Posted: 8/17/17 | August 17th, 2017
There are some remarkable overland adventures around the world like the Mongol Rally and the Rickshaw Run. Overland travel is one of my favorite ways to travel. I believe the closer you get to the ground, the much more countryside you visit, the better to get to understand a place.
Sadly, I’ve never done a big overland rally but one of our community members has! Ric, another fellow Bostonian, has driven practically 7,000 miles in races and rallies across the globe. He’s an adventurous traveler, and in this interview, he shares his suggestions and insight to help anybody learn how to travel off-the-beaten-path!
Nomadic Matt: hello Ric! thanks for doing this! tell everyone about yourself.
Ric: I’m Ric from Boston. I am just a man who previously worked in the financial services industry after college. Now, I’m based in Bangkok for about half of the year. I go back to the us to visit for a couple of months, and then I am traveling and exploring for about four months a year.
Besides my blog, GlobalGaz, I am a podcaster at Counting Countries, where I interview people who have traveled to every country in the world (I’m wishing to accomplish that goal one day soon).
I co-lead Bangkok’s travel massive as well as organize a 2,500-person Meetup.com group. I delight in bringing together people who love to travel to share their passion.
I’ve also published three books: two on road rallies I participated in through India and the Caucasus region, and the third is a photo journal of when I slept over at Chernobyl (I am a bit obsessed with photography).
I have also produced two full-length travel documentaries, including hit the Road: Cambodia, and keynoted at the PATA adventure travel and responsible tourism Conference.
When not on the road I delight in hanging out with my wife and our new canine Khan Mak, a Pomeranian and Chihuahua mix.
It sounds like you’re on an epic quest! how did you get started traveling?
Getting fired was helpful! I was laid off from my job on three different occasions in five years. Each time I got laid off, I took the severance package and embarked on months-long international road trips. On the third trip, I realized I couldn’t go back to my former corporate life and needed to make my passion — traveling — my life.
Since then, every year I spend much more and much more time overseas — now typically 9-10 months per year. My goal is to visit 20 new countries this year.
What led you to embrace this nomadic lifestyle?
While I was making good money in the financial services, it was not a fulfilling career. I began to dread going into the office much more and more. I had volunteered a bunch of times in Armenia, Tanzania, and Thailand, and these experiences are what really drew me to living overseas.
In 2004, I volunteered in Yerevan, Armenia, at an orphanage. I am ethnically Armenian, so this was a great way to connect with my roots. I spent a lot of time bonding with the kids — who today are young adults — and have been back each year to visit them; from 2004 to 2010, I hosted a festival for the children at the orphanage. I also volunteered at an after-school group where the children learned about film, photography, and journalism.
In Thailand, I have been fortunate to be associated with The Mercy Centre in Bangkok. For the last three years, I’ve been a volunteer teacher for kindergarteners. the time spent working with others has made a big impact on me, and I find it to be very rewarding.
You’re trying to go to every country in the world. Can you tell us much more about that?
As I went to much more and much more countries, I chose that I wanted to visit every country in the world. According to the UN, there are 193 countries. I have been to 110 so far. As the list dwindles, the countries become much more challenging to visit, whether it is a challenging visa to get, a remote country, or simply harmful to visit.
I celebrated my 100th country last year in Iraq. Iraq is not your common holiday spot, but I found my trip to be both gratifying and educational. I was received with warmth and gracious hospitality by the local Iraqis. I spent an entire afternoon with an elderly gentleman who I met drinking tea. He escorted me around the local market, introduced me to his friends, and treated me to lunch.
I also have had some interesting experiences going to countries that “don’t exist” such as Transnistria, a country of 500,000 people located between Moldova and Ukraine. Transnistria is not recognized by the UN as a sovereign country; however, you need a Transnistrian visa to enter it. It has its own flag, currency, army, and government. It is a quirky place to visit if you get a chance.
What do your friends and family think about your constant travels? What did they think when you first started?
My father has always been supportive of my travels. In fact, he has joined me on some epic trips, such as traveling to the Galápagos Islands and Antarctica.
My friends are in some cases fascinated by my travel tales and will come to me for travel advice, and the much more adventurous ones will join me on a trip. I’ve also made an entirely new group of friends from around the world who are fellow travelers and travel bloggers. They are a great resource for support and advice.
What’s your top piece of guidance for new travelers?
Of course, the first piece of guidance is just to get out there. If you are apprehensive or not experienced, start out slowly. If you want to dip your toe in the water, start off with Western Europe.
If you want to take the next step, consider Thailand, Bulgaria, or Argentina (countries with good traveler infrastructure and very affordable).
As you get much more comfortable and experienced, spread your wings, and travel to much more off-the-beaten-path places.
To make your travel and life much more fulfilling, I would make two suggestions:
Volunteer – This is an effective way to become part of the community. You will be able to build genuine friendships with the locals and really learn about the culture and country you are visiting.
Join an adventure rally – Rallies allow you to get off the beaten path and see parts of the country that you would not typically visit. The rallies allow for real interactions with the locals.
Tell us much more about rally races. What are they and how did you get into them?
A “rally” is a challenging adventure, where participants travel from point A to point B within some sort of parameters (think remarkable Race). Some rallies specify what kind of transportation to take, such as a tuk-tuk.
Other rallies require participants to ride a cart led by oxen, ride a sailboat off the island of Zanzibar, or pilot a paramotor for 1,000 miles in the sky.
