Chris Guillebeau's Blog, page 40

“Born for This” 30-City Tour Coming Up! Where Should I Go?

Link: Where Should I Go on Book Tour?

Hey everyone!

In April 2016 I’ll begin an all-new adventure, and I’d love for you to come along. Post a comment over on Facebook—or fill out this form if you’d like to be fancy—and let me know where I should go.

Why a Book Tour?
Because Readers Are Awesome

Way back in the day, I did an “Unconventional Book Tour” to all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces (plus a couple extra stops thrown in for good measure).

It was so much fun. I loved every part of i...

Adventures in Envelope Stuffing: Weekend Update

Yesterday afternoon, I headed to Office Depot for an important mission: I had to buy 100 envelopes, stamps, and index cards. I then spent the next several hours diligently writing the same information over and over on each of the cards, before stuffing them in the envelope and affixing a stamp.

It was actually a lot more fun than it sounds.

As detailed last week, if you’re up for your own envelope stuffing adventure, you can receive at least 47,000 IHG hotel points for your time and trouble....

Visiting My Brother at Quantico National Cemetery

It’s been five months since my brother’s death, and I’ve been back to his former city of Washington, DC several times since then. Until last weekend, though, I hadn’t visited his gravesite.

Quantico National Cemetery is about an hour or so from my usual hotel in Arlington, and once you get off the freeway, the drive isn’t unpleasant. I visited on a Saturday when the offices are closed and there are no services being held, just a few other people coming to say hi to their loved ones.

I arrive...

“Don’t Pursue Something that Someone Said You Should Want”: Derek Sivers at WDS

In early spring 2016 we’ll release the last (small and final) round of tickets for WDS 2016, a global gathering like no other! If you’d like to join us, be sure you’re on the waiting list for first notice.

But first, we’re rolling out speaker videos from the 2015 event. Derek Sivers, founder of CD Baby, author of Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur, and all around non-conformist shared with us his secrets of success.

Check out the video!

“Don’t pursue something th...

“I’m Still Surprised How Possible the Impossible Seems”: Creating a Lifestyle of Travel and Discovery

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

To some, the Dangers certainly live up to their name. They did, after all, quit their jobs to travel the Americas in a 1967 VW bus. But they did far more than travel: they discovered a lifestyle they could bring home with them. Here are some of their stories.

Introduce yourselves

We are Bryan and Jen Danger (and Karma the Wonderdog). In 2012, we set out to drive our 1967 VW Bus through Mexico and Central America. Our mission:...

Last Few Hours to Get 25% Off All Unconventional Guides

A quick note before it’s too late…

Just in case you missed it, today is the last day to take advantage of the once-a-year sale Unconventional Guides. If you’ve been dreaming of or working on something unconventional, we have a bunch of resources aimed at helping you do just that.

Just type in the coupon code “GRAVY” during check out and you’ll receive the discount—no exceptions. (It even works on combo packs, which are already discounted.)

Have a friend who wants to change things up and st...

How to Spend $46 and Receive Up to 9 Free Hotel Nights

Want to do something fun that will help you travel for free? Just want to make fun of me and a couple of friends who are out to earn points? Here’s a chance to do either or both of those things.

On December 4, I’ll meet up with some travel hacking friends to stuff 94 handwritten index cards into envelopes in hopes of receiving at least 47,000 hotel points that we’ll use for free nights. If you’re as crazy as we are, you can do this, too.

How It Works

A new promotion called “Priceless Surpris...

Scholarships for Real Life: Emily Wray and The Voices of Petersburg

In 2013 the WDS community started a foundation, making an initial investment of $100,000 and pledging to support “Scholarships for Real Life,” a program to enable people to pursue a dream of their own while also addressing a problem that affects others. Here’s one of our 2015 grantees.

Meet Emily Wray. Emily is a Course Director at Full Sail University, but once a year she travels to Petersburg, Alaska—a small island community—to support clients of Petersburg Mental Health Services (PMHS) as...

Holiday Sale Starts Today! Save 25% Off Everything from Unconventional Guides

Hey everyone, today we’re kicking off our Annual Holiday Sale!

We only have one sale all year at Unconventional Guides, and it begins now.

This year it’s a big 25% off everything in the Unconventional Guides store, the biggest savings it’s been in two years.

The discount applies to combo packs as well—which is a really good deal because they already sell at a discount, so you get to save even more.

Use the discount code GRAVY to receive 25% off alllll the things.

The code will be availab...

A 4-Person, 6-Month Volunteer Adventure Around the World

This is a travelercase study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . )

John Marshall wanted to travel with his family before his two teenagers left home. Along with his wife Traca, the foursome went around the world on a 6-month, unforgettable, volunteering escapade.

Introduce yourself!

I’m a 49-year-old father of two from Maine. For years I’ve worked in the TV business, writing shows and commercials, using my creativity to tell stories for advertisers. But lately, I have a new focus.

After a big...