Is it true you used travel as a solace to help you find yourself and reorientate yourself after a particular rough period in your life?

Yes, it is true! Within just a few months, I got divorced and fired from my job. I was devastated as my life was turned upside down both personally and professionally. In an effort to overcome my depression, my friends and I would plan “girlfriend getaway” trips that allowed me to create new memories and new adventures through traveling with some of my very best friends. While taking these trips, we quickly realized that there were no city-specific travel guides for women. That’s when the Girls Getaway Guide travel series was born. I guess what they say is true, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”

Andy:  Yes, lemonade…it’s funny how it sounds trite and silly but it’s very true.

Your getaway guides are aimed at women travellers. What makes your getaway guides special/different?

While there are several great travel guides, none of them cater specifically to women looking for that perfect girlfriend getaway. The Girls Getaway Guide series focuses on things that women love to do while traveling (shopping, spas, finding great cuisine and recreational activities geared towards women). For example, a recommended side trip from Orlando is to the Mt Dora antique district, which women love. Since most of my travel research is done with my girlfriends, we know what works and what doesn’t for the perfect Girls Getaway to that destination.

Your first guide was to Orlando. Any recommended experiences beyond the traditional stops for the women (and men!) listening to do?

I started with Orlando because I would travel to Washington, DC for work and on my return flight, women, who were traveling to Orlando for a conference, would always ask me, “Besides Disney, what can we do in Orlando?” Although Orlando is best known for its theme parks, the city has a lot to offer for Girlfriend Getaways as well. I love the Winter Park area (just north of downtown Orlando), which has two great outdoor shopping areas (Winter Park Village and Park Avenue) that offer fabulous boutiques, art galleries, eateries. Plus, this area is home to beautiful Rollins College that visitors can stroll through. In addition, Winter Park has several museums and art galleries and is home to the terrific Winter Park Art Festival every March. For the outdoor lovers, it is home to several golf courses and the Scenic Boat Tours, which provide a unique view of the area. With so much to do in the Winter Park area, women (and men) can stay busy all day long!

Andy:  Great tips – I didn’t really know much about what was on offer apart from the theme park, as you say.  Definitely filing this away for future use!

Tell us about your most inspirational travel experience?

WOW! Most inspirational….that is really difficult to answer. One of the things I love about traveling is meeting new people who help you learn (indirectly) about yourself. My trips to Nashville, TN were really inspiring. While there, I met several aspiring country music singers. The stories they told me about leaving home to pursue their dreams in Nashville were amazing! Many of them landed in town with no money and no contacts. They just knew they had to follow their dreams no matter what it took. During a few trips to Nashville was also the time I was contemplating writing my first Girls Getaway Guide book. After hearing the stories from Nashville, I knew if they could follow their dreams, than I should too and I began to write. I learned that following your dreams is really hard work, but those who believe in themselves will ultimately succeed.

Andy:  Someone once told me that patience, persistence, and hard work are bigger contributors to success than talent.  I continue to find, over and over again, that this is very very true.

And YAY for passionate people; I’ve been to Nashville a long time ago, and I agree, while country music isn’t necessarily my favourite, I found some of the most passionate and hard working people I’ve ever seen.

Anything interesting on your “bucket list” that you plan on tackling soon?

What a great question! Yes, I have my top three places I want to visit. I call them my Top As: Australia/New Zealand, Africa and Alaska. I hope to make it to all three very soon (and before the bucket)!

Andy:  Great choices.  Don’t miss our round-up of things to do in Alaska, a circle tour of the south island of New Zealand, as well as my personal favourite, Melbourne.

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Can you introduce yourself?

I’ve worn a lot of hats in life, and all the different collar colors. I’ve been a secretary, cook, marketing executive, salesperson, factory worker, and counselor. I’ve written through all of my experiences, and have since I was a teen in search of stories that reflected my life. There were none, so I began writing my own.

You’re currently writing a series of stories about travelling across America. What triggered your idea for this journey?

I spent the latter part of 2008 and much of 2009 being ill with autoimmune disorders. For a time, I did not know if I’d survive. During my illness, I had a lot of time to examine the life I’d lived, and found it wanting. I spent too many years as a self-supporting teenager, then a struggling single parent, working whatever jobs paid the rent. My passions for writing, travel, and cultural learning were, out of necessity, suppressed. When I got the news that I’d live, I knew I wanted to do something totally different.

The idea for findingmyamerica.com sprung up, oddly enough, in a therapy session. I was seeing a counselor to help determine the next course of my life, and one day I’d casually told her I entered a sweepstakes. She asked what I would do if I won. Instantly, without any pause, I said, “I’d travel across the country and write stories.” I didn’t even know such an idea was in my head. She then asked what I would do if I didn’t win, and that’s when the proverbial light bulb went off.

Of course, I was in no position to go. Illness had exhausted my resources. I was broke and driving an old, beat-up Ford, but this was important to me. I came to the conclusion that I could just as well be broke on the road. I was very fortunate, though, that General Motors found my idea worthwhile and decided to sponsor the automobile portion of my trip. It has been a blast to test drive GM products like the Chevy Camaro and GMC Yukon Denali. The cars have really become part of the story since I spend so much time in them, not only driving, but writing.

Andy:  Wow, thanks for being so honest and upfront.  Powerful stuff here.

How long have you been on this journey? Have you found anything profound so far? Any surprises?

I began in October, 2009. The most profound lesson so far has been simply “don’t look back.” During the trip, I decided to go back to the city of my childhood, which was full of misery and despair for me then. It still is. Certain memories do not really fade, they only burrow. I discovered the same thing again recently when I visited Minnesota. Apparently, I needed to learn this lesson twice.

The best surprise has been the warm welcome I’ve received from readers, who often invite me to stay with them in-between drives. The worst has been discovering that whatever drew certain people to comment on your blog can end after meeting in person. Part of it may be some disappointment factor — part of it may be the feeling that now that we’re friends it’s not necessary to communicate that way — and part of it may be that they didn’t like what you later wrote about them or their city. I don’t know, but it makes me sad and somewhat self-doubting.

