Vagabonding Matt Around the World

Where's Matt?

Matt is an Ozzie from Brisbane who quit his job over two years ago and hit the road, not really sure of purpose or reason, and his website blurbs has been largely ignored until this week after it was plugged at Boing Boing and other aggregators and group-driven blogs. Matt is generally noted for his videos of his two-step dances to the joys of life, filmed all over Asia, but they are very large files, so unless you are on a T-1 line, forget about seeing Matt dancing.

I found his journal very well written, honest, and a great look into the perils and challenges of hitting the road for a few years, after quitting your job and giving up all the securities of a safe lifestyle. So, instead of the enormous videos, I'll post a link to his home and let you go find out something about Matt. Start from his first day, then visit his most recent entry, and see if you want more. You probably will be drawn into the adventures of Matt -- an Ozzie on the road.

2/1/05 Seattle, Washington
February 01, 2005

The other question I get asked is, of course, how did I afford all the travel. Am I a trust fund baby? IPO jackass? International jewel thief? The simple answer is that I invented the Ab Roller. But while simple, it is sadly untrue.

I saved up a fair amount while living in Australia due to a favorable exchange rate and some tax weirdness that turned out in my favor. It wasn't a fortune by any means, and I should stress that if you avoid Europe, the US, and a few other places, you're really not spending all that much once you get where you're going.

I couldn't even guess at how much I spent wandering around over the last two years, and I certainly wouldn't want to. But it's not something that bothers me. If you regret the money you spend on travel, then you're doing it wrong.

Some people want to know where I'm planning to go next. It won't be for a while, as I have no money coming in right now, but when I do get things sorted out I'd like to take an extended trip to South America -- one of the two continents I haven't yet visited and by far the more manageable journey. I'm terrified of spiders, so I'm staying out of the Amazon and anywhere else where large furry arachnids tend to hang out. Patagonia seems beautiful and fairly spider-free, so it may be the focus of the trip.

I'd really like to go to Bhutan. The places I pine for most are generally the ones I know least about, and pretty much all I know about Bhutan is how to spell it and where to find it on a map. It seems like a mysterious place, so it's near the top of my list.

As landforms go, you can't beat islands. Islands are a great thing. I've never met one I didn't like. My favorites are often the ones where you go "Who knew there was a freaking island there? How can that be?!" I have that reaction to the Azores and I'd like to find out what the hell the deal is with that place. I'd like to go to the Isle of Man, mostly because of the name. There are a lot of Monkey Islands around Asia and I'd like to visit all of them. Speaking of which, there's a place called Skull Island a few thousand miles southwest of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. It's surrounded by a rock atoll that hides it from passing ships and would have acted as a breakwater for the tsunami, so it should still be in good shape. I would like to go there and search for dinosaurs and oversized deified primates.

If anyone is interested in funding such an expedition, you know how to reach me.

Where the Hell is Matt?