All we want is to be set free. To live life and to make it special. To see the real beauty in ourself and others. To know that, when it all comes to an end, we somehow made a difference and brought light into the world. Unfortunately, all the rambling pseudo-philosophical intros in the world won’t make one bit of difference, and being on random substances in an Ibiza nightclub probably won’t help, either.
Something that everyone wants is to live a meaningful life and feel like they had an impact while they were here. Unfortunately, for some reason most people spend their lives just going through the motions in a job they can’t stand while finding inventive new ways to let off frustration, then calling it a day. While I am far from the universal standard of success, I get told “I want your life” enough to want to write a concise guide to success on your own terms.
1. Strong beliefs, held loosely.
After spending his life studying which creatures thrived in the world and which ones faded away, Charles Darwin did not write “only the strongest survive” or “only the smartest survive”, despite what your high school gym teacher may have shouted at you. He wrote “only the most adaptable survive.”
This is the biggest key, before trying anything else. The only constant in the universe is change, and you need to change with it. When you gain knowledge, don’t just be content in knowing it, use it. When you find out something you held dear is wrong, let it go and adopt the new correct answer. Don’t be passive and let the world do what it wants, because it always will, but if you find conflicting evidence, don’t be afraid to put yourself under a microscope and find the truth.
2. Be appreciative
Humans are scared, self-centered creatures. This isn’t an insult, just a fact of life. Most people are just trying to get by day to day, on autopilot for all but the most important things. When you stop someone to thank them genuinely, you break their autopilot in a surprisingly great way, causing them to appreciate the world in return. For the most part, people don’t want to risk being nice to someone, because they might get hurt. If you are appreciative first, it allows them to be nice to you back without fear.
Each and every time someone tells me how my work or my writing has impacted their lives, I am appreciative. I know it takes a big effort to write someone out of the blue or go up and talk to someone new, and I want them to know they should do it more often.
3. Be generous
It’s a cliché that you should give as much as you can to charities, but for me, donating money is the easy way out. It’s good to donate money, but donating yourself, your skills, and your time is much more valuable. The time I’ve spent feeding people and talking to them at homeless shelters, starting a line of toys to help out artisans in rural India, and even just helping people out with projects at Burning Man have created some of the best memories and stories of my life.
Not everything has to be a big cause. Pick up something when someone drops it. Hold the door for a stranger. Surprise a friend with a cake. I guarantee it will make more of an impact than you expect.
4. Smile
I’ve written about this before, but it’s worth saying again. If you smile at someone genuinely, it relaxes them and makes them happy. Generally, I like being surrounded by happy, relaxed people. Don’t walk around with a Joker grin on your face, but if you make eye contact with a stranger, smile. You will likely brighten their day.
Here’s a psychological trick, as well. If you find yourself in a situation that makes you nervous, but there’s nothing you can do about it, just smile. The only physiological difference between excitement and nervousness (increased heart rate, more energy, heightened reactions) is whether or not you are smiling. Doing that part on your own short circuits the feedback loop and switches it over in your brain. I’ve used this trick to help people get through big situations with gusto, and it’s always surprising how effective it is.
5. Make your own rules
Once you are good at consistently doing the previous four steps, you have set the stage for the big step that really changes your life. It’s the one you can’t just make a decision to do. You have to consistently work on this one for a while before you start to work it out.
Everyone has their own definition of success that has been constructed through a combination of society, family, friends, and their own past successes and failures. Unfortunately, it’s easy to think your concept is entirely self-defined when you have actually just learned them through repeated exposure. Having a job. Having income. Having nice possessions. Having stability. Over the years, I’ve experimented with variations of all of these, and it has become evident that none of them are requirements for success, and most of them can even hold you back from it.
Ask yourself some serious questions about what defines success for you. Fame? Fortune? Marriage? I am and will continue to be happy with or without all of these. What I couldn’t live without, however, are great friends, adventures in new places, and delicious food. It took a long time and a lot of trial and error to figure out that I am happier sleeping in a cramped bus curled up next to a dear friend after a meal of fresh mangoes from a street vendor than I would be coming home to a mansion after leaving my high-paying stable job yet again.
What I want out of life is to help people while sharing knowledge and beauty. On the occasions I achieve that, I feel truly successful in life. Thank you to each and every person who feels like I have, and has helped me do that.
How To Live A Great Life in 5 Simple Steps
How to Become a Travel Hacker and Never Pay for a Flight Again
I just booked a round of travel for next month, when I will be in India, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, America, Canada, China, and Japan. Despite the fact that these flights are in a few weeks, I paid next to nothing for them, as usual. Here are some examples from the end of my upcoming trip:
- Seattle, WA to Springfield, MO – $20
- Springfield, MO to Shanghai, China – $9.50
- Shanghai, China to Tokyo, Japan – $14
- Bangkok, Thailand – Free
- Seoul, South Korea – Free
The first two flights involve a tiny airport that usually charges triple what a major airport does, and the cheapest airfare I could find for the third flight was about $800. The last two are considered “extended layovers” and are free on my way to another country. These fares are typical for what I pay when I fly. Nothing I did was complicated, but it did take time, flexibility, and an understanding of how the system works.
What I am presenting here is a very simplified version to get you on the right track. It will still take some time and effort, but this should lay out the first few steps to get you walking in the right direction. The process is just difficult enough to weed out the truly lazy, which obviously does not include you.
