2015 Oct 11
DREW Goldberg has spent the past three years exploring the world non-stop, visiting more than 75 countries so far.The 24-year-old from Arizona, who runs the travel blog The Hungry Partier, shares some of the ups and downs he’s experienced along the way.
Working as a Full-time Travel Blogger, Instagrammer and Snapchatter in our eyes, is the best job a man can do. But apparently, thats not really the case says Drew who talks about his worst and best travel moments in an interview with news.com.au
The first thing that comes into his mind when he thinks about India is not apparently the Taj Mahal but rather the bad stomach he underwent due to food poisoning.
We feel he’s living a dream. Here’s why he’s NOT.
MY FIVE WORST MOMENTS
1. Fatal bus crash in India
I was on a two-month solo backpacking tour of India earlier this year. About halfway through my trip, I was scheduled to take an overnight bus from Udaipur to Jodhpur in the Rajasthan state.
Around 1am when I was getting ready to fall asleep, the bus driver abruptly slammed on the breaks and turned the wheel off the freeway and into the dirt.
The bus completely flipped over, all the windows shattered and many bus parts were broken off. People were screaming, crying, and trying to escape as ambulances showed up to the scene in the middle of nowhere.
I was lucky enough to escape with only minor injuries and cuts on my leg, but other people weren’t fortunate enough to make it out alive.
This was terrifying.
2. Scammed by a gypsy in Georgia
One afternoon in Tbilisi, Georgia (the country in Europe, not the US State of Georgia), I was buying lunch from a street food vendor. I grabbed a bill out of my wallet to pay the guy, and as I was handing it to him a gypsy lady came out of nowhere and stole it right out of my hand.
I was very angry and asked her for the money back, but the angry gypsy screamed some dirty words in my face and pushed me away.
3. Stolen iPhone in Dubai
I was at a five-star hotel in Dubai on a hot day and had locked all of my personal belongings in the men’s room.
After lying in the sun all day with friends, I went to retrieve my stuff and noticed that someone had broken in and stolen my camera, phone and wallet. It was the first time I had been robbed and I was devastated.
But the worst part was when I looked at my photos six months later using iCloud on my computer, I came across disturbing photos of a man that he must’ve taken on my old phone.
Those photos that he had taken automatically synched up to my iCloud account. Three years later, I still can’t get them out of my head.
4. Taxi scandal in Bulgaria
I had arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria around midnight at the central bus station. I jumped in a taxi and asked him to take me to my hotel in the city centre. After the five-minute drive, he pointed to the meter (which he had rigged) and it showed 50 euros ($78).
I knew that the normal price should have been about $3, so I told him that it was too expensive and refused to pay him. Then, he started yelling at me in Bulgarian and called his other friends to come to the scene.
I thought I was going to get attacked, so I threw the 50 euros at him and ran away with my bags. I learned my lesson to always negotiate the price before getting in the taxi.
5. Boat trauma in the Philippines
On the final day of my island hopping tour of the Philippines, I was scheduled to catch a flight out of Cebu at 10pm. That morning, I was on an island called Siquijor about a six-hour boat ride away from Cebu.
I woke up early to take the ferry across the sea. But unfortunately, there were heavy ocean currents and the boats weren’t running. I had no other way to get to Cebu besides taking a boat.
Frustrated, I knocked on a door of a random Filipino and asked if he could take me across the sea on his (tiny) kayak. He agreed for a price of $27, and we set off.
About an hour into the journey, when no land was in sight, the wind picked up and the waves began crashing over my head in the small kayak. There were no life jackets on board and I thought that my life was over.
Luckily, we made it after three long hours of dodging waves. I landed on the other side completely soaked, but at least I was alive!
MY TOP FIVE MOMENTS
1. Camel ride around the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt
Despite having mixed feeling about Cairo, the camel ride around the Pyramids was probably the most exciting travel experience of my life. I just did it a few weeks ago.
The camel ride was two hours long and I had a private tour guide who took me around the desert. I was even allowed to climb one of the smaller Pyramids, which I had no idea was permitted. I have some incredible photos and ever better memories from that day.
2. Hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, Turkey
I also recently did this balloon ride and the experience blew me away. Cappadocia is a mysterious place in the centre of Turkey that’s made up of volcanic rock which looks like little mountain caves.
I was staying a Cave hotel (yes literally a cave in the rocks) and I woke up at 5am to take a sunrise hot-air balloon ride. The landscape in Cappadocia is stunning and surreal, and the balloon ride was the most peaceful thing I’ve ever done. I’ll just let the photo do the talking.
Totally blown away.
3. The Great Wall of China in Beijing
I was in Beijing for a 24 hour layover on my way from Ho Chi Minh City to Seoul. Luckily, I was able to get a free transit visa in the airport (valid for up to 72 hours), so I was allowed to leave the airport and explore the city.
Directly after the flight, my friends and I took an hour-long taxi to the nearest part of the wall called Mutiyanu (which turned out to be the most preserved part). We only had about an hour to hike up the wall, but that was enough time to take it all in.
I’m still awe-struck by how perfectly constructed the wall is, and I just can’t comprehend how humans built this thing that’s longer than the US.
4. Walking through Myanmar (Burma)
I spent two weeks in Myanmar in January of this year. It’s my favourite country in Asia because I think it’s the most authentic and untouched culture. However this authenticity is quickly going to evaporate as new laws have made visa regulations less strict, and tourism is beginning to take off in the country.
My favourite experience in Myanmar was taking a three-day, 70 kilometre trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake. Every morning, we woke up at sunrise and walked until sunset where we slept in local villages.
It was incredibly inspiring to see life unfold as I was walking through these small villages and farms in the countryside.
5. Hiking the Sri Pada Mountain in Sri Lanka
I spent eight days in Sri Lanka in early 2014. This was my first trip to a third world country, so it was one of the most eye-opening trips of my life. I was in a historic city called Kandy when my hostel mate told me about a crazy hike up 5000 stairs to the tallest peak in the country called Sri Padi.
Without thinking twice, I took a train to the mountain and completed the six-hour hike on a chilly morning. The views from the top were outstanding, and I felt like I could rule the world when I was finished.
Drew sayd that his goal is to visit 100 countries by the time he’s 26-years-old, so he’s not planning to stop adventuring anytime soon.
Follow him along his journey, on Instagram and Snapchat (@drewbinsky).
