Let’s Journey with Michael Bogdanski

Michael Rudolph Bogdanski has made traveling his lifestyle. Born in America, he makes the world his home.  He develops software such as business apps and websites while he travels.   He also dabbles in photography.  Visit his website MrBogdanski.com.  Get to know more about him in his own words:

When I was a kid I knew that when I grew up I was going to live somewhere else.  I wasn't going to stay in my hometown.  As I was growing up my dad and I would go to baseball games in Cleveland which was about 100 miles from my hometown.  I loved making that drive.   I loved leaving early and getting to the ballpark early, getting home really late at night and staying up late when I was really young.  I just got a charge out of it.  Same thing happens now when I fly to an airport late at night when the city is asleep.  I feel like I've got the place to myself.  It’s different than waking up early and going to work.   It's a different sensation and it's never worn out.

I wanted to be a baseball player when I was a child.  When I was a little bit older I wanted to be a sports broadcaster, like a play analyst, to talk on the radio about the game.  Part of the fascination with that was traveling with the team.   I use sports now to keep in touch with my old life.  I follow my favorite teams.  I have my buddies that I talk to about my favorite teams.  It's always this consistent thing to talk about.  A lot of people say when you travel you lose touch with friends back home 'coz they can't identify with what you're doing.  You can't identify with what they're doing.  I think that's true to a certain degree but at least to some of my friends we have sports to talk about.  When I'm feeling homesick which is rare, but it does happen,  I read about sports or watch a game.  My family is a bit different than most.  When you say homesick you miss this one town where all your family members are.  I don't really have that.   My parents are divorced and I have one sister.  And all three of them live in different States.  I haven't actually lived in my hometown since year 2000.  So it has been almost 13 years.  So when I go home it's going to see my mother and I have to travel to see my father, travel to see my sister.  I don't have that home for me that creates a source for homesickness.  

Home is wherever you hang your hat.  Home is where I lay my head to rest.   It moves with me.  Home is my backpack.  Home is my laptop.  Home is the world.  Home is Earth.  Earth is my home.  When I travel, I usually stay in a hostel or some budget accommodation.  It's just a bed.  The hostel is my bedroom, the local restaurants are my kitchen, the city parks or the natural wonders of the world are my back yard.  Whenever I go diving I have the BC on and I'm laying back on the water, and I say this is my recliner.  Just like you're laying back down on the chair.  Different parts of the world are different parts of my home.  And I'm really happy.  

First time I started traveling I was working for a company that did airport technology.  We had a customer in Dubai.   They sent me to work for a better part of the year in Dubai.  Before that, I had my reservations about traveling alone.  This opportunity forced me to travel alone because it was for work.  I took advantage of the opportunity and I went to Europe on the way to Dubai.  I took a vacation.  I spent about 2 weeks in Europe and I went to Dubai for 9 months. On the way back in Christmas 2006, I went to London.  That was my first real taste of traveling solo and I was addicted instantly.  After I got back from Dubai, I left the company and I started researching immediately for jobs anywhere in the world.  Apparently it was easier for me to find a job in the States.  I was living in Baltimore at the time.  I ended up taking a job in Seattle which is as far away from Baltimore as you can get.  I had a job offer in LA with Myspace.  I had a job offer in Seattle with a startup. Myspace already had peaked, it wasn't getting any bigger.   It was right before Facebook took over.  I'm quite glad I chose the job in Seattle.  That job in Seattle we had a contract, did a similar type thing with airports except they work with airlines and we had a customer in Mexico so I got sent to Mexico City.  On the way there I took little side trips to Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and Monterrey.  So I got into the habit of taking advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.  That has been a big blessing up to now.  I actually got laid off.  Two big decisions and events that happened to me: I was sent out on a job which forced me to travel alone and I got laid off from my last job because the company was run so poorly.  That forced my hand.  Before that I was thinking of quitting but didn't really have the balls to quit.  I was able to start traveling on my own without the crutch or benefits of business travel.

I have hundreds of memorable travel experiences.  I try not to pick a favorite because they all are unique in their own right, no two are alike.  They're like snowflakes.  But, hitchhiking in New Zealand was pretty interesting 'coz it was the first time I've done it and it was a potentially dangerous thing to do.  Turned out to be completely harmless.  The sights of Borobudur and Angkor Wat were absolutely stunning and breathtaking.  The kind of thing that makes you realize how small, what a sliver of time your life occupies and it puts your problems into perspective quite easily.  It's worth saying that a lot of the history you learn about different cultures, how the world got to be the way it is.  You loosen your grip on your belief system and you become more tolerant and more open minded.  I think that's probably the biggest advantage of traveling.  The cultural open-minded experience, the natural wonders, the western half of the United States by far the most beautiful place I've seen, Grand Canyon.  I left the US with one goal to find a better place in the world and I haven't yet found it.  That's just an overview.  There are a lot more memorable travel experiences. 