Step 1: Frequent Flyer Programs
You can’t earn miles unless you are signed up for them. So sign up! It doesn’t matter if you are flying anywhere right now. I would say about 1% of the miles in my account were earned from flights, and the rest were taking advantage of the offers they constantly have.
Which Frequent Flyer programs should I sign up for?
I’m glad you asked. Ones that are based in the USA. America is renowned for having the worst airlines and the best Frequent Flyer programs, and you don’t have to be an American to take advantage of either. While you should definitely sign up for any and all reward programs (you can’t win if you don’t play, and there’s no downside), focus your attention into one or two programs based in the US.
You probably want me to get more specific.
There are three main alliances. Oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam. Whenever you fly on any airline around the world, you can earn miles on your choice of any airline in that alliance, and use those miles on any airline in that alliance. Pick one from each and direct all future miles into it, because you can’t merge miles located on different airlines. Personally, I recommend American Airlines for Oneworld, United for Star Alliance, and avoiding SkyTeam altogether, because your life will be a lot better if you avoid Delta and its friends. Mine certainly has been.
Step 2: Fill them up!
There is an ever-rotating way of getting miles into your account, and this is the part where you start to choose how obsessive you want to get. When I first started I just focused on huge chunks of miles every now and then. Now I have a routine going that keeps a constant small flow of miles into my accounts even when there are no huge chunks, and it doesn’t take much time. There are people far more obsessive than me, but I travel to live, not vice versa.
If you are an American citizen, it’s exceptionally easy to get hundreds of thousands of miles quickly through signing up for new credit cards. Even if you aren’t, it’s still easy to get at least 25,000 miles every 3 months, which is enough for a round-trip ticket. That’s at least 4 trips per year just waiting for you to take them, and providing you aren’t the kind of person that fills up every credit card you touch, it’s basically risk-free.
I will give you the keys to these a little later on; first we need to finish the overall understanding of how the system works. Once you get the miles flowing into your account, you can find more and more ways of doing it, like making your everyday purchases through airline malls and credit cards to get paid for doing things you are already doing.
Step 3: Cash in those miles for flights!
While it seems like this should be the easiest step, it is usually the most complicated. While the first two steps require tenacity, this one requires flexibility and investigative skills. To be crass: never pay retail.
Now that you have multiple accounts with miles sitting in them, you have options. Use this fact to your advantage. Different airlines charge different amounts for different flights, and it’s rarely consistent. Do some research and find the cheapest option. Here are some general rules:
- Always get the saver rate, which is usually half or less of the standard. Even if the website doesn’t say it’s available, call and ask. Sometimes it’s just not listed yet.
- Be flexible with your times and days. I was able to get an $800 flight for $14 because I could move it a day earlier. If I insisted on going the initial day, I would have had to pay the full cost.
- If you have the miles, don’t be shy about going business class. Typically it’s only a 30-50% increase in miles to get a business class ticket, while paying cash would be a 500-800% increase in the amount you pay. It’s a much better value when you use miles, and can open up much better flights and times. My last flight to India was business class, and getting to lie flat in a private bed with a massive TV screen and great food was completely worth it.
- Don’t use miles if it’s a cheap flight. Miles are typically valued around 1¢ each. You should always try to pay less than this and get more value than this when you spend them. If a ticket costs either $200 or 25,000 miles, just pay cash and save your miles. What would have been an $800 ticket to Japan cost me 10,000 miles (plus $14 service charge), which is 8x the face value. That’s a good deal.
Finally, don’t be hard on yourself in the beginning. It’s like learning a new language or exploring a new city. You will make mistakes and not know where to find the best deals and flights at first. Don’t let it stop you. You will still be getting a far better deal than if you hadn’t done it, and you will learn more for the next time.
Now, here are the valuable resources you need to get started.
Frequent Flyer Redemption Options – Just plug in the cities you want to visit, and it gives you a complete list of which programs fly there and how much they cost in miles. Invaluable for comparing options in Step 3.
The Matrix – This is where I always start looking for what flights are available. You can’t buy flights here, so no airlines are blocked, which is a big advantage on every other search engine. In addition, they have a timebar view that is priceless for understanding and comparing flights. Check it out and you will understand why I always come here first.
Become a Frequent Flyer Master – If you are ready to take the next step and devote a little time to getting good at this, here is your easy-to-read manual. It guarantees at least 25,000 miles just from reading it, which is a free ticket, and will likely give you that many times over. It’s honestly a great book, and taught me a lot about being a travel hacker, along with its companion, Become a Travel Ninja, which you can add during checkout.
Become a Travel Hacker - If you want the benefits of travel hacking without the work, this service scours all of the new deals as they happen and emails you the best ones. The first 14 days are just $1. This is the easiest method, and while you will miss out on the smaller and more complex deals, it’s a great time saver if you don’t want to dedicate the time to being obsessive about this.
FlyerTalk - This is the ultimate forum about travel hacking, and it’s completely free. I’m telling you about this here, but it shouldn’t be the first place you go. They speak in heavy slang there, and it will take about a month of reading and researching before you finally understand what’s going on, providing you have that kind of patience. If you want to become a master, young grasshopper, this is the place to learn.
List of Credit Card Offers – This is a simple, direct thread on FlyerTalk that keeps an up-to-date list of the current offers, so you can decide which ones are appropriate for your Step 2. There are always differing theories about which are the best ones, so pick some of the ones that seem the most valuable to you, and just go for it.
