13 signs you are a nomad

Beach Bike

Most of us enjoy taking holidays away from home, but very few are comfortable at being continuously or often on the move. This is a particular lifestyle which involves certain sacrifices but begets extraordinary rewards. Here are the signs that you are a born traveller:

1. You love airports. You love going to the airport, train station or even the bus terminal for any reason. Maybe you are going somewhere or just dropping off your mom or brother. Periodically, you will simply spend an afternoon soaking in the hustle and bustle of travelers rushing to their respective gates, all in the hopes that it was you who was leaving.

2. You like being on the move. When going about your life, arriving kind a sucks. What you crave is the movement; you enjoy the movement of the bus, subway train or car as it travels through the streets of your city. But arriving a your destination gives a tiny sense of sadness.

3. You have few possessions. Real travelers don’t accumulate things. Instead, they focus on objects which further their careers or expends their inner selfs. You find yourself borrowing things often. You don’t see this as being cheap, but rather as frugal. Things are meant to be used, and should be so by as many people possible. For example; if they want to read a certain book, you will get it at the library, borrow it from a friend or get a kindle version. Hardcore travelers are the opposite of hoarders.

4. Your different. A life where you have a steady job, house in the burbs and a car or 2 in the garage is strange behavior to you.

5. Your jobs are short. You have or always seek short time or temporary work. Most likely, you are your own boss and work as a freelancer or contractor. Even computer engineers, technicians and health care providers can work on an independent basis today. One of my friends is a computer geek who takes on 3 to 6 month very well paid work during which he lives like a monk. He then travels for up to a year after wards. Many travelers make excellent businessmen or women as the two require similar traits of character.

6. You love culture. You are always reading and viewing documentaries about far away tribes or recently discovered archeological sites. You’re fascinated with different cultural practices which make up the human experience such as clothing and food.

7. You love languages. You’re planning or are currently learning a new language.

8. Your home is with you at all time. You know deep down that home is not a place but a feeling. It is where ever you are at this moment.

9. You prefer quality over quantity. All your purchases focus on quality. In your mind, going places means being light; this means that that jacket or sleeping bag must go a long way because you have only one.

10. You’re accepting of others and are easy going. Traveling means experiencing different people and cultures then your own. This also means that human behaviour and daily practices will differ from yours. For most short time vacationers, this is relatively easy and even fun. But a lifetime of experience something different is challenging. Not everyone can handle this for 2 or 3 years or even just 3 months.

11. You’re adventurous. You like to try new things, meet new people and learn new things. You are looking for new things, different things to do.

12. You’re curious. You love to inquire and ask questions. You have a strong desire to know. What’s at the end of road, behind this wall or what does Kimchi tastes like; the discovery is pure pleasure.

13. You’re courageous. You might at times be afraid but you don’t let that stop you as you plunge onwards. Wether it is downhill skiing in the Rockies or the Alps, biking through traffic in New York, applying for a dream job or striking a conversation with that cute stranger, you’re doing it.

THE WINNERS OF THE 5TH ANNUAL ADVENTURE CYCLING ASSOCIATION PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST WINNERS

Early spring riding in Alaska’s rugged Chugach Mountains on a fat bike uncover the “alien icescapes of Knik Glacier” east of Anchorage. Second place winner by Anna Edmonds.

2_Anna_Edmonds_1 The complete list of the 5th Annual Photo Contest Winners | Adventure Cycling Association.

It’s biking time Mr. Griffin

Bangkok traffic. The best and quickest way to get around? That’s right: a bicycle

 

Times are changing and some of the old guard just can’t take it. Furthermore, in this day and age of social media revolution and of instant viral communication, you better watch what you say, as well as to how.

The uproar caused by an article (see the article below) written by founder and chairman of the Addison Lee taxi company in the UK, John Griffin, in the April issue of AddLib magazine is not surprising for most individuals who live in 2012 and not in 1962. Fifty years ago, a litre of petrol cost only pennies; we never gave much thought about environmental issues; people drove without a seatbelt-one hand on the wheel-a cigarette in the other one-and a beer between their legs. This was the time of the Griffins. It was their road no matter what.

The short article written by John Griffin, the founder and chairman of the Addison Lee taxi company in London, in the April 2012 issue of AddLib magazine.

 

What ultimately disturbs me in Mr. Griffin’s article is not the content… It’s the tone. It has entitlement written all over it. Don’t get me wrong; I believe cyclists should be held responsible when breaking the law and should do all the proper moves in order to protect themselves such as wearing a helmet. Where Griffin’s words turn sour, or rather venomous, is in the very last sentence: “You want to join our gang, get trained and pay up”. Excuse me? “gang”? Do you mean to say that roads are controlled by you and your cronies? Aren’t you aware that roads belong to everybody…? And the term “pay up” is in reference to what exactly? Pay for roads? Guess what Mr. Griffin…? Everyone in the UK already pays taxes for that. As Kaya Burgess writes in The Times:road tax was abolished in 1937. Car drivers pay Vehicle Excise Duty, which is linked to emissions and therefore not applicable to cyclists”. Furthermore, cycling create zero pollutants… That’s right: one big fat bike wheel my friend.

Seriously now, the popularity of biking is growing by leaps and bounds! And this, all over the world. Everywhere I go, bike shops are buzzing with activity… In Thailand, teen boys are choosing fixies over the traditional motorbikes. In Paris, the Bixi system is now completely integrated in the urban fabrik of the city. America is seeing a huge increase in bike races. In my home cities of Ottawa and Montreal, biking is no longer a trend… It’s a frenzy!

Mr. Griffin, you and your “gang” are loosing this battle… This is the time of biking.

Biking Down Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai

I lived in the wonderful Thai city of Chiang Mai for three years. Immediately west of the city rises the infamous Doi Suthep, a small mountain which peaks at 1800 home to the stunning Lana style Boudhist temple of Suthep.

During my last stay in the city in January 2012, I filmed the decent of Doi Suthep from my perspective. The video is shaky at time as my Cannondale Badboy is completely rigid.

Stefan