Author: Steve Bloom

Why You Need to Make Travel a Priority

Steve Bloom 16 Comments

morning sky

I have to make a confession: I’ve never been to Machu Picchu.   I know that might not mean much to you, but to me it’s a big deal.  It’s been on the very top of my list of places to see for several years and yet I still haven’t taken the time to travel there.

I can live with that though since I’ve made travel a big priority.  I know I will see it because I put a lot of time and effort to fit travel into my life.  But many people don’t make travel a priority.  And they don’t just put off traveling to their top location, they put off traveling altogether.
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How to Make Your Opinion Matter

Steve Bloom 11 Comments

wrap up

Everyone has their own opinion. It doesn’t matter if it’s about a subject we know little about; if it’s something we can argue, we’ll do it. With the spread of web 2.0, people have been spouting opinions through Youtube, blogs, Facebook and Twitter more now than ever before in history.

And most people would consider that a good thing. After all, we’ve been conditioned through school to voice our opinions through essays and discussion. It’s just a natural transition to want to speak out. However, despite what we’d all like to think, most people’s opinions don’t really matter.
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How to Become a Polymath

Steve Bloom 20 Comments

Vitruvian Man

Whether you call them Renaissance men, polymaths or universal people, one thing remains true: they are people who know a lot about a wide variety of subjects. And even though specialization is unthinkable to them, they’re not really jack of all trades. I think of them as people who develop their mental prowess as much as possible.

And you can be one too. All it takes is a little drive and curiosity. By becoming a polymath, you’ll be following in the footsteps of other notable people such as Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin and Aristotle.
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How I Almost Moved to Saudi Arabia

Steve Bloom 13 Comments

Masjid Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque)

Saudi Arabia is a mysterious country to me. I hear about it in the news regularly, but firsthand accounts of what the country is actually like is difficult to find. Visas are hard to come by for casual travelers. Often they are only issued for business and religious visits. And all visas require a sponsor.

It’s really the last great unknown place in travel. I’ve heard that getting into Somalia or North Korea as a traveler is easier. This is why I jumped at the opportunity to live there. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.
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What It Means to Have an Adventurous Spirit

Steve Bloom 23 Comments

Pedra do Bau [Climb]

I remember exactly how I felt when I was listening to instructions on what to do in the water for my first ever whitewater rafting trip. It was an odd mixture of fear and excitement – feelings I normally get before I begin a new adventure. I had been in Costa Rica for three days and one of my goals for the trip was to raft down the beautiful Pacuare River.

I think it is stories like this which lead people to tell me I have an adventurous spirit. But was this experience really adventurous? My tour guide has gone down the river dozens of times, but the excitement was gone and he was just doing his job. Another couple I had met on the trip had been to Costa Rica six times. To them, it was just another trip.
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