The Kura Hulanda Hotel in Willemstad, Curacao
- Spoke at the opening of the travel track at Blog World Expo. My speech was a remix of my Travel Porn speech from TBEX in New York earlier this year.
- Ate at the Michelin 3-Star Restaurant, L’atelier de Joel Robuchon. It was the first time I have ever eaten at an official 3-star restaurant.
- Did three dives: 2 wreck dives in Aruba and 1 in Curacao. The water visibility was great in both locations.
- Got to drive around the explore the islands of Bonaire and Aruba.
- Began doing video updates.
Did you know the Aria Hotel has no floors numbered in the 40's? It is because 4 is an unlucky number to Chinese
I also had my Huffington Post article reprinted on Tim Ferriss’s blog this weekend. I’ve had a flood of emails since the article went up and I’m just now done with answering most of them. It was a really big wave a traffic and subscribers.
Luggage Makeover Update
I have an update on my decision to switch from a backpack to a suitcase. I know everyone is dying to hear about my luggage.</sarcasam> I’ve put the backpack away and have been using a suitcase for the last several months. It has significantly reduced the stress on my back, so to that extent it has been a success. However, without thinking, I was using an old suitcase I got 10 years ago. During my flights around the Caribbean, I was noticing that my bag was coming in over 50 pounds every time I would check in. Thankfully the people at the ticket counter were cool about it, but normally my bag with my tripod (the heaviest thing I carry) will check in at around 35 pounds (16kg). I didn’t know why it was so heavy.
Sailing in Aruba
Where To Next?
Friday I’m off to Seattle to hang out with my friend Scott Kurtz who I haven’t seen in over a year. There is a pretty active community of travel bloggers in Seattle as well and I hope to meet several of them.
Then I’m off to Hawaii for several weeks where my goal is to just work. I’m going to edit photos and write all the articles that I’ve been putting off writing because I’ve been busy traveling. My plan is to mostly work and I don’t have a lot of adventures planned.
Once I get caught up I’m going to make some serious changes in how I travel and what sort of invitations I accept. I have to take time in between trips and during trips to catch up on photo editing and writing. I’m not doing anyone a favor, least of which myself, by moving at this pace.
As always, if you are in Seattle or Hawaii and would like to meet up, feel free to contact me.
Mrs. and I will be in Honolulu (we love it, too, for same reasons as you!) after Xmas–will you be there? Let’s have a MaiTai…otherwise, I live in Redmond, WA: come stay with us or love to meet you for a coffee (not Starbucks).
You and Ferriss are inspiring me…would value specific direction: east or west or north or south kind.
Best,
Rudi
That is a peculiar lift, Gary!
Let me ask you a question: don’t you feel a bit alone when travelling so much? Do you usually travel alone?
How about family and friends?
I really like what you are doing, good luck in the future!
Just returned from a weekend in Las Vegas with my wife and two kids. We stayed at Mandalay Bay. We could not get the kids out of the wave pool……best attraction in Sin City. And, the cheapest food around. Where else in Vegas can you get an hot dog and fries for $6.
Looks like a lot of people disliked what you wrote on Tim’s blog.
I am so happy I found this blog, love the information, pictures and follow his traveling. Thank you for sharing your adventure. Ilona from Germany
I tried to carry just a backpack for an overnight trip, and I couldn’t even do that! I have to use a suitcase, but I hate lugging around a lot of stuff.
I could also think of much worse places where to work in. If you’re lucky you might even get a chance to watch the Eddie Aikau Invitational surfing contest, the most important big wave surfing contest in the world. It’s held in Waimea Bay, in Oahu’s North Shore.That is one big- free- show!
I just want to relax and work. I like the weather there.
Just curious why you chose to spend your downtime in Hawaii? Other than the obvious – weather, location scenery – I’d have thought you’d pick a more cost conscience location. I’ve heard that Hawaii is very pricey.
Sounds like an awesome adventure! I understand why airlines are placing weight restrictions on luggage — before, people packed heavy just because they could. However, the restrictions (and high fees for checked luggage) have really changed traveling. Before, the weight of actual luggage didn’t matter. But now, on a big trip, you can’t afford to have 1/3 of your luggage weight be the actual bag!
Getting a luggage scale is almost essential now! It’s way easier than doing the old weighing yourself, and then weighing yourself with your bag :)