Andy:  I suppose this is a sorry truth of being a writer/journalist; you know what they say – you can’t please all of the people all of the time.

I think your journey is inspiring for people who want to explore but are afraid to leave their own country. What would you tell people who are stuck on their sofa and afraid (for whatever reason) to travel?

I used to have this imagining when I was a child that fear was a thing in my pocket, and all I had to do to quell it was take it out and throw it away. As an adult, I realize it’s a very fanciful idea, but I still abide by its simplicity. Fears naturally dissipate when they are faced — and when what drives them ceases to be of great value or importance.

Not everyone would like to live as I do. Most, in fact, might find it unthinkable. I have no savings, no retirement account, no keys to a house — there is no safety net. There never was much of one in my previous life, but like worker bee I thought “one day, one day…”. I kept doing the same things and expecting different results — and isn’t that the definition of futility? When I answered that question affirmatively, my values changed, and suddenly having the keys to a cramped place that I worked 40 miserable hours a week to maintain didn’t seem to make any sense at all.

What’s been your most inspirational travel experience?

Things that inspire me and inspire readers are sometimes different. For me, New Mexico was healing on several levels. I’ve written two articles on my experiences there, one deals with the family behind La Mirada Inn, and the other is a piece on gratitude. The Sisneros family inspired me with their closeness, warmth, and laughter. I fell in love with the matriarch, Viola, and her three daughters. They are truly amazing people.

The gratitude — for where I am, what I’m doing, and the supporters I have — washed over me powerfully on a second trip to New Mexico. There’s something about the desert and mountains there that takes layers and years of hubris off and scrubs the soul clean.

When will you end your trans-American journey? What happens after that?

I planned a one-year journey, but if I could I would do this for the rest of my life. I really don’t wish for it to end. When I think about what may happen afterward, I frankly find it depressing. The thought of returning to a life spent under fluorescent lights is one I find cataclysmically sad, so I am determined not to think of it until the end is in immediate sight. I am too interested in right now to fret about tomorrow.

For those reading, you can follow Jane’s travels on her site, Finding My America. Connect with her on Twitter.

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Can you introduce yourself?

I’m Ross. I’m a young American. Since I was about thirteen I’ve wanted to go everywhere and see everything. When I got a little older I realized that’d require completely giving up the monotonous, uninspiring, cog-in-the-wheel life we’re supposed to lead, so I did that. Now I’m floating around Asia writing, taking photographs and poking at every little interesting thing I can find.

Your blog, We’re Lost and Everything is Dirty, is about adventure travel that is “being rather than arriving.” That sounds a lot like travel more (our slogan), only messier. Care to give is a bit of background on your ethos behind being rather than arriving?

I think it’s a pretty common travel philosophy, journey as destination, but I’ve never felt it completely describes what I’m going for. I’m still figuring it out, but I think there are two (possibly contradictory) parts:

Earth and its humans are really, really weird. Yeah sure, “weird” depends entirely on your perspective and cultural lens, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore it and pretend like everything is Ancient and Beautiful. There’s no reason we can’t inject a little humor and irreverence into traveling. My favorite example of this is probably The Vice Guide to Travel – I know I’m supposed to hate Vice, but those documentaries are really, really interesting.

On a deeper level, I want to isolate traveling from traveler. Your opinion of somewhere depends almost entirely on your experience, so I’m asking the question, “What is this place like?” instead of, “How did you like this place?” In other words, I want to remove ego (in both the vernacular and Freudian sense) and introspection and move the focus from A Person to A Place.

I know this is totally counter to the prevailing idea of “travel as personal development,” but I certainly think there’s a place for that. It’s just that it’s not the only part of travel. I love travel narratives but too often they turn into romanticized, orientalist accounts of places the writer doesn’t really understand. Ultimately, you’re not important – there are six and a half billion people on this planet and the world is way cooler if you look outside of yourself.

Take those annoying wooden frogs Hmong women sell all over Southeast Asia, for instance. You could write something like, “The women in their silver jewelry and the sound of the frogs made me feel so far from home, and yet I was overwhelmed with a sense of peace.” That’s fine, but who are you? If you focus on the frogs instead, you might find out that they were originally used to capture real frogs and they make a mating or distress call depending on which way you rub the wooden stick. I think that’s a lot more interesting.

Andy:  I’m speechless.

Your site’s disclaimer says “Even those that do take enormous risks in departing from the mundane, and this blog is peppered with stories of people who screwed up and died.” Do you have any advice for travellers who are seeking some real adventure but are totally terrified of, uhm, dying?

Haha, I’ll get back to you on that one. It’s not like I’ve ever walked into a warzone or anything (though I’d certainly like to see it one day), but risky expeditions tend to be the most captivating. I don’t think an adventure needs to be incredibly dangerous to be worthwhile, but it does need to put you way, way outside your comfort zone. Which I guess is the same thing. There are a lot of people out there who know a lot more about conquering fear than I do (like Tim Ferriss), but it comes down to the fact that wanting to do something isn’t enough. Saying, “I want to fly a gyrocopter across Africa, but I have a job/I have to go to grad school/I’m too scared” doesn’t make any sense – you either want to do it or you’re too scared. There’s no reward without risk.

Andy:  Getting out of your comfort zone never killed anybody.

You come up with some AMAZING adventures (like the mental asylum visit). How do you research your next adventure?

Thanks! Luck and a lot of internetting. Right now I’m trying to get to a place called Nagaland, which I found by literally staring at Google Maps and thinking, “That’s a cool name!” Turns out it’s a Baptist headhunter enclave straddling India and Burma, so I dug deeper to see how weird it gets. Sometimes clicking around satellite images and wasting time on Wikipedia is the best way to get ideas. Lonely Planets, Wikitravel and other travel-oriented publications are awesome resources if you know where you want to go, but if you manage to do something truly original there won’t be a guide.

Having said that, what is on your bucket list? I am somewhat scared to ask.

I’m kind of banking on living forever, but I’ve always wanted to ride a motorcycle across China, down the Karakorum Highway and through the ’stans. Or pure DMT, you know, whatever.

