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My name is Gary Arndt and I’ve been traveling and blogging around the world since March 2007.

The idea of traveling around the world wasn’t something that gradually dawned on me. It all rather happened in an instant. Once I had the idea, I knew it was something I had to do. That happened about two years before I left on my trip.

I had an internet consulting firm I sold back in 1998. Since then I’ve been involved in online gaming and helped found a business intelligence software company. I also spent the two years prior to my trip studying geology at the University of Minnesota (I’m actually a few credits shy of my geology degree).

My travel history prior to this trip was a mixed bag. I never saw salt water until I was 21 when I saw Puget Sound in Seattle. I often tell that to people I meet while traveling and it blows them away. Wisconsin and Minnesota are a long way from the ocean.

My first trip outside of North America was in 1999 when I circumnavigated the globe. It was a three week whirlwind tour for work. I stopped in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Paris, Brussels, Frankfurt and London visiting offices of the company I sold my consulting firm to, to talk about web application development. Prior this this trip I also traveled to the Bahamas, Iceland and Argentina.

Some random facts about me:

• I own one of the larger collection of National Geographic magazines and books in the world. I own a good condition issue of Vol. 1, No. 1. Not a reprint, and unbound. When I put my things in storage, my National Geographic collection took up most of the space. I also own National Geographic vinyl albums, VCR tapes, books, old subscription flyers, and 8mm movies.
• Prior to my trip, I’ve visited about 100 of the 380-some sites in the US National Park System. (that list is way out of date)
• I’m an Eagle Scout.
• I graduated college with a triple major in Mathematics, Economics and Political Science. I also placed in the top 10 my junior and senior years at the college national debate tournament.
• I love movies. I have a DVD collection of close to 700 DVD’s (mostly older and foreign films)
• I am part owner of an NFL franchise.
• I have a ham radio license (KC0PED)

The idea for running a travel blog during my trip didn’t come until later, but like the idea of the trip itself, once the idea came, I knew it was something I had to do. Travel + technology = I’m happy. Keeping a travel blog is actually fun and provides a built in break when I have to process photos and write some posts.

I do enjoy hearing from people who visit my blog. That isn’t some empty slogan like “we have great customer service” either. I really do enjoy getting emails, IMs or friend requests on Facebook. I meet a lot of new people while traveling, but I also meet a lot of new people from the website.

If I am going to be traveling through your area, drop me a line. I alway enjoy meeting people for food and drinks.

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FAQ

Q: Are you doing this alone?
A: Yes.

Q: Aren’t you scared?
A: Nope. At no point have I been scared, frightened, or even apprehensive about taking this trip or going somewhere new. I’ve always been very independent so this really wasn’t a big deal to me. I’ve lived alone for most of my adult life so traveling alone wasn’t anything new.

Q: How did you know what to pack?
A: I didn’t create a detailed list. I just sort of kept track of stuff in my head. I have a camera bag with electronics and a duffle/backpack with everything else. I don’t have a ton of clothing. I have pair of boots, shoes and sandals, and I almost always wear just the sandals. I have two pair of pants/shorts (zip off legs), 3 t-shirts and 4 button shirts. I could probably lose some of the shirts. My main bag usually weighs in at 16-17kg at the airport and my camera bag is usually 10-12kg. The only major thing I’ve lost so far is my leatherman knife in Rarotonga.

Q: How much did the trip cost?
A: Well, I’m not done yet, so I don’t know. I started in the Pacific because I thought it would be the most expensive and logistically difficult to travel, so I wanted to get it out of the way. Getting money for the trip came from selling my house, so funding wasn’t as big of an issue as it would have been if I was doing this trip in my early 20s. The annual costs for a trip around the world depend on where you go and how you travel. Most people seem to be able to get by on about $15-20,000 per year.

Q: Where do you stay?
A: Low budget hostels or backpacker hotels. I usually don’t stay in dorms but get single rooms. That is my one luxury and what raises my costs a bit over what most people might spent. It isn’t a huge expense however. I did go nuts one weekend in New Caledonia.

Q: Did you buy a round the world ticket?
A: No. Flights in the Pacific are a nightmare and buying more than a few stops at a time wouldn’t be worth it. Beyond the pacific, I don’t plan on flying that much unless I have to. Most of my travel will be overland.

Q: How long will it take you?
A: I don’t know. I’ll know when I’m done.

Q: Do you get lonely?
A: Sometimes, but talking to people you meet on the road and having the internet available (which has been everywhere so far) makes it easier. I hope to have some of my friends join me for stretches later on in the trip. I also read a lot. One problem I’ve had is getting english language books on the road. I read very quickly and usually can exhaust what I have before I can find something new. I don’t like most of the trashy novels you find at book kiosks.

Q: How many languages do you know?
A: Just one: english. Honestly, knowing another language might help me in some places, but the majority of the places I’ll be it wont help much because there are so many languages. If you have to know one language while traveling, English is it. I try to know certain phrases so I can get by. People seem to like it if you at least try.

Q: What did you do with all your stuff?
A: It is sitting in storage.

Q: What software do you use for your travel blog?
A: I use a self hosted wordpress installation