If you flew to Panama with a lot of debt, a little cash, no experience and nothing but a plan to make money online, would you still play it cool?
A common theme of this podcast is to explore transition. No one gives permission to do this stuff. It takes a leap of faith to make it happen. I love to ask how the most successful people made it happen.
My guest today is Chris Hughes (@whosChrisHughes). We met at KoHub one night. I dive into that story in the podcast.
Lots of people say that building a business is like jumping off a cliff and building an airplane before you hit the ground. For Chris, that plane was a Duck Dynasty Facebook fan page. Duck Dynasty caught him before he hit the dirt. He’s still flying. It’s a crazy story.
“Do the stuff you’re supposed too, before you do the stuff you want too.” – Chris Hughes
This is a review of Dirtride Lanta. Dirtride Lanta operates from a small shop on the west side of Koh Lanta Yai. It’s run by Shade (Shadow?) who is an excellent motorcyclist and offers really fun, fast tours of both Koh Lanta Noi and Koh Lanta Yai in a single morning. We had an amazing time.
How to Do Dirtride Lanta
Connect with Shade via Facebook. He has a phone in his pocket and responds quickly and effectively. It’s probably him so be respectful from the start for best results.
When you book Dirtride Lanta, here’s what to expect:
What to wear when you drive to the office
Make sure you wear your own underwear and socks.
You will be provided with all the gear you need. That includes:
Long sleeve shirt
Dirtbike pants
Motorcycle boots
Really cool gloves
Motocross Helmet
Motocross Goggles
You could show up wearing nothing but underwear and socks if you wanted.
That said, please wear pants. Unless you are particularly good-looking. Then wear underwear and socks.
Is this really dangerous?
Shade will take you as fast as you want. Of course, he doesn’t pressure you to go faster. You can and should go at your own speed.
I have moderate motorcycle experience. He must have been able to identify that we aren’t motocross experts because he just rode a small scooter while showing us around. Even though I was on a Honda CRF250L motocross bike, I couldn’t keep up with him when he hit the accelerator. He is bloody fast.
So if you’re an expert, you’ll have a blast.
That said, he’s super nice and accommodating. If you’re a rookie, just take it at your own speed and have a blast.
A Note of What to Eat
Eat a solid breakfast before arriving in the morning. That day I did bacon, eggs and ham at Living Room Cafe which was excellent and fast.
When returning from the trip, you’ll be hungry. Shade and his family do a home cooked meal for the riders.
It’s phenomenal. His wife is an excellent cook. You’ll love it.
I didn’t even bring snacks. Feel free to do so, but a backpack will be a hinderance. You probably don’t need one. We were on the road the whole time having way too much fun to slow down and snack. I’m happy I brought nothing but underwear and socks (and the GoPro).
Other Details of Dirtride Lanta
If you want to film, just bring a bulletproof camera. An iPhone/Samsung will be good, but you won’t want to be holding it while driving. If you do a GoPro, connect it to the handle bars so you can adjust the angle as you drive.
Today I’m talking to the brains and mastermind behind KoHub – the tropical coworking space in Koh Lanta – James Abbot.
James was a digital nomad before there was even a name for it. He used to divide his time between programming remotely using his collection of 3G sim cards, exploring undiscovered scuba diving spots, and sailing around South East Asia on the boat he lived on!
Since then James has traded in his life of perpetual travel, sold his boat, and now spends his time building a community within his coworking space along the Andaman sea.
Marcus Meurer and I have businesses that don’t involve location requirements. That empowers us and people like us to live in a new city every 1-3 months. It’s great for individual freedom, but what about community?
Marcus Meurer is the mind behind a lot of companies. He is now focused on the problem of community for the digital nomads. He is one of the founders of DNX, a co-working organization which sets up events, camps and a lot more for all these digital nomads scattered like glitter across the earth.
I met him on the island of Koh Lanta on the Andaman Sea side of Thailand. He was leading DNX Camp at the time and graciously offered a bit of his time to share with us how he is supporting the digital nomad community.
“Getting the first client and getting the first bill paid changed everything for me.” – Marcus Meurer (Tweet It)
Some of you may have noticed that Love Affair Travel got knocked out by a team of Chinese, Russian, Myanmarian hackers. It was a nightmare. The good news is, we’re back better than ever. The site loads faster, is more secure and just looks better. We’ve even added forums. My hope is that I can be of assistance to those who are listening to this show.
Just to catch you up, V and I have moved to a small island on the western coast of Thailand in the Andaman sea. It’s called Koh Lanta and we’re not alone here.
There is a large group of Digital Nomads here and one sect of them is the DNX camp headed by Marcus Meurer and his girlfriend.
In this podcast we discuss the nature of the digital nomad community, how it’s growing and what we can do to make the scene more vibrant for those new entrants.
Marcus Meurer Talking Points:
Working with other digital nomads
Transitioning from the 9-5 into the nomad lifestyle
The challenges of building and working with remote teams
On removing the barriers that you create when the business needs you to grow
What is Freedom Podcasting and what do we do?
