No car, and first interview…

Ok, so, a couple posts ago I was trying to decide whether or not I should bring a car with me on my trip. After thinking about it some, I decided that I definitely didn’t want to bring a car with me. However, then I started thinking of selling my car. I mean, one of the main reasons I was thinking of bringing a car is so that once I decide to stop in a place, I can live there. I wouldn’t need to arrange to get my car or anything else. Well, if I sell my car, the same thing would be true. I would still try to do the trip without using my money, but then if I end up wanting to live some there, I could use the money from selling my car to get transportation.

So, I wasn’t completely sure whether or not I wanted to sell my car, but the idea of having no possessions that would restrict my freedom appealed to me. I felt pretty good about it, so I decided to list my car for sale on Craigslist and KSL.com. After I had posted the car(I also posted my road bicycle), I started getting a bunch of calls from people. This is when I realized that I really didn’t want to sell my car. It made me really nervous to talk to people about it, and so I figured I should take it off the market. It didn’t last too long, but at least now I know that I don’t want to sell my car.

Now I’m back where I started. I’m not bringing my car with me, and I’m not selling it. I’ll still be doing my trip just like planned. I’ll hitchhike around the country by starting out with no money. Should be a good time.

I also talked to a reporter from the Deseret News today. It was a phone interview, and it was pretty fun. The part I found interesting were the questions she asked me. Most of my friends want to know what I’ll do in certain situations and the purpose behind the trip. She didn’t ask me at all about WHY I’m going on this trip. She asked more questions about what other people thought, how I got the idea, what I would do every day, etc. I guess it was interesting because she seemed to have less emotion connected with her questions than most people do. I guess reporters probably have to do that. Just get the facts and not get emotionally involved into the stories they are reporting on.

Anyway, she says that she will need to talk to her photographers and see if any of them are available to come and take pictures of me. They are busy during this time of year, so if none are available, I just told her I could have a friend take pictures of me getting rides or something. I guess we’ll see how it goes.

Bold vs Iphone

Since I decided that the internet is a necessity for my trip, I needed to get a new phone. I got internet on my blackberry pearl, but it just wasn’t going to cut it. After doing some research on the best phones with AT&T, it came down to deciding between the Iphone 3GS and the new Blackberry Bold 2.

Well, in order to decide, I did a bunch of research online. If you google iPhone vs. Blackberry Bold, you’ll see that lots of different articles have been written on the subject. I read arguments from both sides, and it seems like a lot of the opinions seem to say that the best phone can only be determined by your intended use.

Well, for me, I just want a phone that can replace a laptop. If I’m ever at a person’s house and I can’t use their computer, or they don’t have the internet or what-not, then I need to be able to make blog posts and do other things online. So, I know that everybody says the iPhone is better for surfing the web. However, I really didn’t want to get an iPhone because I don’t like how controlling Apple is with their software. I remember the first time I bought some songs on iTunes. After buying and downloading them, I realized I couldn’t use the songs on my Pearl, and that I’d have to buy an iPod in order to use them. That just put a bad taste in my mouth, and so it made me not want to give my business to a company that is so controlling.

Well, I ended up talking to a salesman who had owned both the iPhone and the Bold, and he convinced me to get the Bold. Really, when it came down to it, I just didn’t want to support Apple because I don’t like their controlling ways, and I know that once you get one Apple product, you just start getting all of them because they work well together. So, this salesman helped me feel justified in choosing a product that was “superior” to the iPhone and wasn’t made by Apple. Well, I must say that I was disappointed in the Bold 2. It’s a great phone, it really is. But when it comes to using the internet, it just didn’t measure up to how I wanted to use it. I had too many problems with certain websites, and there just weren’t any applications for me to download for those websites.

So, I decided to take the Bold 2 back, suck in my pride, and get an iPhone. I must say, the iPhone is freaking sweet. For my purposes, it far outperforms the Bold 2. Now, I have found some things I don’t like about the iPhone, but I’m finding a lot less than I found with the Bold. Besides, any time I find something I don’t like, there’s usually an app that I can find that solves the problem. I guess the only question that remains to be seen is whether or not I’ll become an Apple addict after this?

Car or No Car?

Now, a lot of people have asked me whether or not I will bring my car on this expedition. Up until now, that answer has always been a strong “no”. However, now that I have some nomadic experience under my belt, I have started to consider the option of bringing my car.

I just moved out of Provo and into my parent’s house in W. Jordan. So, my two weeks of nomadic beta-testing have successfully finished, and now it’s crunch time. I’ve gotten a taste of what it’s like to have to hitchhike everywhere and always still some place else. Now I can use that experience to determine whether I should make any changes to the game plan.

