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The Face of Success

by Brian on March 1, 2012 in Travel

To us, Bill Clinton is what success looks like. Not because he’s a two-time former U.S. President who could have rested on his laurels after leaving office but instead parlayed his fame and energy into a charitable foundation that is doing tremendously good work around the world. His accomplishments certainly meet any conceivable definition of success. But our meaning is a bit more personal.

This past year Shannon has accomplished things that most freelance writers only dream about. She’s progressed to the point where editors have started approaching her with writing assignments, instead of her having to research, pitch and scrounge for every story. Financially, it was her second best year ever, notwithstanding the fact that most of her time is spent gallivanting around the world. But most impressively, she wrote the March-April 2012 cover story for Arrive Magazine (download the PDF version here) and got to interview our 42nd President for two separate publications (she also wrote a short piece on his most recent book for an industry newsletter called Shelf Awareness). It is a career highlight any journalist (and anyone really) would be proud of.

That she accomplished all of this while traveling full-time is a testament to her dedication and her excellent work. It is also a statement about the things you can make happen once you commit yourself to them.

We often get asked how people like us make money on the road. The short answer is through a lot of persistence, creativity, adaptability and good old fashioned hard work. For a longer answer, stay tuned for next week’s post, How to Create a Mobile Business.

The End of the Beginning

by Brian on February 29, 2012 in Travel

Something strange has happened to us recently. When we first set out on our trip, roughly two years ago, we’d answer the common question of “how long are you planning to RV?” by saying, “until we’re done.” Rather than being flip, that answer is as close to the truth as we could get. We simply didn’t know how long, we just figured we’d keep doing it until we didn’t want to do it any longer.

As we set out on this particular chapter, we never really tried to look over the horizon. We didn’t know where it would lead, and didn’t really care. We always knew at some point we’d have to start drafting a script for the next chapter, but we didn’t spend too much time thinking about it. That is until now.

ATM: Hell’s Tale of an Empire’s Fall

by Brian on February 27, 2012 in Belize, Central America, Travel

After an hour long drive and a forty minute hike we arrived at a place that might have been Eden. The entrance to Belize’s Actun Tunichil Muknal cave is submerged in a pool of water made ice blue by dissolved minerals. The morning sun flickered through the trees, illuminating the vibrant greens of the jungle trees and moss covered rocks. It was peaceful, lovely and alive.

Appearances are deceiving, though. This wasn’t the entrance to paradise. It was the opening to Xibalba (”shi-ball-bah”), the underworld of the ancient Mayan people. The story told here is not one of creation, but of sadness, desperation, and decline.

We went to Actun Tunichil Muknal to simply explore another cave system, the fifth of our recent travels. What we found instead was something unlike anything we’ve ever seen.

Mayan Mystery Solved

by Brian on February 24, 2012 in Belize, Central America, Travel

We’ve accomplished something scores of archeologists, with a lifetime of study, have failed to do. With a single visit to a single Mayan site, we’ve solved the enduring mystery of what caused the collapse of a once great civilization.

Over some 3,000 years of development, the Mayan people progressed into a populous and intellectually advanced society. At their peak, around 800 A.D., they had acquired an advanced understanding of mathematics, astronomy, agriculture and architecture. They built elaborate city states with magnificent palaces and soaring temples that supported a population of millions.

And then, sometime around the 8th century, this great society went into decline. Its city states were eventually abandoned; its population dispersed. The reasons for the collapse are still unexplained. That is until know.

Lessons Learned

by Brian on February 23, 2012 in Belize, Central America, Travel

This is the wake of our southwardly bound water taxi. Only we intended to head north. $25 and three hours out of our lives is the price we pay for not asking a simple question.

Lesson Learned: If the boat (or bus) is on time in Central America, it is probably not the ride you’re waiting for.