I’ve written a bit about my marriage in the Sahara before – but I believe this is the first time I’ve put together a video of it. Meeting my wife changed my life. Our wedding was nothing short of extraordinary. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvV2_3gHVl6NKf6jBBSnHzw They won’t let me have a vanituy URL until I have 100 subscribers and I’m new…so every like and subscription helps.
Category: Adventure Travel
Arriving in Spain back in 2009 – Vagobond Travel Video
I arrived in Spain back in early January of 2009. It was a mind blowing experience. I’d been couch surfing for several years but I arrived in Barcelona at the height of the platform being great. Barcelona was hosting a European Couchsurfing Meetup so there were hundreds of CSers and hosts were going all out to showcase their city.
I need to talk about what Couchsurfing was at that time for you to understand – there was no AirBnB and social media was still a toddler. Couchsurfing was a way for like minded global citizens to meet each other, share their cities and countries, and become friends. It was absolutely astounding. No one was charging for rooms and we hadn’t reached the point where baby boomers trying to save money on their travels were trying to use Couchsurfing as a way to get a cheap room. There was no such thing as a ‘global digital nomad’ and working remote was still a thing that was the exception rather than the rule. Only the oldest of millennials were on the road – this was mostly a young cohort of Gen X before marriage or startups slowed us down. Travel blogging was a thing – but it was a NEW thing and food blogging, mommy blogging, and those kind of niches weren’t around yet because we invented them later. There was no Instagram, Youtube was a real struggle on the road, and everyone carried an actual camera – digital, but not a phone – a camera.
So there I was – arriving in Spain, making new friends, and finding out that there was an entire world of people like me. It was exhilarating. I wish it could have lasted forever. Just a few years later – it was an experience that couldn’t happen again. Condenast and other Boomer travel magazines had found that Boomers could save a few bucks using CS. Date rapists and scammers had infiltrated the CS community and put everyone on edge. AirBnb came along and showed everyone that rather than giving their rooms away they could rent them out, and then the ‘boomer mini-me’ generation came of age and made everything that had been cheap more expensive as their digital nomad lifestyles, van lifestyles, and desire for foods that had been cheap (avocados, ramen, saracha, granola, brown bread etc) made those foods and experiences expensive. And of course, smart phones, Instagram and the other tech we take for granted today made a lot of what we did impractical or unnecessary. Back in those days hosts were guides, friends, ambassadors, and sometimes lovers – as were the other CSers we met. 2006 to 2011 were the glory days of Couchsurfing – if you missed it – well, maybe you can get a sense from this video.
Share this:
World Travel for Almost Nothing #3 – Budget Airlines vs. Regular Airlines
(This is a repost from 2011 but not much has changed in terms of cheap travel)
I travel by international airlines more than most people. In particular I travel more than most people who don’t have an obvious source of income i.e. a job.
In 2011, I traveled in Turkey, Morocco, Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, Italy, Greece, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Spain, and Switzerland – and I might be leaving a few places out…
In any event, I can say that I travel because I’m always looking for deals and because I’m lucky, for example I won the round-trip ticket from Malaysia to South Korea and I sometimes find bargains that others miss. I’m not some guy who inherited money, I don’t have a trust fund, I’m not a wall street banker and point blank – I don’t have a ton of money, I support my wife and daughter in a comfortable lifestyle (sometimes bringing them with me) and while I work a lot, I don’t have a boss.
While there are many lifestyle and travel choices involved in how and why I am able to travel as much as I do, one of the biggest factors in my being able to travel is living in the age of budget airlines. I’m like everyone else, I carp about the bad service, the uncomfortable seats, the charges for every little thing and the feeling of being cattle – but at the same time – I’m always aware of the magic pointed out by some comedian that I’m able to ‘sit in a chair and fly through the air’ and I can do it without actually spending very much money at all.In fact, I usually spend less to fly to another country than my countrymen spend on a Greyhound bus ticket between two neighboring towns.
Think I’m lying? A Greyhound bus ticket from Bellingham, Washington to Seattle, Washington will cost you $22.50 – I flew from Volos, Greece to Milan, Italy for $18 U.S. I flew from Milan, Italy to Tangier, Morocco for another $18! That’s three countries and two continents for 30% more than it costs to go 90 miles by bus in the USA.
Okay, I admit, the fares aren’t always that good but sometimes they are even better. I flew from Brussels, Belgium to Fez, Morocco for $1! And it’s not just Europe and North Africa – recently AirAsia had $10 fares from Kuala Lumpur to Australia or South Korea!
So, to answer my own question. Yes, budget airlines are definitely worth it. This year I’ve flown with several budget airlines: Air Arabia, WizzAir, Pegasus, Onur Air, Air Asia, Air Asia X, and of course RyanAir.