As far as a car is concerned, there are certain reasons why a car would be helpful. I think the question really comes down to what my main purpose of the trip is. Well, one of the things that I am looking forward to on the trip is freedom. You know, I have all of my possessions in a backpack, so I can get up and go whenever I feel like it. However, my freedom is actually limited to my ability to get assistance from others.

One of the things I was thinking about is how when I stay with people, I feel obligated to spend time with my hosts. I mean, most of the time when people invite me to stay at their house, they probably are doing it for the experience of having me there, and use becoming acquainted. I’ll have many great stories to tell, and if they are up for taking me out on the town, then we could do that. However, some nights, I may just want to go exploring on my own. If I’m staying with somebody, I wouldn’t feel comfortable coming back at 1 in the morning. But, if I have my own car, I could always just crash in my car, so I could plan on staying out later certain nights.

I also see a car being very handy if I want to go on dates or what not. Obviously, people will understand my lack of transportation when I’ve explained my trip idea. But, trying to take girls out on dates without a car is just much more difficult.

The thing I like about not having a car is that I’m never tied down. I mean, if I want to fly from California to Florida, I then have to worry about where to put my car and how to get it back. So, having a car will limit my options as far as that is concerned.

Another thought is that I will still probably do a lot of the same things if I have a car. I’ll still try to hitchhike as much as possible because it’s cheaper, and it’s fun to meet people every day. I’ll still want to stay at people’s houses, because sleeping in a car every night just can’t be that comfortable. I’ll still want to go to work with different people and learn about occupations and locations.

I guess the question just comes down to what my purpose for this trip is. To me, the idea of hitchhiking around the country just sounds way cooler and is way fun to tell people. But, will it be easier for me to achieve my objectives with or without a car? One of my thoughts is that if I want to stay and live in a place for a month or two, I could easily do that with a car. Once I find what I want to do, I can just park and stay there. Whereas, if I don’t have  a car, I would have to arrange how to get my car eventually.

If my purpose is genuinely to find something else to do in my life, then it seems like taking a car would be a better option. It would give me a lot more flexibility to stop and live in a place if I feel like it’s a good fit. However, if my purpose is really to have an adventure, then going without my car is probably a better fit. Having a car definitely takes out some of the fear and anxiety which I was excited about, but it might be a more practical way to accomplish what I’m actually looking to get out of this trip.

Internet – A necessity?

I went to the mall today between my different jobs. I just kind of walked around and watched people. That’s always a fun pastime for me. Anyway, while I was there I decided to go to the AT&T store and explore my different options for the trip. My friend David Schmidt, who went from California to Rome, Italy without money, told me that having internet on my trip would be a great help. So, I’ve been trying to decide whether or not it’s a necessity. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I’m leaning towards having it on the trip. For example, while I was in the mall today, there were things that I could have been doing if I would have had internet on my phone. Without internet, I couldn’t really be productive.

The nice thing about not having a home is that I’ll just go wherever I want. If I have internet with me, I’ll be able to be productive no matter where I am. I can go to the mall or to a park and get things done. However, if I don’t have internet, I’ll always be looking for places where I can get access. Some of the things I’m going to want to do are to find places to stay(couchsurfing), know where I’m at and where I’m going with maps, update my blog and other social media sites, etc.

So, I guess I’ve now convinced myself that I need to get internet. Now, the question remains as to whether or not I should get a new phone. I have a Blackberry Pearl, and I got it around 2 years ago. The guy was telling me that the hardware will just be a lot slower than the newer phones, so I guess I should just try out the internet on this phone and see how much I like it.

The funny part about this is that on my trip I’m trying to have as little as possible. I’m minimizing the amount of clothes I bring and other accessories. But, among all of that, having the internet and  a cell phone seem to be necessities. It’s so funny how our world is so connected with the internet these days. Even without a guarantee of a place to stay or enough food for money, I’m going to have my cell phone and internet. Anything wrong with this picture?

New Blog

Well, I finally got this blog up and running. I’ve been looking around for a good theme for a while. Although I don’t entirely love this theme, I think it’ll do just fine for now. Maybe once I learn a little better how Wordpress works I can find a theme that fits my needs a little better.

I also just bought a new camera yesterday. I bought the Canon SD780 IS. So, pretty soon I’ll be able to post videos and pictures. I’m going to need that on my trip.

I also submitted some different couchsurfing requests for this next week, since I’m moving out of my house tomorrow. I haven’t heard back from anybody yet, but, maybe that’s because they can tell I’m from Utah. Well, it won’t be hard for me to find places to stay, I’d just like to stay with some random people.

