For the past several months, I’ve been planning my big departure to the other side of the world. Through my previous experiences with long-term travel, I’ve discovered that there’s lots of boxes that need to be checked off before an adventure of this caliber. Aside from the obvious (quit job and move out of apartment), there are also plenty not
Read moreSo, I’m doing it! I’m finally doing it. I’ve talked about it, wrote about it, dreamt about it, obsessed over it, stressed out over it, and got in fights with my significant other over it. And now, it’s happening. I’m quitting my “desk job”, moving out of my apartment, giving away my useless shit, and buying a one way ticket
Read moreIt was late on Monday afternoon and I had just finished my hot yoga session. I didn’t have any plans and didn’t feel like going directly home. Instead, I began wandering aimlessly down the avenues in my neighborhood, taking side streets that I had never taken before, when I was suddenly struck with an intense pang of loneliness. It felt
Read more2/16/11 Despite the frustrations and difficulties I faced during my initial few weeks in Bangkok, the truth is I ended up falling in love with the place. Head over heels in love. I didn’t know I was capable of loving a city the way I loved Bangkok. I had spent roughly 8 months in London, and I liked it. I
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2/9/11 As much as I consider myself a courageous individual, nothing could have prepared me for life in Bangkok. No guidebook, travel blog, or friendly words of wisdom from a seasoned traveler could have prepped me. From the moment I arrived, I was tested in ways I never could have imagined. Dragging my luggage from my final safe haven, the airport,
Read moreThere aren’t sufficient words to describe my feelings toward a place like Pisco Sin Fronteras. To be a part of it is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a place where you walk in the rusty gate a stranger, and leave a changed person with far more attachments than intended. That’s how it was for me anyway. I spent
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11/27/12 If I’ve learned anything about traveling during my time on the road, it is that it is a true art form. Sometimes simple, sometimes explosive, but always full of beauty and contrast. Letting the road unwind itself as it may, either by choice or force, has led to some of my most fulfilling experiences. One of the greatest challenges
Read more“Right now!” That’s what everyone will tell you. They’ll urge you to follow your dreams right now. They’ll ask you what you’re waiting for. They’ll remind you that you only have one life to live. They will yell “carpe diem” and pitch every other encouraging one-liner that they have in their back pocket… while they sit back and watch. If
Read moreI set my work lap top down, lean back in my creaky wooden chair, and take a deep breath. My San Francisco flat feels extra cozy today. I peer out the window at our makeshift “garden” that I’ve convinced myself I’ve played a crucial role in grooming, and realize I haven’t taken a rake or hoe to it since the
Read moreHow does one go… From waking up each morning on a hay stack bed, gazing up at the half-torn tarp roof clinging to its last fibers, piercing shrieks of hungry roosters in the distance, sixteen worn and scruffy people flung beside you, all crammed in one shanty bedroom. To waking up in a king-sized bed, arms outstretched, drowning in a
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My Road, My Life 