Tag: new zealand

Why I Quit Traveling

After an exhausting time in New Zealand I decided to quit traveling…

That’s an odd statement from a blog about, among other things, travel.

But I alluded to this in the past.

Traveling the way I’ve been traveling is tiring. Being on the constant move is tiring.

Just when I get to know (and maybe love) a city, I move on.

It takes about a week before I get comfortable with a new place. If I leave before that week is up there’s an underlying sense of stress.

In New Zealand, because I decided to do a bus tour, I saw 16 cities in 30 days. That is just too much. I went to more cities in NZ in 30 days than I did in the 70 days I was in Australia.

Guess where I had a more enjoyable time?

New Zealand was amazing, but incredibly stressful.

I hate stress.

I’ll go out on a limb and assume you hate stress too.

Today I’m flying to Detroit after 5 days in LA. I’ll be in the Detroit area (where I grew up) until I leave for India on Jan 28.

Although I can’t stand cold weather, I’m looking forward to having a home base for more than a few days.

What I Did Wrong In Australia/New Zealand

Squeezing 2 vast countries like Australia and New Zealand into 100 days is not possible.

When I booked my flights to Australia/New Zealand (all the way back in March) I planned on coming back to the US and laying down roots again.

A couple of months after I booked said flights I decided to sell all my stuff, live out of a backpack, and see more of the world.

Because I bought a return instead of one way ticket I was already pretty well handcuffed to the 100 day Oz/NZ trip. Yes, I could have paid flight change fees and extended the trip so I could stay in my favorite places longer, but there’s a reason I didn’t do that.

I already made December plans with my family and friends in Michigan. When I say I’m going to do something, barring unforeseen circumstances, I do it. With my upcoming plans I won’t see any of them for a long time so it all worked out perfectly and I’m looking forward to spending time with them.

How To Quit Traveling and Still See The World

When I say I’m quitting traveling, I specifically mean I’m not going to be on the move constantly anymore.

I booked a one way award flight from Detroit to Mumbai. I will probably stay in Mumbai for just a few days before heading to Goa and staying there for a month or two.

My new rule is, unless I don’t like a place, I’m staying there for at least a month.

This will give me time to acclimate to each place I visit. I’ll also be able to rent an apartment or a single guest house room.

I still fully plan on making 2-3 day side trips, but having a home base to go back to will be wonderful.

The beauty of travel…scratch that…the beauty of anything in life is that you can do it however it works for you.

For some people, not knowing where they’ll be from one second to the next is exactly what they need.

Personally, I like knowing at least a few hours (OK, days!) in advance where I’ll lay my head. :)

What is your style of travel?

End of the Road + Extreme Ziplining

Friday Update: Living Dec 10 twice.

It’s Friday, time for an update? OK…

My 100 day overseas adventures in Australia and New Zealand have come to an end. I am officially on US soil and breathing the fumes of 400 million cars in LA.

I lived Thursday, Dec 10, twice. It was … interesting. :)

I spent the New Zealand part of Dec 10 (left NZ at 7:30pm) having fun on a zipline at Western Park in Auckland:

Yes, I know it’s not “extreme.” Hence calling it Extreme Ziplining. ;)

I spent the United States part of Dec 10 (landed in LA at 10:15am) driving around a bit, hanging in Santa Monica, then driving 90 minutes (i.e. 10 miles) to the Jimmy Kimmel Live show.

If you watch the closing you can see me making stupid faces into the camera. :) (I haven’t seen the episode, but I was behind Jimmy as he was talking. Yes, I was one of THOSE guys.)

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My cell # here in LA is (310) 465-6340. If you want to hang out in the rain give me a call/text. :) Saturday I’ll be out with some Tweeple. (ha, can’t believe I just used that)  Sunday, if the weather perks up, I’m planning on going hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains. Monday night (~7:45pm) I’ll be at Real Food Daily Santa Monica with some CouchSurfers.

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This Tuesday’s article in the queue is about why I quit traveling. I don’t know what kind of reaction it’ll get, but it might be interesting. :)

I Spent A Night In Jail + L.A. meetup soon!

It finally happened. Locked up in a foreign land…

Last week I spent a night in an old prison. It was known as Addington Prison, and was in operation until 1999. They (people? government?) decided they didn’t want a prison within the Christchurch city limits anymore so it was shut down.

