Up and Over
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, July 28, 2013 was originally posted on August 11, 2013.
Hello, Heli.
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, July 27, 2013 was originally posted on August 07, 2013.
Middle Man in Middle Earth
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, July 25, 2013 was originally posted on August 06, 2013.
Beautiful, Yet Remarkably Mediocre
This blog entry about the events of Monday, July 22, 2013 was originally posted on August 03, 2013.
Race on the Brisbane River
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, July 20, 2013 was originally posted on July 30, 2013.
Rabaul Adventures
This blog entry about the events of Wednesday, July 17, 2013 was originally posted on July 29, 2013.
Mask Tourism
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, July 16, 2013 was originally posted on July 25, 2013.
Team Go-Getter
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, July 14, 2013 was originally posted on July 23, 2013.
#AnythingCanHappen
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, July 11, 2013 was originally posted on July 21, 2013.
The Brisbane of My Existence
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, July 09, 2013 was originally posted on July 12, 2013.
The Rodeo Within A Rodeo
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, July 09, 2013 was originally posted on July 09, 2013.
Hell or High Water
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, July 04, 2013 was originally posted on July 09, 2013.
Language of the Valley
This blog entry about the events of Monday, July 01, 2013 was originally posted on July 09, 2013.
The Wows of Canada Day
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, June 30, 2013 was originally posted on July 07, 2013.
Northern Hospitality After The Floodapocalypse
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, June 27, 2013 was originally posted on June 29, 2013.
So, Where Was I?
This blog entry about the events of Monday, June 24, 2013 was originally posted on June 24, 2013.
Ich Bin Eine Brooklyner
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, August 30, 2012 was originally posted on September 03, 2012.
Plains, Trains, and Kung-Fu Masters
This blog entry about the events of Monday, August 27, 2012 was originally posted on August 31, 2012.
Men in Kilts
This blog entry about the events of Friday, August 24, 2012 was originally posted on August 29, 2012.
When You’re with R. Kelly, It’s Always Friday
This blog entry about the events of Friday, August 24, 2012 was originally posted on August 28, 2012.
The Jester in Geneva
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, August 23, 2012 was originally posted on August 26, 2012.
No Sleep ‘Til Berklyn
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, August 21, 2012 was originally posted on August 22, 2012.
The Return of Indie
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, August 18, 2012 was originally posted on August 19, 2012.
Full Disclosure of an African Boomerang
This blog entry about the events of Friday, March 16, 2012 was originally posted on March 16, 2012.
Forget “Africa”
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, January 15, 2012 was originally posted on January 22, 2012.
Securing Peace with Hot Sauce
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, January 14, 2012 was originally posted on January 22, 2012.
Remembering 1994
This blog entry about the events of Friday, January 13, 2012 was originally posted on January 20, 2012.
Run DRC?
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, January 12, 2012 was originally posted on January 19, 2012.
It’s Not All Black and White Along Lake Kivu
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, January 10, 2012 was originally posted on January 18, 2012.
Trailblazers
This blog entry about the events of Monday, January 09, 2012 was originally posted on January 17, 2012.
Everything’s Better in Rwanda Until Someone Kicks You in the Balls
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, January 08, 2012 was originally posted on January 16, 2012.
Damn Dirty Apes
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, January 07, 2012 was originally posted on January 16, 2012.
The Football of Gahese
This blog entry about the events of Friday, January 06, 2012 was originally posted on January 13, 2012.
Jungle to Jungle
This blog entry about the events of Friday, January 06, 2012 was originally posted on January 12, 2012.
Monkey in the Middle
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, January 05, 2012 was originally posted on January 12, 2012.
Alice in Gandaland
This blog entry about the events of Wednesday, January 04, 2012 was originally posted on January 12, 2012.
Rhinobama
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, January 03, 2012 was originally posted on January 08, 2012.
A Gentleman’s Game
This blog entry about the events of Monday, January 02, 2012 was originally posted on January 08, 2012.
Wild On The Nile
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, January 01, 2012 was originally posted on January 03, 2012.
The King and I
This blog entry about the events of Friday, December 30, 2011 was originally posted on December 31, 2011.
Scumbags in Transit
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, December 29, 2011 was originally posted on December 31, 2011.
Getting Ready for the African Rainforest
This blog entry about the events of Wednesday, December 07, 2011 was originally posted on December 13, 2011.
