Category: PSA

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A trick for power off the beaten path

At times an adventurer may find himself far from the life of convenience that spurred his great journey. In those moments of unfamiliarity one may find the amenities of life to be long distant memories and they themselves in great need of simple modernities.

In the middle of a desert, breathing air too thin to even retain the heat of my breath I once found myself in need. Inside my room made of stacked salt blocks, the compass/thermometer attached to my bag said -8° C. There were no power outlets, no climate control, nor anything save a small, elevated light in the darkness. A bare bulb hung above a room housing two preposterous buccaneers who stared at it with hope in their eyes, and dead batteries in their hands.

In this moment, far from any civilization and in need of power, perhaps you will have the luck (more than foresight) to have one of these little devices in your kit.

Many places that I have been fortunate enough to visit and survive do not have infrastructure such as the city provides. Where a single generator runs the lights for certain hours of the day and no accommodation is made for charging pleasantries, you may find this little device to be a savior.

In the day of smart phones and charging bricks, we are both more and less susceptible to crippling power loss. Consider tossing one of these light bulb adapters in your pack before you go. If all you have is a light bulb, you can now charge your phone at the furthest flung stopover in your meanderings.

Pro Tip: Check the voltage for the country you are in 110/120/220/240! and check the voltage rating on your power adapter for the device you are trying to charge. I nearly killed myself with an electric razor once!

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What we actually need…

My lovely new friend, Lena, gave me this quote recently. Since then, I have bought this the author’s book. A change of situation often offers a change in perspective and an opportunity for growth that we may never have if we stay put. That being said… pack accordingly. I have been known to say that all you really need to pack is a sense of adventure, and I hold to that statement. Even if you are staying rooted, though… know what you need.

“You’ll need coffee shops and sunsets and road trips. Airplanes and passports and new songs and old songs, but people more than anything else. You will need other people and you will need to be that other person to someone else, a living breathing screaming invitation to believe better things.”
~ Jamie Tworkowski

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Just the tip… s?

So maybe time for a new dash of my new favorite tricks when taking on a new place. There is a lot of great info out there on this, and other, sites. If you have any others that you want to add, put them in the comments below!

In no particular order:

  • Google the airport you are going to and find out what the WiFi is like and any other Gotchas.
  • Smartphone users: unlock/jailbreak your phone before you leave the country. Call your provider if necessary.
  • Bring a backup NON-smart phone. Local simcards are usually cheap and can help out a lot when you are stuck.
  • Install the google translate app, and download the offline languages for where you will be. Seriously.
  • Use Google maps?  Download the offline map areas for the cities you will visit. GPS works everywhere and this can save your bacon.
  • If you know where you want to visit, save those addresses as Stars in Google Maps. You can find them offline later.
  • Don’t overpack. Seriously, don’t do it. You can get anything you need almost anywhere in the world within minutes.
  • If you really want to try something out of the ordinary, look up your destination on atlasobscura.com
  • If you are going to a foreign country, learn how to say “I don’t speak <insert language here>. Do you speak English?”
    • Yes, I’m assuming that you, the reader, speak English.
  • Language basics
    • Hello / Goodbye
    • Where / Where is…
    • What / It /Something
    • Basic directions i.e. straight / left / right
    • Please / Thank you
    • I want / need / have / like
    • where is an internet cafe?
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How to not lose your job…

Amazonian Tributary, Bolivia

 

So many people talk to me about a desire to travel and see the world. People who have their lives together; a career, a house, maybe a family.  While none of these are going to stop you from traveling, they may seem daunting at first. I ran across this article speaking specifically to people who are looking to travel and concerned about their job and career.

Here’s a quick quote to whet your appetite:

You dream, what seems like, a very impossible dream. I’m here to tell you: It’s not impossible. It’s actually quite possible. You can take time off from your job to travel and return to it, career intact.  It’s a matter of some planning, preparation, and a thoughtful conversation with your boss.

It’s rare to find well articulated planning advice for this sort of thing. When I left, I looked long and hard for it, and finally just decided to wing it, throwing caution to the wind, and trusting in the Universe to sort things out for me on my return. For those of you who are a little more structure minded than I, click the link below and start turning that dream into a reality!

http://takeyourbigtrip.com/2014/09/21/how-to-talk-to-your-boss-about-taking-time-off-to-travel/

Bosphorous Channel, Istanbul

 

 

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Chicago: The Main Event!

I’m loose on the town for the next two days, and tonight I have the decided honor of being part of the panel of experts to take part in the MeetPlanGo National Event for 2011. And that isn’t even the best part…

They say, “Never meet your heroes.”

Today, I couldn’t disagree more. One of the largest influences on my taking the plunge and going around the world as I did, was a girl named Lisa Lubin. She answered all my tremulous questions with candor and solid information, and provided enough gentle prodding to continually motivate me to take the next step; whatever it may have been.

Lisa is the “Kick Ass Host” for the Chicago MPG event location, and invited me to be a part of the panel (waow!) and is hosting ME at her place for my time in Chicago.  To say she has the whole thing under control would be a gross understatement. Anyone who is fortunate enough to be in Chicago for the event tonight and listen to Lisa unravel the mystery of Global Domination is in for a rare treat.

I’m super pumped to be here, along with Lisa and the other panelists. I’m obviously biased in thinking that this is going to be the best of the National Event locations, but there are several more across North America. If you haven’t checked into this yet, please do so and if you have the chance, get to your local MPG event and hear what people who have “done it” have to say in response to your questions. This is an opportunity that only comes once a year, so go and get it!

