When I updated the look and feel of this website, there was a lot of work to do. Part of that is this FAQ, a way to not just find out a little more about me, but to hopefully answer some common questions. So read through it and let me know if anything else should be added!
Where do the photographs on LandLopers come from?
From the very start of this website I wanted everything to be a reflection of me, my words and my photos. And so it is. With only a few notable exceptions, which are clearly marked, every photo on this site is one that I took. It was a rocky start, no doubt there. Looking back at the original posts and photos, it’s safe to say that they weren’t my best work. But over time I’ve learned and practiced and the photos have definitely improved. In fact, I’d say that they’re one of the most important aspects of the overall site experience. I also really enjoy sharing them, photography as an amateur has become a true passion.
How did you get started?
It’s hard to pinpoint one reason why I started writing this site. I wasn’t satisfied at work, it had become too boring and I desperately needed a creative outlet. Travel has always been a big part of my life and my partner and I have taken many great trips around the world. I guess I just wanted to share those experiences, to show how a typical suburban professional could make travel a big part of his life while still owning a house, having a significant other and even three dogs. Of course it eventually grew into something much more and it gives me no small amount of pride to say that this is now my fulltime job.
How do you make money?
Ah yes, the one question everyone wants to ask professional bloggers. It all sounds great, but at the end of the day, how does one actually afford to live? Well, it’s a complicated answer. The truth is, we all do it in a variety of ways and there is no one path that everyone can follow to do this fulltime, otherwise a lot more people would. First and foremost, it absolutely has to be your passion. It takes a long time to start up a business, which this is, and without that passion living through years of zero income is impossible. But I think that’s true of anything. Find something you love doing, do it as well as you can and everything else will follow.
How often do you travel?
Given the fact I have a house, partner and three dogs, I’m very mindful about how often I travel. On the one hand, I love being on the road but I also relish time at home. Overall, I tend to travel about 25% of the time, although this year it’s trending towards the 1/3 mark. My trips are usually a week in length and sometimes 10 days at most. I never, ever exceed two weeks for a few reasons. One, I don’t like being away from home that long and it’s a lot of stress on my partner, which isn’t fair. Second, I share travel experiences for people who have only a week or two of time off a year and it wouldn’t be useful to anyone to share experiences that are a month or longer in length.
What’s your favorite place?
This is by far the most common question I get and it’s not an easy one to answer. In fact, it’s so hard that I wrote a post to help explain my answers. But in brief, I don’t have any one favorite place. Instead there are favorite destinations for specific reasons. So my favorite city is Paris, my favorite food is found in Jordan and my favorite adventure travel destination is New Zealand. But the truth is I love to travel and with few exceptions I truly and honestly enjoy visiting any place I haven’t been before.
What place do you want to visit that you haven’t yet?
Well the short, and some would say cop-out, answer is anywhere I haven’t been. Hackney I know, but it’s true. To drill down to specific locations, I’ve always had a fascination with the South Pacific but haven’t yet had an opportunity to explore it. Other than that, I’ve had the opportunity to explore some of Africa, but there’s so much more to see. It’s a huge continent though and can be difficult to get around, so time is needed to tackle that one. Finally, I have recently realized that I should spend much more time exploring my own country, the United States. I love my country and yet there are huge swathes of it I haven’t yet explored, most notably in the western part of the country. A great dream of mine is to drive across country, exploring the sites along the way.
I hope this answers some of the questions you might have, please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected] with any others you might have.
