Stories and people

When I was traveling through Tajikistan, we stopped at a roadside outhouse. I found this old toilet out in nature and I wonder if it is among the world’s worst toilets, or at least among the dirtiest. I’ve seen a wide range of toilets from squatty potties, even outhouses over the amazon river in Peru. Toilets are something that all …

It all started thousands of years ago. No one knows exactly where Hairy Chicken originated from, or if there was even an origin. In some ways, Hairy Chicken can be thought of the Indian Chuck Norris. Hairy Chicken is elusive, powerful and legendary. The legend of Hairy Chicken originates from deep within the eastern region of India, from the times …

Last night I saw a unique random act of kindness. Something you don’t see to often in the big city, or maybe it’s just that you don’t notice them as much. It isn’t that people aren’t kind, but rather that they are often too busy with their own lives to see what’s going on around them. Also, I find that the …

I remember very specifically one time when I was walking around on the streets of Croatia with a British friend that I had met. He had done a fair amount more of traveling than I had at the time. Although our opinions differed in some ways, I remember us talking a lot about why everyone should travel. I think in …

My Thoughts After Having a Smart Phone for 1 Year About a year ago, I finally caved in and tried out the smart phone world. For long before that, I adamantly opposed smart phones and many of these ‘technological conveniences’ as I only saw the negative in them. The negative effects that they have on social situations I mean. I …

Why I Love Walking “Just take the taxi” she said, “it’s only a 5 minute ride.” “Exactly,” I replied. “That’s why I’ll walk.” No matter which country I visit in the world, I am always drawn to the most primitive of exploration methods: walking. I’ve found no way better to get to know a city, a country, or a people …

Life lesson: Being Grateful The other day I went to drop off my laundry at a local laundromat. The lady greeted me with her usual big smile took my things and weighed them and proceeded to make the receipt with the computer. Drifting away momentarily, I imagined that if I were asked to describe her, I don’t think that I …

Introduction: Hailing from Roma, Italia, Luca Lampariello is an electrical engineer by trade, but a language lover by passion. He has spent nearly twenty years studying foreign languages and blogs regularly about his methods for learning languages online. Recently, Luca has been working on his book and attending different conferences such as the Polyglot Conference in Berlin. I think that …

Introduction: Today I introduce to you Randy Hunt, of Yearlyglot.com. Randy has worked up a passion for all things international since he was a child and has taken on the goal of becoming a cosmopolitan citizen of the world. His drive to learn about other cultures and Peoples has helped to propel his development in learning languages. He holds true …

Introduction: Meet John Fotheringham. Currently residing in Los Angeles, John has spent considerable time writing and working on his website while learning new languages. His website, LanguageMastery.com, focuses mostly on helping adult learners in language acquisition although language learners of all levels will find his articles interesting and thought-provoking. Focusing mainly on several East Asian languages, John, has also dabbled …

Introduction: Ellen is a grammar freak, a former freelance writer, and a founder and principal of Syntaxis, a communication skills training firm based in New York City. She has a B.A. in German from Harvard and an M.A. in comparative literature from UCLA. Ellen lives with her husband, Brandt Johnson, in a wildly polylingual apartment building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and …

Introduction: Olly is an ardent language learner with a strong desire to teach you another language. With his website and new eBook, he teaches people his insight on learning a foreign language quickly and efficiently. With 7 languages under his belt and more to come, Olly currently resides in the Middle East where he is learning a new language, but …

A Quick Refresher Lesson in Why I Travel The other day I had a wonderful discussion with someone that I thought I would share. The person, a middle-aged man who has lived the better half of his life as a nomad. He grew up as an expat child and continued on from there. Traveling is, as he put it, in …

Introduction: Kieran is a passionate language learner and student of linguistics. He has spent the last few years of his life gaining extended experience in writing, editing, and translation and is particularly passionate about East Asian culture. His has an extensive résumé, and he is eager to continue helping others to reach their language-learning goals as he continues to study …

