Serenflipity - A whole new way to travel
Serenflipity
There are 2 general types of travelers. Those who play it safe, and those who don't mind a little exploration. Cara was the latter. She created this travel game that changed the way she experienced the world.
When I met her last year in Bali, she was at the tail end of her 90-day sabbatical from work. A sabbatical taken because she was creatively blocked despite being Lead Inventor at ?What If! Innovation Partners. While she knew she'd do her best to explore the world, she never would have imagined a travel gift from friends and family would transform her. This gift - A box of 90 pastel colored index cards, each with a handwritten challenge from a different friend or family member. 90 days, 90 challenges.
When inspired or uninspired, Cara would pull a card and execute the challenge, reporting her experiences on her blog http://yestoexcess.com/.
We sat at dinner as she recollected challenge after challenge, doing all the things when probably wouldn't do otherwise. I distinctly remember one challenge to "ask a stranger for a mantra." That stranger turned out to be Aerosmith's Steven Tyler. I also remember the card she pulled the 2nd day we met. "Go past GO and collect $200," which meant she could splurge and spend an extra night at my client's hotel, Bambu Indah.
I loved it.
In true Yvette fashion, I urged her to consider making it a product. One short year later, Serenflipity Travel cards made their debut online at Haystakt and I just purchased my first deck! What's cool is that there's also a social media element where travelers get to share their experiences using hashtags. Let the fun begin!
Know someone who loves to travel and wouldn't mind an extra push? This makes the perfect gift!
Price: The more purchased, the cheaper they get so check out Haystakt and see them for yourself!
About Cara Thomas
Cara Thomas was a Lead Inventor at ?What If! Innovation Partners, the world's largest independent innovation company. When she's not developing new business models, brands and ideas for large organizations, she can be found adventuring through new countries and neighborhoods, always on a search for the serendipitous and unconventional.
Most recently, on a three month sabbatical through India and Southeast Asia, she completed daily challenges designed by friends, family (and strangers), which led to unexpected experiences like asking Steven Tyler for a mantra, being swarmed by Burmese kindergarteners and counseling a Bhutanese psychiatric patient. She blogged about her experiences on yestoexcess.com in the spirit of encouraging readers around the world to say "yes."
Prior to a career in innovation consulting, she worked at the Aspen Institute and studied International Relations at Brown. Born in Australia but raised in New York City, she circled the world four times before she could talk, and hasn't stopped traveling (or talking to strangers) since.