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Ted Simon
Author, Adventurer: "The Interruptions are the journey."
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In 1974 Ted Simon set out on a round-the-word motorcycle journey. His account of the four-year odyssey, Jupiter's Travels, has long been "the" classic motorcycle travel tale. For me this tales holds an invaluable lesson: "The interruptions are the journey." Now, at the age of 69, Ted retraces his journey on a two and a half year journey. The delightful Dreaming of Jupiter is the tale of that adventure.

Ted's Takeaways

1. Be open to opportunity. Allow life's (semi-deliberate) accidents determine your path.
2. Use the material from your experiences in a way that transcends the actual experience to develop something more universal.
3. It's often hard to receive than to give. Remember that people who believe what you are doing is valuable want to help you.

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Mark McMahon
Author, Adventurer: The Portable Professional

Mark's book Driving to the End of the World is about his solo journey from Tuscon, Arizona through Latin America to Tierra del Fuego; his company, Portable Professional, and his transition from mild-mannered dentist to uber-traveling businessman.

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Laureen Hudson
Liveaboard Mom, The Excellent Adventure
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Laureen is a writer, a professional editor, a scuba instructor, a beginning sailor, a traveler, and an obsessive researcher who's chiefly focused on, and delighted with, her husband Jason and her sons Rowan and Kestrel. In July of 2006 Laureen and her husband found themselves garden-variety desk-driving SUV-owning suburbanites, so they did the obvious thing and sold their house to live as a family on a catamaran in the Emeryville harbor.

Laureen's Tips

1. Life is short. Get going! My father died when I was 11 years old. It was a three year struggle and I was with him. From that I learned that doing stuff is not scary, but the possibility of having regrets is terrifying.
2. Unplug from the media. Like, yesterday. The media thrives on keeping us afraid of everything, and the real world just isn't like that. Generally, people are kind. Everywhere.
3. They can't eat you, and they can't take away your birthday. We're so brainwashed to think that the consequences of stepping out of line are terrible, when in fact, all we're mostly risking is just someone's disapproval. Whatever.
4. Get rid of stuff. Most people are owned by their belongings, and just looking around and asking the question, "What will I do with my stuff?" is a dreamkiller. Stay light on your feet.
5. No experience is ever wasted. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I say . . . whatever!

Laureen on living your dreams: "We can get hung up on the image of 'the one true dream.' We think that one day day we'll retire and then we can pick one dream because that's all the time we've got left. But that doesn't have to be true. We don't have to pick just one dream, there are lots of dreams to live out there." Listen to the podcast.

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Rita Golden Gelman
The Female Nomad, Children's Book Author
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Rita Golden Gelman moves through the world without a plan, guided by instinct, connecting through trust, and is constantly watching for serendipitous opportunities. She writes children's books and has lived comfotably on as little as ten thousand dollars a year in the USA and abroad.

Rita's Tips:

1. Smile a lot
2. Talk to strangers
3. Accept all invitation
4. Eat everything you're offered.

Rita on on writing: "If I don't really need or want an idea it doesn't come. Normally I spend a lot of my life just wandering around, sort of floating in space and meeting people and doing things and not even thinking about writing, and then all of a sudden I think, 'oh, I'd better write a book,' and then it's like opening a valve in my head. All of a sudden ideas begin to flow in. Because theree's so much more in the world to do and think about and experience. But when I need one I pretty much just turn that little valve and instead of seeing children playing I see children playing and the next step and the next step and suddenly I have a book. I don't know if other writers have this experience." Listen to the podcast.

Visit Rita on the web.

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Lisa Alpine
Travel Writer, Dance Workshop Leader
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The day Lisa Alpine turned 18 she flew to Paris and spent years traveling around the world. She's waitressed in Switzerland, picked olives in Greece, imported merchandise from South America, and led white water rafting trips, just to name a few. For the past two decades Lisa has worked as a freelance travel writer, editor and book midwife, and a dance workshop leader.

Lisa's Tips

1. When you think of something, see if you can just do it immediately—or at least begin the process—instead of simply writing it down on a list.
2. Don't listen to negative voices. Surround yourself with positive, supportive people. Unplug - from the media
3. Trust your intuition and instincts.
4. Consider traveling alone. Experience the "unknown zone." Find out who you are.

Lisa on doing business as an artist: "I love paying my bills—it means that I can continue into that freedom zone where I can write and dance and not worry, "Oh, am I going to survive?" I like surviving, I like getting the basic coverage and then doing the dancing. For me it's about balancing my life." Listen to the podcast.

Visit Lisa on the web.