would love to travel to a tropical paradise or experience the art and culture of Europe or the amazing scenery of New Zealand. Many people don't even know about the wealth of cultural, culinary, and scenic adventures that can be had right here in America. They think "I don't have time" or "That's way too expensive... it's out of my league."

Maybe Gudie Guides can help by:

1. Preventing you from wasting money on things that seem luxurious but are really truly over-priced and just not worth the money.
2. Point out which things are, as expensive as they may be, truly worth the money and thus worth sacrificing some other things.
3. Showing you overlooked, underrated, or good bang-for-the-buck gems that might be otherwise completely overlooked.
4. Providing compact, balanced, and efficient travel itineraries that allow you to experience the best in a trip without spending too much time or money.