Chris Guillebeau's Blog, page 48
July 20, 2015
“There’s Nothing You Could Have Done … But What If There Was?”
Last week I wrote about the unexpected loss of my brother, Ken. I mentioned that when terrible things happen, people tend to say, “It will all be okay,” but unfortunately this isn’t always true. What’s okay about a premature death? There’s no way to bring back a loved one, and that’s just not okay.
Another thing people say is “There’s nothing you could have done.” But just like saying, “It will be okay,” this isn’t necessarily true either.
When you come to a situation you can’t change, it’...
July 18, 2015
Limited Time: New 80,000 Points Signup Bonus for Marriott Card
Link: 80,000 Points for Marriott Card
While I was on blog hiatus and then hosting WDS, a big new offer landed that I haven’t had a chance to write about. Fortunately, there’s still time!
Marriott isn’t my favorite hotel program (that would be Starwood and Hyatt), but this new offer is worth a look for the free nights you’ll earn right away. They used to provide 50,000 points upon signup, but for a limited time—we don’t know for how long—you can earn 30,000 additional points for a total of 80...
July 17, 2015
A Story of Friendship and Values
Note: I found this in the wilds of the internet and don’t know the original source. I didn’t write it, but I liked the story. -cg
Two friends were walking through the desert.
During some point of the journey they had an argument,
and one friend slapped the other one in the face.
The one who got slapped was hurt,
but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:
SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.
They kept on walking until they found an oasis,
where they decided to take a bath. The o...
July 16, 2015
Where I’ve Been Over the Past Few Weeks
Hi, everyone. Thanks for your patience during the only blogging + social media hiatus I’ve taken in seven years.
I know a lot of people have been wondering what happened, so I’ll tell you.
Three weeks ago I learned the saddest news I’ve ever heard. My brother, Ken, died unexpectedly in Washington, DC. He was 31 years old.
Ken was a veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He then worked as a special agent for NCIS (yes, like the TV show) and by all accounts advocated tirelessly on behalf...
Man Takes More than 1,000 flights Without Leaving the Airport
For more than twenty years, he flew to a different European city — every Wednesday. He never missed a week. Mr Mul (born in 1932) made more than 1,000 flights over a period of 20 years.
Travel is what you make it. In the early days of my travel quest to visit every country, I would get defensive when people asked why I only stayed in most countries for a relatively brief period of time. Unlike this guy, I left the airport and usually spent several days in a place—but still, I totally get why...
July 14, 2015
WDS 2015: Initial Batch of 1,200 Photos Now Online
Hi, everyone! I’m still on blogging hiatus but am looking forward to getting back to daily writing very soon. Thanks for your understanding.
Here in Portland, WDS week has come to an end and you can view more than 1,200 photos in the official media albums.
I’ll be sharing more about WDS in the weeks to come, and I’ll be linking to posts written by our attendees. For now, here are just a few highlights.
Attendees: be sure to include #WDS2015 in your posts so we can find them, and also forwar...
June 23, 2015
A Short Note to My Amazing Readers
Hey everyone!
First, if you read the blog, and especially if you’ve been around for a while: you really are amazing. Thank you.
Second, I’ve written here for more than seven years without a break—and I’m not anywhere close to being burned out. Why put a pause on something you love and find meaningful? Breaks are boring.
This week, though, my family experienced an unexpected loss that has left us all shaken. While I would like to keep publishing posts without missing a beat, the reality is t...
The Five-Year Road Trip: Two Adults and Two Teenagers Live Full-Time in an RV
This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . )
Dissatisfied with the typical suburban lifestyle, the Boyinks packed up their teenagers and hit the road. For the past five years, they’ve lived together in an RV, traveling America, meeting like-minded families and having adventures.
Introduce yourselves!
We are Michael, Crissa, Harrison, and Miranda – parents and two teens originally from West Michigan. Five years ago, we packed an RV for a one-year road trip and ended up wi...
June 22, 2015
Creative Ways to Succeed in the Knowledge Economy
Reading:
How One Woman Makes $1 Million a Year on Etsy How to Make $225/hr Writing Poetry The Uber Driver Who Makes $250,000 a Year***
I enjoyed each of these stories that have been floating around.
If you want to be negative, there’s at least one major point you could critique about each of them. The woman making tons of money on Etsy isn’t actually handcrafting most of her items, which is the guiding value of Etsy. The Rideshare Guy is essentially trading time for money. The poets, w...
June 21, 2015
6 Discoveries from Near and Far: Volume XLVII
I. Around the World
Things I found on long walks in foreign cities, or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter.
Courage, Happiness, and Gratitude — What if you took the stage with no idea of what to say? Jordan from the Air — An aerial tour of one of my favorite countries The Modern Nuns — From a Star Trek enthusiast to a former trade union worker, women share their stories about why they chose the religious life Working with Amazon Publishing — Behind-the-scenes with an author who’s tr...
