THOUGHTS (AND ONE WISH) ON MY BIRTHDAY

Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 35. I celebrated by having 1920s Gatsby-themed party, as I love the ’20s. The jazz, fashion, speakeasies, and literature — I wish I could go back in time and experience it! (And yes, I do love Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris!) Normally, the thing to do when you turn any age and have a blog is to write a post like “35 Things I Learned in 35 Years” and impart some wisdom to the world. I’m not going to do that. I think the only people who should give life lessons are old people. They lived an entire life. They have lessons to give. But I’m 35. It’s not my place to impart life advice to people. I’m still trying to figure life out! Travel advice? Business advice? Blogging advice? Sure. I can do all that. Those are things I’ve learned. Been there and done that. But life advice? No way. Thirty-five years on this planet has taught me that I know nothing (much like Jon Snow!), for, as John Archibald Wheeler said, “As the island of our knowledge grows, so do the shores of our ignorance.” As I’ve started to read books, take courses, and listen podcasts, I’ve come to realize the best way for me to live is to never stop learning and improving. To wake up each day and be a better version of yourself is what life is about. Even if it means taking baby steps, like putting the dishes away instead of leaving them out or making my bed each morning. From many tiny things come big things. I’m horrible at creating – and maintaining – positive habits and sticking to goals. I set out to do things and I constantly get sidetracked. I pull myself in a dozen directions. About three years ago, I wrote a list of the 19 things I wanted to do before I turned 35. I only managed to do six of them. But, while I kick myself for not striking more off that list, I have no regrets. I did what I did. There’s no reason to punish myself or question my actions. You make your decision the best you can. It’s about progress, not perfection. And, as I turn 35, that’s all I can realize I can hope for — that today, I’ll make smarter, wiser decisions, reach more of my goals, and that it will be a little better than the last. **** I am going to end this post with one birthday request. As you know, I started a non-profit called FLYTE that helps students take educational trips overseas. We are currently fundraising to send a group of high school kids in Washington D.C., to Cuba on an educational field trip. We’re currently trying to raise $35,000 and are over 50% of the way there. If you want to make me the happiest 35-year-old in the world, help make this fundraiser a success. We’re so close to our goal, and it would mean a ton if you could find a way — any way — to help support this organization! Even a donation of $1 helps us get closer. You can find out more about the program and donate at this link: https://www.crowdrise.com/pencils-to-planes-flyte-summer-2016-abroad-program Thank you for any support and helping make this happen!! P.S. – Thank you all for following my adventures and making the last year one of the best. It was amazing meeting so many of you on the road, in hostels, at the meet-ups, book events, random bars, and Starbucks around the world! I especially appreciate the support over the last few months as I dealt with some personal issues and unease. Your comforting emails and letters of encouragement really meant a lot. Thank you for everything. Want to share your tips and advice? Got questions? Visit the community forum to ask questions, get answers, meet people, and share your tips!