What has been your most inspirational and adrenaline-pumped travel experience?

Man, that’s hard, but I think most of the good ones involved motorcycles. One time my friend somehow hit and killed a cow without hurting himself and we had to run from a bunch of angry farmers (I still feel bad that we didn’t pay for it). Another time a different friend and I took a wrong turn in Northern Vietnam and ended up 30km down a crappy dirt road in the jungle, and right when it started to get dark my bike ran out of gas. We had to walk back to the nearest house and beg some guy to sell us some, then ride another 10km along a cliff in the pitch dark. It rained that night and the bikes were useless in the mud, so we had to charter a damn riverboat to get us out of there.

To be honest though, the most adrenaline-pumped experience is always leaving my empty apartment, checking my bags and getting on a plane with a one-way ticket. I’ve done it a couple times and it never gets any less terrifying. And I’ve got to do it again in a week…

Photo of wooden frog by neonarcade, others by Ross Lee Tabak

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Can you please introduce yourself?

Hello! My name is Lillie and I’m a six-foot-tall, 28-year-old Boston native who has been traveling around the world on a one year (or more?) voyage since early August, 2009. For the previous six years, I was an English teacher in a large urban high school in Boston Public Schools: a career that was both fantastically wonderful and heartbreakingly intense. During those six years of teaching, I would spend the two months of each summer vacation in Latin America, practicing Spanish and volunteer teaching. In my current Around the World year, I am focusing on Asia, Africa, and (to a lesser extent because it’s so crazy pricey!) Europe. This trip is WONDERFUL, and I am so extremely thankful that it has been able to happen.

From August to December, I did a loop through Southeast Asia (after short stops in California and Japan), and was stunned by how much of a backpacker’s paradise that area is! From there I met with dear familyin Italy, then bopped down to Ghana, West Africa, where I am volunteer teaching for three months with a wonderful youth organization in a small town two hours from Accra. I truly love being here in Ghana and working with these great folks!

Through this all, I have been writing like a crazy maniac, because it brings me great joy to discuss experiences with others, and it also keeps me sane. Hooray for just publishing my two hundredth blog article in seven months!

Boston is a great place. Any travel secrets or tips for Boston you can share?

Mmm, Boston is SUCH a great place! Here are some tips:

1. Bar trivia is all the rage in this college-saturated city. Google search “Stump Trivia” and find up to forty different bars offering trivia competitions on any given night of the week! Be prepared for some strikingly stiff competition– and a really fun time.

2. WALK. Boston is the most deliciously walkable city imaginable. You can do the Freedom Trail (or “Idiot Trail” as my friend likes to call it, because it’s so simple) in which you follow a red line on the sidewalk through all the famous historical landmarks of the city… OR you can just pop a map into your pocket and start walking, seeing what will happen. If you end up feeling tired, there is almost certainly a ”T” or bus station nearby to lift you the return journey back.

3. The bridges! The bridges! One of my favorite long walks (I got into seven-mile “city hikes” before I flew out) is to walk from Davis Square, Somerville, through Harvard Square, Cambridge, then to Central Square, Cambridge, then across the AWESOME Mass. Ave. bridge across the Charles River. I LOVE that bridge! There is always gorgeous light glinting off the water, boats zipping by, fun people walking alongside you, a view of the skyline… ooh, what a feeling. A similarly excellent journey is the walk from Kenmore across the ”Pepper-pot” bridge (following the tracks of the “T”) to the Charles MGH Station which features the Liberty Hotel (in the old Charles Street Jail!) and two of my favorite theme bars ever: “Clink” and ”Alibi”! That’s right: you can drink right inside a famous old jail cell.

4. Understand that, like far too many cities of the world, Boston is notoriously segregated by race and class. Try to consider ways to explore these less touristed areas, which are still of great historical significance, either by finding volunteer opportunities, or by looking for specific events (such as the “Roxbury Film Festival”), museums, or guided tours.

5. If you’re going to be in the city for a little while, consider online dating. Because the Boston social scene is known for being a little icy and hard to break into, online dating is all the rage in order to form new bonds. Alternately, you can try online FRIEND finding through platonic sites like Couchsurfing.org or Meetup.com. To connect with Boston folks you often need some sort of “in,” and chatting first on a website can help create that. Honestly– it’s perfectly respectable nowadays!

What made you decide to leave teaching and study abroad?

I’m going to be very honest here:

A) A Rut/ Bad habits

Over six years, I got into a routine of work and social life that was fine, but… just fine. I was getting lazier and putting less effort into everything, as I am a gal who needs changes and newness to stay vibrant. I was starting to create drama for myself just to stay occupied, and I began realizing that I needed to ask…

B) What else is out there?

It’s a wide, wide, WONDERFUL world out there, and being twenty-seven years old with no kids or major ties, and with a surprising amount of savings through six years of thrifty living and a steady career, it was really now or never to take the leap into that “Leave of Absence” to travel. And I’m so, so glad that I did! And finally…

C) Getting to the next stage of life

How does a 27 year old wanderlusty single gal make the transition into the Next Stage of Life: a family of one’s own? Answer: she needs to get out of her comfort zone and achieve the dream of an Around the World trip!

Your web site mentions “Hop on board for learning, laughter, liberty, love” – tell us more about that. Maybe you can explain what each of those four things means to you?

Learning: First, I’m a teacher. But also travel itself is all about learning! A major aim of my blog is to provide some sort of learning for the reader every day, either regarding world cultures, or regarding the human experience as a whole!

Laughter: So many ridiculous things happen each day on an Around the World trip that you really have to laugh about them, lest you melt into a pool of tears!

Liberty: There is absolutely nothing more free than an Around the World trip, solo, paid for with money you yourself have saved through years of work. If you don’t like something, you take the next bus out of there. If you love something, you stay for as long as you like. You sleep or eat as much as you desire, and you interact with as many or as few folks as you wish. Incredible!

