Random Traveller 68 with Michael Hodson from Go See Write

Welcome to round 68 of ‘Meet a Random Traveller’. The series dedicated to bring attention to fantastic people all around the world doing their thing.

Random Traveller 68

Bungeeeeeeee

Who are you?
I am Michael Hodson, a.k.a. mobilelawyer, the writer, photographer and publisher behind Go, See Write. Before I started full-time travel late in 2008, I was an attorney in Northwest Arkansas for about ten years. My law practice was focused on litigation, so I dealt with the types of cases that got me in the courtroom as much as possible, such as criminal defense, employment discrimination, personal injury and commercial litigation. I loved the challenge of convincing twelve total strangers (jurors) to agree with my client’s position, which probably is a reasonable segue to my current career, which focuses on trying to get total strangers to read what I write about travel, life and things hopefully worth pondering.

What’s the deal?
My blog was originally intended for two purposes, to keep family and friends informed about my RTW- no planes trip I took in 2009-10 and also to serve a note taking purpose for the book I am finally going to write about that journey. Over time, it has evolved into someone a lot more professional — at least I hope — and more serious than anything I originally envisioned. Travel blogging has come a long way since 2008 and I’m happily and hopefully ensconced deep in its future.

You have been on a few trains recently no?
Why yes I have indeed, though a few months back now. Then again, you did send me these questions months ago, right when I finished the Ultimate Train Challenge that I did with the wonderful Jeannie Mark, a.k.a the Nomadic Chick, and Nora Dunn, a.k.a. The Professional Hobo. We each did almost 15,000 miles in trains during the month of September, going from Lisbon to Saigon solely by means of rail transport. It is my single favorite way to travel and although the trip totally wiped me out, body and mind, I wouldn’t give back a minute of it. In fact, I think I might make it an annual event, so if anyone out there reading is free next September…

working away on the Trans-Mongolian

How long do you spend coming up with the answers for your 13 questions interviews and roughly how many do you have to delete after being too invasive?
I have spent about 10 or so hours coming up with about 100 questions that I rotate in for my Lucky 13 interviews. I like to think that most of them are fairly unique questions that give a little bit of insight into the travel bloggers I subject them to (like you two here) and allow readers to get a totally different perspective on the bloggers they read. Shockingly, I haven’t had too many complaints from the interviewees about the questions, which can be pretty personal sometimes, but I hope not overly invasive or rude. I do love a good embarrassing story though — then again, I’m more than willing to tell those on myself also, so perhaps the karma is just working for me there.

Do you plan on relaxing now after your long journey and if so, how?
Well, let’s pretend that I didn’t lose these interview questions in my inbox for a few months. I do plan on relaxing (and did) in SE Asia until the end of the year. Singapore and Malaysia for the first time. Meeting up with some great travel bloggers in Chiang Mai, the haven for us types. Seeing Angkor Wat again. Enjoying almost daily cheap massages and excellent street food. I even managed to buy a reasonably priced box of Romeo ´y Julietta cigars in the Siem Reap duty free shop. And… got to have some beers with you two, which in my eyes was one of the highlights of the entire three months I kicked around there.

On top of a lorry that I hitched a ride on in northern Kenya. And yes, I even enjoyed that bumpy and dusty ride

What’s Next?
Well my main goal is to keep traveling. Basically, I’d like to do this forever. I simply love the whole feeling of movement. Sure, I love seeing new places, and some old ones, and meeting up with friends along the road, but for me, I really revel in getting on a bus or train or hitchhiking a ride somewhere and just feeling the world go by my window. Sitting here on my parents’ back porch in Southern California as I answer these questions, smoking a cigar, I am wishing I was typing this up on a train from somewhere I’ve been to somewhere new. I can’t think of anything better.

Bigger picture, 2012 is going to be a big year for me on many fronts. I have committed to writing the book about my RTW-  no flights trip which I am currently calling One Lap, No Jetlag. I also have a movie screenplay, not about me, God, that I want to try to write this year, which will be an especially difficult task since dialog is not a forte of mine. I’ve also formed up a social media consulting group with a couple other great friends and we’ll hopefully have some announcements on that front soon. I’m working with a couple dozen amazing travel bloggers about forming up a non-profit Professional Travel Bloggers Association, to help everyone out that wants to travel and write for a living. There are a couple internet businesses I am getting close to finishing. And ‘o yea, I am going to be on the road for hopefully about 50 weeks of 2012.

I love my life.
A big thanks to Michael for taking part, great to have you.

Be sure to check him out:
Blog:  Go See Write
Twitter:  @mobilelawyer
Facebook:  /goseewrite

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