Key Takeaways
- In December 2009, I saw the tweet that changed my life. It was from Matt Gross, who was then the Frugal Traveler for The New York Times. He tweeted as
- I remember eating lunch when I got his call and holding up my Kiwi Experience group while he interviewed me on blogging, press trips, and travel (I wa
- A few weeks later my interview went live on the New York Times website and within a few hours, crashed my server (First World blogger problems, right?
In December 2009, I saw the tweet that changed my life. It was from Matt Gross, who was then the Frugal Traveler for The New York Times. He tweeted asking if there were any travel bloggers who were earning any money from their blog. I tweeted back the Internet equivalent of “Teacher, pick me, pick me, pick me!”
And pick me for an interview he did.
I remember eating lunch when I got his call and holding up my Kiwi Experience group while he interviewed me on blogging, press trips, and travel (I was backpacking in New Zealand at the time).
A few weeks later my interview went live on the New York Times website and within a few hours, crashed my server (First World blogger problems, right?).
A few months ago, Matt released a new book, The Turk Who Loved Apples. This travelogue chronicles (some of) his misadventures around the world since he left to teach English in Vietnam after college.
I had Matt over at my apartment to interview him about his book. Here are two Matts talking travel, (mis)adventure, and whether Vietnam is awesome or not.
I enjoyed Matt’s book tremendously, not least because he’s a better writer than I am, but also because each chapter uses a different story to highlight lessons for beginner travelers — from feeling alone, to wanting to go home, to getting lost, and everything in between. It’s one of the best travel books I’ve read in recent years.
One of my favorite parts of the book was when he writes about the ephemeral nature of travel friendships and the constant good-byes. As Matt says:
If you are looking for a good travel book that provides interesting stories as well as travel advice, pick up The Turk Who Loved Apples. If you’re an experienced traveler, you’ll be able to see yourself in many of his stories.
And if you’re a new traveler, you’ll learn to avoid some common travel mistakes!