Love: Travel is about love of humanity, love of one’s inner self, and (for a solo gal like me) an underlying quest for what future long-term love could and should look like. Finally, I put TONS of love into writing my blog articles, and try to fill them with all the gushing love I feel for so much I see and so many that I meet!

You’ve also spent a lot of time in Southeast Asia – Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia. Which one is your favourite? Top tips?

I loooooved Laos, specifically Luang Prabang, which is known far and wide as “The most beautiful city in Southeast Asia.” It boasts green hills, two kissing rivers, sparkling golden temples, and orange-clad monks. What I didn’t realize, however, is that it is also one of the best places in the world to eat like a KING– for two to five dollars a plate!!

Thailand is a total backpacker’s dream: extremely well-traveled, interesting, and easy. The beaches are fabulous an varied, and the massage course I took in Chiang Mai was great! On a side note the pervasive sex tourism industry was captivating and frequently disturbing to witness.

I found Cambodia difficult because of the tragic recent history and current poverty, but I have since met scores of people who have stayed there for months and loved it.

Vietnam was the most FASCINATING of the four countries for me: every day brought a massive revelation about history, culture, people, and more… but I will admit that I cried hysterically a miniumum of once a week my entire month there!

Tell us about your most inspirational travel experience?

After five months cavorting through Southeast Asia and a brief stint in Europe, I arrived at Youth Creating Change in Ghana, West Africa to begin three months of volunteer teaching. Words cannot express how happy I am here and how much I love this work, this country, and these people.

Every day after a delightful few hours of teaching class, a flock of seven or eight sweet Ghanaian children walk me down the dirt roads the twenty minutes back to my guesthouse where I am living with my coworkers. As we pass the goats and chickens and little kids pointing towards me and shouting “YEVU!” (white person!), my students become my teachers and patiently teach me the Ewe language!

“Madame Lillie, do you remember how to say bicycle?”

“Oohh… I know it! I know it! “Gasor!”"

“VERY GOOD!” The grinning students cheer and applaud.

Those pint-sized, endlessly patient teachers have led me through a recitation of the Ewe numbers one through ten (then back from ten to one) about a hundred times now, bless their hearts!

After six years teaching in my extremely intense 1,200-student school in Boston, teaching in Ghana is an absolute dream. Working here also provides priceless perspective on our American school system, and on life, habits, and beliefs back home in general.

Of all the countries I have visited so far on this trip, Ghana is by far my favorite because of the learning and love provided each day.

The lesson: for an Around the World trip to have heart, incorporate at least one month of volunteering in your itinerary! Feel free to contact me if you want more info on Youth Creating Change: the fabulous organization in Ghana with which I’m working.

Any advice for those want to get off their sofa and do some world exploring – and maybe help change the world while they’re at it?

This needs a full body answer, so visualize:

I am jumping up and down waving my arms, screaming: “DO IT! TRAVEL MORE! TAKE TIME OFF EVEN IF BEING UNPAID IS TERRIFYING! MAKE SACRIFICES TO MAKE IT HAPPEN! IT IS SO, SO, SO, SO VERY WORTH IT!!!!!!”

(Throwing myself at your feet and encircling your legs with my long yet muscular arms): “I quote a Ghanaian speaker I heard at a recent youth competition: “In fifteen years, will you rejoice, or will you regret?” If you do not travel, which will you feel? If you do travel, which?”

Travel is so much easier, more inexpensive, more wonderful, and more worth it than you can possibly imagine. If you incorporate volunteering into your itinerary (and you should because you’ll love it!) fellow humans across the world will benefit from your talents (even ones you don’t realize yet that you have!), and you will benefit in turn from all you learn from those you work with and from living in a country so different from your own. The skills, knowledge and perspective you will gain through a few months travel and volunteering abroad are the equivalent of years of university. How can you, and our world, allow you NOT to go?

Picture me leaping to my feet and dancing wildly around the room, hurling flowers and balloons and ultimately inflatable plastic globes of the earth into the air so that they fall all around you in a soft yet forceful caress.

Now listen: TRAVEL THIS YEAR! You can do it and you should do it, and you will love it! Make it happen, and REJOICE!

Thanks Lillie for sharing your passion, vigour, and inspiration.

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Have you travelled much prior to your winning the best job in the world? What were your favourite places?

I have been lucky enough to travel quite a lot yes and most of my travels have been throughout Africa which I loved due to the rawness and real people who I met over the years. During the Best Job I was lucky enough to get up to the far north of Queensland and visit the Torres Strait islands which are very similar, full of culture, history and really fascinating characters. I will be going back there sometime soon as I’d love to take my girlfriend Bre there to witness the dancing, music and pure laughter.

Andy’s Note:  Great tip!  Few people realise that it is only 93 miles between Cape York at the tip of Australia and neighbouring Papa New Guinea.

Now that you know the area really well, can you share with us any local secrets about the best things to see/do in Queensland?

Wow that’s almost an endless question but being someone who loves the water I’d have to recommend sailing around the Whitsundays and out to the Great Barrier Reef itself – it really is an incredible world out there. Diving down below the water drops you into a world which we know so little about and every dive is different.

Have you had an experience in Queensland that was truly inspirational, mesmerising or otherwise unforgettable?

There’s a couple I can think of! Whilst diving off Lady Elliot Island, the most southerly of the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, I was filming an underwater section for one of my movies and a Loggerhead turtle approached me from a long way off, swam right up to me, I ran my hand along its shell and it looked at me, turned and swam off – simply amazing to be so close up with nature like that.

Andy’s Note:  Ahh… isn’t mother nature such a wonderful thing?

You were recently stung by a jellyfish, an unfortunate reminder that no holiday is perfect, even in paradise! Any tips for timid travellers on how to deal with adversity when far away from home?

I think that having a fear of the unknown and being put off by things such as the jellyfish musn’t get out of control, there are dangerous things all around the world and if we try and hide away from them we limit ourselves as humans and travellers on what we do and where we can go. Saying that we should also take precautions to avoid situations such as that which I got into!

Andy’s Note:  Absolutely.  Fear is not a good enough reason not to travel more.