How do they stack up to other airlines? The truth is that most U.S. Airlines I’ve flown with (except for Virgin America, Hawaiian Airlines, and AlaskaAirlines – don’t give much better service or more comfortable seats. And the prices? Forget about getting anything for under $200 US unless you are flying from cities in the same state or to Vegas from California…it just doesn’t happen very often.
As for international airlines – well if you fly with Turkish Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airlines or just about any other Asian carrier – you will be treated with respect, get great service, and have great amenities. You end up paying four to ten times the price of a budget airline, but in this case – especially for real long flights, the extra expense might be worth it. Unless, you are on a super duper budget in which case you might want to go budget all the way.
You can fly from the UK to Morocco with Ryan Air for less than $100, then fly from Morocco to Turkey for about $200 using Air Arabia (or alternatively you could fly from Morocco to Spain, France, Italy or Belgium with Easy Jet and then take a Pegasus flight to Turkey for less than $100 each). From Turkey you can fly with Air Arabia to the middle east or Egypt for next to nothing and then you can fly to India for another next to nothing. Then from India you can go with Air Asia to Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan or more. I’m not sure if South America has budget airlines but from what I can tell, North America doesn’t though in Hawaii you can island hop with Go Airlines for less than $100 each leg.
But I have to admit – flying Malaysia Airlines earlier this year was incredible. No extra charges, great food, beautiful flight attendants, great service, free drinks and free in flight entertainment.
If I had the money, I’d never fly with budget airlines again – but as it stands now – I’ll probably be on another Ryan Air flight before the year is done. At least I hope so!
Share this:
You’re Not Going Anywhere! How to Travel Constantly!
Lao Tzu, the father of Taoism, said that ‘without opening your door, you can see the world’. He was right, because travel is a state of mind more than a journey from place to place. Still, it’s nice to change your environment from time to time. So, even though now you can put on some VR goggles and see the world without opening your door – let’s not go that far.
A few years ago, I submitted a reality TV show concept to Mark Burnett, the creator of Survivor. The show would be called “You’re Not Going Anywhere” and it would work like this – casting would solicit families, couples, and groups who were interested in the trip of a lifetime. They would submit videos about their dream vacation – where they would go, why it would be amazing, what they would do, and background. Once the finalists were selected, the entire season would be shot before airing.
Here’s how it works. The hosts show up at the home or location and meet with the family to tell them they have won, they have been selected for the show and then ask them to prepare. Then, when they are all packed and ready to go they are picked up by a bus/van and the host would say the tagline/show title “You’re not going anywhere” .
And the truth is, they wouldn’t be going anywhere. They would be staying in their own town/region and would be introduced to it as if for the first time. A team of experts would identify the best hotel, spas, innovative entrepreneurs, restaurants, history, historic points of interest, natural attractions, and famous citizens. Without going anywhere, these lucky people would learn that travel is a state of mind, it’s a willingness to look at the world with fresh eyes, it’s a way of thinking, feeling, and relating to your destination. Any location, any town, any village – all of them are remarkable places. You don’t really need a team of experts to discover where you live. And, let’s say you live in the most boring place on the planet – well, once you’ve spent a day or two exploring it, you can move on to the next village, the next town, the nearest city. This is how you travel all the time.
Travel is not about getting on a boat or plane. It’s not about taking a tour. It’s not about buying a guidebook. Travel is about the openness to feel the texture of the air. It’s about the ability to be thrilled with foul weather. It’s about the sound of traffic charming you instead of annoying you.
One of my favorite parts of travel is sitting in travel terminals – bus stations, airports, train stations, ferry terminals – and lets face it – these places are rarely wonderful (Okay, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur both have pretty awesome airports) but what is special about them is that they are the space where your mindset changes from a day-to-day one to a travel mindset. Think about it and you know it is true. If you can find the mindset all the time, you can travel all the time.
Lao Tzu was right – you don’t need to open your door – you only need to open your mind and heart.
Share this:
Exploring the World with Iwahai
If you haven’t yet downloaded and played with the Iwahai app, you are really missing out. There are still a few bugs to work out, but for the most part – it’s already a fun way to explore and share the world. Need proof?
Easily done – but you’ll need to download and open the app before you can check out these amazing markers. And since you have the app now – why not add some memories of your own on there? Share some insider knowledge. Make a recommendation. Or – say hi to a friend. The more you add and share on Iwahai – the more fun it will become. Bring your friends on, Iwahai is free, it’s easy, and it’s fun.
This was the first marker ever placed and recorded on the Iwahai Map
Curious about where the best tacos in Los Angeles are? An Iwahai user told us.
Wanna know what it’s like to visit Culver’s in Milwaukee with someone’s grandma? Check it out! An Iwahai user shared it!
