Adventure

How to Meet Local People While Traveling

Steve Bloom 19 Comments

Temple Bar

When I was in Morocco last year, my wife and I met an old Moroccan woman on a train. We quickly became friends and she asked us to come stay with her for a few days.

If we hadn’t been on a tight schedule to get to the Sahara, we would have gone. Some of my greatest travel experiences have happened when I took time to meet the people. In several cases, I’ve started friendships that have remained to this day.

It’s not always easy to meet locals though. There is something about reaching out to someone you don’t know and starting a conversation that can make you feel uncomfortable.

But there are some things you can do to get over this uncomfortableness.

The first thing to do is be someone who is willing to start conversations with strangers.

Believe me, it’s not always easy. I’m naturally an introvert so I know how hard it can be.
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Insights from My Camel Trek Into the Sahara Desert

Steve Bloom 17 Comments

Sahara Desert Camels

I’ve had a long fascination with the Sahara desert.  When I was a little kid, I watched TV shows depicting the desert as teeming with bandits, nomadic tribes, oases and high adventure.

So when I heard you could actually trek out into the Sahara and spend the night in a nomadic Tuareg camp, I jumped at it.  I was able to arrange it while student teaching in Morocco.

Even though I knew the bandits were mostly fantasy, I still expected a grand adventure.  And it was.  But it also taught me a lot of lessons about life, travel and my place in the universe.
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How to Risk More, Fear Less and Gain Everything

Steve Bloom 32 Comments

Climbing Journal Mount Rinjani package

Last week I read a news story about a pharmaceutical company called Valeant.  They had just announced the acquisition of an eye health company called Bausch and Lomb.

The cost of the deal: $8.7 billion dollars.

By anyone’s measure, the deal is a risk.  When you plan to spend billions of dollars to buy a company, you’d better know what you’re doing.

But even though the costs are huge, the rewards are even greater.  Through this deal, Valeant is expected to cut $800 million dollars in annual costs every year plus get all the revenue from the new business.
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How I Saved Up $10,000 to Fund My Travels

Steve Bloom 22 Comments

IMG_7793

When I reached my early 20s, I saw something I thought I’d never see.  My bank account rolled over into five digits as I passed the $10,000 mark for the first time.

I rarely tell people this because I don’t want to come off as boastful.

I’m saying this now because a lack of money is a huge obstacle preventing people from traveling.  So I want to write about what I did to save up so much money to see the world.
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Developing an Adventurous Mindset: Loving Fear and Uncertainty

Steve Bloom 21 Comments

Monte Verde Verde!

A few years ago, when I was preparing to travel to Belize, a friend of mine asked me what my plans for the trip were.  Specifically she wanted to know if I had a place to stay arranged before I arrived.

When I told her no, she was aghast.  What would I do if I got there and there wasn’t a room available anywhere?  She wouldn’t have been able to handle traveling so far away without making those arrangements beforehand.

I guess that’s what separates me from a lot of people.  I get a big thrill out of not knowing what is going to happen next; it’s adventurous.
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How to Negotiate a Month of Travel from Work

Steve Bloom 28 Comments

Guide Book

A few months ago I got back from Morocco where I had been living and traveling for two months.  Rather than quitting my job, I took a leave of absence so I could go back to my position when I returned.

This is the fourth time I’ve had an employer let me take time off to travel for a month or so at a time.  I wrote about my first two times in a previous post.

However in that post, I didn’t go into much detail about how I negotiated the time off.

Since then I’ve asked more employers for extended periods of time off to travel.  I’ve gained a lot of experience in the best way to ask in order to get travel time off.

So I want to go into more detail about what I’ve learned about getting a month or more of travel off from work.
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The Difference Between You and People Doing Awesome Things

Steve Bloom 21 Comments

Randy

I read a fascinating story in National Geographic a few months ago about a guy who hiked the perimeter of Alaska.  All he carried with him was a backpack full of gear, a kayak and tent.  He’d trek to various state parks every day and set up his tent at night before heading out again the next morning.

As I read, I wondered about the guy.  Was there something special about him that could make him do something so amazing?

Then I thought more broadly.  What makes people do awesome things in general?  A lot of people wish they could pursue some crazy adventure or dream, but many don’t.  What’s the difference between someone who does awesome things and someone who doesn’t?
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