HOW TO CRUSH IT ON COUCHSURFING

Couchsurfing is one of the oldest sharing-economy travel websites out there. It (and sites like it, such as BeWelcome, Servas, Hospitality Club, and GlobalFreeloaders) is one of the best ways to connect with locals, get off the main tourist travel path, make new friends — and save money by getting free accommodation. All of these websites were started by people searching for a way to get out of the hotel/hostel paradigm, connect with locals, and get to know a place deeper. I’ve been using Couchsurfing since I started traveling in 2006. My first host was a woman in Athens who let me stay for two nights. My second host was a guy who let me stay in his guesthouse (with a pool!) in Australia for as long as I wanted. (After coming off eight months of backpacking in Southeast Asia, it was much-needed luxury!) I’ve been taken on tours of cities and to rock shows, college parties, and even a family’s Sunday dinner. Couchsurfing has opened up a world of amazing people to me while helping bring down on the biggest costs in travel. So it should be no surprise that the service is very popular with travelers — and hosts get inundated with requests! In fact, I hear from a lot of people who say they never get a response when they apply for stays. For example, a traveler staying at my hostel recently commented that he had a zero response rate from hosts when looking for a place to stay in Austin. A friend who was with me said she always replies to people and openly wondered what his emails said. Maybe the issue was how he approached hosts. If you’re sending out dozens of requests and not one host writes back — even to say no — then something is wrong with your approach. Hosts can usually smell the travelers who just want to use them for a free place to stay a mile away (a lesson I learned the hard way early on). So how do you succeed at Couchsurfing? How do you find people who will say agree to host you but won’t be total creeps? Show that you want to be involved in the community. That you care. That you took the time to fill out your profile in detail and aren’t just using this as a way to avoid paying $30 for a dorm bed. To that end, some tips follow: Always have multiple (and current) profile pictures This just shows me, as a potential host, that you’re a real person. Have pictures of you with your friends, from your travels, and having fun. I can see you took time to put the photos up. It shows you care and you have a social life. Moreover, make sure they match your age. If your profile says you are 30 and your photos look like they were taken ten years ago, that’s a bit weird. Keep them updated. I am constantly adding photos from my travels. I currently have five uploaded. I don’t think there is any magic number to this but the more the better. Have recommendations and reviews Both hosts and travelers can accrue recommendations from other hosts, friends, and guests. As always, the more positive reviews, the better. If you see that other people have stayed with the host and had a fun and safe experience, you probably will too. You might not get along with the host in the end, but at least you know they aren’t a creep or will steal your stuff. The same works for you, the potential guest. Hosts want to see that you aren’t a creep too! However, if you are new to the service don’t have any reviews, ask your friends who use the service to write you a review and describe you as a friend. I accept a lot of people as guests because, while they are new to the service, they have positive reviews from people they know (who also have positive reviews), from other people they’ve met traveling, or from Couchsurfng meet-ups. Attend meet-ups couchsuring people nomadic matt One way to start the process of getting the social proof required to succeed at Couchsurfing is to attend meet-ups and local events. After all, Couchsurfng is more than just staying with people. It’s about being part of a community. Each city has lots of activities, groups, and events that you can attend, even if you aren’t staying with someone. Meet people — whether as a local or a traveler — and get to know them. Go places. Hang out. Get reviews from people. Not all your reviews need to come from people who have stayed with you! Plus, this is a great way to make new friends who like to travel! Be a host first One way to earn reviews is to host people first. Being a host isn’t always about having people stay with you either. Sometimes it’s just being a tour guide. I’ve had amazing hosts who just showed me their town — from the girl in the Ukraine who brought me to a university party, to the guy in Oxford who took me rowing, to the friends in Munich who took me an amazing rock concert. So, if you don’t want to have people in your home, offer to take people out and show them around your city. If people have spent time with you — even if they haven’t stayed at your place — you’ll increase the likelihood people will consent to have you at their house! Fill out your profile in detail If you’ve taken the time to fill out your profile, it probably means you are serious about this site. It will give people a chance to learn what kind of person you are instead of guessing based on the one email you wrote them and that ten-year-old photo you quickly put up. Profiles with thought and detail get a lot more responses. I want to know about the stranger I am going to have in my home, and your complete profile lets me do that. Get verified Couchsurfing offers different levels of verification. Members can be verified by other travelers, with a mailing address, or with a credit card. Knowing that a person has been verified reduces the likelihood that they are going to be a crazy psycho killer. However, if someone isn’t verified but has a lot of reviews, that’s OK with me as a host. Verification isn’t a must, but it does help! (Note: I haven’t gotten verified yet myself!) Write a captivating and personal email couchsuring people nomadic matt Write a personalized email about why you want to stay with someone. Talk about what you liked about their profile, why you would be a good fit, your habits, what you want to get out of it, and even what you can offer the host. Be interesting and be personal. The reason most people fail at Couchsurfing is that they send out boring, generic, cut-and-pasted emails. Here is an example of that: Hi Matt, I’m coming to Austin next week for 3 days. Can I stay with you? Sam I would ignore or respond no to that email. It doesn’t tell me anything about the person. I have to do the extra work to go to the person’s page, click around, and figure out on my own if this person is normal or not. A much better email is would be: Hi Matt, How are you? I’m coming to Austin next week for three days and saw your host page. Like you, I’m also a big fan of Game of Thrones, whiskey, and Thai food. It would be awesome to have a host who could show me those things around Austin. I’ve heard lots of wonderful things about the city and am looking to get outdoors and explore. I also love to cook and would like to cook you a meal from my country, France! I’m quiet, clean, and won’t be in your way if you need to work or something. – Sam That’s the kind of email would get a response from me! Moreover, Benny Lewis of Fluent in 3 Months, who has hosted over 2,000 couchsurfers, offers this advice: Think of what you can do for that host. People tend to be very self-centered in their emails and say how amazing a person they are, which would make me roll my eyes a lot. But the odd email would be from someone who picked up on something on my profile, such as a language I’d like to learn, and saying that in exchange for the couch, he can teach me some of that language. That would pique my interest and get me to host them more! When there is a sense that someone deserves to be hosted, forgetting that I’m giving them the roof and local tours, etc., free of charge, it’s a breath of fresh air when someone says that if I take him to a local club, he’ll teach me hip-hop dance moves. Don’t be self-centered. It’s obvious you are looking for a free place to stay but you have to go beyond that. Let hosts know what you can do for them and why it’s going to be a fun experience. Send out multiple emails Part of Couchsurfing is playing the numbers game. It’s just a fact of the system. If you email just one or two people, especially in a city with few hosts, it’s doubtful you’ll find much success. Email as many hosts as possible to maximize your chances. Saying “sorry, I’ve found another host” is not going to cause any bad blood, and most hosts recognize you are mailing multiple people. I don’t email potential hosts who haven’t been active on the site within 30 days because it’s less likely they will respond to you. **** Most people fail at Couchsurfing because they use it as a way to just get a free place to stay. They put little effort into it. While it is a wonderful site to find free accommodation and save a lot of money, no one wants to feel used. Couchsurfing is an attitude, a way of thinking, a community. Not all hosts want to interact with their guests, but even those who want minimal contact still want to meet and talk to interesting people. If they didn’t, they would use Airbnb instead. To be a Couchsurfing “boss,” you have to come in with a positive attitude and a desire to be part of the local community. And always remember to be a good guest — be respectful, be clean, be tidy, and follow any “house” rules set by the hosts. Want to share your tips and advice? Got questions? Visit the community forum to ask questions, get answers, meet people, and share your tips!