Now that you are headed home, how do you think having the Best Job in the World will affect your style or pattern of travel in the future? Will you be back in Queensland anytime soon?

I’m not going anywhere quite yet in fact I have just signed a new contract with Tourism Queensland for a further 18 months work exploring the area and travelling around the planet telling my story and why this area is so worth visiting as a holiday destination. It has become the Best Career in the World for sure!

Images courtesy of Tourism Queensland, jwbenwell, the lightworks, yarra64, scootie, richard.fisher

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Wait a minute – what is a travel geek exactly?  And what makes one geeky or not-so?  Well, you’ll just have to keep reading to find out.

Can you please introduce yourself?

I’m Alisha, the petite girl with big, curly hair holding down the fort at Sosauce. I’m the girl behind the tweets as most people know, and the one running around when we throw Sosauce events. Most recently, I’ve been known to be:

Head of the Party Planning Committee
Assistant to the Sosauce Content Manager
Regional Director in Charge of Promotions

Sosauce (Social Sauce) is a self-confessed community of “travel geeks.” Are you a travel geek? What exactly is a travel geek?

I am a travel geek! It took a while but working at a travel start-up with a bunch of guys (and a few ladies) in a room full of tech nerds has completely heightened my interest in travel. My ultimate goal is to “taste the breeze of every great city.”

Travel Geeks are the backpacking, mountain climbing, food loving, photo hogging, journal writing, thrill seeking travelers that have a constant wanderlust. Travel Geeks are those curious travelers who will get up early to see the sunrise over Mt. Fuji, or go out of their way to try the local tribal delicacy. We “geek” out about travel by reading up on the latest trending topics and then hitting the road to trek off the beaten path destinations.

Andy’s Note:  ”Taste the breeze of every great city?”  If that’s a travel geek, what’s not to like?

You also run your own music business. Can you tell us briefly about that?

I think music is a very important aspect of travel – even for traditional backpacker haunts like Australia, I’ve picked up some fantastic music that I never would have heard about without being there.

Any tips for finding great music on the road or some destinations you’d recommend for music lovers?

I’ve been working in music since I was in high school, it was just a hobby of mine along with writing. So I pursued both passions through college and 4 years later I’ve got my own freelance business on the side running PR & Events. I work with all sorts of music companies and artists booking and promoting shows, writing editorial features, and using social media to spread the word.

I try to incorporate travel and music whenever possible (you can read my touring musicians series on the Sosauce blog here). I’m a huge fan of road trips – they’re a great way to make play lists and sing out loud in the car. Usually I ditch big music/entertainment stores for indie record shops where the selection of music is jaw-dropping, and the prices are even better. I also have several friends who are really digging the music coming out of South America and of course as a Latin lady, you can’t go wrong with Salsa!

Andy’s Note:  I totally agree on this one.  Local music scenes are always eye-opening places, regardless whether you’re in San Diego or Siem Reap.  The best is when you can find one of those music shops where you can listen before you buy!  They’re a dying breed, but if you find one, take advantage!

Where are you originally from? Any tips or inspiration for travellers heading there?

Though not born in New York, I am a New Yorker, whole heartedly! I am from the Hudson Valley, about an hour and a half north of the city. But I’m more connected to NYC as I have always worked here, am in that fast-paced business mind set, and hope to settle down here. If you’re visiting or hope to come to NYC I suggest walking everywhere. Just pick a direction and start walking, you’ll be amazed at how New York is captivating, inspiring, welcoming, and frightening (in a good way) all at once. The summer time is my favorite season to walk New York, so come visit then!

Ethnicity wise, I’m 100% Puerto Rican. Usually the sass gives it away

We’ve talked about New York before, but what are your top tips for enjoying the city life? Any good, easy daytrips?

Like I said, walking is the best. It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s one of the best way to do sight-seeing in NYC. Treat yourself to the wonderful food we have here too, and not everything is pricey if you do your research. In fact, I have an entire map just of cheap food in NYC that I intend to conquer! And as far as day trips go, take the plunge and cross the bridge. Brooklyn is amazing. It’s a completely different vibe with even more eccentricity and culture, better bargain deals for fun activities, and the food is yumtacular.

Andy’s Note:  Great tips – will be sure to take advantage when I am there this summer

What’s been your most inspirational travel experience?

Oddly enough I’m more inspired by the travel experiences I read on a daily basis on Sosauce and other sites. Every day I feel like I am living vicariously through others’ stories, photos, and trips. I went to Italy in 2008 and really loved it, as it was my first trip out of the country. During that trip I was taken aback by how wonderful the whole experience was and realized I needed to get out the country more often and really see the world in all its beauty.

What item are you dying to get off of your bucket list?

SPAIN. I dream about going there every day. I blame Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations episode, Mari’s trip, and the countless EuroCheapo reviews. I will not be happy until I am eating tapas, dancing Flamenco, and standing in front of the Guggenheim. Who’s with me?!

Wow, now I am hungry, my wanderlust is thirsty, and I’m craving a dig through the dusty shelves of a music store. What a great chat, Alisha, thanks for sparing your time. Folks, to find out more visit her profile on Sosauce or her own snazzy website.
Photo Credits:  Alisha, Mikelo, joiseyshowaa

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Your site is called The Art of Nonconformity, and you mention that nonconformity is “the idea is to stand for something. It’s too easy to be a cynic. It’s better to be a believer.” That’s pretty powerful stuff, and I think more and more people are becoming non-conformists. Would you agree, or is it just that us non-conformists tend to run in the same circles?

I think that more people are questioning conventional assumptions, which can only be a good thing. The recent global recession had the positive effect of helping a lot of people realize that much the conventional wisdom is frequently wrong, especially in terms of career security and debt accumulation. So overall, yes, I think that the mission is gaining momentum.

Andy’s Note:  I grabbed this from Chris’s photo album.  I think Alex Fayle must have written this on their chalk board after writing the Make 2010 a Travel More Year.  Every year is a travel more year when you’re Chris Guillebeau

You’re currently in progress with one of your largest goals: to visit every country in the world by your 35th birthday (in April 2013). Can you tell us how far along you are? How are you feeling about this journey so far – has met expectations? Anything unexpected?

