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In JFK I got on the 16-hour Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong. It was 3pm in the New York afternoon, and 3am in HKG—exactly halfway around the world. The Boeing 777 took off, I had lunch, and I took a short nap. I always set my watch to the destination time when boarding a flight, so it was now sunrise in Hong Kong ... with 13 hours to go. What's next?
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This weekend I went on an adventure that involved running 13.1 miles in an unusual, remarkable location. I'll share more on the experience next week, but for now, here's a preview:
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Sometimes people ask about my qualifications.
It's a fair question with a simple answer: I have none.
There's absolutely no reason I should be doing pretty much anything I'm doing these days.
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Chances are, you probably won't be visiting Angola anytime soon ... but it's always good to be prepared. Here's a starting point ...
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When I heard the news that the rapture would take place two Saturdays ago, my first thought was ... wait ... how is that possible, since World Domination still has two weeks to go? We need more time before the planet implodes!
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You thought you had plenty of time, but something went wrong. Having spent too much time thinking about what to pack, you spent even more time reevaluating at the last minute. You overslept, or you forgot about the time zone change. The bus came late, or the traffic jammed up. Whatever it was, as you head out the door, you run up against an uncomfortable fact—you're late. Not fashionably late, not pressed for time, just ... LATE. Thus begins the sense of apprehension. “Will I make it? What will happen if I don't?”
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On my first overseas trip in several months, I made it to Libya, Afghanistan, and even (briefly) Kish Island, Iran. It was a tiring trip, as one might expect, but also a timely one. When I booked my flights, I didn't exactly plan on revolution breaking out across the region; apparently revolutions are not scheduled in advance.
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One of the questions I'm repeatedly asked in interviews is, “Aren't you afraid of all the dangerous countries?" It's usually followed by questions like "What's the worst thing that has happened to you?"
Despite 100 interviews over the past three months on book tour, I'm still not very good at the soundbyte. I have countries that try to deport me upon arrival and countries that write an official government response to my frustration at their bureaucracy. In a decade full of active traveling, I've also had a few more serious problems as well ...
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Dear Friends,
I got up at 5am in Anchorage last Monday to publish this post, all about a business offer I was partnering with to donate my proceeds to our Ethiopia project.
At the moment I pressed the publish button, I knew it was a good promotion and I trusted Karol and Adam—but I wasn't entirely sure how readers would respond. We had no pre-launch to let people know this was coming, it was a busy time of the year, and I was just wrapping up our own only-once-a-year sale at UnconventionalGuides.com ...
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Thanks to some fun travel hacking that led to a better-than-free side trip to Thailand, I took a couple days off at the end of my Belarus-to-Algeria adventure.
I've been to Thailand a dozen times, but never to Chiang Mai, the mountainous city in the north, far away from the hustle of Bangkok. The highlight of the excursion was a day trip to Tiger Kingdom, a cat reserve twenty minutes out of the city where tourists can play a fun game of “pet the tigers while the staff watches warily with sticks.”
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By the time I got to the check-in counter at PDX airport this morning, I knew I'd go through with the plan. PDX-DEN-FRA to start with... but then what? I wasn't sure.
“Will you be traveling on from Frankfurt?” the United agent asked.
This is a polite way of saying, “When will you be leaving the European Union?” – to ensure I don't decide to take up residence in Germany.
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I've heard the question in various forms over the past couple of years: Why not just travel around the world without trying to go everywhere—in other words, why focus on the numbers?
My answer is that the numbers give you a goal—something to keep in mind as you go through a challenging process. The numbers can't be your sole motivation or identity, but they can be a big help.
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Do you ever have the feeling that you're leaving somewhere to which you'll never return? You've been coasting along in the present, then all of a sudden—the future! Is here! There's no going back, no matter how much you want to.
You walk out of the apartment and shut the door for the last time. You leave the university campus after years of study. You change jobs and say farewell to the workspace.
That place was so important to you, but now it's no longer part of your life.
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A few notes on our very busy day here:
1. If you're traveling on Amtrak at some point, I recommend the blueberry pancakes for breakfast.
2. Thanks for all the birthday congratulations. You guys are great.
3. A reader told me about the Bottomless Cup coffee shop in Havre, Montana. We have 25 minutes in Havre this afternoon and I'm going to try to make a mad latte dash. If I don't make it back in time, J.D.'s in charge!
4. Oh, and the Empire Building Kit has been flying off the shelves! Holy cow.
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I wrote a feature article for Writer's Digest this month, and it looks like it just hit the newsstands. I also received permission to include the full PDF here if you're interested: Changing the Rules for Unconventional Success. You can also read a brief online supplement on their site here.
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