Observing America
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, July 03, 2011 was originally posted on July 20, 2011.
Manifest Destiny
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, July 02, 2011 was originally posted on July 18, 2011.
Old Faces, New Places, Old Places, New Faces
This blog entry about the events of Friday, July 01, 2011 was originally posted on July 16, 2011.
Gettin’ Down A Big Hole On Friday
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, June 30, 2011 was originally posted on July 13, 2011.
Navigating Navajo Nation
This blog entry about the events of Wednesday, June 29, 2011 was originally posted on July 07, 2011.
Raiders Of The Lost Arch
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, June 28, 2011 was originally posted on July 06, 2011.
The iPhone App of Mormon
This blog entry about the events of Monday, June 27, 2011 was originally posted on July 04, 2011.
A Dinosaur In The Tetons
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, June 26, 2011 was originally posted on July 03, 2011.
More Than Six Percent
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, June 25, 2011 was originally posted on July 01, 2011.
Cowboy Country
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, June 25, 2011 was originally posted on June 30, 2011.
American Safari
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, June 23, 2011 was originally posted on June 28, 2011.
Inside The Sculptor’s Studio
This blog entry about the events of Wednesday, June 22, 2011 was originally posted on June 28, 2011.
“Roughing It” In The Badlands
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, June 21, 2011 was originally posted on June 25, 2011.
1 out of 10,000
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, June 21, 2011 was originally posted on June 22, 2011.
Back In Time For Beer
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, June 19, 2011 was originally posted on June 21, 2011.
Last Adventures On The Atlantic
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, June 16, 2011 was originally posted on June 19, 2011.
Leftover Turkey
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, June 11, 2011 was originally posted on June 13, 2011.
Pirates Of The Mediterranean
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, June 09, 2011 was originally posted on June 12, 2011.
The Post-Backpackers
This blog entry about the events of Wednesday, June 08, 2011 was originally posted on June 12, 2011.
Lost? There’s A Turk For That.
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, June 07, 2011 was originally posted on June 11, 2011.
Easy Riders and Hard Ons
This blog entry about the events of Monday, June 06, 2011 was originally posted on June 09, 2011.
It’s Not Racist If You’re Already Asian
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, June 04, 2011 was originally posted on June 06, 2011.
Teenager Talk On The Sexy Side Of The City
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, June 04, 2011 was originally posted on June 06, 2011.
Turkey Jerky
This blog entry about the events of Friday, June 03, 2011 was originally posted on June 05, 2011.
Turkey Sandwich
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, June 02, 2011 was originally posted on June 02, 2011.
It’s Not A Lonely Planet
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, January 02, 2011 was originally posted on January 08, 2011.
Just Another “Easter” Sunday
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, January 01, 2011 was originally posted on January 07, 2011.
Early to Head, Early to Rise
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, January 01, 2011 was originally posted on January 07, 2011.
From Head To Wed
This blog entry about the events of Friday, December 31, 2010 was originally posted on January 07, 2011.
New Year’s On Easter (Island)
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, December 30, 2010 was originally posted on January 05, 2011.
It’s Always Sunny In Patagonia
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, December 28, 2010 was originally posted on January 05, 2011.
The Fellowship Of The W
This blog entry about the events of Monday, December 27, 2010 was originally posted on January 04, 2011.
127 Minutes
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, December 26, 2010 was originally posted on January 03, 2011.
Eat What You Like
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, December 25, 2010 was originally posted on January 03, 2011.
I’m Dreaming Of A Grey Christmas
This blog entry about the events of Friday, December 24, 2010 was originally posted on December 30, 2010.
Die Hard With A Christmas
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, December 23, 2010 was originally posted on December 29, 2010.
25 South
This blog entry about the events of Wednesday, December 22, 2010 was originally posted on December 24, 2010.
Goldilocks and the Three Wineries
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, December 21, 2010 was originally posted on December 23, 2010.
Adopted Families
This blog entry about the events of Monday, December 20, 2010 was originally posted on December 22, 2010.
Speaking Spanish By The Seashore
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, December 19, 2010 was originally posted on December 22, 2010.
Chilean Graffiti
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, December 19, 2010 was originally posted on December 20, 2010.
Chilly, Chili, Chile
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, December 18, 2010 was originally posted on December 19, 2010.