Exploring loneliness, a significant challenge for digital nomads
Co-working and how to create a hub for the modern workforce
We took the Chiang Mai to Bangkok Train in February 2016. Overall, it’s a great experience. I don’t know that I would do it again, as flying is just sooooo much quicker and easier. That being said, it’s fun to ride a train halfway across Thailand. If you’re not in a rush to get to your next destination then this is a great way to travel. The time we had on the train was well spent and the countryside is beautiful. Sometimes the slower, less direct routes are often the more memorable and exciting ones. Life is all about adventures. Right?
This video is fun to watch and educational. If you’re taking the train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, check it out below.
Booking the Chiang Mai to Bangkok Train
Enter V. She did all the research before getting the ticket. Indeed, if it were up to me (Ian) we would have never of made the train. Apparently some people plan to take this train months in advance, especially during the peak season. Wow.
Originally we wanted to take the 3:30pm Express Train No. 52 to Bangkok because we wanted to enjoy the scenery, and have a fan with open windows (s 2nd class sleeper), rather than air-conditioning. Alas, it was fully booked and we were unable to get tickets. We had left it too late. Instead we managed to secure last minute train tickets (the day before departure) for the 5pm Special Express Train No. 14 to Bangkok. We booked an S 2nd class sleeper, which is a fully air-conditioned sleeper train. V was worried it would be cold (she’d read a bunch of online reviews about it being cold and unpleasant), however we were pleasantly surprised that the temperature was perfect. We were happy and warm the entire train ride. Our tickets were only 881 Baht per person = $25 USD per person for a 12 hour overnight train ride.
The Story of the Chiang Mai to Bangkok Train Experience
We start out at a great wifi cafe called Rosabieng Restaurant. It’s pretty much directly across the road from the Chiang Mai train station on Rotfai Alley. If you get to the station early, there’s plenty of sweet spots along Rotfai to chill out at and bide some time.
We walk into the train station and V breaks down how the process of getting a last minute train ticket works. Hint: it’s not super easy in the peak season (November – February and/or ‘Peak Periods’ like Public/National holidays, Festivals, weekend travel (Friday-Monday) or even ‘Commuter Rush Hour’). Many people plan a long time in advance before taking this train during these months. as these are the most popular routes. If you’re late in buying your ticket (like us) V provides a game plan.
Then we board the train and enjoy the trip. It’s fun. V wanted to eat in the restaurant car, but the lady pressured her into having us buy our food from our seats. She was a little perturbed until she investigated the rest of the train and learned that the food in the restaurant car was the same as what we were served in our seats. Yes. Happy travelers!
The attendant comes around and takes your order at the beginning of the train ride, and your meal is delivered to your seat around 7pm. Beware that food is separate and not included in the price of the train ticket. It’s also more expensive than the usual Thai meal, so if you have a chance I recommend you eat before you get on the overnight sleeper. I’m not going to lie, V and I both thought the food was very average. So buy your food beforehand!
Next, the train crew come around to put everyone to sleep early, around 8pm. They start from the top end of the car and work their way to the end of the car in a swift, orderly manner. You have to move out of your seat to let the attendant do their thing. They stash the table away under a side compartment, then your seats folds out to make the lower berth, lastly they fold out an upper berth from the ceiling. We both got the lower berths which worked out great, they are slightly more expensive however much more comfortable than the upper berth. They had more room (if you’ve got valuables you can even store them at the foot of your bed for peace of mind), no ceiling lights bothering you (which never go out), and you’re further away from the air conditioner, so it was a warm and pleasant sleep. Well worth the few extra bucks.
I needed to stay up late working on videos so the Thai train attendant set up beds for everyone else but me. He gave up in the end. If you’re like me and always have work to do, especially on long road trips, then stick to your guns. I did and I got exactly what I wanted; a long train ride to get stuck into editing. I stayed up late making the Nomad Summit video and the Nomad Summit Day video. We actually bought our train tickets on the morning of the Nomad Summit Day video, so if you’re interested in seeing how that went down, check out that video too.
I think it was complete luck that we were sat right next to a power socket (outlet). We didn’t do a completely thorough search of the train, but by the looks of things there aren’t many power sockets on these overnight sleepers. So if you have important online work to do and you need your electronics, then this might be quite the challenge and you may want to rethink this travel option.
If this is important to you, I would recommend that you ask the Thai Railways customer service operator (before purchasing your ticket) if your train has power sockets (and ask if you can be seated next to one). Also, if you need wifi during this trip, good luck. It’s super patchy and pretty much non-existent for majority of the trip. If you have an unlocked cell phone I recommend purchasing a prepaid sim card upon arrival to Thailand (True, 650B = $35 USD/month, Unlimited data) which allows you to tether off your phone and in this situation use the train as an office. If you have an online business I recommend doing this so you’re never left high and dry.
