Read the First two Chapters of Life Nomadic for Free NOW! + A Contest

My favorite piece of travel gear are my Oakley slip on shoes. Super comfy and easy to kick on-kick off for stupid TSA screenings.

Ty, you have (or at least had!) these but – Vibram Five Fingers.

Not only are they incredibly comfortable, good for you in so many aspects.. I think most importantly they are a fantastic way to make friends!

When travelling this summer, so many people started talking to me just because of the shoes. You can make so many awesome friends on the road because of them. Locals too also try to talk to you because of them and I think it gave me a much better insight into the locals when talking to them, rather than having a generic local-tourist conversation

The chapters are looking good, looking forward to seeing more :)

those first 2 chapters went by way too quickly. i cant wait to continue on reading the book!

I’ve had my fair share of traveling thanks to the military but the most memorable travel experience was due to a charity trip i signed up to blindly because a lady friend had participated in a few before and posted pictures on her site. i found out (the day of the trip) that not only was it a religious trip (which i was not) but she decided not to go. i spent the next few days with people id never met, pretending to have forgotten my bible and pretending i was religiously active.

in the end i had an amazing experience, got to help many people and met 2 of my best friends on that trip.

my best and only travel story would have to be Hashima Island in japan.

A giant wasteland of an abandonned city on an island. everywhere you go theres just broken… stuff!

The best is being able to climb to the top of a buidling and just throw a tv into the streets below.

best thing i’ve done in my life. this blog was my motivaton! thanks!

I woke up on my back on a Madrid subway platform. An old Spanish woman had picked up my feet and was trying to hold them up in the air, while another was trying to undo my belt. As I was groggily trying to make sense of the situation, I noticed that I smelled horrible, and all of a sudden I had a desperate need to find a bathroom. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a police officer approaching to investigate the situation.

No, I wasn’t drunk. And no, I didn’t have an “accident” in my pants. I was dead tired, had been wearing the same smelly clothes for days, and was en route to Barajas International Airport to check once again if British Airways had found my missing luggage. The subway train was packed, and I forgot that standing straight up with your knees locked for 30 minutes straight is a BAD IDEA. The last thing I remember was turning to a friend, saying “I think I’m going to pass out now” and then slowly sliding down the support pole I had been clutching.

This was in August 2006, just days after the big trans-Atlantic liquid explosives terrorism plot was discovered. For our trip from LAX -> London Heathrow -> Madrid we weren’t allowed carry-on bags due to the new security worries, and British Airways managed to lose the luggage of everyone in my party. After my incident we decided we should just buy new clothes in town. Of course, as soon as we returned from our shopping spree, we found that our missing bags had been delivered to our hostel.

Random travel tip.
Make friends with people who can get you on military jump flights. Free flight plus you could take detours all over the world and meet some really interesting people.

current favourite piece of travel gear:

my bike!

its a bitch to get on a plane, but then again the whole point is you don’t need to put it on a plane you just point the front end of the bike towards the other side of the country and start pedalling

I am living sort of a life nomadic myself right now. I am currently spending a semester abroad in Milan (August-Dec 2009), Italy and weekends and breaks, traveling to interesting locations throughout Europe. One notable trip I had was I went to Lucca, Italy the homeland of my ancestors. After walking inside the wall and seeing the city, I was running late for my train, I had to run around the perimeter of the wall to catch my train. When connecting in Viareggio, I ended up catching the wrong train and ended up in La Spezia. Once I got there, I realized my original train back to Milan was heading the same direction, and will be there in an hour. I was relieved and spent the time exploring the area before heading back.
Since Tynan wants me keep to keep it brief, for more my travel adventures here, check out my website.
My favorite piece of travel gear is my digital camera that also can record short videos. I always take it with me because you never know what exciting thing you will see next.
A good tip I have that applies to mainly students is to consider doing a semester abroad instead of a summer Eurotrip. It gives you better chance to actually experience the culture instead of just blazing through capital cities, saves costs (programs are roughly equivalent to tuition/living expenses at your US school and flights across Europe are dirt cheap), and you get credit towards university. You get plenty of breaks throughout the year and along with weekends, that gives you plenty of time travel. This also saves you a lot of money and provides a better quality of life than a traditional backpacking through Europe experience.

Archives of my travels:
http://www.commonsensemag.com/category/international-adventures/

pee ess, just read the start of the book and am definately looking forward to the rest of it! All i need is portable income and im ready to goooo. :D

If I had any advice for someone looking for an adventure, it would be to step away from some of the more conventional forms of travel. It seems to me that everyone takes a plane or drives to reach there final destination. Once you’ve really done both they can kind of become a drag to the entire experience. Consider trying alternative means, like train, bus or even using your own two feet to take the truly backwoods trail to reach your destination. The fun, and stories, come from the trip and the adventures that you have along the way, and not necessarily all about the destination.