Finding places to travel is something a lot of people struggle with.  So many information whether it be online, print, television also word of mouth.  I find word of mouth to be the most helpful but can also be the most damaging because people have an opinion and those opinions aren't always shared with everybody.   I have a handful of websites that I check namely wikitravel, tripadvisor, travelfish, and a couple of others, CNN also has a travel site.  I have that as a basic framework of where I'm going.  And then I'm always talking to people.  I have gotten good at taking people's opinions into consideration and figuring out.  You obsess about it first, having the right place, staying at the right hostel, at the right side of town, the right time of the year.    You have to do it for awhile and then ease up.  It gets to the point you do less and less planning and you wing it more and more.    You either get a bigger kick out of that or maybe get burned by it.    It makes you plan even more.  That depends on the person.   I'm an IT guy.  It's what pays the bills.    I don't mind doing the research.  

When I’m traveling I try to keep a low profile.  I try to look inconspicuous.  I wear solid dark colors all the time.  I don't wear any jewelry.  I only wear a watch when I feel I'm in a safe area.  I carry a small useless phone that nobody would want to steal.  I'm always on the lookout.  I don't get caught up or swept up in my situation.  Especially in big neighborhoods a dog will approach you and will go around you and will come up from behind you if you're not careful.  Other than that the significant advantage is I am a very big guy at least by Asia's standards.  I think a lot of people look at me and they figure there's an easier target elsewhere so I haven't really been physically threatened at all.  Knock on wood.

Risk is a matter of perspective.  There are those who would say everything I'm doing is risky.  There are those who would say I haven't done anything risky yet.  Personally, when I was in Ilocos Norte the same two days I took surf lesson out in conditions that were much too powerful for my skill level and I knew they were much too powerful for my skill level.  But the guy insisted that it was ok.  The first wave I tried to ride I got tossed and the wave took the board.  I was being dragged by my ankle underneath the water for about 10 seconds.  I couldn't get up to the surface.  I didn't freak out.  I survived.  No problems.  I think a lot of people would have considered that risky.   And then the next day I was on a hike to a waterfall. There was a bamboo ladder that takes you up to the waterfall that was broken and so the guide who  was this 16 year old local kid who could speak in English suggested that we climb up this rock pile to get to the top of the waterfall.   I attempted it but it was clear when we were halfway up that this was a rock slide.  That was loose and dangerous, wasn't a good idea.  And was also covered in ants that bite so climbing up an unstable rock pile while getting bitten by ants was categorized as stupid and dangerous.  There was a point that it could have gone wrong.  Fortunately it didn't and everybody survived.  But it was stupid.

  

The world isn't nearly as scary or as different, intimidating as the things you hear people say.  I can't remember how many times I've been getting ready to go to a country and someone says to me "oh you have to be careful there's something going on there or you have to watch out for the people.  I've never found out to be true.  It's an interesting place.  Just don't be afraid to take a chance.  Traveling teaches you.  You have to take a chance.  Things tend to work out.  Things aren't nearly as treacherous as they may say. There may be bad people out there but there are more good people that far outweigh them.  You run into more good people than anything else. What makes the travel experience more memorable are the people you meet. 

The Philippines is one of the top 3 countries I've been to without a doubt.  Primarily because there's so much to do.  A lot of that stuff has to do with the water, relaxing, adventure, excitement and also the people.  The people you meet are all wonderful.  Everyone has a smile.  They're all genuinely curious into who you are and where you come from.   Even the little kids they just come up to you and they say hello.  When I was in El Nido, I was walking down the street and there was this kid who must have been about  7 years old.  I put my hand up, he looked at me for a split second and just gave me a high five.  In the States I don't think that would happen.  The kid there would probably give you a dirty look and turn away.  People here seem to have a less concern for things that are not like themselves.  Filipinos are very familiar with Americans. Filipinos always have a smile on their face and always want to help you out.  I have some concerns, but overall, it’s a fantastic place to be.  

