For 16 months, Michael Hodson from Go, See, Write traveled through 44 countries and covered 6 continents – all without getting on an airplane. Read on to hear about some of the more unusual modes of transportation he used and what traveling the world by land and sea was really like.

Jazz Hostels: You traveled for 16 months, visited 44 countries and 6 continents without ever getting on an airplane. What modes of transportation did you use?

Michael: I have a tattoo on my back that goes over most of them. Here’s a pretty full list: cargo freighters, buses, trains, taxis, rental cars, donkey, sailboat, tuk-tuk, motorcycle, and lorry/truck. Off the top of my head, those are the ones I can think of.

Jazz Hostels: What was the wackiest form of transportation you used on this trip?

Michael: Riding on top of a lorry/truck was probably the oddest. In northern Kenya, there is no public mode of transport, so to get to the Ethiopian border, I had to get a ride on one of the cargo trucks driving that route. Since it was so dusty while the truck was moving, all of us passengers rode up on the metal framework on top of the truck. It was quite an odd two days, to say the least.
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Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll of UncorneredMarket.com have been on the road for more than 1510 days, have taken more than 41,966,479 footsteps and have visited 65 countries. Life, to them, is about experience and there is no cornered market on experiencing life. Audrey shared with us how they’ve been managing their journey.

Jazz Hostels: At the time of this interview, you have been on the road for 1510 days. When you set out of this journey, did you plan to on the road for so long?

Uncornered Market: No, not at all. We figured we could travel around the world in 12-18 months and had saved some money to do so. Once we got on the road, two things happened – 1) we realized how exploration takes time and we wanted to go slow and 2) we picked up some freelance work that allowed us to extend the life of the journey.
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In 1999, Earl Baron of WanderingEarl.com left for a three month trip to Southeast Asia. Three days into it, the travel bug bit and he found himself unable to even think about going home. 11 years and 67 countries later, Earl is still wandering the globe. He recently talked to us about his nomadic lifestyle, the three items that will always be in his backpack and offers advice to anyone looking to become a fellow wanderer.

Jazz Hostels: Your travels began with a planned 3 month trip to Southeast Asia and have turned in an 11 year journey that you are still on. What made you want to continue traveling?

Earl: Prior to that first trip, I had really never been exposed to much of the world outside of the USA. And as soon as I landed in Thailand, I discovered that there was so much interesting knowledge for me to soak up. It seemed that every day I was traveling, I was learning more about life and about myself than I ever thought possible. As a result, I became addicted to that first-hand education that travel provides and I suddenly couldn’t imagine a life that did not involve such life-changing experiences.
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Ayngelina left everything she knew behind and took a chance on her dream of traveling the world. She writes about her journeys on her travel blog BaconIsMagic.ca. We asked her some questions about everything from her blog’s unique name to how she made her dreams come true.

Jazz Hostels: Bacon is Magic is a very unique name for a travel blog. How did you come up with it?

Ayngelina: Before traveling many people knew of my love for pork products. I cook quite a bit and they would laugh that my vegetarian minestrone had sausage in it or that my roasted tomato sauce secret was pancetta. Other than the cultures that don’t eat pork for religious reasons almost all others feature pork prominently in their cuisine.

In that sense many of us were united by a love of pork, because we know it makes everything taste better – bacon is magic.
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New York native Andrew Hickey of TheBrooklynNomad.com talks to us about where to find the best food and bars in New York City as well as how to visit The Big Apple on a budget.

Jazz Hostels: You write a lot about food on your blog. What are your top three favorite inexpensive restaurants in NYC?

Andrew: Being that it is New York City, my top three often times changes. But right now I would have to go with Mandoo Bar in Koreatown on West 32nd street between 5th and Broadway (amazing freshly made dumplings and noodles), Tina’s Cuban Cuisine on Madison Avenue between 33th and 34th street ($1 beef empanadas), and Halal Gyro & Chicken Cart across the street from Radio City Music Hall (Note: Halal Cart is only open 7:30pm-4am, during the day another licensed food cart works the same location.)
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Saving money for long or even short term travel can be a daunting task. We interviewed Stephanie from Twenty-SomethingTravel.com to learn how she saved over $20,000 in two years to take a year off and travel around the world.

Jazz Hostels: You saved up over $20,000 to take a year off and travel. Could you offer a few tips on how to save money for a long overseas trip?

Stephanie: At first that goal seemed really daunting, but I think the key is to keep yourself motivated. I was constantly reminding myself of my end goal, with pictures and by being involved in the travel community, and that made it feel like I was saving for something real and not an abstract someday.
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Jazz Hostels is proud to be a sponsor of the Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX) 2010 in New York City!

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