World of Warcraft is one of the most addicting, fun, entertaining, enjoyable games I’ve ever played… but in the end I had to quit because it was consuming my thoughts, my dreams and way too many of my waking hours.

Here is a short list of some of the things I learned:

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve officially sworn off Windows. Vista was the final straw with all of it’s annoying pop up questions and flashing screens and… I could go on and on, but the end result is after dabbling in it for years I’ve fully switched over to Linux and specifically Ubuntu. So when I decided to buy the ultralight Asus eee pc 900 for my upcoming trip I knew that Ubuntu would be going on it first thing. After doing a little due diligence to see that other pioneers had traveled the same road and come back to tell the tale, I didn’t even hesitate to wipe the existing Xandros OS and give Ubuntu a go.

Read the rest of this entry »

Let me introduce to you this concept called a Life List. A Life List is simply a list of goals that you would like to do/achieve in your lifetime. They can be small goals like “Buy and share a great bottle of wine”, or lofty goals like “Become the Ultimate Fighting Champion within 5 years”. They can be whatever… they are your goals, but I think they should be things that inspire you; that make you become a better person; that take you on a new path you’ve never experienced before; or maybe even ones that have always been lurking in the back of your mind and always will be until you give them a shot.

Read the rest of this entry »

There is just something about sleeping out in the wild with nothing but the most basic necessities available that has always appealed to me. It’s probably something about learning my limits, how far I can go, and how little I need. The whole RV experience or pickup camper or even ultra deluxe tent with all the greatest gear just seems like a large weight waiting to drag you down with it. The simpler the better…

Read the rest of this entry »

“My Great American Journey” is a bit of an presumptuous title for an article, but it fits fairly well with the journey I’m about to undertake. I’m leaving home June 2nd and the road becomes my new home for a while.

First a little back story: I fell in love with the Suzuki Hayabusa a few years back and knew I had to have one for my very own. (”I’d love him and squeeze him and call him george.” for the Bugs Bunny fan in all of us) Even back then while I was just dreaming, I was imagining taking a trip on my motorcycle around the United States; Exploring the country, seeing places and things I had only read about, meeting people from all over…. Ever since that moment, that dream trip has been in the back of my mind, simmering, waiting to become reality. And that moment of reality is now quickly approaching.

In January, I formally left my Software Engineering position at a local company to pursue my dreams of seeing the world. I’d accumulated some money and figured if I lived frugally that I could spend around 6 months traveling. Off I flew to Belize, Costa Rica, Florida, Thailand, and a camping trip to Yosemite with my daughters. But there was still this dream trip kicking around my thoughts…

Read the rest of this entry »

After coming back from Thailand, I was craving Thai food like there was no tomorrow… I just can’t get enough of it. Spicy, sweet, fresh… Yum!! How to solve this craving? I decided to give it a go, and make some on my own and see how it turned out. I watched a Thai lady in a tiny wooden boat make a plate of it every 2 minutes from a huge wok while floating in a canal, so it couldn’t be that hard could it?

My first attempt was wonderful, and cheap to make too. So I thought I’d share the simple recipe that only takes a few minutes to make.

Read the rest of this entry »

This article is a continuation from Travel Lightly (Part 1 - Clothing) and will continue along the same themes of finding the highest quality but lightest, smallest, and most compact items to take along with you on your journeys.

Gear

With the exception of my backpack, most of the gear featured below are nice to haves but not need to haves for me. This is an area where you can easily go overboard and end up filling your pack to the bursting point. What I’ve found works best for me is a constant evaluation of the items in there. If during my evaluation I find that I’m just not using something, then I jettison it and see how well I do without. The below are the items that are still in my list.

Read the rest of this entry »

There are many reasons to ‘Travel Lightly’ but I’ll lay a couple of my thoughts at your feet, and you pick up what you find useful. For me it all boils down to peace of mind. When you only have a small amount of stuff it’s easy to keep track of, easy and quick to pack giving you more time and less stress, you can jump on any mode of transport easily instead of having to find a porter or cab to haul it for you, and you’ll never have to check your bag again and worry about if you’ll see it on the other end. “But what do you sacrifice?” you may ask. I don’t think you have to sacrifice anything at all if you choose your gear and clothing wisely.

I’ve gathered quite a collection of small, light, compact but sturdy and quality goods in my quest for that peace of mind, so I thought I’d share with everyone who might be feeling the same frustrations I was.

Clothing

Your clothing is going to be extremely important in traveling light as you will need to select durable, high quality, and attractive clothing that you can wash easily, pack easily, and get as much use as possible each day… no wear once and throw it in the hamper until next week here!

Read the rest of this entry »