Coming to the Philippines made me change my view on my ideal mate.  I've had conversations with other guys and we all agree after coming to the Philippines we can't look at women from our own countries in the same way anymore. Filipino women seem ideal because they're a bit old fashioned.  They put their own priorities aside for their men I've noticed.  That's something that Western men aren't used to seeing anymore.  That's because Western women are very much about equality, which is great.   But what guy isn't going to be at least tempted by the idea of a woman who is willing to take care of his every need? But I don't know.  I have to leave the country and let it process for a while.  When I left the States I said to myself well if I'm going to meet somebody special on the road it's going to be someone who is kinda like me and then we'll travel together for a while.  We'll be on the same page about what we want to do, what we want out of life and take it from there.   I always thought it would be someone from another culture.  I don't see myself with an American woman.  Ideal mate I don't know.   I don't have plans.  I believe the more plans you have the bigger chance you'll be disappointed.  If I have these plans of a woman chances are it's not going to work out that way anyway. 

 I would like to have a family at some point in my life.  If you ask me now, the family would have to fit into my lifestyle, but maybe in a couple of years I would change my mind about that.   I have always said as I set myself on this trip, if I met someone that made traveling secondary then I would make traveling secondary.  But until it happens it remains primary.  They say about travel, as you learn not to plan because if you have a plan, there is a probability that at the very least it's slightly different than your plan.  You're going to adjust.  So it's better not to have a plan.  Have an idea, have the knowledge, but don't have a plan.  I think that applies to life more than people admit.  

I have a genuine interest in the world.  I have always been fascinated by maps and when I got the taste, the wanderlust bug.  You don't get rid of it.  So I really want to go all around the world first of all.  I want to go from one direction and come back from another direction.  And then after that I want to set foot to as many countries I can and get perspective what life really is like in these places.  Just live a day in their shoes, eat their food, listen to their music, dance to their music.  Life is short and spending it working your whole life doesn't make sense to me.  Amassing the American way, work and make as much money as you can for a rainy day.   If you spend your life preparing for a rainy day you've wasted your life.  And the only thing I think I'm sacrificing is the family right now.  Everything else that I'm giving up right now I don't see it as a sacrifice.  I see it as a cost and that cost isn't too high to prevent me from going on a trip.  

We live in a very interesting time.  If I started this trip as little as five years ago it wouldn't be the same trip.  That is because of the internet and what the internet provides. There is social media, Facebook and also things like couch surfing and also things like internet dating.  It has been a very nice benefit to be able to put up a piece of information online ahead of arriving in a city and maybe engaging conversations be it with a guy or a girl.   It’s great having someone to meet in the city for whatever reason whether it be romantic or platonic, or as a tour guide or have a drink.  I enjoy getting to know a city on my own but it is good to have someone who knows some places to go.  International relations are what they are.  There's a lot of diplomacy that can be achieved.  That wasn't available 5 years ago you couldn't get that type of experience 5 years ago this way.  That would mean if I come to a city I would have to meet people the old fashion way and that would take much longer and I wouldn't have as much time in the city so probably it won't happen as much.  So I've made some friends that I would know for the rest of my life.  That's the thing people who don't travel won't understand.  You meet people and you can stay in touch with them.  

The world is small and you never know what the future is going to bring.  You may see the people you meet in your travels again.  Prime example I met this guy in Australia, a German guy who had a van.  He wanted to drive across Australia and he had six other people going with him.  So I joined them.  We had 3 vehicles.  We drove for 3 weeks.  They're all from Germany.  I'm going to see them next summer in Germany.  It's going to be great.  I've already trickled back with couple of guys and girls that I've traveled with. Girls in Australia trip I saw again in Thailand.  It's almost like a High School class.  If I start a trip on this date, so do hundreds of thousands of people from around the world and some of those people are going to the same places as I am.  Some of them are going to the same tour groups as I am.  You may see them two or three times on the same circuit it's cool.  It's like a community that has gotten a lot bigger but it's still just a neighborhood.  But your neighborhood consists of Germans, Englishmen, Africans, Japanese.  It's a small world and it's only going to get smaller.  

When packing for a trip I recommend you take as little as possible. For me in particular, being a software developer, I need to have my laptop.  If I had everything stolen from me and I still have my laptop I would survive.  I lost my ATM card in Indonesia and that proved to be a very long and painful process to get access to cash.   That was a big problem for a period of time.  Other than that I try to carry as little as possible.  Even if I do carry something it has to serve more than one purpose, unless that purpose is a vital purpose.  After clothes and toiletries, clean underwear has to be one of those.  I need my camera, my laptop, ATM card, sunscreen, towel.  What people don't realize is, no matter where you go in the world, there are people there who eat food, drink water, wear clothes and protect themselves from the sun, so everything you may need is already going to be there.  You don't have to bring it.  

  

Everybody has a different reason for traveling.  Figure out what your reason is and follow it.  Don't get caught up in a group mentality.  Do the things you set out to do.  Try to document it some way to remember it and treat it as a lifestyle not as a vacation.  Be a good representative of where you come from.  Share your culture with others.  Learn other cultures and try to make the world even smaller.