Do you daydream about the beaches in Thailand or yearn to explore the Arctic? Want to walk the Great Wall of China or throw pennies into Rome's Trevi Fountain? This was your chance to do it all -- for our first contest, we gave away a RTW Trip to the member who invited the most friends to Tripping. We just finished tallying the scores and the winner is... William N. from London! We asked William a few questions about where he's planning to go on his epic around-the-world adventure:
What was your secret to winning? Hosting a ton of guests. When you host someone, they are really willing to help you out. I told them how I really liked Tripping and how Tripping is going to be the next best hospitality site. I have hosted and met over 300 guests in the past. Based on this experience, I know when you are helpful to people, they are willing to listen and help you out. Which is exactly what they did!!
Where do you think you want to go and why? South Africa, Australia, NYC, Uzbekistan. These are some places that come to mind but I have not decided yet. These are far away places I want to see and explore at some point – I know a girl in Uzbekistan that is running a summer class and looking for someone to help teach English over there. That might be incentive enough for me to incorporate that destination into my trip. Overall, I am open to hearing and listening to suggestions from the Tripping community on where I should explore!
What part of a trip like this excites you the most? Learning new things from new people and challenging myself in ways I never thought possible. It’s all about growth – discovering and seeing people – understanding the people and culture is more important to me than the sites or tourist attractions. I want to understand how the world and other cultures perceive me. That is what I am most curious about.
You won 2 tickets. Who are you going to bring with you? How do you go about deciding something like this? I have given some thought but have not decided whom I am going to take. During the Tripping signup phase I talked to a lot of people about traveling with me. What it comes down to is finding a person that wants to learn about new cultures and see how the world perceives their own culture – just like me. It is always fun traveling with someone who has the same mindset as you – then you can really focus on exploring new places in great depth.
Have you ever flipped a coin to decide your next destination? My last trip I went to Germany and I had an open coach pass for Europe - I did not know where I was going to go after Hamburg. I looked at the map of coach ticket options and where would be a good route to follow around Europe. I decided to go to Warsaw. I want to explore the richness of everyplace I go, so that is what led me to explore a new, random destination. I have never done anything like this before, an Around-The-World trip -- so I am thinking this is going to be a way for me to really change my travel style – which I am excited about!
Is there one activity or meal you must try out at every destination you visit? A lot of people do do that, but I guess I have never been an organized traveler to be consistent with trying one particular thing everywhere I go. Maybe now I will start to do something like that. One thing that could be fun would be to test drive different motor vehicles by country, that would be kind of fun! When I host people, I always ask them to bring me a frig magnet from their origin country. I have a frig full of worldly magnets now.
What do you like best about Tripping.com? I like the fact that it connects people together for a meaningful purpose. When you meet someone new, you immediately know that you are going to be helping each other out. It is a great human progress project and it comes right from the heart. I like that it's about getting something done. It is not like Facebook where people just communicate randomly over various topics. With Tripping, you are getting results every step of the way - which to me is why the
Tripping Mission is so important for people to follow and embrace.
If you were trying to convince a stranger on the street to use Tripping.com as a travel resource, what are some things you would tell them? One of the major things I tell people is that you can use an integrated calendar based on when the hosts are free - - it saves a ton of time. When I talk to strangers generally hospitality exchange is alien to them – people tend to accept the concept slowly over time. It helps to have a friendly site like Tripping so people can understand the mission and purpose immediately.
What is one travel destination/challenge you know would be difficult to accomplish, but you would give it a try anyway? Swimming with dolphins – somewhere in the Caribbean – particularly Jamaica.
If you had to pick one event you witnessed during your travels that shocks people, what would it have been? It was waterfalls and mountains in Bahia Brazil. It was absolutely breathtaking and an unreal experience to witness. Also, the attitude of the people in Brazil - surprisingly I felt really comfortable and at home there. The people were warm and always made you feel welcome no matter where I went or what I was doing.
Quick Hits 1.
Favorite food? – whole wheat pasta
2.
Favorite destination? – Anywhere I have friends to revisit
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Favorite color? – Blue, my carpet is blue, I have lots of blue clothes and even the walls in my room are , well, blue.
4.
Favorite Book? – How to Win Friends & Influence People – Dale Carnegie
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Favorite Band? – I like all types, rock, pop, punk, 60’s – I even like Anglican hymns- Haddaway is a band I have recently been into. Congrats to William and many thanks to everyone who participated! We'll be announcing another contest soon, so be sure to keep an eye on our Contests page.
