I’ve been doing this site for a while now and I realized that even after nearly 1,000 posts, there are a lot of things you all don’t know about me and LandLopers. So in an effort to try to share more and allow you to get to know me better, here are some random facts. If you have any questions, fire away
1. I just lost my job – I had originally written this post before losing my job, downsized out of my career so a little bit of editing was in order. I’m still not sure what I’m going to do yet, look for another job in the same field, look for a new job in a somewhat related field or try to make this website pay for itself. The jury is still out, so stay tuned!
2. 99.9% of the photos are mine – I didn’t think I needed to say this until I realized that a lot of bloggers use stock images. I was pretty surprised by this revelation, especially within the travel blogosphere. Photos are a major aspect of sharing travel experiences and without them I’d feel a bit lost. The only time I use photos that aren’t mine on LandLopers is: 1) guest posts (they use their own) 2) trip previews when I have no photos and 3) the very rare occurrence when I write about something for which I have no photos.
3. Worried that you’ll stop reading – I started this site because I have a voice but I had no way to unleash it. My job wasn’t creative, yet I have a creative soul. I don’t even remember the thought process involved with starting LandLopers, it’s as if it just happened over a long weekend. Since then I’ve been very lucky to engage with thousands of people, many of who come by the site every day. I can’t thank you all enough but just as I can’t explain why so many people visit every day, I’m worried that one-day people will stop reading. I know I shouldn’t care about such things, but I do and that’s why I work so hard – to create great content you all will love and to share my passion for the travel experience.
4. I am a closet geek – I’ve always been one, but in high school and college I tried hard to hide it. However, thanks to the Game of Thrones and other SciFi/Fantasy phenomena my geekiness has reemerged. I love Star Trek, Winterfell and anything that involves speculation about ancient aliens. There, I said it – now judge away.
5. I have three fur babies – When I first read that term in an airline magazine I hated it, yet now I think it’s the best descriptor. My partner and I have three dogs, all rescued and all we consider our children. We got our first one, an Australian Cattle Dog, almost 9 years ago followed a few months later by her brother a Siberian Husky and then finally a second brother, also a Siberian Husky. I spend a lot of time with our pups and they’re as close to having kids as I’m ever going to get, but I’m fine with that. I love them dearly and they have transformed what would be a boring household into a warm and loving home. It’s amazing the power a dog can have on the human soul.
6. LandLopers doesn’t make money – You probably guessed this after reading the first fact, but I don’t make very much money from this site. Have I accepted complimentary trips and hotel rooms? You bet, and I let you all know when I do. But as far as cold, hard cash goes I don’t earn any – or at least not much. That doesn’t mean I don’t want the site to earn money, but I have mindfully avoided cheap ads and ad links because it would clutter the site and take away from my overall mission. I am confident that LandLopers will make money, but it won’t be through destroying the look and feel of the site. You all, the readers, come first and it will always be that way.
7. I don’t eat seafood – I’ve tried, I really have, but I hate anything that has ever been in the water; except if a cow falls into a river or something. It’s been an issue all over the world since people seem to find it unbelievable that a fellow human can actually hate seafood. Yet here I am, testimony that fishy hatred exists. I know I’m not alone, but we are a very silent minority, lurking in the shadows as the lobster lovers of the world rule dominion.
8. I didn’t leave the country until I was 17 – My family vacations all throughout my life were confined to visiting my grandparents in rural Maine. Sounds nice, right? Well, not after 16 years. My parents didn’t like to travel and so I never had many opportunities to broaden my travel horizons. That all changed when I was 17 and had a chance to spend a month in Paris as part of an exchange. It was a magical experience and opened the floodgates to a lifetime of travel.
9. Garfield – Growing up my idol wasn’t a rock star or a sports hero, it was the comic strip cat Garfield. I was pretty obsessed with him as a young child and I thank him and his creator Jim Davis for my fierce sarcasm and love of lasagna. I even wrote to Davis as a kid and got a signed photo that is framed and featured prominently in my house today.
10. I am thankful – I don’t kid myself, I know I have a pretty good life. My partner and I are happy, we have a nice house and jobs that pay us and provide us with some security. (well, at least my partner does) I also get to travel around the world seeing its hidden treasures and enjoying everything that makes this planet so great. I know I don’t have an average life and I know that I am indeed blessed with opportunities few others get. I am thankful for all of this and count my blessings each and every day.
So there you have it, ten random facts about me you may or may not have known. Anything else you want to know? Ask away!