The Points Guy – This blog is obsessive about finding all of the deals out there and giving you tips about how to use them. It’s a little more accessible than FlyerTalk, but is still a firehose of information if you don’t yet know what you are looking for. He leans toward the high-end hacking, usually flying first class, but doesn’t let the little deals pass by.
Take your first baby steps
This should get you started on your way to becoming a prolific Travel Hacker who never has to pay for a flight again. I recommend opening some Frequent Flyer accounts, signing up for a few credit cards with no fees, and seeing how easy it is to get a bunch of miles. Use the Frequent Flyer Redemption Options to find out the best use of your miles on a trip you’ve always wanted to take, call them up, and book it for a small service charge.
Boom, you are on your way.
If you want to go deeper and find out all the other ways to get free flights, get the Become a Frequent Flyer Master book. Not all of my free flights are from miles. If you like the free flights but don’t want to devote the time, sign up for Become a Travel Hacker. Either of those will give you what you need to keep a steady supply of miles ready to use for dream vacations in the future.
I’ve been to 17 countries across 4 continents in the last 7 months, and paid for very few of those flights. It takes a little time and effort up front, but once you get rolling and see how easy it really is to get free flights, you wonder why everyone doesn’t. Should you decide to go on a big trip, check out my article on How To Pack To Travel The World Indefinitely. Now get started and let me know about your successes!
7 Lessons I’ve Learned From 7 Years On The Road
I’ve traveled my entire life. My first memory is, no joke, of a hotel room. My childhood had a lot of waking up in random hotels and coming up with a plan to explore and entertain myself for the day, as my parents regularly traveled for work. The love of adventure stayed with me, and I’ve always found ways to keep it a significant part of my life. Over the last 4 years, I’ve spent more time traveling than home, and a year ago I got rid of “home” entirely, just traveling place to place.
When nowhere is home, you begin to see the world in a different way. There is no vacation to escape to, and no place to hide and stagnate. Every day is a new adventure as you figure out how to survive in a different culture. There are some undeniable truths that I’ve slowly figured out along the way, and they are useful whether or not you are traveling. I’m going to share these secrets with you in the hope that you can use them as well. Some may seem like common sense at first, but pay attention for the new twist.
Smile at children
It doesn’t matter the culture or language, I have never encountered a child that doesn’t light up when you smile at them. Even parents light up when they see their children happy. Nothing is a better icebreaker or friend maker, and it will brighten the rest of your day.
Introduce yourself
It’s easy to hunker down into your cocoon during travel and interact as little as possible. Introducing yourself makes the person crammed against you human, and makes you human to them. You want a human next to you when you need their help to awkwardly slide past to get to the restroom. And who knows, maybe you will have something in common.
Walk
Every chance you get. Take the stairs. Walk to the restaurant. You can’t interact with the world from behind the shatter-proof glass of a car, you need to get out there and experience it.
Play games
Card games, board games, limbo, dodgeball, it doesn’t matter. When people are focused on playing a game, everyone forgets about the awkwardness of making new friends. I once used Monopoly Deal (one of my favorites) to break the ice with some bunkmates on a train, and we ended up spending the next two weeks together, traveling through different countries every few days. Each night we would play a few more rounds as we learned each other’s strategies and shared stories, our friendship growing tighter as we subliminally picked up each other’s worldview.
Accept that you can’t do everything
Don’t try to squeeze something into every second of your trip or you will just end up burned out and exhausted. Fit sleep into your schedule, a full night’s worth without setting your alarm. You will be amazed at how you make better, faster decisions and have more energy to take advantage of your good fortune. It’s far better than missing everything because your brain is churning away on low fuel and too much stimulus.
Take every opportunity
“When are you going to be back?” became a mantra between a friend and myself whenever we debated whether to do something. Even the little things become much more significant when you put them in the perspective that you may never be able to do them again.
Make every opportunity
Don’t wait for the $10 pubcrawl to start. Go to a hostel lounge and start one yourself. Walk down unfamiliar streets and loudly proclaim the historical things that happened there with far more assurance than you should have when you are making something up. When you make your own fun, you start the momentum that causes everyone else to follow instead of mindlessly flipping through guidebooks looking for something that doesn’t seem boring.
Don’t wait to travel to view every day as a new opportunity. The city you are bored by is someone else’s dream vacation. Make it yours, too.
Gurgaon, India: Minimalism
I moved apartments and had to spent a few days in a little hotel. I also explain baths as a kid and minimalism for me.
How To Pack To Travel The World Indefinitely
That is a photo of everything I own. You can count if you are the OCD type. I see around 60 things. I could be a lot more minimalist, but that would take more work on a daily basis. I could have more stuff, but I like how it all fits into my tiny backpack. I’ve wandered the world for the last year with only this, and it has been more than enough. I hiked through the snow above the arctic circle in late November and climbed mountains in the sweltering heat of central India in the summer, and this was all I needed.
And yes, that really is everything, aside from the camera I took the photo with. Which means I was completely… er… nevermind. Let’s move on, and try not to look into any reflective surfaces.
Let me break it all down for you.
Clothes
Typically, when people ask how many clothes I have, I say “about a week’s worth”. That’s true regardless of the weather, thanks to layering. Any less and laundry would get annoying, any more and it would get too heavy.
There is a miracle fabric that you will keep seeing pop up throughout, and that’s merino wool. This isn’t the scratchy, thick, overly hot wool you grew up with. This comes from high-altitude sheep in New Zealand. It’s light, soft, toasty, thin, wicks away sweat, dries quickly, and somehow never stinks. I don’t claim to fully understand the sorcery this uses, but it has invaded just about every part of my wardrobe because of how awesome it is.