My favourite peice of travel kit is my waterproof sleeping portable home aka also known as my waterproof sleeping bag. Allowing me to pull up a nice view of the stars when the nights get cold

I really appreciate you work Wish I had access to your information five to ten years ago before I was married and had kids!

I fed ex stuff that I dont want to carry or have the airline get lost. With baggage fees now it really isn’t that much more and a lot less hassle to just send to the hotel!

My favorite piece of travel gear is actually one that, surprisingly, I didn’t learn about from your site.

It is a simple 2-in-1 device and is able to solve most problems.

It’s a pen wrapped with duct tape.

You wrap the lower portion of a pen with duct tape and then the upper portion (if it will fit)

Wrap it around a few times and BOOM: You have a cushion on the base your pen to make it more comfortable to write AND two spare mini-rolls of duct tape.

You never know when you will need duct tape.

For example:

When I was in Jamaica I went to Mayfield Falls and after a waterfall poured in my lap I noticed my bathing suit was ripped right at the crotch.

Luckily, the guide had my journal and pen in his waterproof bag and I was able to duct tape up and finish the excursion.

My favorite piece of travel gear is good travel companions. Going places is awesome, but sharing those times with great friends make them truly special for me.

I like to print out longer blog posts that I’m not patient enough to read on the screen. When I travel and all the nice online distractions are away I still get my blog food. Plus: I can throw away the paper afterwards.

My hard-won piece of travel wisdom: Don’t lean against trees in the Thai jungle or else you’ll meet the demons of the bug world: red ants. They’re surprisingly fast for their size and completely unforgiving for your ignorant transgression, biting you without mercy. At first you might think the stinging sensation comes from nettles, so you ineffectively brush at the pain, only to have it spread and worsen. And then you discover the vengeful little bastards.

But the pain is not over yet.

While you’re clumsily tearing off your ant-infested clothing and trying to terminate the monsters with frantic slaps (incidentally my hands are my favorite piece of travel equipment), you might remember that you’re not alone. Behind you is your Thai guide, bent over, tears in his eyes, laughing at you for your high-pitched screams as you do the traditional Naked Gringo Red Ants Dance.

And then for the rest of the trip, he exploits your newly discovered fear of red ants by playing prank after prank on you.

My favourite travel gear: earplugs. Those things cut out that deep rumble from airplanes amazingly well, and also helps to silence the screaming baby in the seat behind you. Those are a top-notch investment.

Great read so far Ty. My only concern are those footnotes. I hate footnotes. If you have something to say, say it! Dont hide it. I dont want to see a superscript, remember where I was reading, and then look down at this extra comment.

But the book looks great so far. Really gets me riled about going travelling. Damn my schooling!

A shortish story from my recent trip to NYC:

Earlier in the day, I was walking through Time Square with Darren, when I began to feel and little rumbly in my tumbly. Across the street I noticed an indescript table with food. Yea Food! We moseyed on over and noticed a sign that read “cast and crew only.”

Naturally, my mind began to scheme.

There was a peculiar door adjacent to the table that opened into a narrow stairwell. I immediately wanted to check it out. Darren was resistant. Luckily, I can be very convincing ;) So we went up four or five flights of stairs until we came upon an open door that with a sign: “Set -> Sex and the City 2.”

Jackpot Baby! This was too good.

Inside there was a bunch of crew moving pieces of set around. There was a bar in the back and some of the actors were taking a break and having a drink. Near the windows overlooking Time Square however, was where all the action was taking place. Darren had this huge camera hanging over his shoulder, so I used it as an opportunity to act like we belonged there. As we shuffled around the set, I barked out orders to him as if I was his supervisor:

Me: “Now make sure you’re ready to take the shot when they need it! I think this lighting is decent for what we need. I want to capture MAGIC today! Now be ready to shoot and stay out of the way otherwise!”

Ok, Ok…I may have been hamming it up a little excessively.

On set, they were setting up a shot with some sexy secretary with thick rimmed glasses at a desk with big windows overlooking Times Square behind her. The director was giving her instructions and Kim Cattrall was getting pampered with beverages as she sat in the chair labeled “Kim Cattrall.” It was pretty interesting to see that each major crew/cast member actually had their own special chair with a label.