More Doubts and Fears

I’ve started having some worries today about my trip. As I’ve been pondering and trying to figure out what my fears are about, I think I’ve come to a better understanding of why I’m nervous. I’m scared that I’m not going to accomplish what I’d like to accomplish with my trip. I’m scared that I’m going to get out on my trip, and start having second thoughts about what I’m doing. Like, with every job that I’ve had with graduation. I can see myself questioning my motives for doing what I’m doing, and not having sufficient motivation to carry through with it. I really don’t want that to happen. I mean, I’ve been having doubts with every decision I’ve made with graduation, and this is something that I’ve felt really good about and have been really excited to do.

I think one of the main reasons for this fear is the fact that I’m pretty sure there isn’t any job that will excite me. I want to be an entrepreneur, and I really don’t think I’ll feel satisfied until I’m successful in my own venture. So, is the purpose of this trip really to figure out what occupation I could enjoy? Hmmm, now that’s the question. Although I would like to be able to find an occupation that I could enjoy and learn from while I work on my own business, I know that any occupation I have will be seen as a short-term solution to help me accomplish my long-term goals. So, really, I don’t think the purpose of my trip is to find an occupation I would enjoy, although I do think that would be a nice byproduct.

I guess I just really want to be sure of what my purpose for this trip is, because I’d hate to build a blog around a certain idea, and then want to change it half-way through. So, I think my real objective and purpose of this trip is to gain a breadth of experience. I want to understand how things are in the real world. How do people do certain jobs and feel fulfilled doing them? What kind of places are out there that I haven’t experienced? What kind of people can I meet and learn from? What do the big and small companies of this country look like, and how do they operate? What kinds of problems exist in the lives of people all over the country that could be fixed by businesses?

I really think that no matter what I do on my trip, I’ll feel like I’ve accomplished my goal if I learn and grow from my experiences. So, really, I can do the same things I’ve been thinking about. I can try to go to work with different people. I can try to tour different businesses across the country. I can stay with a different person every night. Because, in the end, I just want to have a lot of experience and find out what my next step in life really is. I guess I shouldn’t end my trip until I have a specific plan for the future. I can see myself stopping in a city, seeing a good opportunity for a business, and staying there in order to bring it to fruition.

Now, that’s definitely a hard purpose to portray to other people. It’s been hard enough to tell people what I’m doing as it is. Just saying that I’m hitch hiking across the country really doesn’t do the trip justice. Whatever, I’m not doing this for other people anyway.

On another note, I’ve been trying to establish a schedule that I can maintain while I’m on the road. So, I’ve started doing exercises that I should be able to do, no matter where I stay. I’m doing calisthenics every night and running every morning. It feels great when I’m consistently exercising. How come I ever let myself not exercise regularly? I love running. Every time I go running, I feel so good and I wonder why I’m not 100% on doing it every day. I guess that’s just life. Constantly trying to do what you know you should do.

Well, that’s all the thoughts I got for today. There’s a funny video clip from the new twilight movie that I’ve been showing to lots of people that I’d like to share:

Sponsorships?

I was doing some more shopping today for my trip. I’m still trying to decide on what backpack I should get. I know that might not seem like a very important decision, but I think it is. My backpack is going to have all of my possessions in it, and I’ll be carrying it EVERYWHERE. So, I want to make sure it’s comfortable and that it’s not bigger than it needs to be. Anyway, I was at Out N Back, a local outdoor store in Orem. I was there for like the 3rd time looking at their backpacks. Anyway, I was telling their employees about this trip and what I’m planning on doing. They were pretty excited about it and thought it sounded like a good idea. Well, turns out one of the guys I was talking to was the general manager. When I was about to leave, he said they might be able to sponsor me and he could look into getting a good deal from the rep about my backpack. So, I’m pretty excited about that. He said to me, “look, you haven’t even started your trip and people want to help you out”. So, hopefully I’ll be able to get some good deals on gear and what not.

Because of that, I was asking my manager at Runner’s Corner about sponsorships. He said that if I talk to product reps, I could have a good chance of getting some gear and what not. He was telling me that they have certain allotments for what they can get rid of, and so sometimes they like having good opportunities to give out their gear. So, this made me consider calling companies and trying to get sponsorships. But, I like it better if somebody offers to help me rather than me having to ask for it. I think I’ll just keep doing my thing and hope serendipity steps in to help here and there.

Computer Nerd

Well, I feel like I have so much to do before I go on my trip. So, I’ve been working hard these last days doing what I need to to be prepared. I’ve been shopping and trying to find the right sleeping bag, backpack, and camera for the trip. I think I’ve selected what brands and types of equipment I would like, and I wonder if I should wait until Black Friday to try and buy them. I’ve found some pretty good deals online, but I need as much money as I can get right now. I keep being surprised by the expense I’ll have before I leave. I want to pay for everything up front so that I don’t have to worry about any bills while I’m on my journey.

