Meet Phil! He's been to 65 plus countries and he's not done! Find out how he doesn't choose his destinations but instead lets his destinations choose him. This is a man whose certainly living life to the fullest - a free spirit visiting iconic places yet has an insatiable thirst for discovery and exploration.
1). How many destinations have you been to? And what are some of the destinations you have visited?
I've been to 65+ counties. Some of the destinations that I have been to that are not often traveled to were: Cambodia, Malaysia, Moldova, Morocco, Czech Republic, United Arab Emirates and Bolivia.
2). What are your top 3 favorite destinations?
Not sure I have a top three but the three that surprised me the most and overly exceeded my expectations so far are Israel, Cambodia, & Morocco.
3). Which destination was the most affordable that you would recommend to others?
That’s hard to say because "affordable” is subjective. Asia is expensive to get to but once you're there, the dollar goes a long way especially in places like Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Eastern Europe is also very affordable once you get there.
4). How do you decide on where to visit next?
I let my destinations choose me. I'm usually drawn by an awesome adventure, an event I’ve never heard of, or a location tourists don't normally go to.
5). What sources do you use to research/book your tours?
A lot of my research comes from people I meet during my travels. Like minded travelers tend to know where the hidden gems are. Three hidden gems are ITA Matrix, Skiplagged, & The flight deal.
6). How do you juggle work/vacation life? Why is it important to you to include traveling in your life?
To me there is nothing to juggle. I look at travel as part of my life and not just a vacation. I need it to refresh and reset my mind and body, so I can work/perform better. I always make sure to negotiate a sufficient amount of vacation days at any company I work at.
7). Any absolute travel tips/tricks you would like to share?
· If you're traveling alone or in a small group (2-3) - stay in hostels (That's where you'll meet amazing like-minded travelers that will share with you some great insights).
· Travel light - You don't really need five pairs of pants for a 5 day trip.
· Global entry, Clear, & Pre-check are must haves.
· When traveling though different countries while already in South America, book travel while you're there. A lot of the cheap airlines aren't found on the search engines we use in the US.
8). What was the craziest and wildest experience you had on one of your trips?
Too many to pick just one so I’ll give you two.
1. My girlfriend lost one ski while we were alone in the backcountry in the Alps. It went over an edge and I went flying after it. I caught up to it just before it went into a glacier where it would have been lost forever leaving her stuck with one ski in an area where the snow was too deep to walk and we would have been stuck there overnight.
2. I convinced a cab driver who didn't speak English to drive me four hours into the desert in Israel to get to a Bedouin camp. 30 minutes in I realized no one knew where in the world I was and that this could take a turn for the worst at any time. Fortunately, the driver and I found interesting ways to communicate and I made it to the camp just in time to see the Perseid meteor shower. Seeing a thousand shooting stars an hour with no light pollution in the deserts of Israel was one of the most magical things I’ve ever seen and made the adventure worth it.
That concludes my interview on Phil who really exudes what living life is truly all about. I would like to thank Phil for his time and all the great knowledge that he shared for this interview. I wonder what destination is headed next in his path and I am eager to dive into a unique destination that he visits in the future. If you have any questions on one of the destinations he's visited - contact me and I will get you all the information you need! In the meantime, as I like to say keep exploring all the different components of what makes this world so beautiful!
Travelers alike: If you are interested in being interviewed or to be featured in the future, please contact me at grace.budhram@avoyanetwork.com.