Category: Travel Tips

Posted on

Outrageous Thai Dirt Renegades: A description of Dirtride Lanta

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.

Dirtride Lanta | Go FastA 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.

It’s really, really fun. Have a blast.

Posted on

An 11 Month Road Trip Funded by Making Money Online While Traveling

Compliments of Ian Robinson

In 2015 V (Veronica) and I ran an internet business which empowered us to spend the whole year island hopping in the Caribbean and driving across the United States.

During that time we took a boat from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico, flew to Miami, drove to New Orleans, New York, Canada, Detroit, Chicago, Yellowstone National Park, British Colombia and down to Reno, Nevada.

V graces the show with her presence today. Unaware this is about to go down, until I shove a microphone in her face, she’s a willing participant. The aim is for her to help me tell this story. We have alot of fun reminiscing. This was the best year of my life and I’m deeply grateful to share this story.

Note: This is an enhanced podcast so while you listen on your iPhone (subscribe to the podcast) you can see images on the screen.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: RSS

Cross Country Links Mentioned:

Cross Country Talking Points:

  • Introducing V [0:28]
  • Why Live in Dominican Republic [0:46]
  • Taking a Ferry from the Dominican Republic for Puerto Rico [1:37]
  • On moving to Rincon, Puerto Rico [2:35]
  • How we flew to Miami, bought a car and drove across the USA [4:44]
  • Thoughts on living in New Orleans, Louisiana for a month [7:23]
  • On the drive from New Orleans to New Jersey [11:02]
  • Hanging with the Mennonite Communities in Harrisonburg, Virginia [12:16]
  • Veronica’s mixed experience with Washington DC [15:00]
  • House sitting in beautiful Livingston, New Jersey [17:03]
  • How we lived in Brooklyn for a month with no accommodation expense [18:20]
  • Explaining how we make money to afford this travel lifestyle [20:14]
  • Leaving New York City to drive North – Disaster strikes! [20:45]
  • Driving across the midwest and into the North West United States [24:22]
  • The decision to drive to Canada on the fly [25:58]
  • The buffalo encounter [26:53]
  • RVing around British Columbia, Canada [28:36]
  • Driving from Glacier National Park to Reno, Nevada [30:24]
  • The overall experience of road tripping across the USA as digital nomads [32:02]

Music Credit:

Take Action:

When was your last road trip? Where did you go? How did you fund it?

Posted on

Detroit is a Great Place

Do you have a day or two in Detroit? Here is a list of the cool stuff to do from a local who lives in the motor city.

Downtown

I would just walk around the downtown area. There are a lot of beautiful buildings. Everywhere in Detroit is safe during the day, and you can see a lot just by walking around downtown.

  • Guardian Building – It’s really beautiful on the inside. Check out the Guardian Building Website
  • Greektown – It’s a little strip of restaurants, etc. next to the Greektown casino. There’s always a lot of people around here, and it’s a cool little area.
  • Belle Isle – It’s a bit of a drive out of downtown, but you can see the entire Detroit skyline, and across the river to Canada. Along the drive, you could also cut back into Indian Village which is kind of a standard Detroit neighborhood – there’s blocks of beautiful homes in perfect condition and the next block is abandoned.
  • Check out a Tigers Baseball Game – Not sure if you’d want to see it, but you can usually get $10-15 tickets, and the stadium is really pretty
  • Riverwalk/Hart plaza/Renaissance Center – You can stroll along the river (Canada is right across it), Hart Plaza has some iconic Detroit statues. Renaissance center is GM headquarters, and you can walk in and look at cars on the ground level. Renaissance Center is the giant black, glass tours next to Hart Plaza.

Midtown

  • Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) – It’s a beautiful building with an incredible art collection. Make sure to see the Rivera/Kahlo mural.
  • Motown museum – Gives you a great history of Detroit and the Motown music movement
  • Jolly Pumpkin Brewery – A brewery on Canfield St has great beers and good pizza.
  • Cass Corridor – If you drive along Cass Corridor between Midtown and downtown, you’ll see abandoned buildings and a lot of cool restaurants and bars.

Corktown

  • Batch Brewery – Brewery on Porter St. surrounded by awesome beers
  • Johnny Noodle King  – A new pho and noodle restaurant on W. Fort which is really cool. The bartender/servers here can tell you a wealth of information on great things to do in the city.
  • Mexican Village – It’s across the freeway from Corktown, but it has THE BEST MEXICAN FOOD!
  • Walk along Michigan Ave. There are a lot of car restaurants and bars. There is a large grassy lot at the corner of Michigan and Trumball – This is where the old Tigers baseball stadium was until they moved it downtown in 2000.

Have fun exploring!!!!!

