Live Limitless

Adventure, Business, Travel

Adventure

My First Cliff Jump

by Leave a Comment

I must admit, my first cliff jump was not that crazy. It was only about three or four metres. However, it had a profound impact on my life.

It was only my second time out of Canada – a one-week trip to Cancun with my girlfriend at the time. Up until then, I hadn’t been a very adventurous guy but one day when we were tubing down a river at Xel-Ha Park, I noticed a cliff-jump and summoned up the courage to give it a try.

I climbed off my tube, swam to the shore, and climbed up to the platform. From there, I walked to the edge, looked down, and froze. It looked so high and although I knew I couldn’t back out and do the walk of shame, I just couldn’t make the jump. Then a little girl, maybe 8-years-old, ran by me and jumped off the cliff with no fear at all.

Now I really had to do it.

[Read more…] about My First Cliff Jump

Flight of the Butterflies | Experiencing the Longest Known Insect Migration on Earth

by Leave a Comment

Monarch Butterflies Mexico

(Note: Visiting the Monarch butterfly sanctuaries of Mexico was one of my 100 things to do before the age of 31 list. Ever since I learned about it, I wanted to make it happen. I’ve since been twice and have also completed all 100 things from “the list”. Want to see the list? click here.)

Deep in the forests of central Mexico’s mountains, a natural phenomenon takes place each and every winter. The forests become absolutely smothered in colourful monarch butterflies that have migrated all the way from Canada.

[Read more…] about Flight of the Butterflies | Experiencing the Longest Known Insect Migration on Earth

Eating a Tarantula in Cambodia

by Leave a Comment

eating fried tarantula

It’s not like I grew up wanting to eat a big hairy spider but when I was looking through The Travel Book getting inspired for my trip to Asia, eating a tarantula in Cambodia popped out as something really unique and cool to do. I have a fear of spiders so eating one seemed like a stretch, which is what I love to do.

Cambodia was our first stop on our 10-month Southeast Asia trip we did back in 2012. From day one in Phnom Penh to the next week in Siem Reap and Battambang, I asked everyone if they knew where I could find fried tarantulas. No one had them. There were other fried bugs all over the place (I ate some on a bus trip) but maybe tarantulas weren’t in season or something. It seemed like my dream of french-fried-spider-legs was not going to happen.

[Read more…] about Eating a Tarantula in Cambodia

How to Travel Around the World in Business Class for $750

by 8 Comments

2015 has been a great year for travel. I’ve already stepped foot on three continents, witnessed a permanent lava lake erupt right in front of me, visited Japan during cherry blossom season, and went completely around the world in business class.

It was my first time at the front of the plane and I picked a good time to do it. After all, my wife and I were flying from Calgary, Alberta to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, which took us through England and Turkey. From Tanzania, we flew to Ethiopia for a month and then to Japan for three weeks before coming back to Calgary over the Pacific Ocean. It was a lot of long flights and many time zones to circle the world but having full lie-down beds on the flights made it much more bearable.

Air Canada Business Class Pod Seating

I certainly can’t afford business class tickets around the world. It’s a tough itinerary to price out but just flying to Tanzania and back in business class came to $15,000 each when I looked it up on multiple search engines. It’s safe to say that it would have cost us at least $35,000 USD to make this trip happen, had we paid for the tickets.

Instead, the trip cost just $750 CAD each. That’s because we used frequent flyer miles to “pay” for the rest. Since becoming a travel hacker a few years ago, I’ve managed to earn over 1 million miles through credit cards, everyday spending, and various promotions. However, even though earning miles is crucial, redeeming them for high-value rewards is much more important in the world of travel hacking.

[Read more…] about How to Travel Around the World in Business Class for $750

Say YES More! (And How I Went to Japan for Free)

by 3 Comments

One of the top questions I get asked when telling people about my story is how I became so adventurous. For those that don’t know, I didn’t grow up an adventurous person. I don’t remember ever dreaming of traveling the world until my early twenties and even then it wasn’t a top priority. But from my late teens and into my early twenties, I did crave change. I wanted to try more things and explore life’s possibilities. In essence, I wanted to live limitless.

So I did. I started trying new things. I said YES more often. If something piqued my interest, I said YES! When I noticed a poster at school advertising salsa dance lessons I said YES! When I noticed an ad for Olympic speed skating try-outs, I said YES! If someone mentioned something exciting, I said YES!

And ultimately, saying YES is what has changed my life.

Whether I said YES to my ideas or thoughts or to a friend’s proposal, everything changed. Suddenly I was trying new things and meeting new people. Suddenly I was becoming more confident and becoming more willing to say YES. Suddenly, nothing seemed impossible. As long as I said YES, I could try anything. Who knows what might happen or who I might meet. Life became one huge possibility.