Shirts
Most of these are t-shirts, and half are merino wool. I could probably make due with just that half, but I like a little more variety. T-shirts can be used as an underlayer for warmth, an overlayer for style, or by themselves when it’s warm. They are very flexible and people around the world wear them, so you never have to worry about looking like a tourist.
The merino wool half of the T-shirts are Icebreaker Tech Ts and Smartwool Microweight Tees. The only real difference is that the Smartwool shirts are slightly thinner and cooler. I have worn them while rock climbing and going out dancing all night in smokey clubs. Somehow the next day when I smelled like someone emptied an ashtray into a sauna for sumo wrestlers, these shirts always smell like they were just washed. While they are more expensive than a cheap cotton T-shirt, I really can’t recommend these enough.
The other half of my T-shirts are from assorted artists that I enjoy. They are thin for very hot days and have brighter colors than merino wool shirts come in. There is also one collared shirt for when I need to dress up a little. I work from the road and have nice dinners on occasion, and it’s good to show you clean up well.
For colder weather, the trusty Icebreaker Atlas Long-sleeve Zip has always kept me ridiculously toasty. It’s trim and slick looking on its own, and it layers well. Finally, the far left shirt is also a trusty standby, essentially a thin zip-up cardigan that makes any shirt I wear it over look dapper. While I picked this up at a store in Montreal while wandering around, I’m sure you can find a similar piece to add for layering.
Legs
First off are my jeans. Since I knew I was only going to have one pair of jeans, I made sure they were good ones that fit well, looked good, and were going to last. After a lot of research, I went to Self Edge in San Francisco and tried on a bunch of jeans until I found the perfect pair. They were painfully stiff, but over the next few weeks they wore in, and now I’ve never had a more comfortable pair. I feel like they’ve grown with me, as they’ve gone on just as many adventures as I have. Every mark has a story.
Underneath are the Cloudveil Convertible Pants. I realize that convertible pants are never going to be stylish, but for the times you are hiking, rock climbing, doing yoga, or just need a cooler option with more flexibility, these work great and were the least dorky option I could find. The ability to strip them down to shorts during an unexpected long hike during a heat wave is priceless, and as shorts they act as a great pair of swim trunks. During extremely cold weather, I even wore them as an extra layer over my jeans.
I also have one nondescript pair of black swim trunks I got in an emergency years ago when we found out our ski lodge had a hot tub. Yes, that’s an emergency. Now they act as a secondary pair of shorts and swim trunks, which is great during extended stays on beaches. (That’s the part of world travel you guys always imagine. If only.)
Jackets
This was the toughest part of deciding what to bring, because they take up so much space. I eventually decided to bring two coats, and I’m very glad I did. The first coat is the Arc’teryx Delta LT Fleece, which is lightweight, warm when there is no wind, and has ridiculously big pockets. Each pocket is seriously that half of the front of the coat. On mild days, it serves as a great light jacket that is form-fitting and looks great.
Left: Standing on the ocean near Luleå, Sweden. Right: In a snowstorm in Paris, France.
The second coat is a ski jacket called the Stoic Welder Insulated Softshell. It is completely windproof, waterproof, and very warm. In cold weather, I always have this. It has plenty of discreet pockets to store things, and it is very form fitting, so you don’t look like you are wearing your dad’s XXL jacket (an affliction that affects most heavy coats). In the above pictures, I am wearing the Arc’teryx jacket underneath (it was so cold the ocean was frozen), carrying my Camera, Kindle, countless other things, and I still don’t look or feel like a pack mule. I can also take all of those out to get a nice svelt look. The green lines are vibrant, but I like that.
Longjohns
For the cold weather, Smartwool Lightweight Bottoms are the greatest decision you will make. They are that magical merino wool I talked about earlier, so it won’t matter that they are pressed between your skin and your jeans all day, they just won’t get stinky. What they will do is keep you comfy warm while you go about your day, forgetting you even have them on. They are flexible, soft, and woven from the hairs of the gods of snuggling. Don’t forget these.
Underneath it all
That’s right, it’s time to talk about the unmentionables. For some reason, whenever I tell people I just have one small backpack, about half the time I get the response “So you only have one pair of underwear?”. Yes, yes. I’m sure you’re funny to your friends. Anyway. This stuff is small, light, and spends all day pressed against your nether regions, so don’t pick this area to skimp.
Underwear
One of the great things about culling your possessions down to just a handful of things is that you can justify making sure those are the best ever. That’s how I justified the Icebreaker Anatomica Boxer Briefs for $40 per pair. Make no mistake, I do not regret it for a second. They are by far the most comfortable, stylish, and completely awesome underwear I have ever owned, and they have all the mystical properties of merino wool I previously mentioned. If you are on the road, they are also very easy to hand-wash, and dry in minutes. This is very handy, as you always want to avoid putting wet clothes in your backpack. Unless you like the smell of mildew everywhere, that is.
I also have have a few pair of Ex-Officio Boxer Briefs, which are much more affordable and still have some of the nice qualities of merino wool. Their tagline is “28 days and they never get whiffy”, backed by all sorts of sport adventurers who’ve been given pairs to test their limits. They aren’t as silky soft and dreamy as the Icebreakers, but they do their job well, wash easily, and dry within a few hours.
