Maybe I am a bit of an overplanner when it comes to travel. The truth is, though I do like to be meticulous about where I’m going to sleep and how I’m going to get there, everything else is usually left to chance: daytime activities, meeting friends, nightlife, shopping, cultural sights, etc. This trip...
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I’ve got a big round the world trip planned. So far, the plan is to fly into China, take the train down to Hong Kong, fly into Cambodia, jump on a bus to Thailand, and then swoop over to Dubai via Jordan. However, my schedule after the Middle East is open, and rather than...
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Although I firmly believe in the value of people getting their kids out in the world at a young age – though not before four, when they’re unlikely to retain any of it – I have to question some of my parents’ travel choices. Photographs prove I was on Long Beach at age four,...
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I visited Niagara Falls (the attraction, not the city) back in 2010 when I was touring the country working as a marketing rep for one of the most despicable people to ever walk the planet. Fortunately, escaping the stress of this job was simple, as I had a lot of travel under my belt...
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As I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to change my definition of success more times than I could count. If you had asked me what that word meant at fifteen, I probably would have said a mansion in LA, an acting career, and a supermodel on my arm. In college, I would have settled for...
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I don’t know how many different kinds of budget accommodation I’ve seen in my travels. Jjimjilbang in South Korea, where one can enjoy a hot soak and set out floor mats when it’s time to crash. Capsule hotels in Japan. Practically any hotel in Thailand. Couchsurfing. Each country and culture offers their own method...
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It’s not the first time I’ve been underrepresented in a group of non-English speakers for not being able to voice my personality. I guess I get off on being the center of attention or the most interesting man in the room (depending on the room) more than I realized. I can still remember my...
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I recently had the chance to host a beautiful young lady as she was passing through Austin for the first time. As is often the case between Couchsurfer and Couchhost, we exchanged travel tales, and horror stories of Couchsurfing. Since she was a lovely woman, I asked her if she had ever had a...
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I had the opportunity to stay at a Buddhist monastery this week. Although it wasn’t my first time at one in the Theravada forest tradition, there were marked differences between it and my experience in New Zealand. As the caretaker, I was a fully integrated member of the community at Vimutti, one of only...
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Something that often keeps me from sitting down and writing is opportunity. Living abroad, there’s always something new I can experience, even the little things: trying out a new restaurant, soaking in the local bathhouse, practicing my Korean on a stranger. Even when I’m trapped in my apartment due to rain or circumstance, the...
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