After being their for probably 20 or 25 minutes, the producer finally came up to us:

Producer: “And you guys are???”
Me: “Oh we’re just NYU film students. Carry on!”
Producer: “And you’re here because?”
Me: “Oh just checking stuff out. Thought it’d be a nice learning experience! Don’t worry about us!”
Producer: “You guys can’t be here and need to leave right now. And by the way, if you ARE film students, you shouldn’t just walk on to movie sets.”

We took off, but only after I grabbed one of the water bottles reserved for the “A-Cast.” I embedded the crappy video (since obviously we weren’t supposed to be taking video). Funny enough, when I looked up Sex and the City 2 after getting back to the hotel, the first article that popped up was one about how they’ve had to beef up security because fans were getting too close to Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall.

Obviously their security needs some work ;)

Travel tip: When you’re considering putting a gallon of water into a water balloon, and then throwing it out of a high-story window, take a moment and… think first. :)

This summer my 5-year-old son and I went to Pigeon Forge, TN. We slept in my pickup truck with a camper top, parked in the local hospital. In the morning we went to the hospital cafeteria for breakfast. We spent the next day riding the rides and seeing the shows. Great memories!

Favorite piece of travel gear…

Life Saver Water Bottle (4,000L model)

Price- $150

Pic- http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2008/05/30/lifesaver-water-bottle_SSCfA_69.jpg

It’s the best water bottle on the planet- with a 15nm filter- capable of creating sterile water in virtually any situation (the smallest virus is 25 nms). Go anywhere…drink any source of fresh water.

Tynan, e-mail me if you’d like me to review your book on my blog.

dream at the21convention.com

-Anthony

Tynan, I can tell this book is going to be a slam dunk already.

I loved the part where you talk about dropping out of College because you knew it was the best thing for YOU. I always felt the exact same way.

Keep leading!

- Jamie

My Vivo Barefoot shoes from Terra Planna. They’re like the Five Fingers in that they resemble walking barefoot but they look much more like regular shoes, are really light and do fold up fairly well. Had them for about 9 months and they’ve held up really well.

Favourite piece of travel gear without a doubt are my Logitech’ mm28 speakers. They are really flat, very good quality, last for days on AA batteries and are great value (around US$70).

My favorite gear for traveling is a Icebreaker Merino longsleeve in 260 weight. Airports and airplanes are cold. The wool keeps me at the perfect temperature and doesn’t stink, which was great for 24 hours of flights to Taiwan. I’m sure the people sitting next to me appreciated it

Many thanks for the Life Nomadic Icebreaker clothing recommendation!

My favorite piece of travel kit is my Fenix light, I read about it a while ago on your Nomad pack list, bought it on the same day (along with almost all the items in the blog from amazon) . the reason its my fav is it saved the night when i went camping with my GF. it really did!!
I cant wait to get my hands on your book. the preview is just AWESOME!!

My travel tip:
Need to use the toilet in the centre of Paris, but don’t want to pay?
Go to the McDonalds on the Champs Elysees, theres a free one these. You don’t even have to buy a Coke to use it.

(OK not much of tip, but the best I’ve got at the moment.)

The first two chapters of the book are great. Made me want to keep reading.

thanks at all but i need more and more if u can h love you but ……..

Gear:
Paracord belt – you never know when you are in a survival situation and you need some rope handy. Its also great for repairs and the like, now conveniently in belt form

http://www.survivalstraps.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SS-BELT

Lifesaver Bottle – this was mentioned already, but its the bomb. Imagine being stuck in the middle of nowhere and you are thirsty as hell but all that’s available to drink is a puddle of mud. This will clean that for you.

http://www.lifesaversystems.com/buy.html

Jungle Gym – you don’t need to carry around those heavy kettle bells with this bad boy. using this portable workout thing will certainly whip you into shape and it weighs less than a pound.

http://secure.monkeybargym.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29&products_id=14

Zuca pro luggage – This thing is unbelievable. It fits carry on just like your backpack but this puppy is so well designed you won’t need a backpack anymore. Watch the video for a demo

http://www.zuca.com/zuca_pro/index.php

Ida’s Ultra Soles – the Vibram FiveFingers are great but they can be a pain when passing airport security. Use these instead, slip them on and off. They are light and packable.

http://www.packinglight.net/plight/product.asp?dept_id=&pf_id=PAAAIAOPEIIGHCNC

Travel Tip:
Find free wifi using FON:
http://www.fon.com/en/

Stay and eat at places for free and volunteer/learn at the same time:
http://www.workaway.info – you’ll like this, lots of way cool interesting projects that are happening like organic gardening, eco housing, etc.