Feet
I’ve always thought that you could tell a lot about someone by their socks. It’s a part of the wardrobe that often gets ignored, because people think it won’t be seen. However, as you travel you will find yourself in a lot of situations and cultures where you spend a lot of time in socked feet, and it’s good to not suddenly be wearing your lack of thoughtfulness as a badge while you are meeting new people.
My favorite socks in the world are made by V.K. Nagrani. They are a wool/cashmere blend to be extremely comfy, they come up over the calf so they never fall down during the day, and they come in a stunning variety of designs and colors. They retail for between $35 and $75 per pair at high-end stores, so these are some serious socks. There’s a secret to getting them cheaper, though, and it’s an amazing experience. In the online store is an option called “Dirty Dozen”. Get this. Within a day, a Sock Valet (yes, Sock Valet) will call you and ask you questions about your personality and wardrobe. He will then pick a selection of a dozen pairs of socks specifically tailored to you and mail them to you with a handwritten note. This somehow drops the price to less than half of their cheapest option, and you get a great selection of socks to suit your entire wardrobe, not to mention an amazing process and story. Tell them I sent you.
I also have a few pairs of Smartwool socks, which are pure merino wool. They don’t have the softness of cashmere, but they are warmer. Honestly, the men’s styles are all boring, and I typically get the women’s styles in XL. (Ooh! He wears women’s socks!) If you just want a pair or two, this is a more affordable option.
Keychain Bag
It’s not underwear, but also pictured in the upper right is the Kiva Key Chain Sling. It’s a medium-sized shoulder bag that folds up into a tiny pouch that doesn’t take up any space. It comfortably fits a laptop and change of clothes, which is a perfect daypack for me. While it isn’t the strongest material, it is great when you don’t want to carry around a full backpack. I got it as an emergency bag for carrying unexpected cargo during flights, and I ended up using it all the time.
Shoes
I only have two pairs of shoes. The first is a pair of Vibram Five Fingers. These are made for high-performance running, simulating the barefoot runners of Kenya that dominate every marathon around the world. They are extremely comfortable and much better for your body than normal shoes. They also make great water shoes for rocky streams and are much better than sandals. However, they do look weird (this can be a plus or minus depending on your personality), they don’t provide warmth, and they have a nasty habit of getting stinky if you wear them too often. If you can pull them off and don’t wear them every day, they are some of the best shoes around.
The second pair was much harder to find. I wanted shoes that did everything. They had to be thick-treaded and sturdy enough to handle hiking up craggy mountains and comfortable enough to walk around on sidewalks. Unfortunately, every shoe I found that met these requirements looked like I was wearing a camping supply store on my feet. Until I found the Adidas Terrex Betas. These shoes are specifically made for adventuring, and have handled mountains in a rainstorm as easily as a corporate meeting. In an absolute pinch, they could even pull off formal. I’ve never found shoes that were this sturdy, comfortable, and fashionably flexible. They are another must have.
Hat
For my entire life, I’ve avoided hats. I’ve always been of the view that you had two options when it came to hats: wearing a baseball cap and looking like a fratboy douche or wearing a fancy hat and looking like a douchey douche. Then I came across the Goorin Bros. and their Chong hat. High quality, unique without being douchey, and ear flaps that kept my ears warm during the coldest days. Suddenly the sun was out of my eyes and my hair wasn’t in my face. My eyes were opened to a whole new world, and I don’t want to go back.
Wrist Warmers
Everyone knows that the place you lose the most heat from your body is your head. Quick fact: You lose the second most heat from your wrists. People typically leave this area exposed, which just isn’t good. After a lot of research, I finally found a company in Berlin called Fortschritt that makes merino wool wrist warmers. They have a lot of styles, and the one I got is from the MAK Modern Art Museum in Vienna.
Gloves
I totally skimped out here. These are the free glove liners I got with a pair of snowboarding gloves years ago. I just wanted something small and thin to block some cold and breeze that still allowed me to handle objects freely. If I’m out in the cold for long periods, I have warm pockets.
Bandanas
I have a couple of bandanas that were given to me as gifts over the years, and they prove very useful on the road. They keep my hair out of my face on hot days and they mop up sweat when I’m doing something strenuous. They are cheap, don’t take up much space, and are more useful than you might think.
Towel
As Douglas Adams said, always know where your towel is. I’ve gotten out of the shower many times to discover the room had no towel or one that I didn’t want to touch. The MSR Ultralite Packtowl is super absorbent, dries quickly and folds up small. They come in many sizes, and I got the smallest one I could wrap around myself (which has also proven wise).
Sunglasses
Polarized lenses stop glare and are much better for your eyes than simple dark plastic. Dillon Optics took this a step further and invented cross-polarized lenses. They stop internal glare, so you don’t get a lens flare effect. They also have a satin finish that is unlike any other lens I have seen, which is pretty cool. I definitely get a lot of comments on them. Bottom line, they look great, feel great, and you see the world very crisply and clearly.
Toiletries
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to enter the exciting world of my bathroom. I know you can’t stand the tension.
Liquids
While the TSA did quietly lift the ban on liquids over 3 ounces, they aren’t the best at communicating that to every airport in the US, and there are some other countries that still check. As such, I use the Humangear GoToob to carry around my shampoo and conditioner. Most of the time I just use ones that I find there, but every now and then I spend a night in an unexpected place during a layover and I’m glad I have a backup.
