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his website will inspire you to wander& learn. I'm a Harvard MBA who left the tech world in 2006 to pursue a more fulfilling mission: visit every country in the world and share their unique lessons with whoever gives a crap. First-time visitors:start with the best articles!
For most of us, traveling the world for years seems as easy as starting the next Facebook. However, it's surprisingly doable once you hack out the mechanics.
There are five steps:
1. Slash your pre-trip expenses: Most of us have a habit of raising our expenses to match our income. Instead, live like a monk. Pretend you're making just above the poverty wage (say, $15,000).
This will force you to slash spending faster than we're slashing forests in the Amazon. Downsize your car, home, and social spending. If you're making $30,000, then within a year, you'll have about $15,000 saved. If you're making $50,000, then pocket over $30,000. Now you're ready to travel...
In 2004 and 2008-2011, I traveled throughout Eastern Europe to write my 2nd book, The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us. The book includes 60 photos. This page lets you download those 60 photos as well as see several more photos that don't appear in the book.
Download the 60 photos from The Hidden Europe
To see the 60 photos that are in the book, download one of these three formats and then see them in your favorite ebook reader:
ePub: Viewable on all ebook readers except the Kindle. Just download the file and import into your ereader.
mobi: For Kindle users (download and import via USB, see below).
Read this if you have a Kindle: When you buy the Kindle version of The Hidden Europe through Amazon's website, photos are not included because Amazon charges publishers by the megabyte whenever they deliver a Kindle book (other ebook stores don't do this). Had I put 60 photos into the Amazon book, I'd make pennies on each book. To get around that problem while still letting you see the photos that appear in the hardcover version, we're making the photos freely available here. All you have to do is download the .mobi photo file and then import it into your Kindle (follow the USB instructions to do it for free).
The 50 best photos from Eastern Europe
The 60 photos that appear in the book aren't my best photos from Eastern Europe. Why not? Because I preferred putting photos of some of the people that I met or other photos that readers of the book would appreciate.
But what if you just want to see pretty photos from Eastern Europe? Below are my 50 favorite ones. Only a few of them made it into the book.
Step into Dubrovnik and the rest of Eastern Europe....
You'll never guess what's one of the most common question backpackers ask me. It's not a gear question or a food question or my favorite place to backpack. It's "How do you get sponsors?"
So to help answer that, I'll paraphrase JFK...
Ask not what sponsors can do for you, ask what you can do for your sponsors
The CEO of GoLite said that I was the first person to ever send him a sponsorship proposal with the section called "ROI" (Return On Investment). That shows that often times people don't consider that companies want to get something out of the experience beyond just the feeling that they're helping someone who needs help.
That's normal: most people don't toss money to beggars, but are more likely to give to street musicians who are providing a service (i.e., entertainment). When you seek sponsors, don't be a beggar - offer something in return for the donation.
Write a 1-3 page proposal. In your proposal, try to answer these questions:
How will you market their brand?
How much visibility will you get?
Why you and not someone else?
How do we know you will publish a book (or whatever)?
How many books will you sell? How many presentations will you give?
How prominently will you display our logo and where?
Slovenia's Julian Alps are the toughest, most dangerous trails I've ever hiked. I've been in other dangerous situations (challenging weather, high altitude, lost without food or gear for 3 days), but as far as a "trail" nothing is harder than the Julian Alps.
To make it harder, it would have to be rock climbing, which, in fact, is easier than this because here you don't have the safety equipment (a harness, rope, carabiners) unless you bring it.
See video, photos, and story below. I encourage you to watch the video in full-screen and then in the lower-right-hand corner change the setting to 1080p, for very high definition. If YouTube is blocking this video, watch it in high definition on Vimeo. Turn up the volume. ;)
Help me celebrate the 6thanniversary of the publication of Hike Your Own Hikeby listening to it in its new audiobook format! It's thru-hiker cheap! It's all at my WanderLearn shop!
This 10-hour unabridged audiobook of Hike Your Own Hike is a perfect holiday gift for a friend or family member who:
Likes to listen to audiobooks during their daily commute.
Uses an MP3 playerwhen they workout or take public transportation.
Is a backpacker who would love a motivatingaudiobook to listen to during his/her hikes.
This audiobook is special because it has two narrators! Although I read most of the book, Lisa Garrett (who hiked the Appalachian Trail with me) reads all of the book's sidebars as well as some random parts. Her voice helps break up the monotony of listening to only one voice. Also, once you hear her, you'll agree that she's a much better reader than I am! When she speaks, you'll listen!