A Day Without Steven Slater
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, December 16, 2010 was originally posted on December 17, 2010.
A New Trip for an American, Expressed
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, November 30, 2010 was originally posted on November 30, 2010.
Going Backtracking
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, May 06, 2010 was originally posted on May 09, 2010.
Not Forgotten
This blog entry about the events of Wednesday, May 05, 2010 was originally posted on May 09, 2010.
Korean Things On The Other Cinco De Mayo
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, May 04, 2010 was originally posted on May 07, 2010.
Seoul Man
This blog entry about the events of Tuesday, May 04, 2010 was originally posted on May 05, 2010.
Chinese Things On May Day Monday
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, May 02, 2010 was originally posted on May 05, 2010.
Crouching Tiger, Hundred Tourists
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, May 01, 2010 was originally posted on May 03, 2010.
Race To Yellow Mountain
This blog entry about the events of Friday, April 30, 2010 was originally posted on May 03, 2010.
That Jerk Jackie Chan
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, April 29, 2010 was originally posted on May 02, 2010.
Strawberry Fields Forever, For The Day
This blog entry about the events of Wednesday, April 28, 2010 was originally posted on April 30, 2010.
Dog Day Afternoon
This blog entry about the events of Wednesday, April 28, 2010 was originally posted on April 29, 2010.
A Shanghai Welcome
This blog entry about the events of Monday, April 26, 2010 was originally posted on April 28, 2010.
Life In Taipei 101
This blog entry about the events of Sunday, April 25, 2010 was originally posted on April 27, 2010.
Chicken Soup For The Eye
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, April 24, 2010 was originally posted on April 26, 2010.
Pretty Fly For A White Girl
This blog entry about the events of Saturday, April 24, 2010 was originally posted on April 25, 2010.
PART 15 (DAYS 33-35): “How’s everything here?” I asked Chris, the manager at Southern Laughter Lodge, when I arrived back in Queenstown for a day in order to catch a homeward bound flight early the following morning.
“Oh, it’s quiet. It’s finally slowing down,” he answered.
“Oh, is the ski season over?”
“No, the season can go all the way until October,” he told me. “But all the Aussie kids have gone back to university.”
Having had ended my short New Zealand adventure on a high note, I was ready to leave as well. I spent my last day in Queenstown — my last day in New Zealand for that matter — very leisurely, watching the paragliders land into town (picture above), and shopping for souvenirs and gifts. For some reason, I did all of it at this one touristy gift emporium that had everything (even different variations of Kiwi plush dolls), run by Japanese people. One chatty Japanese woman at the cashier noticed the embroidered “swirlball” on my baseball cap, wondering which souvenir shop I’d purchased it.
“No, this is mine,” I told her. I spared her the backstory of The Global Trip logo. (It’s on the upper right of this web page.)
“[Oh, I thought you bought it somewhere here,]” she said to me. “It’s Maori. Very popular symbol in Maori culture.” She showed me some Maori-inspired souvenirs that did in fact have swirly spiral motifs on them. “See here? In Maori, it means the beginning of life.”
Huh, how about that, I thought to myself. The Global Trip, the Beginning of Life. In an era when most people are concerned with just surviving the rat race, perhaps Life begins when you leave it behind, head out, and explore the world.
However, contrary to popular belief, traveling the world isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be when you blog and write about it at some professional level for years, even if it’s part-time. Travel writers — which many non-travel writers associate with words like “lucky” and phrases like “must be nice” — actually do something that becomes work in the conventional sense, and it too becomes a rat race.
I BEGAN THE GLOBAL TRIP BACK IN 2002, when it was originally my website for clips of published travel pieces, as I was trying to build up a collection of bylines as a young, budding travel writer in the travel journalism community. Back then, my travel writing teacher (now book author) Paula Szuchman taught me that in reality, most travel articles could actually just be written by way of research on the Internet — but personal insight are what make pieces stand out against others of the same subject matter.