I also have a small bottle of the miracle fluid that is Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap. It’s shampoo, bodywash, detergent, in a pinch it’s even toothpaste. It’s called 18-in-1 for good reason. It’s completely natural, feels and smells great, and even has entertaining crazy writing all over the bottle. This is a staple for any traveler.
Teeth
I used to be a loyalist to the Fuchs Travel Toothbrush, but it got more expensive and hard to find, so I tried a bunch of different clever travel toothbrushes, all of which were worthless. Now I use the standard travel toothbrushes you find at a grocery store. Fuchs is still a great toothbrush that I would recommend, but the difference wasn’t enough for me to spend the time or money hunting them down. I also started using a tongue cleaner some years ago when a dentist told me about all of the bacteria that sits there. The Pureline Oralcare Tongue Cleaner is the best one I’ve found. It’s durable, resilient, and effective. Use it.
Deodorant
Clearly the most pretentious part of my toiletries, I discovered this one day in Amsterdam when I found out I had left mine in a previous hotel. It was all the drugstore had, and it was so good I never want to go back. Nivea Dry Impact is effective and only has a faint fresh scent, unlike the ones in America that smell like Kool-Aid Man went swimming in the ocean. They never released this in America for some reason, so I pick it up when I’m in Europe or pay the charges to import it.
Hairbrush
Nothing special here, this is a folding hairbrush that packs up small and leaves my hair smooth and silky. Aw yeah.
Q-Tips
I’ve written about this before, but this is my Q-Tips Purse Pack. Don’t let the name fool you, it’s tough and keeps everything in place.
Beard Trimmer
I haven’t shaved in over 3 years. Sensitive skin, ingrown hairs, nicks and cuts, blech. I keep everything trim with this beard trimmer I got over 10 years ago. It looks like this is the current equivalent, but mine uses 2 AA batteries, which is much more convenient when they die halfway through your face. I hunted around to find one smaller or better, but I couldn’t find one, so it came along for the ride.
Nasaline
I have sinus issues. Sexy, right? It doesn’t happen often, but every now and then I get a sinus infection that lays me out in bed for a week unless I flush it out with a neti pot. However, neti pots are cumbersome to carry, and there is a better solution. The Nasaline is like a neti pot on steroids, a car wash for the inside of your head. It’s also thin, which means it slides into the side of my backpack easily. If this affects you, it is a godsend. Otherwise, stop thinking about my snot.
Sleepytime
Sleep on the road is essential, and these things help me get a full night of it so I can be ready to adventure the next day.
Sleeping Bag
The Sea To Summit Silk Mummy Liner is roomy and comfortable, keeps you 10° warmer, and rolls up to the size of your fist. There have been nights when the temperature suddenly dropped enough to wake me up, and this kept me warm enough to sleep. It’s only 10 degrees, so it’s not a miracle fabric, but it sure helps and it feels luxurious. There have been many times where I’ve been extremely grateful to have this while crashing on a friend’s couch.
Eyemask and Earplugs
Years ago, a friend told me that she got much better sleep in complete darkness. I decided to try it out with a sleep mask, and the difference was huge. The next day I felt rested and energetic, and ever since I’ve always tried to sleep in darkness. When traveling, there are times you don’t have control over the light levels in the room, and the Dream Essentials Eyemask has saved my sleep each time. Honestly, there are many eyemasks that will work well, you just need to make sure they block out all light. This one does, and it folds up into a tiny pouch for travel, so you can keep it in your pocket when you travel. It even comes with free earplugs, which are a great bonus.
Neck Pillow
For the times I’ve had a middle seat and needed to sleep, I got the Samsonite Inflatable Neck Pillow. It folds up into a little pouch and keeps me from waking up drooling on my neighbor’s shoulder. I was very happy about this when I got it, but I’ve honestly only used it twice. I enjoyed it both times, but I don’t feel like it’s earning its keep. The only reason I still have it is because I keep it in a side mesh pocket, where it doesn’t take up any valuable space. I may ditch it soon.
Entertainment
I love games. They are fun, keep your mind sharp, and are a great ice breaker for meeting new people, especially on long train rides or nights in a new place. Card games are tiny and infinitely replayable. I’ve already written a full article about how awesome Monopoly Deal is, and I’ve played it countless times in the year since. It’s easy for anyone to understand, and fun to watch people develop their own strategies.
Honestly, games are just a reason for people to gather around and have fun while they get to know each other, so I also carry a pack of Bicycle cards. Most people have a game that they know and love, and it’s fun to learn these new games. The pack I have now was given to me by a magician friend who taught me that Bicycle makes the best quality cards by far, as they have the patent. After using them for a year now, I have to agree.
Electronics
Alright all you gadget fiends, it’s time to dig into the the technology. I don’t have a ton, so what I do have is deemed essential.
Kindle
I’ve already written an article about the Kindle (and an update for the newest version), so I will keep this brief. You can keep an entire library of books in this little device that is smaller than a paperback. I have tons of books in mine and I haven’t come close to filling it. You get free high-speed internet anywhere in the world that gets a cel phone signal. Based on those two factors alone, this baby is cheap. I always carry it around in my jacket in case I want to sit down and read for a while. I’ve quickly checked my email lying in a hammock on the coast of Thailand before getting back into my book. This improves your quality of life so much that it’s a necessity.
