I saw that my life was a vast glowing empty page and I could do anything I wanted. ““ Jack Kerouac
The Dream –
Traveling around the world has been a dream for me since I was laid off from my first post-college job in March 2002. It has taken me over 5 years to make it happen, and I am at once ridiculously excited about the possibilities, and a bit uneasy about this whole lack of a job and income idea that goes along with it.
Dare Me! Activity –
Dare me to do something funny, embarrassing, strange, adventurous or pedestrian.
Tell me about it by leaving a comment, or sending me a message, along with a suggested donation amount (and web address if you have one). If I accept, then I'll write about it, post pictures and/or video on the blog, and show my thanks by adding you to the Dare Me! page.
Here are a few ideas…
- Visit a certain monument (beach, park, etc.)
- Eat a strange food (insects, birds, brains, etc.)
- Spend a day trying to get the phone number of a Parisian woman (note: this is hard enough when you speak the language!)
- Obtain and mail a souvenir
- Go 5 days without a shower (warning: this might happen without the dare)
To give you a sense of how fun this could be, check out “Challenge Steve” at the Savage Files. I learned about this site after I had already committed to the premise of using dares as a way to create interactivity with readers (and earn a little $).
Here are a few of Steve's challenges:
Take a photo of you AND Maria drinking a Fanta in front of the house where Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar. I just love Zanzibar, and I threw in the Fanta because it's really hot there and you'll be thirsty.
Reward= fifty US dollars
Status= pending…
Challenge for Morocco: Take a photo of you enjoying a glass of mint tea at a local hangout. Reward – US $10
Reward= ten US dollars
Status= COMPLETED!, and the funds have been put towards some hair restoration treatment!
Please note, you can submit your dares any time! Like Steve, I'll simply list them as “pending” until I make it to the appropriate part of the world. If a dare is completed, donations can easily be made via PayPal or credit/debit card using the “Make a Donation” button on the left sidebar.
Planning a trip? Go Backpacking uses and recommends:
- Skyscanner for researching flights
- Hostelworld for booking hostels
- Airbnb for renting rooms and homes
- Rail Europe for train passes
- World Nomads for travel insurance
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I love this idea, Dave – very cool! I’ll have to think up something fun/embarrassing for you to do. ;)
Knowing your sense of humor, I’d be in for something worthwhile!
I love this idea, Dave – very cool! I’ll have to think up something fun/embarrassing for you to do. ;)
Knowing your sense of humor, I’d be in for something worthwhile!
Hey Dave I hope this gets a lot of interest! Will be fun to see what trouble we can get you into! ;-)
Thanks for encouraging me in your review of my blog. I’m going to find a way to make the idea a little more visible to readers (especially those who only see the RSS feed), such as putting a link at the end of each post. :)
Hey Dave I hope this gets a lot of interest! Will be fun to see what trouble we can get you into! ;-)
Thanks for encouraging me in your review of my blog. I’m going to find a way to make the idea a little more visible to readers (especially those who only see the RSS feed), such as putting a link at the end of each post. :)
Dave, happy to see someone famous over in my neck of the woods. I’ve been keeping up with your preparation, too. I would come up with a sweet dare for you, except that, like you are soon to feel, my bank account has been poured into a not-too-narrow funnel. But if you pick your nose in front of the Sky Tower, I’ll buy you a beer.
Justin – consider your dare accepted! Thanks for being the first. I look forward to embarrassing myself upon arrival in Auckland, New Zealand. :twisted:
Dave, happy to see someone famous over in my neck of the woods. I’ve been keeping up with your preparation, too. I would come up with a sweet dare for you, except that, like you are soon to feel, my bank account has been poured into a not-too-narrow funnel. But if you pick your nose in front of the Sky Tower, I’ll buy you a beer.
Justin – consider your dare accepted! Thanks for being the first. I look forward to embarrassing myself upon arrival in Auckland, New Zealand. :twisted: