I am hoping I make it in under the wire as I was, well, traveling.
In summary, I gave up working on Wall Street four years ago to travel full time. It is my life. The last four years has been a diverse mix of travel, including the physical: pedaling a bicycle from New York to Los Angeles…and back, hiking the Appalachian Trail (with a 7.5 pound baseweight backpack), kayaking from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, as well as several years on the road, visiting 40 something countries on this most recent stint.
The unique combination of skills garnered in my past life in finance as well as the lessons learned in my four years of continuous travel put me on the right track to take the cake for Flyertalk. Schwarzwalder Kirschetorte preferably.
I am able to quickly evaluate situations to choose the optimal solution. I used to get paid to do it. I know that impossible simply means difficult and a no can be turned to a resounding yes using only a big smile, casual jocularity and a level of persistence that is unparalleled. I have a rare blend of innovation and resourcefulness that is infused with dry or sarcastic humor, which at the very least bestows upon me the benefit of the doubt.
While the Competitours website mentioned that there won’t be any extreme physical challenges, the physical challenges I have undertaken in my recent past have graced me with many lessons learned and a broad skill set to tackle logistics, handle adversity and solve the miscellaneous surprises of spontaneous travel; especially as someone who at times first turns up at the airport and then decides where to go.
I have lived in Germany & France, speak the languages and have a network of contacts across Europe, though I feel it will be less important in the competition than my inquisitiveness, patience and teamwork. In my estimation, another major factor in the competition will be the people. Connecting with the local population on a meaningful level is a skill I honed as I began compiling the outline for my first travel book.
As far as technology is concerned, I have experience in sending real time dispatches from remote locations to apprise my blog readers of the happenings in my travel. The most recent kayak trip also involved shooting over 40 hours of video footage, some in front of the camera and some behind. It isn’t the first time this cowboy has been to the rodeo.
In speaking with Steve from Competitours (you have to use all available resources), I learned that this first trip in March is the trial run. I will take the necessary steps to make it a successful endeavor for Flyertalk, while providing Steve with feedback about his product.
In short, my comfort zone is being out of the comfort zone. It would be a great opportunity to stretch my legs and use my passport for something other than crossing the Canadian border in a kayak. Most importantly though I won’t forget to take the time to smell the proverbial roses as this is, after all, vacation.