13″ Macbook
I’m not going to battle PC vs Mac here. You know and love your operating system and should stick with it. I switched from Windows to Mac in ’92 when I was but a wee dorky lad and I’ve never looked back. I got this puppy on the day it became available 3 years ago. I’ve since upgraded to a 500GB Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid HD (the blazing speed of an SSD and the massive capacity of a disk!) and 5GB of RAM. I edit video and huge RAW photos regularly (and professionally) while surfing the net and this never skips a beat. It’s held up to some severe beatings by overzealous “security agents” while traveling, and acts like nothing happened. It even has a moustache (with a moustache). It’s okay if yours isn’t this manly.
They don’t make the Macbook in metal anymore, but you can still pick up the white plastic version.
Camera
I wrote about the Olympus E-P1 over a year ago, and everything holds true. It is a professional quality DSLR packed into a pocket-size shell. I definitely recommend the Lumix 20mm f/1.7 lens. It gives you the coveted Leica look in a tiny little pancake lens (They bought Leica and use their glass). I’ve carried this camera with me everywhere, and every picture in my Flickr was taken with it. The metal case has saved me numerous times when I was running full speed and watched it fly out of my hands onto the pavement. There’s barely a scratch on it, and it still works like new. They have come out with many new models since this one, and the E-P3 was just announced. However, the E-P1 still outsells them all, and with good reason.
I also carry the charger and a spare battery, which has saved me a few times when my battery happened to run out in the middle of something I was taking a lot of photos or video of. It doesn’t take up any more space (it stays in the charger) and the peace of mind it provides is priceless.
In the year since I recommended this, I know a lot of people who have gotten this camera, and they have all been extremely happy with it. It’s nice knowing I can make such a good effect on the world. A great camera won’t make you a great photographer, but a bad camera can make you a worse photographer. Why not lean toward great?
Hard Drive
Always keep a backup of your important information. Not everything can fit on my laptop’s drive, so this also works as a place to offload information I don’t use often. After a lot of research (due to a lot of experience with different manufacturers, there are very few companies I trust to make drives that don’t fail), the Western Digital Elements SE 1TB came out on top. It is the smallest portable HD in physical size, and the largest in terms of capacity. Of all the drives I have had fail on me in the past, none have been WD. The only other company I can say this about is Seagate, which I also trust. Unfortunately, they aren’t as competitive in the portable market. The only downside of this drive is that it comes with custom software that is worthless and can’t be deleted from the drive. Just ignore the software, and don’t install it on your computer. Then everything is smooth and peachy.
USB Drive
Until computers can wirelessly talk to each other with ease, these are a necessity for sharing large files with friends. Why not do it with some personality? Mimobot makes lots of licensed characters, from Star Wars to Batman, and lots of originals. Cosmobot is the one that spoke to me, and I got the 8GB version. It has served me well both storing information and starting conversations with the person I’m sharing with.
Jambox
I never was the kind of person to get speakers for my computer. I always wore headphones or dealt with the quiet tinny speakers they squeeze into laptops. Portable speakers were always bulky and never sounded much better. At the South by Southwest festival this year, someone brought a Jambox and it blew my mind. It is seriously loud, has great quality sound, and plenty of bass. It’s well-designed, small, and connects by bluetooth to be completely wireless. It fills large rooms with music, and I’ve even brought it out to the park with friends where all it takes to switch the DJ is syncing your iPhone or iPod directly to it, like magic.
I had considered portable speakers a lost cause and never thought I would recommend one, but these are gold. If you want great speakers in a small, beautiful package, get one of these now. I made room for it in my backpack and every time I want to watch a movie with friends, I’m happy everyone doesn’t have to huddle in close to listen.
iPhone / iPod
Yes, I like Apple products. They just work and slide into the background so I can focus on what I’m doing instead of trying to get them to work. I have an unlocked iPhone for all of my calls and I have a collection of SIM cards from around the world that I use in it. Having such a wealth of apps available, from converting currency to checking flights to learning new languages to playing games with friends, it is amazing. But honestly, I don’t need to tell you this. You either have one, want one, or would never consider switching based on some principle you hold dear. Mine has become an indispensable travel tool, and I can’t recommend it enough. The case on mine is a satin-finish red one I picked up for under a dollar in Malaysia.
So why the additional iPod Touch? It’s an older one that I got for next to nothing. It holds enough video and music to get me through a long flight without having to worry about having a charge in my phone when we land and I need to meet up with a friend. I turn off my phone during the flight and this becomes my entertainment center. It also has wifi, and can act as a secondary computer for a friend who doesn’t have theirs. This isn’t justifiable for everyone, but I happened upon it and it’s proven very valuable during my travels.
Headphones
For the last few years I’ve used JVC HAFX headphones. They are cheap, comfortable, and have sound that rivals $100 headphones. Unfortunately, they only last about a year before the rubber starts falling apart. It takes a lot of $12 headphones to equal one pair of $100 headphones, though, so I kept buying them. Unfortunately my last pair died while I was in India, and I needed new headphones. I picked up these Dexim Stentor earbuds in the meantime. So far they seem like they have a great build quality, a cord that refuses to tangle, and bass levels that are ridiculous. I set my EQ to “Bass Reducer” and went on my way.
What I look for in headphones (aside from sound quality) is how well it blocks outside sound. I want a specific level, quiet enough that I can sleep without hearing the drone of the airplane, but loud enough that I can hear someone yelling at me on the street while I’m wearing them. You know, because I am about to run into traffic or an open pit.
Universal Plug Adapter
This little piece of electronics is one of the coolest things I’ve seen. The APC INPA acts like a transformer, assembling a few different ways to convert literally any plug into any other plug. I have yet to find a combination this does not convert between. On top of that, it is the smallest adapter on the market. There have been so many times I was glad to have this when I had an unexpected layover in a random country and was the only person who could use the outlets.
