Chris Guillebeau's Blog, page 38
January 26, 2016
Inspired by Strangers: How to Talk with People While Traveling
This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . )
We all meet people on the road—it’s part of the fun of traveling. But for Marc Smith, his meetings on the road are especially intertwined with the trip itself.
Introduce yourself!
Every success and failure of the last 46 years has brought me to today.
Restless, in 2004 I quit my job and opened my own business as an event producer, with no clients and only enough financial backing for three months. Fast forward 200+ events to...
January 23, 2016
Born For This: Join Me on the Spring 2016 Tour!
Link: Register for the “Born for This” Spring Tour
One of the things I love about writing books is the chance to connect directly with readers. I always include my email address in each manuscript, and every day I hear from readers all over the world.
I also love going on tour. Ever since I published my first book, where I went to every U.S. state and every Canadian province, I’ve headed out on the road every year for a series of conversations in bookstores, co-working spaces, and many othe...
January 21, 2016
My New Travel Hacking Goal: Book an Apartment at 30,000 Feet
It’s a brand new year, and that means it’s time for change—both in life (because why not?) and in travel.
Every year I earn more than one million miles and points, which I then use for free travel all over the world. For a long time, travel hacking was my primary tool for going everywhere. It allowed me to see the world without declaring bankruptcy.
These days, I don’t jet off to Kinshasa or Katmandu very often, but I’m still in the game. Even without paying attention all the time or doing...
January 20, 2016
Free Webinar Next Week Shows You How to Build a “Weird” Online Business
Link: Free Webinar from Ramit on “Zero to Launch”
A few days ago I mentioned Ramit’s upcoming Zero-to-Launch course. When he offered this course last year, a number of readers signed up for it and reported back with good feedback.
He’s offering the course again starting in just a few days.
Even if you don’t care about the course, you can follow along with a free webinar he’s offering next Monday night. Ramit is at his best when going on rants about all the things people do wrong in managing...
January 19, 2016
Learning, Connecting, and Asking : On the Road with Derek Loudermilk
This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . )
A scientist turned world traveler, Derek Loudermilk has put research on hold, and discovered he loves waking up and going to work every day in a completely different country and field.
Introduce yourself!
I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, graduated from Macalester College in Minnesota, then went on to be a professional cyclist in Boulder, Colorado. Eventually, I returned to school and did graduate work in Bozeman, Montana, whe...
January 18, 2016
“I Can’t Be Jealous of the Past. I Can Only be Jealous of the Future.”
I recently went to see Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict, a curious film in the sense that it focuses much more on the subject’s love life than it does her love of art. Still, it was good overall and I’m glad I went.
The film showcases the development of several abstract and other non-traditional artists, including Jackson Pollack. I’ve always liked Pollack’s work, but I don’t think I understood the audacity of it until seeing this new film.
The Flame, 1938 by Jackson Pollock
I often feel inspire...
January 16, 2016
Free Report on 30 Successful Online Business Ideas
Link: 30 Successful Business Ideas (Free Report)
I’ve been an online entrepreneur for more than 15 years. I know, I’m old—but I do know a thing or two about this industry. People often think that entrepreneurship is about having grand ideas and building a huge team, but some of the best little businesses I’ve found have been totally random and operated entirely by one person.
Sometimes the new business owner continues to keep her job and just does it on the side. Sometimes it grows into som...
Vampire Living in Jakarta
It’s a new day in Jakarta, Indonesia. The sun rises at 2pm—or rather, that’s when I manage to get out of bed. No, it wasn’t a crazy night drinking green tea at the local mosque. It’s just that I arrived at 4:30am this morning, after a 15-hour flight from New York to Hong Kong, followed by five more hours of flying further south.
Thankfully my hotel raised no concerns with the super-early check-in, and I was in bed an hour later. As I closed my eyes the sun was beginning to rise. Earlier toda...
January 13, 2016
“Level Up Your Life” with a Great New Book (Not Mine!)
Link: Level Up Your Life (Awesome New Book!)
A couple months ago, I was flying through Doha and spending the night before going on to London. I got an email from Steve Kamb just as I was settling into a light meal before bed.
I’ve known Steve for years. One time he went around the world using miles he earned after reading something from Unconventional Guides. Another time he introduced me at a book event in San Francisco. He led a very popular Academy (twice!) at WDS. And well beyond the pro...
January 5, 2016
Adventure Is Worthwhile In Itself
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward. Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” -Amelia Earhart You often hear about how we regret the things we don’t do more than the things we do. Looking back at the experience of traveling the world, this belief shines through whatever hardship I encountered alon...
