Thursday Traveler: Aaron of Aaron’s Worldwide Adventures

Every Thursday, A Dangerous Business will be shining the spotlight on a world nomad, travel blogger, armchair adventurer, or just someone really cool in the travel world. This week, the traveler is Aaron of Aaron’s Worldwide Adventures. A world traveler since age 4, Aaron has lived on 3 continents and blogs about unlikely places and ultimate experiences. When he’s not blissfully on the road, he’s busy planning his next adventure in New York City.

1. How do you define the word “traveler,” and why would you consider yourself one?

A “traveler” is an explorer. A person who visits a destination to experience another culture. That means interacting with local people. Not someone who goes on pre-packaged tours and only visits touristy sites without exploring anything about a culture themselves. That’s a “tourist!” I consider myself a traveler because I go to experience something new and different than what I am used to. I immerse myself in a culture and frequent local businesses.

2. What has been your favorite travel experience thus far?

Meeting the King of Bhutan. My family and I visited last year and were able to spot him on two separate occasions. The second time, we were in the small town of Ura in the central part of the country when his motorcade happened to be passing through. He stopped by to present the town with a large applique for their temple and as he was exiting, he walked right up to me and in perfect English struck up a (very formal) conversation! It was by far the wildest travel experience I’ve had! I mean, how many places can you just happen to meet a King?

3. How about your proudest travel moment?

I have two. The first would be fulfilling my grandmother’s final wish by dispersing her ashes in Bhutan (my whole reason for going last year), a place she had visited and absolutely loved! The second would be reaching the “Golden Summit” of Emei Shan, or Mount Emei in China’s Sichuan province. It’s one of four Buddhist peaks in China and a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the plethora of temples that dot its landscape. It was a two day hike that climbed more than 10,167 feet or 3,099 meters that included an incredible overnight stay in a Buddhist monastery (there’s nothing quite like being awoken at the crack of dawn by monks chanting!). When I reached the summit and saw the loads of Chinese tourists who had simply taken the bus up, I was filled with an immense sense of pride at what I had just accomplished!

4. Have you had any travel mishaps or bad experiences? If so, have these influenced how you view the place where they happened? Would you go back?

I’ve had plenty of travel “mishaps,” though I would never term them bad experiences… just things that are frustrating and unexpected at the time that turn into fantastic stories and true trip highlights! The worst travel experience I had was the extent to which people tried to rip me off in Hanoi. It’s still the only city I’ve been where I’ve had a rigged taxi meter and a driver lie to me about the hotel I asked him to take me to so that he could instead take me to a place where he earned a commission. That said, I would totally go back!

5. Name one thing you can’t travel without.

Earplugs! They are imperative for hostels and even relatively noisy experiences, like sleeper trains or buses, CouchSurfing, or incessant roosters! They take up almost no room and are worth their weight in gold.

6. Name one thing you wish you COULD travel without.

Visas. I know they’re here to stay and a simple fact of traveling, but they can be a huge expense and such a pain! I mean… anyone tried to apply for a Russian visa lately?

7. What do you think has been the biggest thing you’ve learned while traveling (about yourself, a destination, a culture, travel itself)?

Traveling has been a pretty huge personal growth experience for me and has greatly aided me in feeling more comfortable in my own skin. I definitely used to be quite the introvert, and travel has turned a 180 on that, as I don”t think anyone would call me an introvert anymore! By being forced out of your comfort zone, you have to adapt if you want to succeed and make the most of your experience.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned travel-wise (aside from keeping an open mind and not making assumptions about people and places) is to pack light! I’ve become quite the proponent of ultralight backpacking after I had to hike up a mountain with all my gear, which, at the time was a whopping 90-liter backpack. I’ve slimmed all the way down to 32 liters, and have no regrets!

8. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

After spending a few days in Hong Kong last year, I could definitely move there in an instant! I’m definitely a city person (I currently live in NYC), but I have an equal love for nature and Hong Kong is definitely the best of both worlds. A world class city that isn’t too different from NYC with complete natural serenity within the city limits. There are even entire islands that are devoid of development that one can go explore!

9. Name one place you’d like to see or one experience you’d like to have before you die.

I am dying to see Patagonia. I’m a sucker for stunning natural scenery, and my time at the cusp of the Tibetan plateau gave me a taste for just how incredible nature can be!

10. If there was one thing you wish somebody would have told you before you started traveling, what would it be?

The media tends to blow things WAY out of proportion. The world is a much safer place than you are led to believe, and even government travel warnings should be taken with a large grain of salt.

Vist Aaron’s site: Aaron’s Worldwide Adventures
Follow Aaron on Twitter: @adventurousness
“Like” Aaron on Facebook: Aaron’s Worldwide Adventures Fan Page

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Are you a travel blogger who has something to say on these topics? Do you know of somebody really interesting in the travel universe that you’d like to see interviewed? Speak up! The Thursday Traveler needs some interview subjects.

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This week’s Thursday Traveler interview was sponsored by Mega.co.uk, the travel offer and discount code website from the UK. They scour the internet and display hundreds of deals to help travelers get a great price on their holiday, hotel or flight booking. With over 50 top travel firms listed and savings reaching up to 50 percent, they are a great place to start your travel research — who knows how much you could save!

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