Traveling Around the World For Free

Posted by Mike Richard on November 12, 2007
Filed under: News

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It seems every long-term traveler is looking for a “hook” for their own journey - something to spice things up and make their trip just a bit more interesting. Over at 1000Wines.org, C.J. and Brianne planned to imbibe their way around the world; JPony started his Choose My Adventure website; and Kelsey is on a quest to visit all of the foreign countries where his clothes are made.

So it was no surprise when Dave from GoBackpacking.com alerted me to a new online travel reality series called “Around the World for Free“, featuring Alex Boylan - the star of the show and past winner of CBS’s “The Amazing Race”. The hook for Alex this time around the world however is that he must “beg, borrow and deal” for every bit of his six-month trip.

Alex sums up the impetus for the project on the CBS News website:

The concept for “Around The World For Free” has been evolving since day one. The initial concept came when someone said it was easy for me to travel since I made money from winning “The Amazing Race.” The truth is that I traveled much more when I was poor … I remember saying I could make it around the world even if I started with no money.

It’s a bit like Discovery Channel’s 5 Takes series meets Couch Surfing. His travels and adventures are entirely dictated by the advice and comments of viewers to the ATWFF website and the donations and kindness of strangers.

So, if you happen to be in the area of the most recent leg of Alex’s journey, you can let him know online and maybe give him a place to crash for a night, etc.

The cynic in me feels the need to point out one fact that the ATWFF promo spots gloss over: the entire thing would be much more difficult for Joe Average who doesn’t have the full weight of CBS and the backing of a big budget website to promote his journey. In the YouTube age, where everyone wants their fifteen seconds of web fame, I think it’s more likely that donors will offer their couch, their fridge, and their time to someone who’s a bit of a minor web celebrity than, say, you or me. Be honest: if some guy showed up at your doorstep alone with a backpack and said, “Hi, I’m traveling around the world with no money. Can I crash at your place tonight?”, would you let him in?

The only sticking point for me is the awful web interface. I had some real difficulty navigating to parts of the site that simply refused to work. The purpose of the site also wasn’t immediately obvious to me, even after reading the “About” section. I had to skip over to CBS News to get the whole scoop.

All in all, it’s an interesting concept though. I recommend checking out the “Media” section for the video titled “Day 1: Escape from New York”. I think ’round-the-world traveling hopefuls and those who’ve already made the leap can relate. Here’s a preview:

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Vagabondish editor, Mike Richard, lives in Rhode Island - a spit of land in the northeastern U.S. He is a professional web designer and travel junkie with an unhealthy addiction to backpacking, camping, hiking and seeing the world. He enjoys knit hats, small, declarative sentences and speaking in the third person.



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Comments

Mark Schoneveld
November 12th, 2007 - 4:53 pm

I wrote about this project, too: http://thepovertyjetset.com/20.....-for-free/

I’m not sure what to make of it, but I do agree with you… the web site stinks. Super Flash! Yikes. Plus, I watched a couple of the early episodes and haven’t gone back since. Maybe I’ll go check it out again.


Mike
November 12th, 2007 - 5:42 pm

Yeah, bottom line: seems like a great project with a poor execution.


Dave
November 12th, 2007 - 8:02 pm

Mike - I appreciate your cynicism - it often gives voice to my evil thoughts. I found the website a bit busy, though I’m jealous of the fact that he’s got a full time cameraman/editor setting his experiences to music!

I’ll just keep plugging away at my 1-minute, non-edited YouTube clips. :)