Here is a clip of my recent leap of faith off the tallest bridge in the world. Nora Dunn, the professional hobo, ran a post when I first started traveling in January. I have a fear of heights, but a burning desire to try anything. When you begin to travel and experience life to the fullest, facing your fears becomes easier. Hopefully this will add some perspective to your life, as it certainly has lit a flame for me. See my prior post on “Leap of Faith” for the hang gliding video in Brazil.

*Please note, per request, weekly blog post will begin*

Join me on camera, around the world! As most of you know, the blog came to life on the Halogen Channel. Now, we are filming 8 more countries and I am looking for a few adventure seekers.

This is the last of my shameless plugs for the show, so we are going all out. The Halogen Channel is about giving back and that is exactly what we want to do. Be one of the eight sponsor on the show and you will come with me on a few of my crazy adventures. You will also be benefiting the American Cancer Society. Here are the details…next week, “Earning your keep in Fiji-How to Catch and Kill a Chicken”

http://www.microgiving.com/profile/carpaydm2525/

The Halogen Channel has made it official. August 16th for 13 weeks and 13 countries an estimated 30 million are going to see the blog come to life!

We are having a private screening in Omaha on August 23rd. If you are interested in free drinks and free tickets, leave a comment on the site link below. We are limiting the event to 150 seats.

www.halogentv.com/alive Hope to meet you there!

I came to the understanding recently when an old friend suggested that not all adventure had to be adrenaline based. It was my goal to flashpack through Morocco, that allowed me to understand what she meant. The culture shock of landing in Casablanca at 11pm and attempting to make your way to a hotel, in the middle of a Medina, is enough to scare the living #&%$ out of most. To then attempt to set out for a late night drink, in a predominantly Muslim Country, puts new meaning on the song, ‘Beer For My Horses’. Not only did I find the local brew, I managed to polish up on my negotiating skills, study cobra charming, uncover the culture behind the knock offs, and challenge my street smarts. If your a designer, it will give you a worldly view, if your in sales, it will certainly polish your closing ratio, if your an armchair traveler, it will confirm how comfortable your chair really is.

The resentment I had behind each instance I was tricked, was weakened by the strength of the world class skills I have added to my belt. Here is a taste of this bizarre world that I backpacked through in 5 days with a couple of my closest calls. Sometimes, backpacking is your only option, especially off the beaten path. It once again, reinforced that my decision to live each day to the fullest, was the right thing to do. When you cant use the spoken language to understand someone, you begin to read body language. The eyes, hands, and awkward movements, all become a 6th sense. The highest institution couldn’t teach me what I learned in 5 days on how to read people, ESPECIALLY THE SNAKES. All puns aside, it is a true world class skill.

We all know, I am not good with words, so I am pleased to present, “Alive-New Zealand”.
I have met my match along with many incredible people, who call themselves Kiwi’s. Its the combination of the Maori Culture, Kiwi’s, and Adventure, that left me in bed with an overdose of DOPAMINE.

Alive-New Zealand

There are so many ways to explore New Zealand. As most of you know, my thing is incorporating as much as I can in a short amount of time. I found it easier in a tighter economy to travel with less days and use the tools of travel hacking to see the world. I flew into Auckland and spent most of my time in Rotorua. Its home to some of the Worlds highest, tallest, and only. I realize that not everyone can afford to do all the things I feature, but its not about how many, just which ones. You have so many adventures to pick from in Rotorua that if you cant travel the South Island, that is fine. Its more important to see something than nothing, right? You can hack this trip in 5 days and incorporate the weekend so you use less vacation days. If you fly Air New Zealand from LAX, you can get a 1 to 1 ratio on the miles with United. There are many other options as well but you will at least earn enough for a one way domestic ticket! Hows that for an incentive?