Introduction: Meet Aryn. She is a self-described polyglot with an everlasting wanderlust. Her childhood passion for the world came into fruition once she got the opportunity to study abroad then ultimately a chance to take an internship in China. Soon thereafter, she began to write. She currently resides in Hawaii where she continues to pursue her travel passions. Without further …

Meet Ed of the Where the hell is that Taiwan guy? video series. Introduction: Ed Wu has an inspiring story to share. He came up with an idea to promote his native culture around 2 years ago and has since traveled to 65 countries on 5 continents. He’s made videos for YouTube that have become internet sensations now totaling to …

Lessons from Youth Sports and How I’ve Applied Them to Traveling and My Life I decided to write this as a tribute to my former coaches and teachers. I think that our teachers and coaches are some of the most under-appreciated heroes in our society and should be thanked more often. Education is a pinnacle aspect of society and those who dedicate …

Teaching English Abroad with Olly Introductions: I recently caught up with Olly Richards from the UK on his experiences teaching English in Japan and Qatar. Olly is a linguist, lover of Crossfit and Cuban Salsa dancing, as well as food junky. He speaks 7 languages and is looking for more. His website helps to teach people about how to learn …

Muslim for a Day The day I visited a mosque during Ramadan One of the things that I love so much about traveling is the opportunity to throw away past prejudices and assumptions and learn about other’s points of views in real-time for myself. When we do this as travelers, we are able to humanize people and reduce the extreme …

Richard Arthur Book I of the Sun I of the Sun: A young man travels on a one-way ticket to Southeast Asia to find out, in search of freedom and everything that comes with it. Free from responsibility, free from others, free from himself. He discovers paradise islands and electric cities, and gets hooked on crazy liquor, cheap pills, loose women …

Dave’s Travel Pages Recently completing a cycling trip from Alaska to Argentina, Dave is a travel enthusiast with over 20 years of experience. Since he started traveling Dave’s curiosity has driven him to the four corners of the globe. Intrigued by his cycling experiences, I recently caught up with Dave for a little Q & A. Here is the result. …

A Cup of Tea Can Change Your Life The other day I stopped at a local café to have a tea. I had been frequenting this café for a few days and somewhat befriended the owner. A young Turkish man not much older than myself. He is a hard-worker and a very knowledgeable individual, speaking nearly 6 languages. On this …

Hello readers! I would just like to personally take this opportunity to thank you all for being so supportive in my journey to create this travel blog and website. The last few months have been really exciting for me as a blogger. I have received many new followers and readers, and it is great to have you all on board! …

Reflecting on the Big Blog Exchange As part of the Big Blog Exchange project, I was asked to put together a Manifesto of my experiences. So I thought that a nice way to piece together this article would be to do a bit of a reflection and recounting of my Exchange period. I was sent to Spain as an exchange …

Spanish Hospitality A special thanks to the Spanish As many of you know, I am from the south. Traditionally, the southern states of the U.S. are known for their hospitality and warm-minded attitude towards others. This is especially true my home state of Louisiana. Seriously, if you thought chivalry and manners were dead, you clearly haven’t made your way down …

In the Mind of the Maker A Louisiana Documentary in the making   Update: In the Mind of the Maker film is now available on Amazon.   Quick Background: Charles Richard, a Louisiana native, is currently spearheading the production of a film called In the Mind of the Maker. The film follows an 84 year old Cajun man named Edward Couvillier …

Why I like Hostels They aren’t anything like Hollywood… I’m a hosteler for life. A few years back, I got introduced to the hosteling system from my first trip abroad. I was told by everyone how shady they were and asked if I would even make it out alive. Well, I survived, and did so with a new found respect …

Unique Ways to See the World And Examples of People Who Are Doing Them Since the beginning of time people have traversed this beautiful earth we live on. They’ve found new places, discovered the great unknowns, and met interesting people with motivations ranging from religion to riches to exploration for the sake of exploration. We’ve all heard of the great …

Home is where the what is? Travelers are fortunate to see some amazing things in the world, and then return carrying those experiences with them forever. Most travelers, even long-term travelers, will likely return home at some point even if it is just for some time. As they return home, they are inevitably equipped with a new prism and outlook …