So far so good! I’m writing you on the way back from the South Pacific, where I visited Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji — or as I think of them, countries #123-125. I still have about 70 countries to visit, though, and the goal becomes progressively more difficult due to the lack of “easier” countries as I get closer to the end.

Overall I’d say it’s been what I expected: an amazing adventure that has challenged my worldview and helped me understand my (very small) place in the world. One of the more surprising things has been seeing how many people are interested in my journey. Almost everywhere I go now, I can meet with readers who enjoy catching up, showing me around, and talking about their projects. As a naturally shy person, this took some time getting used to, but after I realized that the readership consists of interesting, like-minded people busy pursuing their own goals, it’s now one of my favorite things to do when I travel.

Andy’s Note: Funny, I would have never thought you to be shy!  As someone who goes out of his way to help others and be supportive, you’ve definitely got over your shyness.

One of your most recent itineraries was PDX-YVR-AKL-TBU-APW-AKL-YVR-PDX. Some people would call that heaven, others would call it hell. Well get to your upgrade tips and tricks in a minute – but how do you cope rude passengers, unruly security, and jet lag?

Ha — for me it’s neither heaven nor hell; it’s just what I do. I’m very aware that other people are working at jobs that they struggle to find meaning in, so I try to remain grateful. As for rude passengers, I try to ignore them. Unruly security, I try to stay below the radar. Jet lag, I just work with it and don’t worry about it too much.

Andy’s Note:  That’s a great point.  We’ve all seen what the airline/airport staff go through on a daily basis, and given the state of the industry, it must be a difficult place.  I think your ‘go with the flow’ attitude is great advice.

You said that you relate to a quote by Dean Karnazes, who said “Relaxing stresses me out.” Surely you have a need for a time out now and then. What’s relax time for you like?

Yes, I love that quote, but you’re also correct – everyone needs time out. I like coffee breaks, sitting around on park benches, reading, drinking wine. Mostly, though, I do whatever I want to do about 80% of the time, so I don’t worry about separating “work things” from the rest of my life.

One of the travel destinations you found inspiring was South Africa. Want to tell us about your experience?

I was fortunate to live in Cape Town and East London for several weeks in 2006. What a great country! The people, the culture, the cafes, the blend of experiences – I’m a big fan. I’ve been back to Jo’burg and Pretoria several times since then, and I always enjoy stopping over.

Tell us what inspired you to create your most popular product, Frequent Flyer Master.

I wanted to democratize free travel, or at least help a lot of people do what I do in terms of traveling the world on a limited budget. I’ve been traveling for 10 years and have learned to be fairly creative in terms of getting awards tickets. At last count I had more than 600,000 Frequent Flyer miles, and most of them have been earned without flying. So in short, I wanted to share the wealth through a low-cost product.

Where would you go with 25,000 airmiles?

WOW. Chris is high on my list of amazing people and every time I get an update from him on his latest travels, it puts a smile on my face. But even more amazing is his Frequent Flyer Master programme. I’m currently working my way through it now, so I’ll post some more info soon, but the book comes with 25,000 air miles guaranteed! Where would you go with 25,000 air miles? [ Let us know if you want a suggestion ] Go and check out Frequent Flyer Master today and start racking up the miles!

All photos courtesy of Chris.

We’re an affiliate for Chris so we get some change for coffee if you buy his book. But you get at least 25,000 frequently flyer miles. I can tell you who’s getting the better end of the deal.

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Could you introduce yourself?

Hi Andy, Hi everyone, My name is Aaron Bradford. I’m 26 born in Norfolk in the UK and I’m the chap behind HappyTime. I’m a professional hobo (traveller) who blogs about the places I go and the things I see.

Why is your website called HappyTime? Perhaps it is self-explanatory but is there a hidden story in there?

No there’s no hidden story… Georgie (my soon to be wife) picked the name when I first made the blog, I asked her what she thought it should be called and she replied “Happytime”. At first it was called “Aaron and Georgie happytime” but as I got better at blogging and we started to mass readers I decided we needed our own URL and Happytimeblog.co.uk was born.

Andy’s Note:  I like the name.  Simple and says exactly what it is.

You’re nomadic / location independent. How has that suited you as a lifestyle? Tell us about how it works – how do you earn money?

I’ve never been one for routine in fact I just can’t manage it at all. So in that respect it’s suited me perfectly. with readily available internet now just about everywhere it’s becoming much easier to be a travel blogger (note that I put travel-blogger NOT a blogger who travels). The content pretty much writes itself when I’m travelling, mainly because I don’t travel how most people would and that always leads me into interesting situations! Georgie plays a big part too, I think with two people to push things along we never get swamped down with boring admin.

Initially as the description suggests I sold my house and just about everything I owned to go forth and travel, I had a lot of good advice come my way and a lot of good opportunities so I made some “real world” investments in things like property.

The blog as a money maker is a relatively new thing, it’s always made some sort of money but it’s only recently started making enough to support us both while backpacking. I think I’ve been very lucky ads so far, I never set out to monetize it but private ads found their way to me somehow, I asked what was probably a ridiculous sum… They paid it, so I figured I’d give it a go. Nowadays I use the usual affiliate links if I talk about products and a light sprinkle of Google ads, but again… I don’t focus on making money I focus on travelling! Luckily for me travelling = content = money = travel.

Do you think being location independent gives you more opportunity to experience places more than tourists?

Absolutely! Something I’ve found time and time again from other travellers is jealousy of my time to linger. I never have set plans and sometimes that costs extra but it definitely opens more doors. What often happens is people breeze through places and might be lucky to stay for a week or two, in turn the people who live and work in these places are sometimes hard to win over properly. It certainly gives me the chance to get to know faces, names, places and build relationships with the local population… Wherever that is.

Andy’s Note:  It sounds like a fantastic balance of travel, making a living, seeing the world and interacting with it along the way.  Well done.

What’s been your most inspirational travel experience so far?

