Chris Guillebeau's Blog, page 24

The Reviews Are In! Attendee Blog Posts and Memories from WDS 2016 (Round 2)

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Every year for six years, I’ve been part of a team that produces an annual gathering in Portland, Oregon. It’s a lot of work and a lot of fun. Rather than share my own recap, I usually prefer to let our attendees share their perspective—so without further ado, here’s our second batch of reviews! (See Round 1 here)

All of these posts are unfiltered and uncensored—take a look and learn more of what WDS is all about.

Attendee Reviews & Commentary (Round #2)

Our attendees come from all walks o...

“Freedom is the ability to travel”: Creating Multiple Sources of Income as a Millennial

This is a reader profile. (Read others or nominate someone to be featured.)

Evan Tarver is a location-independent entrepreneur. Through multiple income streams and thoughtful business growth, he has the freedom to travel around the world. Right now he’s in Austin, but who knows where he’ll be next month!

Here’s his story:

I like to think of myself as a writer, businessman, and life-adventurer… but, you know, the non-pretentious type. I was born and raised in Northern California’s wine countr...

Thirty-Three

After traveling on an all-night flight where I stayed up for hours, only sleeping 90 minutes or so in the final portion before landing, I landed in Bangkok. I hadn’t been to Thailand in years!

It feels good to be back. There’s something strange and bittersweet to be here, but I can hold both feelings simultaneously.

I’m in town for three days, and so far I’ve spent both afternoons working from the coffee shop in Terminal 21, a big shopping mall across the street from my hotel. I’m in a jet...

If Your Vision Isn’t Being Understood, Never Hesitate to Change Your Tactics

From Mike Birbiglia’s “6 Tips for Making it Small in Hollywood”:

“I once heard an interview where Ron Howard said that he tests the rough cuts of his movies with a ton of audiences. He doesn’t do it to be told what the movie’s vision should be, but to understand whether his vision is coming across. If not, he makes changes. Your vision is not being conveyed a majority of the time.”

This relates to some other things I’ve been thinking recently:

Make Two Blockbusters for Every Independent Fi...

The Reviews Are In! Attendee Blog Posts and Memories from WDS 2016 (Round 1)

Every year for six years, I’ve been part of a team that produces an annual gathering in Portland, Oregon. It’s a lot of work and a lot of fun. Rather than share my own recap, I usually prefer to let our attendees share their perspective. All of these posts are unfiltered and uncensored—take a look and learn more of what WDS is all about!

Attendee Reviews & Commentary

Here are a few of the many blog posts from our attendees!

World Domination Summit 2016 (by Melissa Suzuno) Come to the Worl...

How 2 People Traveled for a Year on $20,000

This is a reader profile. (Read others or nominate someone to be featured.)

At first glance Evo Terra and Sheila Dee’s story might seem a lot like many other empty nesters who sold everything to travel around the world. But most weren’t kicked out of their home state by a doctor—and most eventually return. These two are still going!

Here’s their story:

We’re Evo & Sheila, now collectively known as ShEvo or The Opportunistic Travelers.

After 17 years of living in Arizona, Sheila’s doctor told...

Black Sheep Basics

Be proud of being the black sheep. If everyone agrees with you, maybe you’re not being bold enough.

For a while, even as someone who never worked a real job, I was afraid to put forward an opinion that I knew was likely to be challenged. I had heard all the proverbs and stories about how those who change the world for good are often criticized, but it was hard to walk the walk. I was afraid of being put down!

I was also afraid of causing offense. The irony is thatI thought I was being polite...

Should You Perform for the Audience or Just Entertain Yourself?

Link: Sir Paul on Fans, the Beatles, and Himself

When Paul McCartney goes on tour, he plays a lot of songs. A recent set list included 27 songs and stretched for more than three hours. People get their money’s worth, which is why they keep coming back.

You can think of yourself as an artist that seeks to challenge yourself by trying new things, and there’s nothing wrong that perspective. But there’s also nothing wrong with asking, “What do the people want?” and then thinking about how to giv...

Live from the Road: Born for This in Victoria, Canada

Earlier this year I went on the road to meet readers in 30 cities across the U.S. and Canada. At each stop, I talked with interesting people and heard a lot of stories.

This short film was produced by my hosts in Victoria, Canada. They captured the local event very well, especially the audience engagement and connection.

I’ve been off tour for a while now, but I have very good memories of it. In fact, when I finished the 30 cities, I wanted to go back and do 30 more.

That plan is on hold f...

How to Earn 250,000 Frequent Flyer Miles in a Year: An Action Plan

In a previous post I explained how to kickstart your experience with miles and points that can be used for free travel. A lot of new readers (hey, new readers!) said this was helpful, so I wanted to delve into some more details.

As mentioned in that post, you don’t have to spend hours upon hours tracking deals and immersing yourself in forums. By setting aside just a few minutes each month, you should be able to earn more than enough miles to go anywhere in the world within a year or less.

S...