Life became so exciting and fresh!

I looked around at others still living a life of NO. A life of stifled creativity. A life of fear. They followed the traditional path that was laid out for them by family, teachers, government or media without ever thinking of other possibilities. They stuck to the same old patterns passed down to them and didn’t question anything. It all seemed so boring to me. It’s not like our life is a practice round for the next one. This is it. Make it happen. Live life to the fullest.

Say YES!

How Saying YES lead to a FREE trip to Japan

Back in 2009, I was lying in my bed reading articles on the Four Hour Work Week Blog when a new post by Tim Ferriss really got me excited. He was releasing his updated version of the Four Hour Work Week book. I already owned the original version but loved it so much that I knew I needed the new one. Tim’s plan for reaching the New York Times Bestseller list involved asking readers to buy hundreds of copies, which came with unique gifts. As I scanned through the options, one really stood out. If I bought 100 copies of the Four Hour Work Week ($1500 USD) I would get a ticket to have dinner with Tim and attend a private party on a warship in San Francisco. The possibilities began swarming around my head. This was my idol in the business world. Even though I had $1500, I didn’t really want to be stuck with 100 copies of the same book. With the option being available to only 20 people, I questioned it for only one hour before reaching a decision.

I said yes. I clicked on the buy now button and a few weeks later had 10 huge Amazon boxes show up at my door. It looked so strange that I had to take a picture. A few months later, I was in San Francisco partying with Tim Ferriss and 20 others who bought all the books as well as Noah Kagen, Kevin Rose and Paula Abdul.

Four Hour Work Week

Tim Ferriss San Francisco

After the party, I had to try selling the books. I began searching Meetup groups trying to find business-minded people who might be interested and ended up stumbling upon a group called Junior Chamber International (JCI). I sent them an email and they invited me to come make a proposal at the their next meeting. When I showed up, I gave them a quick speech about the books and then sold a few copies. Then one of the guys made me an offer. He told me that a student membership was $50 per year (I was a student at the time) and that he would buy four copies if I joined the group. Since everyone was young and inspired, I said YES.

Next thing you know, I’m taking free public speaking courses, attending meetings and eventually taking a free trip to Japan. I didn’t realize  how big JCI was on the international level but when the world congress was announced in Osaka, Japan, I knew I had to go. Since JCI Calgary is a non-profit organization who does work in the community in exchange for funding, my trip was fully paid for. 10,000 people from all over the world attended this event.

One YES turned into:

  • Meeting my idol Tim Ferriss
  • Partying on a warship in San Francisco with mega-entrepreneurs
  • Joining JCI and improving my public speaking skills
  • A free two-week trip to Japan

Since saying YES, my life has changed dramatically and for the better. So many things have happened and I’ve experienced more than most people do in a lifetime. It doesn’t stop with the Japan trip either.

Since saying YES!, I have:

I could go on but I’d rather just give you some advice – SAY YES!

The next time you have an idea for an adventure or a business – SAY YES!

The next time you see an advertisement for something that interests you, whether it be salsa dancing or public speaking lessons – SAY YES!

The next time you feel like it’s time to do something new, SAY YES!

The next time you feel like you should ask someone out, SAY YES!

The next time you feel like losing fat and building muscle, SAY YES!

Say YES to Life. As cheesy as that sounds, it’s very powerful. Say YES and watch the opportunities unfold before you.

or Say NO and continue living exactly as you have without ever opening yourself up to a new world of possibilities.

Everything is a choice and the choice is yours.

I hope you make the right one.

***

I’d like to hear from you. Has saying YES changed your life? Is there something you’re going to say YES to after reading this post. Share in the comments below!

If you haven’t signed up for the VIP list, I highly recommend making that happen. You’ll get resources for traveling more and spending less while building an incredible life. You’ll also get exclusive content and deals. Sign up BELOW! Say YES!

If you enjoyed reading this, you may also like:

 

Adventures in Huasteca | A Side of Mexico Almost No One Ever Sees

by 2 Comments

I looked down at my watch. Wait, that’s not true. I looked down at my phone. The time was 7 am. We had just reached the bus terminal of Ciudad Valles after a 9-hour evening bus from Mexico City. I had slept maybe 2-hours but was excited to get back into nature and see some awesome friends we hadn’t seen since our university exchange in Malaysia back in 2012. After weeks of traffic and concrete in the world’s second-most-populous city, it was now time for beautiful waterfalls, turquoise waters, and subtropical rainforest hikes.

