{"id":5015,"date":"2013-06-24T10:07:40","date_gmt":"2013-06-24T14:07:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/?p=5015"},"modified":"2024-06-19T07:24:40","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T11:24:40","slug":"travel-rocks-highlights-from-7-years-of-full-time-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/travel-rocks-highlights-from-7-years-of-full-time-travel\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel Rocks! Highlights from 7 Years of Full-Time Travel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After my popular article about how travel isn’t all roses and lollipops<\/a> featuring the crazy mis-adventures I’ve had in my 7 years of full-time travel thus far, I felt it was necessary to counter-balance it with tales of pure unadulterated adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because, for every mis-adventure I’ve endured along the way, I’ve had equal (if not excessive) amounts of amazing, bizarre, adventurous, and enlightening moments.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post was originally published in 2013. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. <\/em>

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a mere sampling (in a vague sort of chronological order, but <\/i>far<\/span><\/i> from inclusive of all the places I have visited<\/i>):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canada<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Muskoka<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Taking the train across Canada was tops (although I don’t have any particularly good posts to highlight on the topic; I was still new to (good) blogging).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And living in the rocky mountains for 7 months was a dream come true<\/a>. I got to summit a few mountains, and I even delved deep (into my fears, as well as the ground) with some caving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disaster Point: An Ominous Caving Experience<\/b><\/a>

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawaii (USA)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just prior to departing Canadian shores, my partner (at the time<\/a>) and I landed a volunteer gig in Hawaii. Among other odd adventures like neurological disease<\/a> and getting a black eye from a deaf guy<\/a>, I learned to milk goats, which was surprisingly fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(One minute I’m a financial tycoon in Toronto, the next I’m milking goats in Hawaii. How’s that for a progression!) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Singing Practice \u2013 I Mean, Goat Milking<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At our next volunteer gig on the other side of the island, I got to paint pretty pictures in trade for my accommodation. No, really!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kona: Where We Live<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"painting<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

(In addition to the above post, you can see more of my artistic endeavours in this post<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also managed to go a long way to conquer my little ocean phobia:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conquering Fears: The Swim<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

…skipping a few countries (and bad experiences<\/a>) to get to….<\/i>

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although I got 37 spider bites and survived the country’s worst-ever natural disaster<\/a> to date, not all my time in Australia was traumatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had a kangaroo follow me around for six months (I ignored the fact that he was trying to hump me the whole time).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Affectionate Kangaroo<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Bracken<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I also learned the art of fire spinning, which I continue to practice where and when I can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fire Spinning<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I loved having my travel preconceptions turned on their side with this unexpected experience:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Australian Aboriginal Tent Embassy: A 38-Year Protest<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And some of my best experiences in Australia were when I returned a year later to ride the rails…and ride them I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started with the 3-day trip from Darwin to Adelaide on The Ghan:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Train Travel: The Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide (part 1 of 3)<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Train<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In my surprise at not finding boredom on that train ride, I decided to up the ante and ride 11,000kms in 11 days…straight<\/i>. My purpose: to see if it’s possible to get bored on a train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, I wrote a 20,000 word 6-part series on the topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boredom eluded me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking the Indian Pacific Train Across Australia: Part One<\/b><\/a>

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Zealand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

New Zealand remains one of my favourite countries in the world, and I’m hard-pressed to choose just a few favourite experiences there. I’m quite sure I will return \u2013 again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My initial quick trip there was solely to shoot a travel tv show \u2013 which is something I’ll never forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Week-In-The-Life of The Professional Hobo: Shooting a TV Show<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that week, I did more high-adrenaline world’s highest\/lowest\/longest activities you can imagine. Highlights for me included the world’s longest fixed-line abseil (into a watery cave)…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abseiling, Caving, and Spotting Glow Worms in Waitomo, New Zealand<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Abseiling<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

…and a day of heli-sledging, which involved taking a helicopter to a remote stretch of white water and sledging down it \u2013 a sledge being a glorified boogie board designed for white water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helicopters, Sledges, and Jet Boats: Oh My!<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I loved New Zealand so much that when I got back to Australia I said goodbye to my Aussie life and friends (and boyfriend<\/a>), and two weeks later I was in magical New Zealand for many more months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My soft landing came in the form of a volunteer gig at Mana Retreat, to which I returned three times in later months and years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living at Mana Retreat<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Nora<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

And I learned (or at least tried?) the art of meditation \u2013 for better or worse!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sister Shalom and the Art of Meditation<\/b><\/a>

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After randomly choosing the farthest place from New Zealand to fly to (given my having enough frequent flyer miles<\/a> to do a long-haul business class trip \u2013 and my never doing anything in small measures), I landed in Spain and embarked on one of my favourite volunteer experiences \u2013 and something that is easily replicable by anybody with as little as a week for vacation<\/i>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volunteering at Vaughan Town in Spain: A Cultural Experience<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In two short weeks of volunteering, I met enough people who offered places to stay for my next four months of wandering around Europe. My first home-stay was just outside of Madrid, where I met Toro Bravo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encountering the Artist: A Random Experience in Spain<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Toro<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n


Paris & Nepal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A few months (and countries) of European wandering later, I arrived in Paris to start shooting another tv show <\/b>(or rather a pilot episode of a travel tv show)…in Paris and Nepal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the non-disclosure nature of the show, I was unable to write about my experiences or publish pictures. But a few years on, I will say that among other things, I performed with a breakdancing troupe on the steps of Sacre-Coeur<\/b>, was blessed by a panel of lamas in Kathmandu<\/b>, and got stuck for three days trying to fly out of the world’s most dangerous airport in Lukla <\/b>(which was much more fun than it sounds).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of them \u2013 and more \u2013 were absolutely amazing experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"\/<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A year later, I ended up hanging out with some of the crew and producers in Prague.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naked in Prague at Night<\/b><\/a>

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweden<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"The<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In my short time in Sweden, I fell in love with the food there. This was surprising, as I hadn’t particularly thought the food would be a big draw. And in the name of adventure, I tried \u2013 and didn’t hate \u2013 the worst-smelling food in the world (no really, that’s a fact<\/i>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Northern Swedish Delicacies, Including Surstromming<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n