Good morning world! This is a big day, I just received word that I was chosen as one of the top 16 bloggers in the Big Blog Exchange! I am so excited to be exchanging with Sara Rodriguez from Mindful Travel. I don’t know all the details yet, but I am going to Spain!! I personally want to thank each …

Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You Long before I ever stepped foot out into the world there were talks of this dreaded “travel bug”.  A “travel bug” they’d say was a feeling you’d get after tasting what the world had to offer. It would leave a nagging imprint on you, much like a feeling a bug would leave on you …

Learning from an Artist What Monet’s Gardens can Teach us No trip to France is complete without getting a taste of the famous artworks of those who came before us. Typically, most visitors will go to Le Louvre or Versailles to get their fix. I was fortunate to get a good taste of each, but made a special stop while …

My reason for traveling When I think back to my original inspiration for exploring the world, it is difficult for me to pinpoint exactly where it all started. I often refer to my university experience with international friends, but that really isn’t the source of my drive to know the world. I remember back to when I was a boy. …

What is on my Bucket List? O the bucket list. People have long talked about their life-long dreams and things that they have always wanted to do. In modern society, this list has been called the ‘bucket list’. Most people rarely complete the items on their list, but some do get their chance. I think that it would be common …

I once had a Kenyan teacher from a small town outside of Nairobi. He told me a story from his childhood that has remained with me for years. The moral of the story has remained in my mind in spite of its simpleness, likely because it made me realize the difference between educating a child on right and wrong and …

How to make it happen One of my greatest adventures in traveling is cultural immersion.  I usually take it a step further than most would consider normal, but I am alright with that.  Most would say that it is too difficult when you are traveling to adhere to all cultures.  This notion is true to a certain extent, but I …

Excuses, Excuses and the Big Blog Exchange (Explanation of the BigBlogExchange Included below) Hey all, I know I haven’t been at my usually 2-3 articles per week, but I have an excuse or at least a few of them.  I apologize for being slightly MIA (missing in action) on my blog, but I am doing my best to produce articles …

Things you Learn when Traveling Traveling teaches us many things.  In fact, traveling changes us in many ways.  We are always challenged by the life experiences that we have, regardless of whether those experiences are at home are abroad.  Life tests us, pushes us, and eventually we find out who we are and where we stand. For those who listen, …

An Personal Analysis of the Road not Taken What do his words really mean to me? “The two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost (The road not taken) After reading this poem a few times, it is right for one to wonder …

Savannah Grace The girl who grew her boobs in China 1.)    Give us a brief bit about yourself (I.e. family, where you are from, etc.) My name is Savannah Grace, born and raised in North Vancouver, Canada. I’m the youngest and probably least adventurous member of a very adventurous family. By the age of 7 they’d already dragged me through …

Travel Resolutions for the New Year It is that time of year again.   As we reflect over this past year’s events.  We’ve seen trials; we’ve seen tribulations.  We’ve been tested. We’ve experienced, and we’ve grown.  We are thankful for the holiday time that we spent with family and friends.  We anxiously awaited our ever impending Mayan induced zombie apocalypse.  Now, …

A Boy in Bengal The other day I was talking with a good friend of mine and he told me a story that I’d like to share.  We were discussing difficult life decisions and he gave me a bit of wisdom that I won’t soon forget.  A life lesson from the road. There was once a young boy in Bengal. …

Can comedians help with diplomacy? The other day one of my friends showed me a video of an Iranian-American comedian who was making light of several issues regarding Middle-Eastern foreign policy.  Since then, I have been considering the topic of soft diplomacy and how a comedian could be a force in diplomatic matters. There are many different diplomatic approaches.  Over …

A traveler’s duty Often, we as travelers find ourselves indulging in the many pleasures of life on the road.  We get to see some of the most amazing things that the world has to offer.  We get to meet wonderful people from every corner of Earth; and all the while, we have a good time doing it.  In traveling though, …