Posted on

John Blomquist: Climbing Expert Regales Travels to Central America

Host of Chalk Talk, a Climbing Industry Podcast.

John Blomquist remembers his travels to Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Running through the jungle, sometimes in pouring rain.

Host Ian Robinson made a great travel buddy.

John loved Costa Rica so much he got married there years later.

Introducing the champ, John Blomquist.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: RSS

“Punta Mona, it’s kind of like this Garden of Eden & you’re greeted by people with the biggest smiles on their faces, because they’re living in heaven.” – John Blomquist (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Recently started a climbing podcast, Chalk Talk
  • Traveled to Costa Rica with host Ian Robinson in 2007
  • Went to Puerta Viejo en route to Punta Mona
  • Punta Mona is a center for Regenerative Design and Botanical studies, founded by Stephen Brooks
  • How he got lost in the jungle by himself, nearly killed by a coconut
  • Ran through the jungle in the pouring rain with Ian
  • Got married on the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica
  • How the unfortunate growth of Costa Rica has lead to it loosing it’s charm
  • After Costa Rica, went to Nicaragua, to Ometepe Island
  • stayed at El Zopilote on Ometepe
  • Traveled to San Juan del Sur
  • More tales of his travels to come on the Love Affair Travel podcast

“Nicaragua still has that developing country charm & it’s such a treat.” – John Blomquist (Tweet It)

Lovely Links:

Facebook | Twitter | Chalk Talk

Music Credits:

Posted on

The Traveling Dutchman: Using Airbnb to Fund Your Travels

He optimized use of his Amsterdam flat by listing it on Airbnb.

He used the income from renting to travel the world.

He also writes a blog about it.

Now he advises others on how to make a living on Airbnb.

Jasper Ribbers has become The Traveling Dutchman.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: RSS

“Traveling opens your horizons, you start challenging the things you think are normal & you start questioning things.” – Jasper Ribbers (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Was traveling a lot and renting out his flat in Amsterdam
  • How he wasn’t making money on it so he couldn’t stay at his flat when he returned
  • How he’d used Airbnb as a traveler so decided to try it as a host
  • Renting his flat on Airbnb makes it financially feasible to live the traveling lifestyle
  • Once his income was covered he started doing what he thought was fun… Blogging and Writing
  • Tourism isn’t the only demand for Airbnb
  • Was a trader in Chicago, en route to settling down, knew it was time to make the dream of travel happen
  • Went on an inspirational vacation by himself to the Philippines, wanted more of those experiences
  • People are investing in properties for sole use with Airbnb
  • Sometimes disruption of an industry can be a good thing

“Not only does Airbnb allow accommodations to be used in a more efficient way, it also connects people.” – Jasper Ribbers (Tweet It)

Lovely Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Music Credits:

Posted on

Graham Brown: Learning the Business Lifecycle and Fitting it into Your Traveling Lifestyle

A telecom business made him traditionally successful.

Then Graham started to examine what success really meant.

So the transition from being a CEO to just a guy with a backpack began.

His family slowly scaled down their lives and started traveling the globe.

Now he enjoys Zen-like moments around the world.

Our next guest, Graham Brown.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: RSS

“Everybody has a different way of traveling. People need to know there are options, there are different ways of doing it.” – Graham Brown (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Lived in Japan in the 1990s where he saw the beginnings of the mobile revolution
  • Why Graham scaled down his telecom business to make it more profitable
  • How he learned to be wary of taking on any overhead
  • The importance of the business life cycle
  • Benefits of being detached enough to step back and see what the business needs
  • How he saved money from real estate investments
  • The important part of your finances when traveling: what direction your bank account is going
  • How he wanted to live some place exotic and warm (who doesn’t, really?)
  • His son goes to local school wherever they go, allowing the family to integrate into the local community
  • Books are about starting your own business, making it autonomous, getting rid of material stuff, and being able enjoying the adventure
  • Tips for getting started: Educate yourself, write down your travel goals, be aware that it’s a process
  • How people think traveling is going to get rid of all their problems… It won’t!
  • If you’re a guy with big feet, buy your shoes before you go to Japan
  • How children are far more adapted to this lifestyle than adults

“Children don’t care about making mistakes and they are natural travellers.” – Graham Brown (Tweet It)

Lovely Links:

  • Connect with Graham:

Barefoot Journal | Facebook | Google+

Music Credits:

Posted on

Make the World Less Boring with The Adventurists and Dan Wedgewood

He woke up after drinking all night and learned that he bought a car.

So they drove it to Iran… that didn’t work.

But it kick started a mission to make the world less boring.

They’ve put on hundreds of adventures.

Raised millions of dollars for charity.