An amazing spot to go kayaking in New York – we learned from an Iwahai User
A robotic voice in Saudi Arabia which says (in Arabic) “Knowledge is Light and Ignorance is Darkness”
The only known audio recording of artist and pop-icon Frida Kahlo from Mexico City, Mexico
Someone’s personal opinion about the person living in the White House in Washington D.C. and another’s opinion of Mar al Lago in Florida – the so called “Winter Whitehouse”
My experience seeking out a famous witch on the island of Siquijor in the Philippines.
Or maybe you want to take a little mini -tour of some of my favorite places on Oahu in Hawaii that I’ve recommended to friends and family.
-A slow but delicious Hawaiian shrimp truck
-The unobtrusive and not obvious location of Banzai Pipeline
-The best Farmer’s Market on Oahu
-The cheapest and coolest place to stay on the North Shore
Share this:
3 Adventurous Reasons Majorca Isn’t Just for Retirees
I hate to admit that my travel has been seriously curtailed these past couple of years by a couple of things. First, living in the USA has caused some serious changes in our lives. Unless you are in the top 10% of wealth, living in the USA is expensive and requires one or both parts of a couple to work fairly constantly – the time constraints of that alone make travel difficult and then add in the monetary constraints – especially living in Honolulu, Hawaii – one of the least affordable places in the USA. So, time and money and then the constraint of having a school age child. Essentially, we are both needed for school drop-offs and pick-ups, swim lessons, etc during all but the peak holiday travel periods – which in the USA means that our family only has the opportunity to travel during the periods when travel companies raise their rates by as much as 50% for airlines, cars, hotels and more. The point is – living in the USA generally makes travel unaffordable for families. Living in Hawaii with a family (because you have to fly to get anywhere from Hawaii and we don’t have budget airlines like RyanAir in the USA) makes travel not quite impossible, but for people with our income level – close to impossible. Still, I’m not complaining – we love it here and I still enjoy putting together future trips. With that in mind, I bring you Majorca (also spelled Mallorca sometimes)
If you are like a lot of people, when you hear Majorca, you think of British retirees basking in the gorgeous sunlight and enjoying warmth and fresh air while they enjoy the retired life. The truth is Majorca has a lot going for it if you are looking for adventure too. These three adventures are just a small selection of truly awesome Majorca adventures that are not for those with heart conditions or severe vericose veins (though they might be doable even if you do have those things)
Majorca Adventure #1: Canyoning
Canyoning involves walking, scrambling, climbing, jumping, abseiling and/or swimming through a canyon. The limestone in Majorca’s Tramuntana mountain range boasts many canyons that have been carved out over millions of years by water. These narrow gorges, with beautifully sculpted walls and waterfalls provide a striking setting for this all-action activity. This is one activity that your grandparents are not going to be seen doing during their Majorca holidays.
The sport is practised throughout the year in Mallorca with the best weather from October to April when the rainfall is at its heaviest. I don’t know why it’s better with heavy rain, but for some reason, that’s the season to do it. Could have to do with the lush greenery and scenic waterfalls – or maybe the mud makes it more treacherous.
The top places to go canyoning on Majorca are Torrente Coanegre, Torrente Na Mora, and Torrente Sa Fosca
Majorca Adventure #2: Sea Kayaking
Sure, you might be thinking of calm seas and easy paddling, but the truth is there is some incredibly challenging blue water around Majorca. Whether you choose guided or self guided, the place to start is Playa d’en Repic Beach in Puerto Soller. Paddling north along the coastline, in the direction of Cala Tuent, you will find caves, blowholes and rocky inlets, and if you are lucky you may come across a dolphin or two.
A nice destination is s’Illeta, a small island, about 4 kilometres from Playa d’en Repic which is home to a large colony of cormorant and has an exceptionally large cave – the Vell Mari – which is more than 500 metres deep. Are you brave enough to paddle in?
Majorca Adventure #3: Cliff Jumping
It Cala San Vincente, close to Pollensa, you can find some amazing cliffs overlooking the sea. You can jump in – if you dare. The cliffs can be up to 15 meters high and it’s an amazingly terrifying experience! Make sure if you decide to jump that you wear sensible shoes, you know the depth of the water and you aim for the right spot. In fact, an organized cliff jumping trip with a group, where you will be guided by an expert is probably a good idea. The cliffs are very sharp so it’s important that the currents are not too strong, but this sport can take place all year round thanks to the warm temperatures in Majorca.
Share this:
Iwahai: Save Memories with Voice and Place
Introducing Iwahai. Sign up for the free email tutorial here. Iwahai lets you put voice recordings on a map. It’s easy, it’s revolutionary, and it’s free. Designed by travelers for travelers…and everyone else.
