Time for another installment of World Travellers as we catch up with Dan and Alissa from This World Rocks! From Vanuatu through China and India, these guys are now in Africa and heading to the World Cup in Brazil like myself!
World Travellers: Dan and Alissa from This World Rocks in Vanuatu.
Who are you?
We are Dan and Alissa, a married couple from the United States traveling the world during an indefinite career break.
Where are you from?
Wisconsin
Where have you been?
We’ve been to 28 countries so far. Most recently we finished a 6-month tour of Oceania and Southeast Asia.
World Travellers – This World Rocks in Jamaica!
Where are you now?
We are currently in Nairobi, Kenya preparing for a two-month overland trip to Cape Town.
World Travellers: Dan and Alissa in Myanmar.
What are the top 3 places you’ve visited?
1. El Nido, Philippines
2. Amsterdam, Netherlands
3. Ubud, Bali
What is the best travel experience you’ve had?
We spent a week on a remote Pacific island in Vanuatu called Ambrym. The island only has a few villages, no electricity and no running water. We really learned a lot from the villagers we stayed with, and spent one of the days trekking to the island’s active volcano. If a person ever needs to feel fortunate about their life, going to this island and drinking rain water for a week should do it!
World Travellers: Dan and Alissa from This world rocks chill out in Bagan.
What is the worst travel experience you’ve had?
Alissa got bit by a dog in rural China. We had to take a bus to the nearest town to find a clinic that offered a rabies shot. The town was not a touristy town, and no one spoke English. We had to resort to only using Google Translate on the clinic’s computer. We laugh about it now, but at the time it was anything but fun.
What is the funniest travel experience you’ve had?
It is a tie between Dan getting shit on by a bird in Myanmar and Dan stepping in human shit in India. (Jonny – all a bit $hit then LOL)
What is the scariest travel experience you’ve had?
During a routine train stop in Myanmar, we randomly witnessed a prisoner transfer of about 50 men. We weren’t necessarily scared for our own safety, but looking at those prisoners, we have never seen humans more afraid in our entire life. There was a guard with an automatic weapon for every two prisoners and prisoners were not allowed to look up.
World Travellers: Dan and Alissa from This World Rocks!
What is the most random job you have had on your travels?
A couple of week ago, we took a one-day gig as vegetable carving models in India! http://www.thisworldrocks.com/destinations/asia/india/got-new-job-vegetable-carving-models/
How do you fund your travels?
We run a web design and search engine marketing business from the road as well as sell advertising on our blog.
What 3 tips would you give a new traveller before they set off on their adventure?
1. Take half the clothes you think you will need. We gave away a lot of clothes within the first couple of weeks. You can always buy new shirts if the few you bring wear out.
2. Download podcast apps on your devices. We discovered podcasts as our favorite way to pass time on buses/planes/trains/etc. Reading and watching movies is good for a while, but when you are on a windy mountain road or bumpy train, starting at a screen or book is a great way to feel sick. Podcasts allow you to listen to something entertaining but more interesting than music, plus it allows you to learn amazing things. AND, you can still look out the window at whatever amazing country you are in instead of staring down at a screen, ignoring the surroundings.
3. Don’t book an entire week or more of accommodation before arriving in a new city. Just book 1-3 nights and then use those nights to decide what you want to do with your remaining time there. We have always found our favorite accommodations this way and avoiding pre-paying for a hotel or city we end up not liking.
What are your future travel plans?
After Africa we’re doing a rail-pass trip in Eastern Europe before heading to Brazil in June for the World Cup.
Biography
We are a couple in our 20s from Wisconsin who now call Minneapolis home. We’ve been married since 2009, and traveling together for even longer. We both love traveling to experience new things, find adventures, explore new cities, and meet interesting people. We both quit our full-time jobs in January of 2013 to travel exclusively.
Links
http://www.thisworldrocks.com
http://www.facebook.com/ThisWorldRocks
http://www.twitter.com/ThisWorldRocks
http://www.youtube.com/thisworldrockstravel
Thanks to Dan and Alissa for being the latest in my series of World Travellers! If you travel the world and run a travel blog or are a travel writer, please get in touch, you can be featured (there’s a HUGE waiting list at present), either e-mail jonny (at) dontstopliving (dot) net or head to my contacts page and get connected! You can also subscribe to Don’t Stop Living by filling in the form below! Safe travels!