At the crack of dawn you’re woken up by the train attendants. We were the last ones asleep and probably the last ones up. They start packing away beds (in the same manner as setting them up) so that majority, or all of them, are returned to seats and ready for new passengers who will board the train when it arrives to the Bangkok train station.
We say goodbye to our new friends from the UK at a town just North of Bangkok. (I always love meeting new people and making new friends in random places – Thanks for the interesting conversations Chris and Stu!). Then V and I jump off the train prematurely (one stop before Bangkok Station) because we realize that it’s quicker if we bail here to get to our hotel. It’s a bit unexpected, but it was a success.
Our story of Chiang Mai to Bangkok train ride comes to a close as we wave the train goodbye and V bargains with a Bangkok Tuk Tuk driver (they know how to hustle in BKK) to take us to our hotel. But that’s another story altogether.
3 Helpful Tips to Book a Chiang Mai to Bangkok Sleeper Train (last minute, during Peak Season):
In-person at any train station – This is the most efficient way, avoiding any extra fees. The SRT has tried to make ‘Advance Booking’ as easy as possible especially for popular destinations and busy periods. In fact, you can book tickets up to 60 days ahead at stations, and up to 30 days ahead online. It’s recommended to book as far in advance as possible for these ‘Popular Routes’ or during these ‘Peak Periods’. You should book at least a week ahead for ‘Popular Routes’ leaving from Bangkok, such as Chiang Mai or Surat Thani, at any time of year, especially for ‘sSleeper Services’. This is where you’ll also be able to pick up your ‘last minute’ train tickets you’ve found over the phone.
Over the phone – If tickets are sold out and it’s less than 4 days till your departure date you can call Thai Railways at 12:29-12:30am to talk to a lovely, helpful English speaking Thai customer service operator (within Thailand call 1690 and follow the prompts) and they will be able to inform you if any new tickets have been updated into the system (people have failed to pick up and pay for these tickets) and are now available for purchase. They can tell you of any new availabilities, however they can not sell you the ticket. If you’re lucky and there’s a ticket available you need to race to the nearest train station (Chiang Mai train station hours 7am – 7pm) to be the first ones there the next morning to purchase these golden tickets! You can call Thai Railways every night up until the night before you wish to travel to see if any new tickets have appeared for sale if you’re desperate to get a train ticket. There’s definitely a possibility that a ticket may pop up and it’s worth the late night conversation and early morning motorbike ride to the train station to pick up your ticket. No hidden fees involved. Smiles all around. Well worth the time and effort!
Using a travel agent – This option is only available no less than 3-4 days pre departure date. The rules vary for each agency so make sure you check their website or call them. You can book up to 60 days in advance at some agencies. Choosing this service means you need to pay extra agent fees. So beware. You’ll also have a number of options of how to pick up the tickets, obviously this will depend on how much time in advance you’ve purchased them. I was given this travel agency in Chiang Mai to call if I wanted to go this route. B.I.S Travel 05 32 33 962. This option would be great for people not yet within Thailand and can’t get to the train station in person.
Do you love toasters? If so, we’re sorry about all the negative toaster talk. But hey, you’ve got amazing potential as an affiliate blogger so maybe this is a turning point in your entrepreneurial career.
Thank you for listening. Comment below and tell us something you’re going to put to action from listening to Sean.
“If you want to really get into the nuts and bolts of a culture, of what it`s really like, immersing yourself is the way to go.” – Turner Barr (Tweet It)
Travel Topics:
How ‘Going with the Flow’ empowers your journey
Turner’s experience at the Tiger Temple
Working in a Buddhist Conservation Park
Interesting job opportunity for travelers – from children’s festivals in Holland, to Krambus in the Alps
The evolution of a traveler – Hostels to CouchSurfing to working
Why working somewhere is so powerful in understanding the culture
Corporate Piracy and the Best Job in the Whole World
Have you ever been somewhere as a tourist where you would like to get to know the people and culture more? What kind of job do you think that you could do there to enable you to stay longer and understand them better?
Big ups:
Wim Dewale for once again providing us with the Episode Art!
Check out Love Space – A conscious community space for the cultivation of creative expression, yoga, workshops, classes, music, group activities, meditation and gift exchange.
“Right after I hung up I realised, dang I should have told a story about that website! I didn’t use it on my trip but hosted four French bike travelers in Melbourne through it, awesome guys who are doing a 3 year around the world journey. English Solid Dream are very inspiring guys who even incorporated some crazy things like sailing to Antarctica and kite-biking across the outback on their trip. The four of them reminded me exactly of another group of male friends that I have, 4 American guys who were about to take off on a trip through Australia that I convinced to do it by bike (met them hiking the grand canyon) and they also stayed with me on their way through Melbourne! You can find them here on Facebook.
Take Action:
Do you have any ‘crazy’ travel ideas? Write them down and then do some research from other people who have had similar ideas to see how possible they actually are.
If you flew to Panama with a lot of debt, a little cash, no experience and nothing but a plan to make money online, would you still play it cool?
A Note of What to Eat
Welcome back to the show everyone.
Host of the 