But the next adventure is just around the corner…

Ladies and gentlemen, Dan Wedgewood of The Adventurists.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: RSS

“Our mission is to make the world less boring.” – Dan Wedgewood (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • About the founding of the Adventurists
  • What inspired the Mongol Rally
  • Goals for future growth of the Adventurists
  • The charity fundraising that comes from the adventures

“Getting lost is an art form.” – Dan Wedgewood (Tweet It)

Learn about Feeling Your Nuts:

That’s right. Guys out there, feel your nuts… Ladies, support the men in this mission.

Early detection is the best form of treatment.

“Entertaining people and looking stupid is a great way to make friends.”- Dan Wedgewood (Tweet It)

Lovely Links:

The Adventurists | Twitter | Phone +44 117 364 3402

Music Credits:

Posted on

Niall Doherty: How to Write a World Class Book and Cross the Pacific Ocean on a Cargo Ship

Niall is back on the show.

He’s the first guest to be featured for the second time on the Love Affair Travel podcast (he was Episode 1).

Since our first interview Niall has gone a long way on his journey.

We caught up with him just after his pacific crossing.

He wrote an amazing book and is here to tell us all about it.

Give it up for the avid traveller, Niall Doherty.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: RSS

“I’m not sure if I burn more cash or more fuel.” – Niall Doherty  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • How to decide if a cargo ship pacific crossing is the right decision
  • Strange stories of South Korea
  • About Disrupting the Rabblement
  • How Niall lives a nomadic life
  • The value of tracking expenses and how to do it
  • The emotional challenges of living and moving in India
  • New ways to understand gratitude
  • The challenges of environmental decision making
  • Book recommendations for rational thinkers
  • How to get comfortable with flirting
  • Business strategies for those who don’t live in one place
  • The role of work and success
  • Daily routines and how Niall’s evolve from country to country
  • How to start a blog
  • The future of Disrupting the Rabblement

Lovely Links:

Business | Manliness | Travel

Suggested Books:

Music Credits:

Take Action:

If given the opportunity to travel abroad and earn online, could you have a healthy work ethic and not be distracted by your awesome new lifestyle?

Posted on

Jeffrey Chernick: Tours as a Rock Star Drummer, Grows an International Business and has lots and lots of Fun

Jeffrey Chernick is a Rock Star.

He started in big finance.

Got out before it all burned down.

Off to Barcelona. Off to Malaysia.

Playing sold out shows with his band Story of the Running Wolf.

Still going strong.

Say hello to the ever so charming, Jeffery Chernick.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: RSS

“Malaysia was awesome. I’d go partying and to really cool places backpack style, then put on a button down and go to meetings with 13 Malaysian businessmen.” – Jeffrey Chernick (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • 00.26 – Who is Jeffrey Chernick? What is his vision?
  • 03.15 – Transitioning for Lehman Bros to entrepreneur
  • 05.27 – How to learn the entrepreneurial skill set?
  • 08.35 – The ‘Big Phone’ call and what it sparked
  • 10.51 –  Backpacking in South East Asia and securing million dollar deals in Malaysia
  • 14.09 – Conference Events in Vegas and Barcelona
  • 17.08 – Cold Calling and it’s atlas like power
  • 19.30 – How to understand people and cultivate a persuasive message
  • 21.05 – Moments of awe for Jeffrey Chernick
  • 24.15 – Using an artistic mind to leverage powerful business moves
  • 29.40 – The power of thinking Big
  • 35.55 – How traveling has impacted the growth of Ride Amigos
  • 38.40 – Tips for quitting the job, building a business and traveling

Lovely Links:

RideAmigos | Facebook | StoryoftheRunningWolf

Take Action:

Do you think the artist in Jeffrey has helped him thru business?

Would you like to grow an International Business?

Posted on

Tynan: World Travel and Freedom through Minimalism and Good Habits

On a spur of the moment decision.

He decided to leave all of his possessions behind.

He jumped in an RV and started traveling the world.

With no concern about what society may think of him.

He started living his dream.

Welcome, the one and only Tynan.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: RSS

“Travel is enriching in ways that are hard to articulate.” – Tynan  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Riding on the slowest train in the world
  • Tynan’s love affair with his RV
  • Great ideas to world travel
  • How Tynan only spends money on the things that are important to him
  • Being followed by a drug smuggler!
  • Secrets for finding cheap flights
  • About Tynan’s published books

Lovely Links:

  • SETT – A blogging platform that builds communities
  • Connect with Tynan:

Website | Twitter

Travel Tools:

Music Credit:

Take Action:

Take a moment to think about what you really value in life – are there any ways that you could be spending or saving money in a more meaningful way that would allow you to enjoy yourself more?

Proudly powered by WordPress