ABOUT THE BLOG

I kept a diary during my first trip around the USA in 2008, but it all came into focus when I was chatting to a couple of girls in Lisbon, hi Haley!  I had already travelled over half of the world, and while they were fascinated by my adventures, they were shocked by my lack of blog.  I mean, who would want to read the words of someone who writes like an 11-year-old with a potty mouth? Surprisingly enough quite a few people, do you want to join them?

This blog began as a diary and just grew from there. The diary was my mum’s idea, and begrudgingly, I agreed, turns out like so many things my mum was right. Even if it took me a while to see the value in it, it was when I lost my American Journal that I realised just how much it meant to me. I had lost so many memories, but with the blog I am now able to share them.

I’ve always had a passion for documenting, productivity and love the full disclosure I can give from my social media, no filters, no sponsors and no bullshit.

We all have a story to tell, a blog’s a great way to do it, and this is my story.  I haven’t seen it all, but I’ve seen a lot, one day I could be camping next to a volcano in Guatemala LINK and the next getting robbed by policemen (link), knowing the difficult experiences will one day be a story makes it that bit easier.

My journal. I write a daily dairy (and suggest you should do the same) when I’m on the road so frankly after all these years I need somewhere to put it. They aren’t all crazy stories but I like to read them so I can revisit my experiences. It’s a great reference for me when you lose track of where you have visited; it’s good to be able to remember little things like good hotels and restaurants that won’t give you food poisoning. A blog isn’t going anywhere, can be backed up and all you’ll need is a phone handy if you want to remind yourself why you didn’t stay in THAT hotel last time.   Even better when I’m 90, I can take my phone out and show my grandkids what their granda got up to, or they can use it against me to remind me of the shit I got up to.

It’s just too good an opportunity not to share. It’s also a chance to share parts of the world that many readers may never get a chance to visit.

If you love a hobby, you have to treat it like a job. I would love to be able to keep this blog as ad-free as possible (have you noticed), partly so you can see it’s my own true experience and partly because we all hate popups (but love cookies). One thing I won’t ever have are willy nilly sponsored posts (boombod anyone), any good experiences or criticism I share will all be my own.  I aim to keep the ads to a minimum, and I refuse any free shit in return for a positive review. I’m no sell out.

If I write about a resource, it’s because I use it and found it to be useful.   I do not link to products I don’t own or don’t use. Trust me there are plenty of influencers who’ll tell you they wouldn’t travel the Amazon without a special brand of toilet paper. They can paddle their own canoe I wouldn’t do that.