African Safari: The Ultimate Serengeti Group Safari - 8 Days

SPECIAL PRICE ALERT - SAVE $400: This trip is being offered at $3,999 for the first 8 people, then will go back to the normal group price of $4,399 per person. Book your space before these specially priced spaces are sold out! Considered by many to be one of life’s great adventures, an African safari through the world famous national parks of Tanzania is a trip that simply can’t be missed. On this exciting locally guided group adventure, you will join other like-minded adventure travelers and together experience plenty of opportunities for big game viewing and to take in the vast and incredible natural attractions of Tanzania. Hunt down Africa’s big five with a loaded camera and come home with memories that will last a lifetime. Here you will find the highest concentration of big game animals in the world, including elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards, and water buffalos (the big five), as well as countless giraffe, cheetahs, zebras, wildebeests, hyenas, jackals, antelope, ostridges, warthogs, and so many more. Whether it’s the beauty of nature that you seek, the amazing culture that lives in harmony with this great land, new travel friends, or simply the vast variety of animals that roam the plains, this is the "once in a lifetime" Ultimate African safari of your dreams. This is Africa at its truest and most magnificent. Have you ever wanted to Trek to the Summit of Mt Kilimanjaro? Then why not join the group the week before the safari. See all the details here: Kilimanjaro Trek: Marangu Route Group Trek - 7 Days