Ricky and Andrea, two friends of ours that happen to be bamboo architects, and our friends we had come to visit picked us up to go back to their house for breakfast. They had already booked our first adventure, which was just-so-happened river kayaking at 10 am. We ate breakfast, I grabbed an energy drink and we made way to the first of many beautiful tranquil rivers for the following week.

Tumul WaterFall

We joined up with some American kayakers who have a business in Mexico during the winter months. They gave us a rundown on how to operate the kayak and told us we’d be going down class-2 rapids. After paddling around one of the biggest waterfalls in the area, we got started. When the first rapid came, we fell off in an embarrassing fashion. Karla got massive scrapes all the way from her bum to the middle of her leg and I got lucky with just a bruise. Nothing big, though her cuts looked horrible. After that, we got the hang of it and only fell out one more time, thankfully in deeper water. We had only kayaked once before in calm waters so this was a completely new experience and a fun one at that.

It was incredibly scenic. The water was a light blue. The sky was blue. The jungle ferns draped over the edges and had an almost “Indiana Jones” feel to it. Mini waterfall after mini waterfall, we made our way down the river for a couple of hours, finally disembarking near someone’s farmland, where some other locals had been paid to drop off our vehicles for us.

Success.

tumul waterfall huasteca

After a delicious but greasy lunch of Mexican gorditas, it was time for another waterfall adventure.

This time we were going to be jumping off of nine different waterfalls, starting from a mere 3-meter drop to the biggest drop of the day at 9 meters. Some of them we could slide down like waterslides and after the last one, we had a big surprise waiting for us. We were able to swim behind the waterfall. Crouching down in a cool, dark cave while looking out from behind a powerful waterfall pour down in front of us was as magical an experience as it gets. I wanted to stay for hours and just be in the moment. This was another first for me and definitely something I’d love to do again. After a good five or ten minutes, we crawled to the left and eventually leaped through the waterfall and back into the cold waters.

Over the next week in Huasteca, we never stopped. It was adventure after adventure. We went paddle-boarding for the first time in small ponds and also upriver to see a massive waterfall towering above us. We took the kayaks again to a different river and also paddled upstream to Tamul waterfall, the biggest waterfall in the area. We then said bye to water activities and went hiking through a magical subtropical rainforest to reach a staggering 200-meter sinkhole in the middle of the mountains. This area is famous for sinkholes with the most notable one being the Cave of Swallows, which was featured in BBC’s Planet Earth and many National Geographic articles. We went to the one that almost no one ever sees, which added to the experience of it all.

Huasteca Sinkhole

After spending a night in some beautiful cabins in a small tranquil mountain village, we embarked on another new adventure – mountain climbing. The goal was to see an incredible view from the top but the rain caused too much mist for any view to be seen. Though this was disappointing, it was really cool to strap on a harness with real mountain climbers and make our way up a steep mountain. I was told that I was a natural so who knows – maybe I’ve found a new activity to fall in love with. We then continued on to a surreal castle built by Edward James near the town of Xilitla. This magical place is built into a natural waterfall and was meant to resemble “the Garden of Eden”. All Rocky and I could talk about was designing a liveable town just like this. Paradise.

I love trips like this.

While it wasn’t a new country (I’ve spent about six months in Mexico during the last five years), it was a new area and a place that almost no tourists ever see. The only tourists that make it to this area of Mexico are hardcore adventurers like the kayakers we met from the States. Most opt for major cities or beach resorts.

They are missing out and this could be great for visitors from couples to a great family holiday in Mexico.

This place was like walking into a National Geographic documentary. All the locals are super friendly and not-yet-damaged from mass tourism like those from Cancun and Riviera Maya. It actually reminded me of my time in Asia, driving through tiny villages and farmland and witnessing little villages with happy families. There are so many beautiful cities in Mexico, some of which are vastly unexplored.

Edward James Castle xilitla

After about five months of work and city life, this adventure was just what I needed. Adventure, thrills, good people and the odd bottle of Victoria beer. I tried some new adventure sports and grew as a person, which is just what travel is about, no?

When was the last time you tried something new or had your heart rate increase from excitement? Let me know in the comments – I’d love to hear about it.

My friend Ricky is building incredible bamboo buildings in the Huasteca region and we’re thinking of organizing an adventurous and unique tour in the next year or two. Would you be interested? Leave a comment if you are and you’ll be first in line when they happen.

PS: Don’t forget. I’m going to be releasing a book in 2015 called Limitless Travel. It’s going to be the ultimo travel resource book teaching you how to find the cheapest flights, how to become a travel hacker, all the different modes of transportation, different types of accommodation, best travel gear, and much more. It’ll be free for the first 5 days once released so make sure you sign up here and be the first to know about its release.