Story:
Since you mentioned Machu Picchu in your book, I just returned from there. I did the 4 day Inka Trail hike wearing my FiveFingers. My guide wasn’t going to let me wear them saying that it was too dangerous and I would twist my ankle or something. I told him to give me a chance and let me prove myself. I blazed the trail a lot faster than the rest of the group, and unlike the others, never once complained about being sore or having back pain and the like. Downhill, in the rain was really tricky though, VERY slippery so be careful if you are going to try it. Vibram is coming out with new FiveFinger trekking shoes, so those might be a lot better.

I know you said one of the three but I felt like putting in more so I covered my bases :)

My favorite piece of travel gear is the Eagle Creek Pack-It Cube (http://www.eaglecreek.com/accessories/packing_cubes/Pack-It-Cube-40152/). It’s really easy to pack up to a week (and sometimes two weeks) of clothes folded very small and dense and keep it in my regular-sized backpack, while still leaving room for my laptop, and the smaller accessories I take with me when I travel. This enables me to go anywhere with only a backpack, like you Tynan, but without sucking the air out of my clothes.

My favorite travel hack is to get internet so cheap, it’s almost free. Most places that have wifi charge about $10/day for internet – places like airports, Starbucks, hotels, etc. The hack is to get Boingo (http://www.boingo.com), because for only $10/mo, you get free wifi at most of the paid hotspots in the country. Even if you only use it for Starbucks, it’s a lot cheaper than paying the $40/mo they charge.

My travel story is from when I went to Israel a few months ago. It was a two week trip, and I took only a regular-sized backpack and a garment bag, while everyone else I saw in the airport brought one or more extra-large suitcases. When I was leaving Israel and I was going through security at the airport, an airport employee said “Where is your luggage? Aren’t you checking any bags?” and I said “This is all my luggage! Just this. I’m not checking bags, I just have carry-ons.” And she was totally shocked and didn’t know how to react.

My gf and I are riding our bikes from San Francisco to Panama. Last night, outside Santa Barbara, we were camping on Refugio State Beach. I lit a torch (looked like a fat incense stick) to keep the bugs away. Later, I was walking around the campsite and kicked the cherry off of the stick. It got caught between two of my two, melted through my five finger shoes, and burned me bad between the toes. Theres no way it could have happened like that if I had been barefoot or wearing regular shoes.

Favorite travel gear: Deuter Future 32 Backpack. As you know, Deuter packs are awesome; everything on my trips revolves/relies on this thing, it would be a compromise to use anything else.

Travel Tip: When on roadtrips know where the large/major hostels are, they are great stops for using the kitchen (cook an awesome meal for 1/10th the price of a restaurant), or grabbing a shower (remember that microfiber towel!).. drive, sleep in your car, use the hostels en route, meet people there, continue. Obviously, it’s not morally right to just use the facilities like this, but if you’re traveling on a shoe-string you get creative ;).

If you’re looking for adventure do you really need a map? I went hiking last month, I knew where I wanted to go, however unknowingly made a wrong turn and did some intense scrambling. I found a large cove in the side of a mountain. When I scrambled back down I couldn’t make out where that cove was; I doubt I could ever find it again, there’s something neat about finding a place that you know will only exist to you for the time you are there, I’d bet it will be many, many years before anyone else finds it… I should have chalked my name & date on the rocks!

@Tom

You SHOULD only be getting one popup once every five days. Please e-mail me if that’s not the case (and you have cookies on), because I agree that every time is annoying.

The popup is there because it’s very effective. Sixty percent of the people that visit my site on any day are new readers. When the e-mail form was on the right, .1% of them signed up to have posts mailed to them. With the popup, around 6% sign up.

That’s a huge amount of people that I can expose to my material who may have otherwise just read one article they were linked to and then closed the window.

As for the sidebar, in order to make room for the products section, I removed the e-mail signup box (the popup makes it unnecessary) and the contact link (so many people contact me now that it takes up a lot of my time, so I moved contact info to the bio page).

Recent and Stories are pushed down a LITTLE bit, but not by much. Before making that change I ran some tests– very few people use the recent links.

Right now I make very little money from blogging and product sales. It’s not a purely financially driven use of my time (I’d blog even if I made no money), but making money does allow me to spend more time on the blog.

I agree that a balance has to be struck between making money, providing content, and making that content easily accessible. I think that my blog is EXTREMELY light on advertising and annoyances.

Tynan

[...] Read the First two Chapters of Life Nomadic for Free NOW! + A Contest [...]

[...] Read the First two Chapters of Life Nomadic for Free NOW! + A Contest [...]