Hi, everyone! I am brand spankin' new to this board. Why have I not known about this amazing community until now?

My name is George and I am a travelholic. This community is a godsend -- a way to hold me over until the next fix! I am also a writer (novelist and TV), but it took a long time to get there, and travel had EVERYTHING to do with it.

My travel addiction started in college, while I was doing a year studying abroad at University of Heidelberg, Germany. While my friends were all doing the European hostel route, I took off for Morocco. Fez blew my mind. As did the Sahara. Since then, I was hooked, and I kept traveling to remote places, each trip a little longer, pissing off my bosses and disappointing my parents ("why are you so 'at sea,' son"). Sure, they enjoyed the chain emails I sent home, which I used as an outlet for the bursts of creativity I felt when traveling. But I had a very practical upbringing, with no other travelers in my immediate family. Finally, for a period of years, financial considerations and family pressure caused me to repress my desire for the raw experience of travel, and I buckled down, opting to pursue a "normal" career.

But the bug kept rearing it's ugly, exotic head, and a trip to Papua New Guinea (with my new companion slash co-restless soul, rationalized as a honeymoon) caused a compete relapse. Like some people wager their life on gambling or drugs, I did the same thing with travel. I had been a lawyer for big firms in both NY and LA, and I was making good money. My wife was too. But we both felt so completely empty with the grind and the work. Finally, on a drastic impulse denounced as insane by our relatives and colleagues, we said the hell with it all. We quit our lucrative and stable careers, sold all our belongings, surrendered our lease, and like Hindu Saddhus, strapped on backpacks, literally buying one way tickets to China.

Two years later, we returned in utter culture shock, having traipsed all over Asia and parts of the Middle East. We were broke. Scared ("now what do we do?"). And with even less desire now to resume practicing law. But I did have the first draft of a manuscript for a novel in my hands (which I wrote in a bungalow on the Island of Lombok). It wasn't easy (I doubt it is for anyone -- read Stephen King "On Writing"), but with several years of persistence and re-writing, I finally got it in the right agent's hands. It sold.

The book was inspired by my time backpacking through the Karakorams and Himalayas of Northern Pakistan and India, which is a region I have fallen in love with and gone to more than once. I am a much happier, healthier person now in my new path, and in a big way, I have travel to thank for it. (Halleluja to that! -- Ok, enough sermonizing.)

The book (published January 6th) is called Fidali's Way, and I have a website by the same name with some travel photos of India and Pakistan:

http://www.fidalisway.com

Please do check it out, and if you're so inclined, drop a note on the guestbook. I'd love to have some kindred spirits drop in and say hello.

I've traveled many other places besides India and Pakistan, and I look forward to chatting with fellow vagabonds about them. And about my other, related passion -- writing.

In that regard, I am thrilled to see this forum devoted to travel writers. Given that I am new to this site, if you have any suggestions where to chat with other writerly types herein, please feel free to co-pilot me! And if you're a writer who hasn't been published yet, keep the faith and never give up. I know that by saying so I commit the shirk of writerly craft -- but it's true! Happy New Year!

George Mastras
http://www.fidalisway.com

Hi George,

You're definitely in the right place!

I too had a relapse during a particularly boring management position - and ended up in Cape Town with a one-way ticket. It took me three years to find my way back, and I still relapse along the way.

I paid for my travel by writing, either travel stuff, feature stories (I had a murky past as a journalist) or by picking up institutional work along the way.

I agree - you can't beat the travel and writing combination!

Hang around... these are the best travel boards on the web.

Thanks for the welcome Scribetrotter! It's interesting the way creativity can be so linked to travel. And how travel can be so addictive.

AMAZING web site! I have traveled through South and Central Asia and parts of the Middle East a lot, and ran into many Westerners who would have benefited from the information you've put together. Really well done! Love to read some of your writing some time.

George Mastras
http://www.fidalisway.com/

Thanks for the kind words! The reason I did the site is because when I was going RTW I couldn't find the information I needed - but of course now there are plenty of truly superb sites out there - we have no excuse for not being prepared.

And I notice we've got similar names...

HI George,

Great to read your success at being published. I'm currently on my quest to live and work in every continent of the world before I'm 30 and hope to publish my adventures once completed (I'm currently trying to find work in Antarctica - proving hard).

Anyway, great to read about peoples successes, and I agree a great site this is, I have also just come across it.
Cheers Hap