On the morning of an international flight to a place I’ve only heard about from glorified gangster movies you would think that my nerves would be at an all time high. Well as anti-climatic as it may be, they weren’t. Even with JFK being packed with stranded travelers no anxiousness or doubt set in. Even … Continued
STATUS UPDATE: Next Destination: Colombia (TBD) Departure Date: December 29, 2010 Return Date: Early April (for a best friend’s wedding) Overall: 29 days from today I arrive in Bogota, Colombia for the second edition of Tourist 2 Townie. I have 0% of the trip figured out so far and that’s exactly how I like it! … Continued
It’s weird to say “coming home” because I really didn’t have a set location before I left for my 10-month adventure. I was splitting my time between San Diego, Salt Lake City and Buffalo, so being back in one location (Rochester) is new and old at the same. Regardless, everything felt weird when I first arrived … Continued
Waiting for my connecting flight at the airport in Santiago, Chile, this is the first chance I’ve had to sit down alone and reflect on this amazing adventure. I think about how hard the last few weeks have been. I think about the life-long relationships I’ve made and the memories that I’ll take with me … Continued
Yesterday marked the 9-month point along this incredible adventure. As I reflect back on the whole experience all I can think about is… shit, time has gone by fast. I could of had a kid in that time. However, at my mother’s request I’m still baby-free, loving life and trying to maximize the time I have … Continued
April 1st marks 6-months that I have been in Buenos Aires. That’s crazy! T2T has reached the half way mark, well, for this mission anyway ; ). Actually it’s even more than the half-way mark because I have to get back to New York for a few weddings in late August/September. So, really, I only … Continued
Gareth Leonard & Tourist2townie.com on BBC Blogworld – Thursday, 11 March 2010 A few weeks ago I was contacted by Paul Coletti of the BBC who explained they had a new feature at BBC called BBC Blogworld Superpower. Blogworld features different blogs and travel blogs from around the world. He asked If I would be interested in shooting a … Continued
I haven’t done a STATUS UPDATE in awhile so I feel like I should take a minute to get myself organized and briefly fill everyone in on progress of the Tourist2townie.com mission. It seems crazy to be writing this 4 and a half months in. It honestly feels like i’ve been here for 2 weeks. … Continued
Never in a million years (or 26) did I think I’d be spending my birthday like this. Partying it up with lifelong friends that I’d had only met a few months ago. It was great having so many of the people who’ve helped make this an amazing adventure together in one place. (we missed you Mariangela … Continued
STATUS UPDATE: The T2T Fan Club is Growing Food: Trying new places to switch up from empanadas, pizza and meat. I eat Choripan like its my job. Physical Status: Need to exercise more and get on somewhat of a normal sleep schedule. Mental Status: Overwhelmed, Anxious, Excited Spanish Speaking Ability: I can piece together words and … Continued