Happy New Year! I am back to work, still not a TV owner and excited to share my South American experiences that concluded an incredible year of travel. Here is my favorite story: I have never tried drugs. Seriously, not even marijuana, not even last year. I had no idea that this alibi would not help my case as I… Read more →
Merry Christmas, I am back! I have some great stories, filling new foodie discoveries and amazing new friends – thanks to South America. It was crazy. I am letting my stories marinate so I can focus on family time. Also, I am running around preparing for the holidays, eating cookies and building my nest for next year (sin TVs). It… Read more →
I am extremely excited and fortunate to be departing TODAY to adventure through a few parts of South America for the next seven weeks! The plan is to visit parts of Peru, Columbia and Bolivia. Check out the map below to see the first leg of my trip… This website will be quiet for the next several weeks because I… Read more →
I’m a big advocate of lists. Actually, I love lists. Yes, love. These help me to remember my thoughts, prioritize “things to do” and ultimately help me achieve my goals. Yes, I have goals. The past two weeks have been a mix of running errands with friends and family: going to the grocery store, renovating their homes – making a… Read more →
Hey there, I am back in the U.S.A. for a break after 197 days on the road! I have a new outlook, new energy, new plans, new goals and, most important, loads of new questions. I am just getting started. This is going to be fun… Stay tuned during the next few weeks to see what we are planning at… Read more →
Have you ever set your expectations too high? Maybe you expected something from someone and they had a different idea. Or, maybe you thought an experience would end up being the most amazing memory of your life and it was just OK. You know, those expectations that had no chance of being met and you were destined to be let… Read more →
I really had to pee. Yes, #1. So, I was quickly scrambling through the magical cobbled streets of Edinburgh in search of a toilet. I was focused, on a mission with my rain jacket hood engaged and the most intense look on my face. Next, the side of a massive fist pounded me on the chest and a big hand… Read more →
Hej! The last three weeks have been amazing! Well, the past six months have been amazing. I over use the word amazing. I recently went up through Sweden: Stockholm → Norway: Oslo → Sweden: Gothenburg → Denmark: Copenhagen and it was a dream. Oh, I mean, it was amazing! I can’t wait to explore more of these areas someday, including Finland… Read more →
I have met and had conversations with hundreds of new fellow traveling friends over the past six months. The conversations usually start with questions about where you are from and where you have traveled. The most common thing that people say when discussing places they have visited is, for example: “I was surprised that Prague had so many tourists.” or… Read more →
For me, especially when I need to rest, long-term solo travel comes with a roller coaster of emotions. A lot of famous singers wrote a song about this! I love listening to music, it is my life. Also, long-term solo travel can make you take a lot of shameless selfies and unnecessary videos as you become attention starved. You can… Read more →
Ok, not really. Would that have been un-American of me to eat there? Or am I un-American for not eating there? Speaking of, have you ever met those annoying American girls traveling that always “try to avoid hanging out with other Americans because, well, just because.” Yeah, me too. That’s weird. Anyway, obviously I am just low on material this… Read more →
Do you think it is bad to be content? Is there always something better? Is there always a better country to see, a better job, a better spouse, better stuff, or a better life? Traveling has made me realize that, where I come from, I have nothing to complain about. Really, there is always something worse. What is wrong with… Read more →
I have officially completed five months of traveling the world. It seems like a lot longer. Now I officially have to spray deodorant into my shoes every time I want to go out into public! I was lucky to be able to spend two and a half weeks in Croatia but I could have stayed forever! It was the perfect… Read more →
Dear Mom, I should have listened to you, I’m sorry that I didn’t. Remember that time that I crashed the pink scooter when I was a kid? Yes, the “Barbie Bike.” I think I broke my wrist that time. Well, no injuries this time but the crash was way worse. I was trying to pull over to let a big… Read more →
I had many interesting adventures while wandering through Italy during the last three weeks. EVERYONE thought I was Italian. This caused a lot of disappointment and confusion, from both sides. People would ask me a question, which always took about two minutes, I would let them finish and then I would say “Non parlo l’italiano.” After that, various hand, arm… Read more →
Why have I heard everyone say that French people are rude and that they hate Americans? Based on my first experience in France, this is a major misconception. I think you get back the attitude that you put out there. That probably holds true for anywhere you are in the world and anywhere you are in life. I know there… Read more →
Bluntly, two weeks walking on the Camino de Santiago seemed like forever. Blisters, tears, feelings, injuries, cramps, queso. But in the end, too much beauty. And I only completed about one-fourth of the trek on the Camino Francés – the popular route of the Camino de Santiago. From Wikipedia: “…It runs from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees… Read more →
Ohhhh, where do I begin?!? The past month has been filled with an amazing mix of Spain and France, France and Spain. I have a lot to reflect on, too much to be thankful for and even more to write about. So, in the next week, I will be posting a lot of updates and pictures reviewing my time in… Read more →
¡Buenas from España! Yes, I went from Perth to Madrid. Maybe it was not the most efficient way around the world but soon I will tell you all about how it was the right choice for me. First, below is a panoramic review of my amazing travels through Australia! The past two months were an amazing mix of beaches, national… Read more →
Greetings from Western Australia! Do you ever wake up and wonder, “how did I get here?” I don’t. Do you ever like to start a blog post with a profound question and then go nowhere with it? I do. What I am trying to say is that I know exactly where I am, Perth! But not for long… Now that… Read more →
Did you know that they call bell peppers “capsicum” in Australia? They also say aluminium instead of aluminum. Like, AL-U-MINIUM foil. My new friends at the “sharehouse” that I stayed at in Cairns (pronounced “Cans”) were quick to remind me that the United States doesn’t like to do what other countries do. Feet, miles, ounces – you know what I’m… Read more →
I spent the last 2 ½ weeks exploring Brisbane and the Gold Coast. My time in this area was a good mix of music, resting on beaches, healthy eating and quality alone time. Well, maybe too much alone time but I’m over that now. Can you believe that I have been traveling for about two months? Crazy! Brisbane I really… Read more →
I have a lot of spare time and I have been using it to think. Uh oh. I know, thinking is hard. I have even read a few books. Say what? Anthony, is that you???!? Luckily, I have had enough time to NOT think about the following things! I hope that most* of these are permanent changes: Thoughts I Have… Read more →
Howdy from Brisbane! Speaking of dumb: I have been staying at a place with no air conditioning for the last week. The other day it was 105 degrees with 75% humidity! I now respect the luxury of air conditioning. Off to the beach tomorrow! I have been traveling for a little more than one month and yes, I have only… Read more →
“How can you afford to travel the world for an indefinite amount of time? Did you win the lottery or what?” That was the most popular response I received from people when I said I was going to quit my highly paid career to travel the world. Well, I did win the lottery. Just not the kind of lottery where… Read more →
Welp, my “stuff” has come full circle. In March 2013 I ended up with half of a HUGE house in a storage unit, check it out: So much extra stuff! These pictures inspired one of my friends to coin the phrase: “Storage is the new baggage!” Little shit. So, after a year of realizing that I didn’t need or… Read more →
On May 1, 2014 I made a major life change – I sold my TV. Yes, “major life change”, that phrase is not dramatic, I am an American from Texas and I SOLD MY TV!! Over the past year I have been going through a mini simplification process to get rid of old stuff from a storage unit. As my… Read more →