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Meet Plan Go 2011: Chicago!

I am really excited about this!

Since I’ve returned I have had a lot of conversations with people about the trip, and it’s been good, and sometimes hard, for me to talk about things; once I start really describing a place or event to someone else the memories come back and I start to remember all these little things that happened and it really takes me back there. I’ve even been told by a few people that it was inspiring and changed their lives for the better. I like that.

Now, coming up in October, Tuesday the 18th, I’ve been giving the opportunity to speak to an audience on a panel with a number of other people who have done similar amazing extended trips of their own.

Meet Plan Go is an organization that helps people to take career breaks (sabbaticals), and extended travels.  The group is full of inspiration, how to’s, and excuse-bashing-help for anyone trying to get away from a desk and off to the trip of a lifetime.

The Meet Plan Go National Event will be  held in 17 cities across the United States and Canada simultaneously on October 18th, and will have different panelists for each city to relay all their experiences and answer your questions about how you can achieve your travel goals.

If you are even curious about what a trip like this is comprised of or how your life would change if you decided to go for it, please take a look at the web site and see if there is anything there for you. Aaaand, heaven forbid, if you decide you would like to hear what I have to say about it in person, pick up a ticket to the Chicago event and let’s make it happen!

Wrap-Up:

Date: Tuesday, October 18th | Doors: 5:30pm
Kendall College | 900 N. North Branch Street

http://meetplango.com/national-event/

 

 

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Asian Stereotypes: Fact or Fiction?

In many parts of the world, groups of people are often generalized or stereotyped:

  • Americans are all fat.
  • Germans are all beer loving engineers.
  • Russians put vodka on their cereal.
  • Africans get dinner with a spear.

Asians are no exception to this rule. After spending some time among them, I thought about this and some of the stereotypes I had most often been told of Asians. Have I found them to be true? Take a look.

1. Asians are bad drivers.

This is utterly untrue. Asians by and large are capable of operating a motor vehicle in arenas that would cause most North Americans I know to break into sweat and go back to bed. This place is damn challenging and requires constant vigilance and split second pinpoint accuracy. Asians are amazing drivers. The myth arises from when Asian drivers have to go to areas where the rules are different, like the USA. This driving method, somewhat akimbo, is less effective there.

2. All Asians are good at Math.

I’m afraid not, kids. From the moment I arrived in Asia, everyone was using huge calculators to perform even the simplest of math. 200 minus 50? Better use that calculator, base 10 can get away from you pretty quickly.

3. Asians eat dogs and cats.

Not once in my time in Asia was I ever offered dog or cat meat. This does not mean that I knew what I was eating every time I sat down, or that I didn’t eat some really weird items while I was there, however.

 

4. Asians are short.

Actually, this one is largely true. While Asia does produce the occasional vertical anomaly like Yao Ming, I was mostly awash in a wading pool of black haired people who couldn’t have looked me in the eye without a stepladder. This was neat at first, though if you are over 6 feet, you may want to watch out for the door frames. Concussions just aren’t cool.

5. Rice.

True. The one thing you can count on with every meal in Asia is rice. Sometimes rice is the entire meal. It’s odd for me to say, coming from a largely carnivorous diet, but the rice is delicious! Plenty of calories to get through the day. The word for rice is sometimes substituted for the word for meal or food, and the breathtaking green of fields of rice give you views like you don’t see elsewhere. Just Google up some pictures of Sapa in Vietnam.

All in all, the lesson to be learned here is that you can’t judge a book by the cover that you never saw but someone else told you about. No matter how reliable or instantiated the rumor was that you heard it will never sum up the technicolor wonderland of experiencing another culture first-hand.

Take a chance, find a way, get out there and do some exploring; even if that just means just trying a new Nationality of  food that you haven’t ever considered before. (I dare you to take a look around for a Malaysian restaurant near you and try Nasi Lemak.) See for yourself. I promise you the experience will be worth it.

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Worth the wait! (Ihope…)

So, following a small acciden in September, my laptop has been a glorified paperweight. It is now in the repair shop in Rome that *may* be able to resurrect it, but I won’t know until next week. Please excuse the interruption in service, as two weeks without a computer has put a dent in my productivity.

See you soon! Adesso!

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Public Service Announcement: Theft Prevention

PSA: People want to steal your stuff.

Yes, it’s true; not everyone is your friend. In fact, while some people may be exemplary citizens who truly understand that the Tourism industry benefits their country and everyone in it, many would rather help themselves to your money and belongings. This is a bit short sighted, I know, but it’s a little hard to reason with someone running full tilt down a dark alleyway with your goods. Better to protect yourself ahead of time, than complain about it after it happens. One of the most oft lost items is the digital camera.

Having lost some camera equipment myself, I’ve devised this foolproof (so far) method of keeping your camera safe from wandering hands. Simply slide the wrist strap of your camera through the belt loop closest to the pocket you wish to store it in, then slip the camera through the loop on the far side. This effectively locks the camera in place.

And then drop it into your pocket.

Yes, when extracting the camera for a shot, it takes a couple of extra seconds. Personally, I prefer this to reaching for a camera that is no longer there.

Hopefully this will help a few people to hold onto their belongings where I and others have not. This can also be used very effectively with almost all modern cel phones, as they have  place to attach similar loops.

Obviously, it is not impossible to rip the camera away and destroy the belt loop. This is just intended to discourage would-be theives and give you enough time to react if someone tries to grab it. As always, be aware in crowded areas and if the crowd suddenly seems to be jostling you a lot, cover all your pockets and take emergency action.