My first rally, known as “the Caucasian Challenge,” was 17 days, 11 countries, and 7,000 km and from Budapest to Yerevan. In 2010, two friends and I purchased a 1993 Jeep Cherokee in Budapest for $2,300 USD with 250,000 km already on it.
Our team, named “The Yerevan Express,” competed against 10 other teams. during our journey we got lost and ended up in Montenegro (a country not on the itinerary), and we witnessed the breathtaking mountains of northern Albania.
The rally ended when I literally abandoned my car between Georgia and Armenia and took a bus to the airport to leave the country.
Next was the “Rickshaw Challenge.” In 2012, I embarked on a 12-day, 2,000km sprint across India (during the monsoon season!) piloting an auto-rickshaw. India is amazing, but it can also be a bit overwhelming on the senses. This is especially true when attempting to navigate the country in a seven-horsepower (think a riding lawnmower) rickshaw.
During these 12 days, we were continuously running out of petrol, driving up to 14 hours a day, getting detained by the police, and eating too numerous samosas to count. Needless to say, crossing “the Rickshaw Challenge” finish line was rewarding.
After that came the “Cambo Challenge” in 2015, organized by large Minority (a company that organizes awesome rallies in Sri Lanka, the Amazon, Cambodia, and the Philippines). This was a 1,600km circular route through Cambodia over 12 days.
The rally took place on a Cambodian tuk-tuk (for anybody who has been in one, you’ll understand the struggle!). We navigated our way through the stunning temples of Angkor Wat, drove past floating villages, stayed with families in an ecovillage called Chambok, camped near temples, and swam in the Gulf of Thailand. “The Cambo Challege” was another great way to discover the realness of this typically overlooked country while also giving back with large Minority’s commitment to the local community (10% of their incomes support local projects).
I documented both “the Rickshaw Challenge” and “the Cambo Challenge” by producing a full-length, adventure travel documentary. My partners and film crew were my former students from Manana, the after-school group in Yerevan.
What guidance would you have people if they wanted to do this? What resources are out there?
Great question! had I not seen a captivating banner hanging in an Armenian café, I’d have never known myself. There are four primary companies that organize many of these rallies:
Large Minority
Travel Scientists
Dakar Challenge
The Adventurists
Some of these rallies offer practically no support, while others offer assistance and support (such as route planning, luggage support, or even an ambulance) as you race across the country. Some rallies last ten days (like the Lanka Challenge) while others can top two months (the longest is the Mongol Rally).
You have to fund these rallies yourself (or get a sponsor). Some rallies offer the vehicle, hotels, and support for an inclusive price (which can total a couple thousand dollars per team). other organizers require you to offer the car and practically everything else, and offer minimal support, for a smaller entry fee (several hundred dollars).
Other costs vary greatly, based on what type of accommodations you stay in, the food you eat, the cost of your airplane ticket, and of course, if you have to purchase a car for the rally.
You can participate in rallies around the globe. “The Ice Run” takes place in the Siberian Arctic for 12 days. You can participate in “the Monkey Run” in the Saharan Desert covering 1000km. “The Banjul Challenge” follows the coast of West Africa for three weeks. “The Philippines Challenge” places you in the crystal blue waters of the Philippines over nine days.
What’s been the most significant lesson you’ve learned so far?
I have learned so much from being on the road. but there are two lessons I always try to remember: perspective and the power of perception.
In my former corporate life, I would have spent several thousand dollars on a luxury watch, but not now. I’ve grown to value experiences and relationships much more than material possessions. travel certainly changes your perspective.
When it concerns the power of perception, I have one story that stands as a telling example. In 2004, I was chatting up a bartender in Moscow. After I informed him that I was from the US, he told me how much Russians hate Americans (I was a bit surprised, naively thinking the cold war was over!). He went on about how Europe and the us fabricated Serbia’s hostilities against its neighbors and used false facts to justify attacking Serbia (Russia’s ally).
When I discussed the mass graves of Muslims in Srebrenica, he told me that they didn’t exist and the West fabricated their existence. So my second lesson from the road is your truth is not the universal truth.
***
All of Ric’s adventures stemmed from his desire to break through the normal 9-5 and explore the world. He didn’t jump into adventure races and rallies on his first trip, he took one trip, then another, and built up his confidence on the road. Eventually, he began driving across the world!
Hopefully, this post will inspire you to think outside the box a bit and figure out ways to use your passion and skills to get out there, escape the cubicle, and see much more of this world.
Become the next Success Story
One of my favorite parts about this job is hearing people’s travel stories. They inspire me, but much more importantly, they also inspire you. I travel a certain way but there are numerous ways to travel the world. I hope these stories show you that there is much more than one way to travel and that it is within your grasp to reach your travel goals. here are much more examples of people who are traveling the world in a distinct (some may call it strange) way:
How Ryan Drove Overland from Seattle to South America
How Tomislav travels the world on $3,650 USD Per Year
How Arielle got Paid to travel on a Yacht
How will Adventurously travels on a budget of $20 USD a Day
How to travel the world on $50 a Day
My new York Times best-selling paperback guide to world travel will instruct you how to master the art of travel so that you’ll get off the beaten path, save money, and have a deeper travel experience. It’s your A to Z planning guide that the BBC called the “bible for budget travelers.”
Click here to learn much more and start reading it today!
Book Your Trip: Logistical suggestions and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches sites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the most affordable rates for guesthouses and hotels.
Don’t forget travel Insurance
Travel insurance will safeguard you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s extensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it numerous times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and valu