How’s this for trail magic: download half of the audiobook for free! You can listen to the Introduction and Chapters 1-4 without spending a penny! If you like it, buy the audiobook to get the whole thing. The free downloads are at the bottom of this page.
The audiobook is the same price as the hardcover book ($24.99), but you can get both of them + 3 other bonuses for just $29.99 at the new WanderLearn Shop! In other words, get the audiobook almost for free when you get the Hike Your Own Hike Deal!
A couple of years ago I received this email that asks me a question I still get asked all the time:
Greetings Mr. Tapon,
We share the same dream of traveling the world. This is exactly what I want to do. My question is: how do you afford it? Truly, you must be wealthy to be able to do this. Any advice on how I may follow in suit?
-Jonathan, 22
Although I answered Jonathan's question on my forum, people still ask me this often. Therefore, I'm putting the answer on my main webpage so that it's easier to find. This article has two parts: (1) Tips on how you can afford to travel the world even with a modest income and (2) applying those tips in Norway, one of the most expensive countries in the world. Along the way, you can mouse-over some photos from my Norway trip with Maiu in 2008.
I had a glitch and all the previous voting was lost. The number of Facebook "Likes" reset to zero, so that's why the numbers are low again.
I added the last photo, the one with a orange jacket, because several people like it. Timothy Archibald took it 3 years ago for a Backpacker magazine article. If it's hugely popular, I'll use it.
If you can't vote because you're not one of the half billion people with a Facebook account, then please email your vote to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Are you (or someone you know) a budding graphic designer who wants to beef up your portfolio? Or perhaps you're a pro who has some time to spare. Either way, I'm sponsoring a $1,000 book cover design contest that I encourage you to participate in!
What is the book design contest?
Design my upcoming book's dust jacket. If you have the best design, you'll win the $1,000 prize, plus you'll get credit on the dust jacket itself!
This 47 minute podcast includes a couple of Serbian songs, including its National Anthem performed by the US Navy band.
Vlad read my articles about my 2004 trip to Eastern Europe. In an email he thanked me for writing objectively about the Balkans.
I'm writing my book on Eastern Europe, I am trying to meet as many Serbians (and other Eastern Europeans) as possible so I can hear all sides and perspectives.
This conversation took place in 2009, so some of the issues that Vlad mentioned about not being able to travel without a visa are no longer valid. In 2010, the EU changed its policy and let all Serbians travel without visas.
Enjoy a map that show's Serbia and its neighbors. Below is an excerpt of my chapter on Serbia.
Serbian villages mentioned in podcast
In the podcast, Vlad mentions three different Serb villages that are worth mentioning. They are:
Are Serbians the least accepting to ethnic and racial minorities?
Nearly 71 percent of Serbians told Gallup that their area is a “good place” for ethnic and racial minorities. That’s far higher than all others in the Western Balkans that had rates around 55 percent (Albania was 46 percent). Why the disparity?
Before we consider that question, let’s look at Gallup’s Diversity Index, which measures how well a community accepts different racial, ethnic, and cultural groups. The index is a composite score based on a variety of global surveys, including the above-mentioned survey.
The results of the Diversity Index show a clear east-west European divide, with all Western Europeans (except Austrians) scoring above 50 (on a 100-point scale) and all Eastern Europeans scoring below 50, with three exceptions (Finland, Slovenia, and Serbia). Slovenia barely gets by (50.3), while Serbia is a bit more robust (54.8). Serbia’s Balkan neighbors have scores around 42 with Albanians (both in Albania and in Kosovo) generating the lowest scores in Southeastern Europe of 31.8 and 39.9, respectively.
The results of the Diversity Index paints a different picture than the Western media typically draws. According to the Index, in Eastern Europe, Serbians are the most accepting of different people (assuming you don’t consider Finns, who scored 61.6, as being Eastern European). In contrast, Croatians, Bosnians, and especially Albanians, are far less accepting than Serbians.
An alien examining this evidence might come to one of three conclusions:
2009 was a busy travel year for me. I visited nearly all the European countries. However, I calmed down in 2010. About six countries are on the list: Italy + ex-Yugoslavia. Below are some photos from a New Year's Eve party in Izola, Slovenia. Below that you'll see photo of Crveni Vrh, Croatia, the seaside location of where I wrote 80% of The Hidden Europe.
The 2010 New Year's Celebration in Izola, Slovenia
New Year's Eve in Izola, Slovenia. Four of these Slovenians had done a roadtrip together in the Western USA. When they told me the story I nodded with my mouth full.
