by Matthew Allison | May 3, 2000 | Asia
A Backpacking Journey to Cambodia May 2000: For my second trip to Asia, following my first adventure in China, I booked a standby ticket through Mesaba Airlines, where I was working as a baggage handler in 2000. With a cheap ticket to Bangkok in hand, I set off with a...
by Matthew Allison | Dec 4, 1999 | Asia
December 1999-March 2000: For four months, I taught English to South Korean students ranging in age from preschool to high school at an English immersion school in Seoul. My school was located in suburban Illsan, and I lived in a small room rented from a Korean family...
by Matthew Allison | Aug 26, 1999 | South America & Antarctica
My First Expedition-Pico Da Neblinas Summer 1999: My goal was to venture as deep into the unknown as I possibly could. I believed that such an expedition might bring me the clarity I needed in choosing a future career path—something I badly needed after just...
by Matthew Allison | Aug 26, 1998 | Asia
August 1998: As part of a multi-month-long back packing trip in India, I traveled overland via bus into Western Nepal seeking adventure, the unknown and tigers. During this time Western Nepal was truly an undeveloped, remote outpost in the world and was just starting...
by Matthew Allison | Aug 12, 1998 | Asia
Summer 1998: For my first trip to Asia, I chose the Indian Himalayas to base my travels. I planned to be in India for at least 3 months, but my schedule was open. I did have to return for my Fall Quarter of college, but I figured I could survive if I missed one...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 24, 1997 | Australia & Pacific
November 1997: In my earliest travels, Fiji was my introduction to the Pacific Islands. As part of my round-trip airline ticket to Australia, I had one free stopover in a Pacific Island, and I chose Fiji because it was a name that conjured up images of a tropical...
by Matthew Allison | Aug 21, 1997 | Australia & Pacific
How the Journey Started Australia 1997: A Dream Made Real A Summer That Still Feels Like a Dream The whole experience still feels like a dream, one I sometimes have trouble believing actually happened. I was only 20, and at that time, Australia—with its vast outback,...
by Matthew Allison | Jun 27, 1995 | Asia
June 1995: Shanghai—The Journey that Changed Everything Even though I’ve been fortunate enough to visit all of the countries of the world by my 40s, my passport remained empty—with the exception of a quick hop to Canada—until I was 18 years old. My very first real...
