How often do you find yourself asking this question of yourself or others? In any traveller’s mind, that has to be the operative question most of the time, other than maybe the 24 or so hours after you return from a trip. I’ve spent many months reading travel blogs, and following people on Twitter that really know travel. My goal here is short and sweet. Get the information I have out there about my experiences, and see where it goes from there.
Who am I?
I am a 24 year old Congressional staffer living in Washington D.C. I have come to this job after a variety of other ones, and my real passion in life is politics. I consider travel to be my hobby. Having a blog about politics can become controversial easily though, and it’s my work, so I prefer to write about what I enjoy. Things tend to work out better that way.
I grew up in New England and went to school in Upstate New York. My early travel experiences were family based. Trips out to the west coast, the Grand Canyon, Hawaii. I did no international travel before I was 21. Two things changed my passport-less life. First, I dated a girl that talked incessantly about travel, which made me realize I’d been missing out, and second, I met my friend Josh, who became my travelling partner.
In 3 years, I have managed to visit 23 countries (Counting Vatican City and the Palestinian territories…again, no politics here), on 7 trips to Europe, 2 to South America, and 1 each to the Middle East and Africa.
How do I travel?
This will probably be the subject of more than a few blog posts. I already have some material written on this, but my basic travel philosophy is:
What you has been travelled, eaten and drunk cannot be taken away from you.
Travel creates experiences that will be with you forever. For a long time, I lived in relative indifference, thinking that as long as I’d read about it in a book, that was enough for me. As you’ll see, that changed.
How will this blog change your life?
The short answer is “It won’t, probably.” At the beginning, content will focus mainly on what I call the “Ten Trips,” which are the first ten international trips I took, and how they affected my attitude toward travel. Interspersed throughout these entries will be musings on the current state of the travel industry, airline miles, and current trips I’m taking.
Dan, why did you call the blog “Eight Hour Layover?”
Well, I’m glad you asked. That will be the subject of an entry at some point in the future. But as you read through my experiences, hotel and transportation reviews, the experiences of contributing writers, it’s something I would like you to think about
What does the title mean to you?
Lastly…
I offer you my sincerest thanks. To give me your time and give commentary and discussion is great. I hope my experiences will help inform and better the experiences you may have.
So then, where are we going?
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