@anomadsoul is continuing his great initiative called The road to Steem Fest | Next topic: The physical road, bringing Steemians together so we can get to know each other before we meet up in Poland this year for Steemfest. Great idea. I feel like I know a lot of you already from reading your posts.

Last year at Steemfest 2 in Lisbon, Portugal I made the decision to attend this year's Steemfest no matter where in the world it was held. Connecting with Steemians in the real world is a unique experience worth being part of and I wouldn't miss it. It's so much fun meeting Steemians you've gotten to know online first and reuniting with others from last year is going to be a blast.

Since joining Steemit and getting involved with the different communities on the platform I've learned a lot and it has literally changed my life in so many ways. I've connected with people from all walks of life and met many of them in real life. The friendships formed through this platform have been lasting and rewarding.

Since October 2017 I've been living 100% on Steem and have begun traveling to places I've always wanted to see. I made a decision to travel continuously for the next 12-months and see where that leads me. There's something about traveling I'm completely addicted to and love the challenges it presents. My journey to Steemfest 3 this year is interesting in that I'm actually traveling full-time and have taken a long road to eventually arrive in Krakow, Poland.

I was literally online about to book a flight to Thailand when @roelandp made the announcement of this year's Steemfest location so I incorporated Poland into my travel plans. Amazingly I was able to book a flight from Cancun, Mexico where I was living at the time, to Mexico City, then Bangkok, Poland, and back to Bangkok for $1,400 USD.

This year alone I went to Acapulco for the Anarcapulco event, Merida, San Cristobal De Las Casas, Mexico City, and am currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Again, all funded by Steem.

I'll be flying to Steemfest this year from Bangkok, Thailand and as soon as the event is over I'll be returning to Thailand to continue my adventures there.

While in Krakow I'll be staying in a rented Airbnb with @anomadsoul who I last saw in Cancun, Mexico when he returned from Russian after the World Cup. He's someone I introduced to Steemit and it's good to see him doing so well. He was at last year's event and will be there this year too.

Looking forward to seeing you again @anomadsoul and meeting more Steemians who will be staying there with us.

I'm also looking forward to hanging out with the @steembirds again, seeing @quinneaker, @everlove, @prc, @lizanomadsoul, @coruscate, @meno, @world-travel-pro, and so many other people. Jeez, this list could go on forever.

Meeting @ned last year in Lisbon, Portugal

Last year I was fortunate enough to win a ticket to Steemfest in Lisbon, Portugal thanks to the generosity of @quinneaker and his ticket giveaway contest and the overwhelming, heartfelt support from the Steemit community.

This year with the help of @blocktrades and @anomadsoul, @openmic was able to help send someone to Steemfest in our own Steemfest ticket giveaway. Congratulation @coruscate!

You can read about that at WINNER! | The @blocktrades + @openmic Steem Fest ticket giveaway!

I've never been to Poland before and have been living in tropical climates for so long that I don't have any warm weather clothes, so I guess I'll have to find some for this trip. If anyone has a warm jacket they could spare or lend me for a week let me know.

My road to Steemfest this year started months ago, a continuous journey that's still unfolding as I go, but one of the most special gatherings of the year for any active Steemian.

On the way back from Steemfest my plane has a layover in Dusseldorf, Germany where my friend will be hopping on the plane to join me back in Thailand where we'll pick up the Thailand trail and see where that takes us.

If anyone attending Steemfest would like to go to Thailand afterward and join us please let me know. It would be an awesome after-steemfest party. @roxane said she would be coming to Thailand after the event and I know @waybeyondpadthai lives in Bangkok. I'll probably see her when I go to Bangkok next time. I think a bunch of Steemians just returning from Steemfest and arriving in Thailand to get some beach time in after Poland would be the most fun adventure. Let me know in the comments if anyone is interested in going to Thailand after Steemfest.

The Similan Islands, Thailand source

To get to know me better you can read the posts about my adventures as they unfold. For the next 4-months or so I'll be writing about my experiences in Thailand and also plan to visit Vietnam. There's something about going to totally foreign places that inspires me and gets my creative juices flowing.

There's some evidence that the propensity for traveling is inherited or in our DNA. You can read more about that at The Constant Traveler - Why Are Some People More Prone To Travel Than Others?

Whatever the reason it sure inspires me to blog more and provides more to blog about. When you're in a foreign country exposed to new experiences and new people every day there is never a dull moment really. There's always something new to see, taste, try, and discover and then, of course, blog about it.

It also allows me to introduce many new people to the Steemit platform. Once people realize I'm traveling for months, not weeks at a time, they invariably ask me what I do. "Are you retired?", they ask. This gives me the perfect lead-in to tell them all about Steemit and how it helps fund my travels and they seem very interested in learning more.

Meet Soon and Noon. I love slow travel and meeting locals.

Some join. Some don't. So what? Those that join and really apply themselves start getting involved and before you know it it has changed their lives too. It still feels a little strange to me saying that a website has changed my life but it has.

You see, I love slow travel. What is slow travel?

Instead of the normal tourist experience of traveling to a resort, booking as many activities as possible, and coming home exhausted from your vacation, slow travel encourages you to indulge in the local culture, to really soak in the local experience and get to know the place, the customs, and the people.

Spending more time in an area and leaving gaps in planning every detail of your trip invites room for unexpected events to unfold. You really start to make more local connections and friendships because you are in town longer than the typical tourist and locals can get to know you. You get to see and experience the culture on a whole other level than someone there for a week or two.

Slow Travel is a mindset that rejects traditional ideas of tourism and encourages you to soak in your environments and keep yourself open to new experiences.

Slow travel is not so much a particular mode of transportation as it is a mindset. Rather than attempting to squeeze as many sights or cities as possible into each trip, the slow traveler takes the time to explore each destination thoroughly and to experience the local culture. source

Often people think that you have to be rich or retired to slow travel but that is not the case if you pick the right locations to travel to. Working on Steemit and earning Steem really helps because it's a geographically independent income source. Truly life-changing stuff.

Another expert on budget travel here on Steemit is @world-travel-pro. He's been doing this kind of thing for years already and is a wealth of info about budget traveling.

So, as I travel I've been starting these little clusters of new Steemians and bringing them to the platform. I know I'm not the only one doing this but in my small way, it feels good to recruit new people and also meet existing Steemians along the way.

The world of Steem is growing and reaching every corner of the world. One thing I really love about introducing new people to this is the look on their face when you explain it to them, like a light bulb going off in their head. Some get so inspired they can hardly contain themselves and they know just what to do next. Others think it's too good to be true and don't take action at all. All I can do is lead them to it, like Johnny Appleseed I plant the seed. The rest is up to them.

To those of you hearing the call and preparing to make the journey to Krakow, Poland this November, you are my kind of people. The early adopters that know a good thing when they see it. The explorers willing to be part of this new way of interacting with each other, but open to connecting the virtual world and bringing it into the real world. Weaving us together into the strong, global fabric of humanity, ready to see where this journey takes us.

I look forward to connecting, meeting, sharing, and knowing you all at Steemfest 3 this year. Until then, may Steem be with you.

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