FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions)
About
Me
Who are you?
Where are you?
What have you been doing lately?
Are you working?
Do you want to work for my internet startup?
How do I keep in contact with you?
About The Trip
What is your itinerary?
How long will you be gone?
What are you doing with your apartment?
What are you doing with all your stuff?
Who are you traveling with?
Why are you doing this?
What are you doing on your travels?
How can you afford to take a year off?
Are you crazy?
About The Site
Why do you have a website?
Who is hosting it?
How are you keeping it up to date?
Are you bringing a laptop?
Who did the graphic design?
Where did you get all the interactive
pages?
Why AdventureProne?
About Me
Who are you?
I am a resident of San Francisco, California USA
who has decided to take a break from the fast paced
world of high-tech by packing up and traveling the
world. Check out About Me
for more details.
Where are you?
I am
on the road. Check out my latest whereabouts by
reading my
latest report. My travel home page has more details of my
trip.
What have you been doing
lately?
I have spent summer '00 in San Francisco attending
weddings, seeing friends, and preparing for my next
travel leg. I have also taken some short trips,
including Chicago,
Burning Man, and a short motorcycle tour
in Northern California.
Prior to that, I was bicycling and busing my way
through Latin America for four months, passing
through Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa
Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.
Details of this trip can be found in my trip summary.
I got layed off from SGI in the end of July, 2000,
and I spent six months at home in San Francisco prior
to my Latin American trip. During this time, I spent
much of my time with my then-girlfriend, Jen, as we
prepared for what was to be a joint 'round-the-world'
trip. I joined her in Paris for a short trip in
November, but unfortunately, shortly after returning,
we decided to break up. After
that, I wasn't really in the mood for anything. I
postponed everything, including even thinking about a
trip. I spend a quiet couple of months spending time
with family and friends, and working on my photography.
Once the new year rolled around, I was ready to start
thinking about a solo trip. January was dedicated to
preparations, and I eventually left February 17th.
Are you working?
No. Thankfully, I was layed off from SGI in the end of July, 2000.
It was exactly what I needed, providing me five months
of severance pay so I could finance a much needed
break. I will be looking for a job once I return from
my travels.
Do you want to work for
my internet startup?
Absolutely! Just not yet. Sometime next year, I
will be looking for a job that will make me rich and
allow me to pay off my debts and go traveling again.
Just don't go public while I'm gone :^)
How do I keep in
contact with you?
The short answer is: email. Check out the
details.
About The Trip
What is your itinerary?
The plan is four months bicycling in Latin America, a
month traveling by train in Europe, two to three months
in Africa, then approximately six months motorcycling
from the Middle East to South East Asia. The plan is,
of course, subject to change on a nearly daily basis.
Check out my trip
plans for details.
How long will you be gone?
My original plan was to travel for one year.
However, seeing as I've spent a good part of a year in
San Francisco, my total time off will be closer to two
years. My first travel leg was four months, and I
expect to be gone approximately nine months during my
Europe, Africa, and Asia legs.
What are you doing with your
apartment?
Luckily, thanks to my accomodating
roommates, I get to return to my lovely abode. Karen will
be using my room as an office, and Cassidy will be using
it as a computer room until my return.
What are you doing with
your stuff?
I've donated, recycled, lent out, and
tossed a bunch of things. Everything else is being stored
in boxes in my apartment or at friends' places.
Who are you traveling
with?
I'm traveling alone. This trip is a
personal journey for me, and is something I want to do
solo. I may meet up with folks here and there, but
I'm not making any definite plans. I want things to be
as open-ended as possible.
Why are you doing this?
Ever since my first big trip in '95, travel has been
very important to me. Nothing else provides such great
perspective on life. On my list of goals for my life has
been "Take a year off for travel." Getting layed off
gave me the final push I needed. This trip will give me
time and space to figure out who I am when I'm not
caught up in the San Francisco Bay Area technology,
wealth, and status race.
What are you doing on your travels?
A major theme for all of my travels is
photography. I have been getting more and more serious
about travel photography over the years, and during
this trip, photography will be playing an even greater
roll than ever. I am carrying about 20 pounds of
camera gear! During my first leg alone, I've shot
about 2500 slides. By the time I'm done, I'll probably
have taken upwards of 7500 slides, not counting the
digital shots I take for this site.
Writing travel stories is also a major theme.
I have always enjoyed sharing my stories, and this time, I can
share them as they happen, via this website.
Finally, I really enjoy getting off the beaten path,
and traveling by bike, bus, motorcycle, and train will
certainly create a travel experience of a lifetime.
How can you afford to
travel so much?
Traveling is actually very cheap. I am sticking
to cheap, developing countries. I love to travel
adventurously, and that means cheaply. I'd much rather
spend $1 on a room which doesn't have much more than
a cot and a ceiling fan, than stay at the Hilton for
$100. Also, since I have a lot of time,
I can afford to travel more over land, which is cheaper. I spend more money staying in San Francisco then I do
on the road.
Are you crazy?
Quite possibly, yes.
About This Site
Why do you have a website?
I wanted to be able to keep in contact with my friends while
I'm gone. Traveling alone is a great experience, but I don't
want to feel alone all the time. Also, I love storytelling
and sharing my travels, and being able to post my
stories as I go is a great way to do it.
Who is hosting it?
The site is generously hosted by Argus
Lounge, a cool new drinking establishment in Bernal Heights,
San Francisco. If you are in the area, be sure to check it
out! The bar is owned by my friends Spence and Amy.
How are you keeping it up to
date?
I am carrying a digital camera with me to provide the
pictures, and I am relying on internet cafes for web access.
I will use ftp to upload new content to the server. I also
am bringing a Pocketmail®
device so that I can send more frequent email updates.
Are you bringing a laptop?
No. I gave it serious thought, but decided that I would
rather use the weight for camera gear. I also didn't want
something else expensive that could get broken or stolen.
Also, I think keeping away from computers for a while will
do me good.
Who did the graphic design?
The graphics for this site were done by my sister, Jennie.
Where did you get all the
interactive pages?
Most of the interactive content was provided by Bravenet,
a site with free tools for webmasters. The hit counter is
provided by hitometer.
Why AdventureProne?
A while back I was telling a friend a story about some
adventure or another, and she said, "You know, you're
very adventure-prone." It was one of the nicest compliments
I've received, and it perfectly sums up my philosophy in life:
Life is an adventure. If you leave yourself open to the possibilities,
anything can happen!
Submit your own question
If you have a question of your own, submit
it here.
last updated 28-sep-00
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