This is one of Slovenia's largest dance floors.
For some strange reason, the Slovenians gave the honors of popping the champagne at midnight to an American who doesn't drink alcohol.
New Year's Day 2010. My gracious and wonderful host, Tamara čelhar, is all the way in the back of this photo (just left of my head). She and many Slovenians tried to convince me that they drink a lot of alcohol, but I laughed and told them to go to Finland, Moldova, or Russia.
Izola is a 15-minute drive to the Croatian border. Then in another 15 minutes you will arrive at the perfect place to write a book....
Crveni Vhr, Croatia
I wrote most of The Hidden Europe in Crveni Vhr, Croatia. Below is the short story of how I got here and a few photos of the place.
In May 2008, I visited a Slovenian village at the base of the Julian Alps called Slap ob Idrijci. Slap in Slovenian means Waterfall, so the name of the village means Waterfall by the Idrijca River. There I met and stayed with Dušan Trušnovec's generous family. A few days later we went to his Croatian sea house, in a town called Crveni Vrh, whose hard-to-pronounce name means Red Summit.
While I was walking across Spain twice, Dušan, out of the blue, invited me to return and write my book at his house on the Adriatic Sea. It's every writer's dream: to write in a quiet seaside paradise. Indeed, as I type these words, out the window I see the Old Town of Piran, the Adriatic Sea, and the snowy Julian Alps.
This is the one snow fall this winter. Normally temps are 0-10 degrees Celsius. I've been here since mid-December 2009.
The view of the desk that I write on everyday. There's roof construction materials outside. On a clear day, you can see the Julian Alps.
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Piran is in Slovenia, but I'm staying in Croatia. All my friends are in Slovenia, so I cross the EU border often. Piran looks golden at sunset.
The Old Town of Piran is 5km away, about 90 minutes swimming across Piran Bay. However, be careful, Slovenia and Croatia are having a big fight over who controls this Bay, so the overly zealous Slovenian Coast Guard might harpoon you if they think you're a Croatian swimmer trying to get to Piran.
The highest of those snowy peaks is Triglav, Slovenia's tallest mountain at 2,864 meters. I climbed it five years ago in sneakers and got yelled at for such brazenness.
This is the only photo that was NOT taken from the room that I write in. To see this view that I see everyday when I go for my run on Crveni Vhr (Red Summit or Red Hilltop). There's a dirt path on the crest that overlooks Piran Bay to the north and woods to the south. I loop back by dropping down to the sea level and running along a trail that hugs the water. It's a nice break between writing.
Photo credit: my New Zealand friends at CreativeShotz took this when they visited me.
There are no distractions. I have no car; only a bike. The nearest town is 10 km away. There is no Internet. The TV gets just a couple of Italian, Slovenian, and Croatian channels – I never turn it on. The village is a ghost town in the winter: 95% of the houses are empty. In short, there's nothing for me to do except write, write, write. As a writer, I've never been so productive in my life! It's amazing what a view and lots of peace and quiet can do for an author!
Photo credit: my New Zealand friends at CreativeShotz took this when they visited me.
My most productive writing period in my life was here in Croatia, overlooking Piran Bay and Slovenia.
Photo credit: my New Zealand friends at CreativeShotz took this when they visited me.
I'm going for a stroll next to Piran Bay. I would run by here on my daily run.
For my 30th birthday present, Lisa Garrett invited me on my first skydive over Monterey Bay, California.
For my 40th birthday present, Natalia Berger (a friend of mine who works at Europe's leading skydiving location, Empuriabrava, Spain) invited me (at a discounted rate) to skydive next to the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Sea.
I hope to keep up this once-per-decade skydiving tradition until I reach 100, at which point I'll be skydiving without a parachute.
Natalia was just learning to film people while skydiving, so she didn't always have the video camera focused on us, but it's still fun. Michael did a perfect still-photography job. Most importantly, Carlos (whom I was attached to) remembered to pull the rip-cord.
I've written Hike Your Own Hike: 7 Life Lessons from Backpacking Across America. I've walked across America four times and visited over 80 countries. I'm the first guy to yo-yo the Continental Divide Trail. I also thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail southbound. I just returned to the USA after traveling in Eastern Europe for three years and finishing my second book, The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us. I'm currently on a 3-year trip to visit all 54 countries in Africa. Find out where I am now!
In this WanderLearn Podcast, you'll hear from Vladimir Ivosevic, a Serbian who was born and raised in Belgrade (pictured).