Wow, I think I will have to say motorbiking through Laos. We set out on what we thought would be a simple motorbike trip from Vang Vieng to Luang Probang… I messed up the mileage and it ended up being close to 600km. It made me question the whole way I’d been travelling up until that point, we were at the mercy of the road and the small villages we went through. Something that really stands out is – we’d stopped at a really small village because we were starving hungry and needed fuel, not one person spoke a work of English and our Laos sucked but everyone in the village came out to see us. The children all gathered round as we tinkered with our bikes and one old chap started playing a guitar type thing. It was exactly the kind of experience that I left home for! What galvanised it was a tourist bus that thundered through the village, horns blazing and packed with half asleep backpackers, all trying to loose that wonderful (but long and bumpy) journey in the pages of a book… I couldn’t help thinking, what have I missed!

Andy’s Note:  WOW.

How do you choose your next destinations? What’s up on the list?

I’ve got a large map rolled up in storage that comes out when I get home. It has circles drawn on it from when I was a little lad and I still add to it now, circles that were put there after watching TV and reading books. A big inspiration for me has been Michael Palin, I’ve watched his BBC programs and books hundreds of times!

Locally (when I’m actually in a place) I will always use recommendations be it from other travellers, local people or other blogs – I don’t use guide books.

Top of my list right now is a grand trip across South America on our own transport, thing are being planned and re-planned right now but that won’t be for a few months yet. We’re keen to go eco and currently talking to some interesting people about the power of electricity…

Lastly, any regrets? Will you always be location independent?

Not one! Again luck comes into play for me because at the time of selling my house if I had instantly re-invested it in property I would have lost the lot with the global recession… If I hadn’t sold my house when I did I would have lost every penny of profit and probably still be struggling to get away! Travelling was a do or die thing for me really and it’s paid off and given me a new passion for writing and blogging.

As long as I can type and walk I’ll always Travel…

And if you want to learn more about the location independent lifestyle, be sure to check out our live and work anywhere guides.  You can start with the lifestyle guide, which if anything, is guaranteed to give you a fresh perspective on your own lifestyle, location independent or not.

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Could you please introduce yourself?

Sure — I graduated from UCLA in 2007, where I studied Geography and Political Science, and spent many nights camping out for front-row seats to UCLA basketball games. I’m currently living in Washington, D.C. where I am pursuing a master’s in Public Policy at Georgetown, using my thesis to examine the role of new media in American elections. In-between, I enjoy photography, random roadtrips, and good burritos.

On the travel side, I’ve had the chance to study abroad a couple of times, as well as backpack through Europe, travel around in Costa Rica, and volunteer in India. I love how technology has brought about the democratization of travel writing, and I eagerly share stories and photos of my travels online. You can check out my travel adventures on my blog, or read some of my published travel writing.

Tell us what it means to be at the “intersection of policy, technology, and social entrepreneurship”, a statement found your website?

I’m passionate about the ways in which new technologies can transform the world for the better. This ranges from new green technologies, to cloud computing and new media’s ability to bring the world together. I’m currently the host of the Ashoka Tech Podcast, where I interview social entrepreneurs leveraging technology for the social good, and discuss ways in which people can use technology to improve the world themselves. I’m currently studying policy in graduate school, but I’m most interested in how social enterprise can bring about sustainable and long-lasting change — especially in the developing world.

Mobile technology is an area that especially interests me, and I saw first-hand in India this summer how even poor, rural citizens have access to a mobile phone, which really is best thought of as a mobile computing device. The world-changing possibilities resting in ubiquitous connection and mobile computing are broad and quite exciting.

Andy’s Note:  Translation – Changing the world, one day at a time.

Now speaking more about the volunteer work you recently did in India. How did that opportunity present itself, what did you do, and how do feel about it now?

While studying abroad for three months at the Indian Institute of Management, I found myself stuck in an elite, academic bubble. Wanting to break free, and create some positive change during my stay in India, I sought out volunteer opportunities — albeit a bit limited by my lack of Hindi and Gujarati. I found a great opportunity through Indicorps, though, through which I volunteered to coach local kids in ultimate frisbee. Even though I knew little of the sport, I spent many afternoons on a dirt field coaching and mentoring them. In the end, my role was as much to encourage healthy-lifestyles and give the kids an outlet, as it was to teach them how to throw a frisbee. Though I hope the kids are better off for my volunteering, I am virtually positive that I got more out of the experience than I could have given them. It was always an uplifting and inspiring part of my day to work with them, and their energy was infectious.

Andy’s Note:  I have to say I am always struck by the stories people bring back from India.  Really.  Unbelievable.

Tell me about the Galapagos Islands. As the place where Charles Darwin was inspired to discover the process of evolution (as well as one of the best places to Scuba dive), I’ve always been fascinated by it as a place for modern travelers to find their own inspiration.

Seeing nature that has been virtually untouched by human hands for millennia, and walking amongst flora and fauna unlike any I had seen before borders on indescribable. From swimming with baby penguins in warm ocean-waters to standing beneath blue-footed boobies as they soared overhead, I truly felt like I was experiencing the Galapagos Islands much as Darwin must have when he sailed aboard the Beagle. In a time when so much natural life has been usurped from us, the Galapagos Conservation Trust has done a great job of sustaining the environment for generations of travelers to enjoy. Plus, there are giant tortoises — how cool is that?

Andy’s Note:  Giant tortoises?  Sold.  Group trip anyone?

You’ve also studied abroad. Where did you study and what would you say to those considering this kind of travel opportunity?

I’ve been fortunate to study abroad three times in my life — twice during undergrad, and then recently this past summer during graduate school. During undergrad, I did Semester at Sea, where I took classes on a ship that sailed around, with five day stops in eight different countries. My second study abroad trip in 2006 found me in my favorite city in the world — Berlin — studying German literature and politics, all while surrounded by the craziness of the World Cup. This past summer I was in Ahmedabad, India at a business school, but jumping on overnight trains and busses to travel as often as possible.

