We can learn so much from our travel idols. While Globerovers Magazine is waiting to interview Michael Palin and Simon Reeve, we will interview a few more modern day Marco Polo’s.
Linda Ballou is Alaskan born but currently residing in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles, California. Linda is the author of "Lost Angel Walkabout ~ One Traveler’s Tales" as well as "Wai-nani - A Voice from Old Hawai'i" and "The Cowgirl Jumped Over the Moon". She loves to explore and write about her adventure treks along off-the-beaten paths. She claims that her connection with Mother Earth began during her teenage years in southeastern Alaska where she enjoyed many lonely walks along the misty shores which allowed her tumultuous adolescent thoughts to settle. Linda is a big fan of Alaska, Hawaii, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and other adventure destinations. Do check out her books at lindaballouauthor.com. [MORE...]
Globerovers Magazine is in conversation with super travellers Rudi and Jean Nägele of Germany. Rudi has visited all 193 UN countries plus the Vatican, Taiwan and Palestine, while Jean is still short of Cuba, and the elusive Libya. [MORE...]
Oslo based Fabio Buonsanti, from Matera in the Basilicata region of southern Italy, talks about his recent trip through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. While at times he had a nerve wrecking time, our Italian friend survived the ordeal and in the process became a true travel idol of Globerovers Magazine. Watch this space as we follow this incredible man in his travels around the world! [MORE...]
[Editor’s note]: I haven't yet met Shane, but from his website (www.thetravelcamel.com) it is obvious that he is one incredible intrepid traveller. Among the destinations he covered which most intrigued me are Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kurdistan, North Korea, Somaliland, Syria and Yemen. Go visit his online hangouts such his Facebook page, Google+ and his tweets (see the list at the end of this interview). With almost 100 countries visited and with 25 years of public speaking, invite Shane to speak or moderate discussions at travel exhibitions and fairs. Thanks to Shane for agreeing to this insightful interview which totally inspired me! [MORE...]
[Editor’s note]: I first met Christian and Yvonne at the Pamir Lodge, in the small Tajik town of Khorog. They were both exhausted after a long bicycle ride from Dushanbe, some 520 km to the northwest. I got dizzy when they told me they were cycling from Switzerland and were going to New Zealand (cycling by land where available!). My first thought was that these people are totally crazy - and I still think so. Cycling through Central Asia and China is not child's play! However, I take my hat off for them for what they have achieved! Wow, these travellers are totally incredibly amazing. After Khorog I bumped into them in the eastern Tajik town of Murghab. A few months later we met up in Bangkok where we enjoyed sumptuous Thai food while sharing our travel stories. Such an incredible couple! [MORE...]
[Editor's Note]: Masato grew up in Japan and with a keen interest in travel and languages (such as English and Russian) he combines his skills and interests to live where the Russian language is spoken and takes as many side-trips as possible to countries he has never visited. Masato recently survived living two years in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and currently is doing a 2-year stint in Moscow, Russia. His passion for travel, cultures, the arts, and meeting people has even inspired me to travel to new destinations! Masato was habitually enjoying raw fatty pork bacon on toast (treating it as sushi) until I told him that raw pork bacon really should be fried in a pan! [MORE...]
[Editor's Note]: I met Min Che Su in late September 2013 in the town of Kashgar, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in western China. I just returned from exploring Central Asia, while he just arrived in the region and was about to cross the border into Kyrgyzstan. I was sitting alone when a terribly sick Min Che asked if he could sit with me at the guesthouse restaurant. We shared travel stories and I then also swapped my Kyrgyzstani som (money) for his Chinese yuan. While he was waiting a week for the China border to re-open, we travelled together by train to Hotan, far south into the desert. Dubbed "Ninja" by our fellow traveller, Frenchman Jeremy, Ninja will likely travel to many far away places as long as he does not again drop his passport in a taxi! [MORE...]
[Editor's Note]: I met Thomas in August 2014 at the Lutheran Guesthouse in Goroka, Papua New Guinea. Together we attended the weekend Sing-Sing festival and then visited a village in a rural area outside of Goroka. Thomas is one of the happiest people I have come across, and he just loves mingling with the local people. He really sets an example of how a great foreign traveller should embrace the locals and their culture. Happy travels Thomas, and thanks for showing people in far away places just how nice and warm hearted some foreign travellers are! You are truly an inspiration to your fellow travellers! [MORE...]
[Editor's Note]: I met Masayuki in September 2013 in the small Tajik town of Khorog. We were both staying at the Pamir Lodge and were planning our route through the Pamirs and the Wakhan Valley. Together with a Japanese friend, Tetsuo, we hired a four-wheel-drive vehicle and driver and then set off to the east of Tajikistan. We travelled together over a few days from Khorog, through the Wakhan Valley along the Afghanistan border all the way to Sary Tash, Kyrgyzstan. At Sary Tash Masayuki went to China and I travelled north to Osh in western Kyrgyzstan. After China, Masayuki continued on to travel to far away places around the world. A year later and he is still on the road. He is such a friendly guy with a big smile. Great travel partner indeed! [MORE...]
[Editor's Note]: I met Fabio a few years ago on a "Spot the polar bear" expedition in Svalbard, in the very far north of Norway. Being so close to the North Pole, Svalbard is incredibly cold during winter, but we had a great time on the snowmobiles and dogsleds. At his current age of just 29, Fabio has been to an impressive list of 73 countries which includes amazing destinations such as Svalbard, Iceland and Iran, and he is keen to visit North Korea, and.... even New Zealand! A very energetic young man who is now living in Oslo, Norway! [MORE...]