It was purchased by a couple of enterprising people in 2006, renovated, and turned into a hostel!

Although I’m not a huge fan of hostels (I’d rather CouchSurf, but it’s not practical when I’m constantly on the move in NZ), I do my best to seek out the interesting gems. I’ve mostly sought out old, historic buildings or tiny independent hostels. This is my first prison. :)

The cost for a single room was just $49NZD, which is roughly $35 USD. The biggest downside is this place is about 2.5km from the city centre.

If you’re so inclined, I made a video (didn’t edit, so it’s kinda long and boring):

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I booked my ticket to India. I’m flying Business Class (free with AAdvantage miles) from DTW (Detroit) to BOM (Mumbai). I think I’ll hang in Mumbai for a few days (or more) before I head off to Goa and learn to build guitars! :)

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L.A. area meetup Saturday Dec 12 with @ealvarezgibson and other wonderful people. You in? I’m not sure the exact location yet. I’m CouchSurfing in Santa Monica so maybe we’ll make it somewhere over there. :)

It’s strange to think I’ll be back in the US in less than a week. I fly out of Auckland at 7 pm Dec 10 and arrive in LA at 10am Dec 10. That’s what we call a mindfu…nevermind. ;)

Later on the 10th hopefully I’ll go to the Jimmy Kimmel show (if they approve my ticket request!). Also, Conan O’brien’s people? Can you please approve my ticket request for Monday Dec 14? Thanks. I have watched Conan since like 10th grade. Hook it up!

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Are you participating in Ridiculously Extraordinary Challenge #1? Quit Drinking For 30 Days

If so, let me know how it’s going after 10 days. :) I got a lot of great private e-mails (as well as lots of awesome public comments!) thanking me for the article. It feels so good that it connected with you.

Jumping Into Canyons + Go Go Goa, India

Friday update: Shotover Canyon Swing, Nevis 134m High Wire Bungy, and Building Guitars in India…

Last weekend I was in Queenstown, NZ. To some it’s considered the adventure capital of the world. Sweet. I like adventure.

But Queenstown has something for everyone, adrenaline junkie or not. Luxury hotels? Check. Sweet hostels? (The Last Resort, best hostel ever.) Check. Amazing scenery? Parts of Lord of the Rings were filmed in the surrounding areas. Check. Water sports? Check. You get the point, it has everything.

My main reason for coming to New Zealand was specifically because of Queenstown. More specifically, the Nevis 134m (440ft) High Wire Bungy.

Australia was always on my list of places to visit. New Zealand wasn’t until I learned about Nevis sometime early this year.

Upon arriving in Queenstown I learned about another really fun activity. The Shotover Canyon Swing. It’s 109m (358ft) high with a 60m (197ft) drop and a top speed of 150kph (93mph).

I decided to book the Canyon Swing for Saturday since it was windy and not a particularly nice day. I wanted to do the Nevis jump on a clear sunny day, and Sunday’s forecast was perfect.

Canyon Swing Videos (yes, I was nervous, as you can tell):

Sunday I headed to Nevis. Unfortunately, I stupidly bought the DVD instead of the USB stick (wasn’t thinking, must’ve been the adrenaline) so I won’t have the video digitized until December.

Nevis was a really fun experience. I’ll leave it at that until I have video to share. ;)

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A few people have noticed that my sidebar has been updated with a slight change of plans. I had planned on going to Singapore/Thailand in January, but now I’m going to India.

Why India?

To learn how to build guitars with a luthier.

I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time. When I was in 9th grade I built a guitar that barely played and sounded like crap. I didn’t give it another shot. Until now!

India isn’t exactly known as a guitar building mecca. But that doesn’t mean it’s not full of skilled craftsmen.

And I love Indian food.

And the weather is great.

And it’s about $3k cheaper than doing the same type of course in the U.S. :)

I’ll be in Goa for a month or two.

Then, assuming I don’t fall in love with India, I’ll head to Thailand.

Been to India or Thailand? Sweet! Let me know your experiences.

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I wrote this from the most beautiful place I’ve ever been in my life. Lake Tekapo, New Zealand. Thanks to Eszter, a CouchSurfer I met in Sydney, for insisting I visit here.

Lake Tekapo New Zealand