I got this blog up and running, but I think that I would like to do a Wordpress blog now. I just don’t think that Blogger is as robust and adaptable as I’d like it to be. So, I’m going to have to download Wordpress and figure out how to use it. The thing with Wordpress is that you have to have it hosted and so it’s not quite as user-friendly you could say. Well, it’s very adaptable if you know what you’re doing, but I assume there will be a learning curve involved.

While I was getting ready to get Wordpress setup, I realized that my hosting account had been suspended. It has been suspended multiple times because I get a bunch of spam on my forum. I’ve tried talking to the Romanian programmers that I used to build the site, but they hadn’t fixed it yet. So, I decided to go ahead and try to fix it myself. It took me all day, but I learned a ton. I learned about FTP, captcha, phpBB, and many other things. It is pretty elementary stuff to programmers, but I really enjoyed what I learned.

The interesting part is how I enjoyed working on the computer all day. With my jobs, I thought that one of the things I hated was the fact that I sat on the computer and inside all day. Well, I don’t think that’s necessarily the problem. When I was learning and working on my own project, I really enjoyed it and was satisfied when I got things done. I think the problem is me doing the same thing every day and working on projects for other people. I really think that I have to get involved in a startup on the ground floor to be excited about what I do with them. That’s probably why I’m excited about this trip. Because it’s my idea and my project. I might get sick of job-shadowing people, I don’t know.

It’s interesting, because I keep coming up with different ideas for my trip, but I know that things will change once I’m out doing it. I mean, I was thinking that I could probably make enough money every day by just singing and dancing with a hat for money. If not, I could also juggle. I might even be able to write song parodies about my trip and perform them. That sounds like a good idea, but is it something I’ll really want to do while I’m on the road? Maybe not. Well, I’m super tired from my computer adventures today, so, I’m gonna hit the sack.

Making the Plans

Well, while I was at my sales job today I just wasn’t feeling it. I already want to quit and just get ready for my trip. So, I think I’ve decided that I’m going to quit in two weeks so that I don’t have to pay for rent for the month of December. Then, I think I’ll live in Provo for another week and just couchsurf for that week. That will help me learn better how to use the couchsurfing website, as well as get some positive reviews for my couchsurfing profile. I’m excited, but I better work hard these next two weeks so I don’t have to worry about money.

The more I think about it, the more I’d like to try and get sponsors. I mean, even if I don’t get them, I’ll learn from the experience of trying to get them. I was wondering who the people are that I’m going to want to talk to and what not, when I realized that I could probably just talk to Brogg and ask him about it. Brogg started BBSC Endurance sports and I know that he’ll have experience contacting companies for sponsorships. The sponsorship amounts that I’ll be asking for will be so small that I’m sure companies will go for it. Either that, or they’ll wonder if I’m for real. That’s the bigger concern, that they don’t take me seriously. Oh well, somebody will I’m sure. If not, I’ll forge ahead anyway.

I’ve made some more definite plans about what I’d like to do on the trip. I’d like to make my trip a combination of two successful projects I’ve seen: LetMeStayForADay.com and OneWeekJob.com. I want to stay with a different person every night and go to work with a different person every day. I’m not going to set any restrictions on when I’d like to finish or not, because I’m genuinely going on a journey looking for occupations that I could enjoy or cities I might like to live in. Once I find what I’m looking for, I can stop my journey at anytime. However, I don’t want to make any decision until I’ve seen a majority of the U.S. and most of the major cities. Well, tomorrow I’m going to start calling companies for sponsorships. I guess we’ll see how it goes.

Gear and Stuff

This morning I went to a service project and it was a lot of fun. I didn’t really want to at first because it was snowing when I got up this morning. But, I’m glad I did.

After I went to work later today, I stopped by an outdoor store to check out their backpacks and sleeping bags. I’m still trying to decide on what size of pack I want and how much gear I should bring along with me. David Schmidt(my friend that went to Rome) tells me that I should only bring two changes of clothes. However, I would like to bring more than that. I’m just trying to decide what’s the right amount. It will probably cost me around $150 for a good bag, which isn’t that bad.

I was pretty surprised to see how small of containers sleeping bags can fit into these days. They showed me a $300 down sleeping bag that fit into this little tiny sack. It’s perfect and I need a sleeping bag like that. I think I should be able to find the money to buy both a backpack and a sleeping bag.

I also started doing some research tonight to look for any companies that might be willing to sponsor me. I think I’ll just contact a bunch of random companies and see what they say. I mean, it won’t hurt to try, and I’ll learn from the experience. If I do end up finding anybody who wants to sponsor me, that will be sweet. The more I think about this trip, the more I want to publicize it and try to make it a successful venture, not just a fun adventure. But, whatever happens, it will be memorable.