Unfortunately, it’s been discontinued. There are still some left if you hunt eBay and other places online, but those will likely dry up soon. Good luck, as I don’t think any other adapter comes close.
Backpack
For the grand finale, this is the tiny backpack everything goes in, the Deuter Futura 32. In fact, this is a picture of the backpack full of everything listed above, and sometimes I even forget when I’m wearing it this full, thanks to the shape that keeps the weight in the right places. It comes to ever so slightly above my shoulders and just looks like a normal daypack. There are lots of pockets and places to store things so they are easy to access (note the top and bottom entry), and you can even open the inside up into one big compartment to fit large things. It has a sleeve for your laptop, side mesh pockets for easy access, and it even has a built-in rain cover to keep it safe and dry.
The best thing about the Futura line is the frame. It’s small and gives a slight curve to the inside of the bag so a mesh rests against your back, not the bag. When you are carrying everything through the heat, this keeps you cool and makes sure you don’t arrive with a sweaty back. Brilliant, and I haven’t seen anything like it elsewhere.
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For the last year, this is all I’ve owned. Some things have been added and others have been discarded, but this is what made the cut. I put stuff through pretty rough torture while I own it, thanks to constantly throwing myself into new situations. I put a lot of stock into this stuff, and I’m happy to recommend all of it.
Let me know if you found this list useful!
Delhi: Salty Heat
What life is like after living in Delhi for a month.
Rural Vietnam Part 2: …and broke his crown.
A quick story about being in rural Vietnam and experiencing a sudden emergency.
Rural Vietnam Part 1: Wedding Crasher
A quick story about being in the middle of rural Vietnam and getting into a massive early morning wedding.
Thanks to Lung Liu for hosting me and Matt O’Donnell for the editing help and advice.
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If you dig the story, tell a friend!
Culture Hack: How To Make New Friends Quickly
One of the most important linchpins in making sure your travel goes well is the ability to make new friends quickly. Some people just seem to have this ability naturally and others come off as terminally shy. There are some simple tricks and tips to building this skill, and here is one of them.
First, some background. Relationships generally fall into five stages, and progress forward through them. Different relationships max out at different points, but I bet you can classify all of yours into this list.
Stage 1: Small Talk
This is the “Nice weather we’re having” stage. You most likely know nothing about the other person, and don’t know if you want to. You don’t find out anything about the other person, and are just seeking common ground.
Stage 2: Medium Talk
“Seen any good movies lately?” is a good start. You are actually venturing into finding out some light preferences about each other, but staying away from anything controversial, as you are still seeking common ground.
Stage 3: Big Talk
“Can you believe what the President did last week?” Politics, Religion, Sex, Money. These are where controversy lie, and where true friends and enemies are made. This is the first stage that has any risk of someone disagreeing with you, and the first one that has a real payoff in connection.
Stage 4: Emotions
“It really hurt when she said that.” “I’ve never been so excited in my life!” This is when we finally start revealing our emotions, the parts that make us vulnerable. We don’t want to share these with just anyone, and typically some level of privacy is necessary.
Stage 5: Disclosure
These are our most private thoughts and feelings. Our secret hopes and most painful regrets. This requires high levels of trust and openness, and is where true intimacy is formed. Most people only have a few people in their life at this level, and some people don’t have anyone here.
Now that we have a good background, it’s time for the hack. In many parts of the world, the USA included, people start out at phase 1 and slowly move forward as common ground is established. Moving forward without common ground is considered an unnecessary risk, and if a negative response is expected, people retreat to the previous, safer stage. In these cases, conflict is seen as something to avoid at all costs, and relationships are kept distant to ensure that.
This ensures a society where people get along, and one where loud argumentative conversations don’t disrupt dinner. However, in other parts of the world, being able to argue your beliefs without taking things personally is a sign of having an education, and is reached much more quickly to establish that as common ground, regardless of personal beliefs. This is much riskier, and can lead to losing relationships before they even start.
Which is exactly what you want to do. If you jump ahead to step 3, you immediately expose yourself to vulnerability and risk the person disagreeing with you. It may seem forced and a bit shocking at first, but you may be surprised how often people will jump right there with you if you give it a shot.
For example, imagine that you are talking to someone you just met, and while talking about families, they bring up a parent that just recently died through traumatic circumstances. Odds are you will immediately open up to them in response to the vulnerability they showed, rushing to match their level quickly. This simple moment just skipped multiple stages into a deeper relationship, and it’s completely against the grain in America.
Never lie to seem like you are exposing more, and definitely don’t cheapen things that should have weight in your life by telling them like they don’t matter. Just relax the censor that says you shouldn’t expose your vulnerability and treat people like you’ve known them longer than you have. Soon it will seem like you really have known them for a long time, and you will have made a good friend quickly.
One word of warning, however. In countries where starting out at level 1 is the norm, people may take your jump to mean you are much more interested than you are. This can result in hurt feelings and leading people on. Be careful with this hack, and make sure that you don’t go around breaking hearts. You want amazing new friends, not a trail of disgruntled interactions.
I'm Chris Dame. I adventure across the world meeting amazing people, and I want to teach you how to do it, too. I sold off everything I own except what fit in my tiny backpack, and I've been visiting amazing people and places ever since. Currently I've been to 16 countries in the last 6 months alone, and I'm not slowing down.
