Chris Guillebeau's Blog, page 35

“Don’t Make Decisions Based on Ego”: A Year-Long, Cross-Country Motorcycle Journey

This is a traveler profile. ( Read others or nominate yourself . )

For three years, Mallory Paige and her dog Baylor traveled the country in a cherry red VW van. Now, they travel a little lighter: by motorcycle (for Mallory) and sidecar (for Baylor) for a year-long project, Operation Moto Dog.

Here’s their story:

I have a vision of the adventurer I want to become. Part Laura Ingalls Wilder, part Jacques Cousteau, and a healthy dose of Shackleton. Resourceful, adventurous, capable. The type of pe...

The Snake in the Road: A Lesson in Fear & Perception

Over the past few months, when I haven’t been preparing for my book launch or flying around the world, I’ve also been learning a lot more about “inner work.”

Admittedly, this is an area that is very new to me. I’m pretty good at all the things I’ve used to succeed in life and work thus far—but I’ve come to acknowledge that I lack the skills I need for what I want to do next.

I’ll share more about this as I go through a series of processes, both on my own and with some help from a few friends...

Highest-Ever Signup Bonus (35,000 x2) on Popular Starwood Cards

Link: New 35,000 Point Signup Bonus (Personal Card)
Link: New 35,000 Point Signup Bonus (Business Card)

Starwood property: Aloft Tampa Lobby, Tampa, Florida, USA

I’ve been using the Starwood Preferred Guest card from American Express for more than eight nine years. For the first couple of years, in fact, it was the only mileage-earning card I had. Back then, there was no sign-up bonus. It was simply a great card for overall use, especially due to its ability to earn a 20% bonus on all earned...

I Flew in an Apartment in the Sky… and It Was Awesome!

Earlier this year I identified a new travel goal: to fly in the Etihad “Apartment,” a full-on suite that’s included on their A380 aircraft on certain routes.

Well, as of last week I can now say “mission accomplished”—I flew in The Apartment from Sydney to Abu Dhabi, a 15-hour journey. The short version of the flight is: it was amazing.

Here’s how it all went down.

Quick Visit to My Favorite Country

To begin the experience I flew to Sydney, Australia—otherwise known as the best place in t...

How to Be An Unsuccessful Backpacker (and Succeed Anyway)

This is a traveler profile. ( Read others or nominate a friend to be featured! .)

Claudia Tavani was inspired to travel Latin America after seeing The Motorcycle Diaries. She admits she doesn’t always travel by following best practices, but that doesn’t stop her from having an amazing time.

Here’s part of her story:

Travel bloggers enjoy “bragging rights” of a sort, especially when it comes to showing off their ability to travel on an extreme shoestring budget, to be hyper-local while getting o...

What to Do Now to Succeed in the Future

Link: Online Business Training That Works (Ends Wednesday)

Hey everyone,

A couple weeks ago I let you know about a popular online business course that’s returning to the market. Well, it’s back! And actually, it goes away later this week. (I was a bit behind in following along with the video series—I just caught up and it looks really good.)

There’s still time to join, and if you’re looking for specific training that will help you in the new, new economy—along with a community to support you...

A Moment You Experience for Its Own Sake

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows chronicles words that don’t exist but should.

For example:

Onism “the awareness of how little of the world you’ll experience”

Klexos: “the art of dwelling on the past”

Zenosyne: “the sense that time keeps going faster”

But my #1 favorite is ambedo, which refers to a moment in time that you experience for its own sake, not something that is linked toward another goal or task.

This video does a better job of explaining.

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Closing the Books: A Lesson in Letting Go

Jonathan Fields sent me this short audio story as an example for recording my own 5-10 minute one. I intended to listen to a minute or two and then go off to write whatever I was going to say. But I was intrigued by the promise… so I kept listening!

Our years (our lives, really) are filled with debits and credits, things that cost us and things that renew us. As part of a review process, we should seek to “close the books” (just like accountants do in business) and let go of past hurts. Look...

Some Advice for Me, and Maybe for You

Lately I’ve been thinking about forward motion, taking risks, and finding the next big thing.

Here’s some good advice I received (I added a bit to it) that might be helpful to you, too:

You think a lot about “leveling up,” but you’re missing an important point. You will not level up unless you’re able to manage the pressure. If you’re constantly stressed, you’re not ready for the next big thing.

So in the same way as you [insert your choice of previous success or experience], you have a cha...

Should You Earn Hotel Points if You Don’t Usually Stay at Hotels?

Recently I’ve published a few posts about how to stay at nice hotels without paying for them. Among other things, you can learn:

How to Get 8 Free Marriott Hotel Nights How to Get Free Hotel Nights Year After Year Adventures in Envelope Stuffing: Earn 9 Free IHG Nights

Note: The IHG card mentioned in the envelope stuffing post is still available, but the actual envelope stuffing opportunity has now ended. Stay tuned for another adventure!

A lot of readers have taken advantage of these dea...