Chris Guillebeau's Blog, page 91

The Opposite of Loneliness

Marina Keegan was a writer, activist, and student at Yale.

Before graduation she shared a few words for her fellow students:

We don’t have a word for the opposite of loneliness, but if we did, I could say that’s what I want in life. It’s not quite love and it’s not quite community; it’s just this feeling that there are people, an abundance of people, who are in this together. Who are on your team. When the check is paid and you stay at the table. When it’s four a.m. and no one goes to bed. Tha...

Volunteering Abroad: On the Road with Shannon O’Donnell

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

I’ve been a fan of Shannon O’Donnell for several years. The posts on her site are always well thought out, and she’s also known for her work on international volunteering.

We recently caught up while she was traveling in Kenya.

Introduce yourself!

I am a native Floridan (a rare breed) and I left the States in 2008 to travel around the world for a year while working as an online consultant. I ended up loving the process of travelin...

What Are People REALLY Saying About WDS 2014? (Part III)

Here’s round I and round II.

***

After spending hundreds of hours in preparation and then hosting a week-long adventure for thousands of awesome people, I don’t actually say much about it afterward, at least not on the blog. I’m a writer who doesn’t do a writeup.

Thankfully, our awesome attendees pick up my slack—and wouldn’t you want to hear from them anyway?

Every year we see hundreds of blog posts from attendees. Here’s the first second> final round of unfiltered reviews and opinions on a vari...

The Confirm Button Never Disappoints

File under: awesome travel advice.

On any given week I spend at least several hours in making travel plans. I constantly go back and forth over the various options, sometimes becoming plagued by indecision.

I talked about this recently with my friend and fellow wanderer Stephanie Zito, when we were riding around in a taxi and discussing a few upcoming trips. She has the same problem I do… but she also has a solution:

“I waste a lot of time on minor decisions,” she said, “because I want the best...

“I need to learn how to make this life work”

The story of San Francisco’s most unexpected half-marathoner.

“I really don’t want too much. I just want to get up and stay healthy and enjoy this moment.”

###

Mini City Guides: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

I love big cities, and always enjoy returning to Hong Kong, New York, and Sydney—among many others. But what about those unknown gems that are off the beaten tourist path… those obscure places that are just waiting to be explored by real travelers?

Our new “Mini City Guides” are here to uncover those gems, and we’re looking to our favorite explorers—AONC readers—to give us the inside scoop.

Tell us if there’s a city you’d like to nominate. This city was nominated by reader Bec Tilley.

–

Which acc...

Giveaway: Cathay Pacific First Class Amenity Kit

Every Friday is giveaway day. Comment to win!

If I had to pick one favorite airline, it’s a no-brainer: Cathay Pacific all the way! I’ve been fortunate to fly Cathay on at least a hundred flights over the years. I’ve flown most often in Business Class, which is really nice, and sometimes in Peasant Economy Class, which can be surprisingly decent.

About ten of those flights, though, have been way up front in the quiet and super-personal First Class cabin. I’d never pay the $8,000+ fare for First...

6 Discoveries From Near and Far, Volume IV

I. Around the World

Things I found on long walks in foreign cities, or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter.

Before You Know It Something’s Over — A beautiful essay on loss and identity
Finding Your Father’s Ghost in an Old Video Game — A surprise (or two) when firing up a console from days of old.
Where the Internet Goes to Be Lonely — An online social commentary of strangers reaching out into a void.
A Super Mario Brothers-themed aquarium built with LEGO bricks — just as you’d expect.
Road...

Worst Case Scenario: Losing It All in Europe

When you’re evaluating a big decision, sometimes it’s helpful to ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that can happen?”

Most of the time, the worst-case scenario doesn’t actually come to pass.

But sometimes it does. Tera and Wes told us this story at Pioneer Nation:

We got the dream job. The one our careers had been waiting for: filming in New York and across Europe. The timing perfectly aligned with a cruise we already had planned for vacation through Israel and Egypt.

Then, if it could go wron...

What Are People REALLY Saying About WDS 2014? (Part II)

Here’s round I.

***

After spending hundreds of hours in preparation and then hosting a week-long adventure for thousands of awesome people, I don’t actually say much about it afterward, at least not on the blog. I’m a writer who doesn’t do a writeup.

Thankfully, our awesome attendees pick up my slack—and wouldn’t you want to hear from them anyway?

Every year we see hundreds of blog posts from attendees. Here’s the first second round of unfiltered reviews and opinions on a variety of topics relate...