In October 2003, after saving and scraping funds for months, I set off on my dream voyage: a grand sixteen month Global Trip, not only to experience everything I’d heard about in countries that, at the time, were “exotic” to me, but to “cover” as many places I could, in order to gain personal insight and experience for future articles — and without rushing around like some “country counters” I know, who rush through countries with minimal experiences just to add a number to their tally. I originally started The Global Trip blog for that big expedition (then hosted by BootsnAll), mostly as a way to keep my friends and family informed on my whereabouts and worldly activities. (It also served as the perfect notepad for future pieces.) But then, without my intention, it eventually went viral, blew up, and was read by a much bigger audience — bigger than I had imagined with tens of thousands of readers from around the globe. I even won a couple of awards for it and got national press attention when I got back to New York. USA Today put it best with, “Warning: If this site doesn’t give someone the travel bug, nothing will.”
But that was 2005.
Ah, 2005. A lot as changed since then. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are now the new ways of informing people what you’ve been up to on the road (whether they like it or not) — at least for this current phase of our behavior-changing Internet-dependent society. Blogs are no longer defined as they were in the late 90s through 2005; back then, a “blog,” which has always been short for “web log,” was actually a log, personal or otherwise, of events — like Captain Kirk’s “space log” in Star Trek. Nowadays, a blog’s definition is more like an on-line magazine — which has less to do about a chronology of events — that is managed and curated in a way to balance the relationship of the reader and the sponsor or advertiser backing it financially. A recent New York Times article by Dan Saltzstein goes into this complicated subculture of travel blogging,
“...a medium that began as intimate and creative. The paradigm has shifted across the board, in areas like food, parenting and so-called lifestyle blogs. But nowhere has the shift been as jarring as it is for travelers. ‘I want to travel the world’ is no longer an idealistic statement, it is a transactional one…
Travel bloggers tend to be independent-minded and passionate about their areas of interest. The best of them also tend to be on the cutting edge of the travel world, making them a valuable resource for readers frustrated with out-of-date guidebooks and what is often a morass of user reviews on sites like TripAdvisor. But they also face unique challenges; for one, they have to be not just their own editors in chief, but also their own directors of marketing and Web developers. And, ideally, they need to stay objective despite all the sponsorships.”
Over the past ten years, I’ve managed to live another income-generating life as a freelance designer/animator and writer that could support my travels and blog — without the need of an income-generating business model. This flexible lifestyle and financial freedom, earned through regiments of sleep deprivation, have allowed me to stay the course with my long-form narrative style since it started coming into focus in early 2004 — without a dependency on sponsors. I’ve strived to make The Global Trip blog informative and funny — with inspiration by veteran humor columnist Dave Barry — while keeping it detailed with historical tidbits, plenty of photos, and above all, the conversations I’ve had with people I’ve met on the road. Blogreaders, like Kirsten and Sarit (Israel/West Bank), have appreciated this style, and have told me that my blog stands out because “It’s written like a story, or a novel. You feel like you’re there.”
But Instagram killed the travel blog star. Attention spans are a lot shorter, and today’s travel blog audience consumes media differently. In recent years, the editors I’ve written for cap a word count off at 500 words — less than half of one of my average travel dispatches. Also, I’m sure there are some millenials out there that are like, “Uh, who’s Dave Barry?”
“THESE KIDS IN THE NEW GENERATION don’t know that what they’re doing is actually not going to be sustainable in ten years,” I spoke with experience to Moman, when I was back in Brisbane for a one-night layover between New Zealand and the States. We’d gone out for dinner and drinks with a few of his friends after I landed back in his hometown. “A lot of these young vanity travel bloggers think they can just get by on the strength of their own blog,” I ranted. “I mean, I grew up in travel writing when it was still a part of journalism, where you climbed the ladder with bylines.” I told him about the Times article and explained how travel blogging has become less personal and more business — completely separate from the world of traditional journalism. “Actually, I know this one girl who knows you can’t just have your blog, you have to climb the ladder with bylines in known publications,” I continued, referring to travel writer Megan McDonough of Bohemian Trails, who I’d met on a press trip to Israel. “But most of them don’t get it.”
In a conversation I had with long-time travel blogger Jodi Ettenberg of Legal Nomads, we discussed the state of these new travel bloggers. “A lot of them are just in it for the free trips,” she told me. But, we agreed, it’s more rewarding to do it for the respect.
AS I FLEW OVER THE PACIFIC ON VIRGIN AUSTRALIA from the Land Down Under to the States — a Land Up Over, if you will — I wondered about the state of The Global Trip blog. Sure, it’s still a way to let my friends and family know what I’ve been up to on the road, but they’ve sort of tuned out like most people, just waiting for the next Instagram picture to show up in their feed. My parents are jaded about my travels; no longer is it something amazing that I’m doing — it’s just sort of a regular thing that I do now. And I know that some of my closest friends, a supportive as they’ve been, don’t read it anymore; I sometimes write hidden inside jokes to them that only they would understand in a blog entry — only to get no response to it.