Studying abroad is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. I’ve quite honestly learned a ton inside the classroom, but getting out and experiencing the world is truly priceless. I could have studied the European Union while in the US — but studying it while in Poland left a much more enduring impression. Likewise with reading German poetry and then visiting the sights mentioned, or learning development economics while in a developing country, and confronting the realities daily. All I can say to someone thinking of studying abroad is: just do it! Yes, it’s expensive; yes, it takes you out of your comfort zone and away from friends for a semester. But just go abroad, and you can figure out all of those details later. I don’t know a single person that has regretted it.

Andy’s Note:  How’s come they didn’t have Semester at Sea when I was in school?  That is SO AWESOME!  Your India trains comment reminds me of our community member Arun’s story about travel India by rail.

What’s been your most inspirational travel experience?

After embarking on multiple trips across India with friends, I decided to take off on my own to Delhi and Agra to see the Taj Majal. As India often does, I was nearing my breaking point of frustration after an exasperating and grueling trainride across the Indian countryside. As I jumped in a rickshaw in Agra, all I could think of was my own growing frustration when, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the Taj Mahal. Some people say that it can’t possibly live up to the hype of being a world wonder; however, in reality, it far exceeds it. The mere sight of it snapped me out of my funk, and, quite literally, took my breath away.

Andy’s Note:  Once again, India takes top marks.  I wasn’t kidding when I said it was a top travel destination this year!

Once you’re out of your graduate programme, where do you plan on being based? Any reason why?

A very good, and timely question. Washington, D.C. is the epicenter of young people looking to change the world, so I could certainly see myself staying here for a couple of years. Also, given my interest in technology, moving to San Francisco and the Silicon Valley would make a lot of sense career wise. Slightly less rationally (though exciting), I would love to return to Berlin for a year, or perhaps try my hand living for a bit in Asia.

Everyone, if you want to connect with Alex you can do so on Twitter, his blog, or his personal website.

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Can we start with a bit of introduction?

I’m a mum of two (Megan is 4 and Riley is 8mos) and a Torontonian through and through… I was born and raised in Toronto, which is a great city to live and raise children in (even my Westerner husband will grudgingly agree). I’m a first-generation Canadian, my father is from Oldham, in England, and my mother was from Glasgow. As I was growing up, I spent almost every August “home” in the UK, and we’d travel around from there. I’m sure that’s where the travel bug was planted.

I left my career as a television producer last year to stay home with the kids and work on Have Baby Will Travel, which I launched after I returned to work following my first maternity leave.

Andy’s Note:  I think regardless of what age you are when you first travel, once you have one of those positive, rich, amazing experiences, you’ll never want to stop travelling.  That’s why STE was born in the first place – to educate people on these authentic experiences and encourage people to go out and seek them.  At any age, apparently…

Tell us about Have Baby Will Travel, your travel website?

Have Baby Will Travel was launched in the Spring of 2007. We wanted to take a vacation before my maternity leave ended and I was surprised at how there wasn’t an online destination specifically for first-time traveling parents. I wanted to create a one-stop shop for busy mums and dads seeking information on taking their first (and subsequent) trips with baby. Have Baby Will Travel features baby-friendly destination information, packing lists, useful articles and links, and first-hand trip reports submitted from other parents. Last year we added a blog, where I blather on about various issues regarding traveling with tots and write about the trips we take.

Do you always travel with the children or do you take the opportunity for a private getaway?

We’ve not yet been away without the kids, but we are planning a long weekend in Havana, Cuba next year – sans kids – for an upcoming big birthday of mine (it’s the new 30!)

Andy’s Note:  Great choice – Cuba was on STE’s list of top travel destinations for 2010.

How has having a baby with you on the road changed your perceptions of foreign lands? Conversely, how do you think you are perceived differently?

I think I thought I’d be worried and fretful, but traveling with our kids has really displayed to me the new worlds that only children can open up. Parenthood is a great equalizer, and I’ve been surprised and delighted at how we’ve been able to connect with locals when we’re out and about. Whether you’re a TV producer from Canada or a waiter from Cuba, your goal as a parent is to raise a healthy, happy, and productive human being.

Granted, so far we’ve stuck with family-friendly destinations with good access to medical care. We’re not comfortable dealing with altitude issues or travel vaccinations while our kids are still so small.

What have been the most baby-friendly places for those feeling a little unsure about taking their wee ones on the road?

In my early days of motherhood, I was unsure about leaving the house, never mind the country. We started small and we go small, with a home base in a hotel or resort and then day trips or excursions at a nice, slow pace. Latin cultures LOVE children, so you can never go wrong with places like Cuba, Mexico, Spain, or Portugal. Don’t overschedule your days or overplan your excursions, and you won’t be disappointed that you’ve decided to spend another day at the beach instead of exploring ruins. Those ruins have been there for thousands of years, they’ll still be there if you decide to give yourself a break and visit again another time.

What’s been your most inspirational travel experience?

Our cab broke down on the way back to Varadero from Havana on our first trip to Cuba. We were just outside Havana, by some Soviet-era apartment blocks, and as we watched Cuban families returning home from work we felt a bit like a tourist attraction. I took the baby over to the shade of a bus shelter.

After a few minutes, a truck stopped and the driver chatted with our driver, Maroldi, for a bit, and then produced what appeared to be a juice bottle full of oil. Maroldi came back with the oil and the truck drove away. My husband asked him if he knew the guy in the truck. Maroldi said that he didn’t. We were surprised as it seemed he had just handed over what was probably a fairly valuable resource without even an exchange of addresses or phone numbers. Maroldi asked, without a hint of judgement, “You mean you wouldn’t help someone if they needed it?” From that moment on, I’ve endeavored to always be able to answer that question, “Of course I would.”

How will you future travel as your children grow older?

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss staying in b&bs or smaller spots that may not have the space or amenities necessary when traveling with a baby. So I’ll be excited to return to what feels like a more authentic way of experiencing new places once the kids are older. The nice thing is, they’re already so well-traveled (well my daughter is anyway), that it won’t be long until we’re able to. Also, I’m excited about being able to plan itineraries together, and making travel a real learning experience for them.

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