2022 started oddly. I was in Pakistan and wanted to go to Bangladesh but they had a 14-day quarantine, so I went to Trinidad & Tobago. That is how so much of where I go is determined – on the fly. I have a general idea, but things change. I usually don’t book flights until a week or less ahead and rarely book accommodation more than a day or two ahead and more often arrive in a town with no reservation.
By September 2023, I had been to 180/193 countries. I am the ultimate Nomad Maniac as it keeps track of where you have been, the only travel website that has verification to prove where you have been. NM has come to run my travel life as I am obsessed with seeing as many of the regions and series sites as possible.
Statistics as of March 2023: Nomad Mania regions – 848/1301– #58 in the world in NM and #2 in Canada. World Heritage Sites – 803/1,154 – #8 in NM. Along with 687/1,722 Tentative WHS, my total WHS – #1. The Series is a list of 59,087 places separated into about 60 categories. My favourites are House Museums, The Dark Side, and Bizzarium. Total Series ranking – 16,075/59,087 places – #3. NM’s TBT – The Biggest Traveler uses 20 categories to assess the most complete traveler – #13 in the world.
These are the things I almost never do – travel in groups (2022 was an exception as many were in Central Africa), go on tours, lay in the sun on a beach, drink alcohol, take taxis, stay in hotels, stay in resorts, fly business class, use airport lounges, or go to bars or nightclubs. I much prefer to travel alone, travel independently, take public transport, stay in dorm rooms in hostels, and often sleep in airports.
I buy a SIM card in every country. I spend a lot of time on my website ronperrier.net/Travelogue. I am an avid reader with subscriptions to Time, National Geographic, The Atlantic, and the Economist. I read a lot of books. I would highly encourage you to read “The Meaning of Human Existence” by Edward O. Wilson. I rarely take a day off. I walk a lot especially in large cities with much to see (Mexico City, Paris, Cairo). In each, I averaged about 80 km. I wear flip-flops 100% of the time. I rent or buy cars (sometimes scooters) whenever I can. I drive aggressively basically as fast as I can trying to avoid speeding tickets.
Because I am obsessed with seeing each country as completely as possible and seeing every Nomad Mania site, my travel can be intense. This year, for the first time, I traveled with a carry-on backpack with a sleeping bag and air mattress. I have finally found the ideal lightweight travel gear that can handle -5 degrees and up. I doubt that many of you travel like me, but we all find our own way. I feel very lucky.
Once I decide to come to a country, I reorganize all that region’s NM series sites and then enter them into Google Maps using Red hearts for WHS and Tentative WHS, green flags for towns, cities, areas, and National Parks, and yellow stars for everything else. I download offline Google Maps for the country so that I always have some navigation. I then do all the research for that country concentrating on WHS and Tentative WHS and post it on my website. In case I don’t get a SIM to access the website, I will print out the post so that I always have the info I need.
I often download the language so that I can use Google Translate offline if necessary.
Upon entering the country, I usually use an ATM to get the local currency – or if it has black market money, bring US$ that needs to be exchanged usually at a formal exchange office, rarely on the street or at borders.
I may book a hostel, hotel, or Airbnb especially if it is required for immigration, but sometimes arrive with no accommodation.
I find the phone company with the best coverage and always buy a SIM for that country buying enough data to hopefully last me for the entire stay (otherwise I would have to rely on finding wifi which is not so convenient). SIM cards with sufficient data are usually very cheap everywhere except in Canada.
I have a Skype phone number that is very useful for receiving SMS messages, often needed to verify that it is me (the number is good anywhere in the world).
My eventual travel goals: 1. All 193 UN countries 2. The most traveled Canadian ever and to remain there for a long time 3. High in World Heritage Sites 4. High in the Nomad Mania Series General Ranking and 5. Top five of TBT (The Biggest Traveler).
I will then retire from serious long-term travel to spend my winters in Mexico, spring and fall in the desert SW of the US, and summers in British Columbia between Vancouver Island, the West Kootenays of south-central BC, and other places in Canada.
I will continue to visit some countries for short periods to enlarge my Nomad Mania Series and Region totals (Japan, South Korea, India, Switzerland, China, Central America, and the US are high on my list).