I recognize I’m of an older, fading generation of travel bloggers, when you compare me to the stars of today (Jodi’s mentioned). Congratulations to them; I was one of them eight years ago, and I know how great it feels to be recognized on a national level for travel blogging. Obviously, I know I should change with the times if I want to continue doing a travel blog for today’s audience, by realizing that a “blog” is no longer a “web log” and making it more like a magazine for readers with short attention spans. But then, the existence of The Global Trip blog’s style would change, and alienate the truly loyal readers out there. Marie Javins, fellow travel blogger/author of my generation, tells me I should stay the course and not sell out. She also told me:
“I firmly believe [old school travel blogs] are over, finito, and social networking is far more relevant. Personal, individual blogs are a way to keep notes and show your friends what you’re doing, and it just takes a while for sponsors and the Times to catch up. What’s the next big thing? I don’t know, but I believe if someone is on a press trip, it kind of doesn’t count for budget travelers. They don’t have the money for the stuff a writer gets on press trip. Am I being incendiary? I don’t care. I will miss guidebooks for budget travelers when they’re all about the loudest social networker.”
Perhaps I could end this blog here and start something new, under a different title and branding, so that what exists remains consistent. Or perhaps, I could just call it quits altogether (on personal blogging specifically). Up and over. I mean, I’ll continue to write travel pieces edited for today’s audience via more well-known media outlets. I’ve heard numerous times that the success of a blog, or even a book based on it, shouldn’t be measured in sales or numbers, it should be measured by what it leads you to — bigger and better things. My work with The Global Trip has already led me to writing pieces for the Chicago Tribune, Discovery.com, and most notably, National Geographic. In fact, if this truly is the stopping point, the overall story arc of the The Global Trip blog would be “the ten year chronicle of a traveler who once started as a novice blogger that posted pictures of his diarrhea to be funny, to a writer at National Geographic.” (Notice I said “the chronicles of” and not “the transformation of” — because I would totally still take pictures of my watery poo, if you want.)
You’ve read it all here, folks. From my trepidations before embarking on a grand circumnavigation of the globe in 2003, to personal anecdotes of experiences in 62 countries, to a trip with an assignment for National Geographic in 2013 — a whole decade later.
The Global Trip will still exist, as it still doubles as a collection of clips with notable bylines for prospective editors to look at, whether they are based on a press trip or not. As far as my next independent trip, I’m not sure whether or not I’ll blog about it the way I’ve done for years. I’m sure my brother Mark, a.k.a. markyt (Rio), who’s been The Guy Behind The Guy Behind the Blog all this time, would appreciate the break. I know I’d still continue my policy of not writing about a press trip on this blog (with the exception of Papua New Guinea, which I fully disclosed) to maintain that it’s about independent travel — without opinion-swaying sponsors paying the tab like so many other travel blogs of today. Since the beginning, the message of this independent travel blog has always been that you don’t need to be rich — or schmooze a sponsor — to travel the world; you can do this too, if you really put your mind to it. (Here’s my step-by-step instructions on how.)
As for me personally, I’ll continue to live life on and off the road, whether I blog about it or not. However, perhaps I won’t be able to help it; I’ve heard from veteran travel writers who just want to go on a vacation, that being a travel writer is a curse; even when you’re meant to go away and relax, your brain is always in work mode, with a constant urge to take notes, looking for angles. I’ve already developed that habit, so perhaps there is some longevity to this blog.
Thoughts, anyone? (Feedback appreciated.)
Either way, I won’t forget what I’d learned from that Japanese cashier I met in Queenstown. For me, The Global Trip truly has been, for better or worse, the beginning of Life indeed.
During my time in New Zealand, I tried to train my ear to notice the difference between the Australian accent and the New Zealand one. I’ve realized that in New Zealand, whenever there’s an opportunity to use a long E sound, you use it. For example, Australians say the word question like, “quehhstion,” while Kiwis say, “queeestion.” Try it at home and you’ll see, just like in New Zealand, that no one really cares which way you say it.
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