Rad Bad Nomad

Surfing around the World

Mark Prokop — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 04:29:45 +0000

Ever since I was young I have wanted to learn how to surf, but the opportunity never really presented itself to me. Now that I am going to be traveling around the world and seeing all of the worlds amazing beaches, I figure I should learn how to surf so i can surf the world. Unfortunately I live in Wyoming and far from the shore, so the only thing I can really do until I hit S. America is look up some tutorials online and information about surfing. Oh, and learn the vocabulary. That’s a gnarly wave bra.

So once I start my journey look for some videos of me learning how to surf in S. America and then surfing around the world.

Shopping for a Backpack

Mark Prokop — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:08:28 +0000

Since I will be on the go for a long time, my backpack will be my home on the road. I have been searching online and debating between several backpacks for awhile now. Yesterday I was able to get out to some stores and see the packs in person and get a feel for them. I think I have finally narrowed it down to 3 packs. This first pack fit my body really well and has a lot of stuff I am looking for, i.e it can be loaded from the front or top of the pack. One of my main criteria’s was that the pack could be opened from the front, so I wouldn’t have to dig through all my stuff just to find one little thing. The first pack is Gregory Palisade 80. The second pack is basically a smaller version of the Palisade, Gregory Triconi 60. ANd then the third pack is the Osprey Aether 70, a nice pack but unfortunately it cant be front loaded.

I still have a few months before I have to decide, so a little more research to go. If anyone has any opinions on backpacks feel free to let me know. I got a lot of information from Nomadic Matt’s article on choosing the right backpack. Anyway back to a little more research.

Igauzu Falls

Mark Prokop — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:33:45 +0000

August can't come soon enough!

First day of new job = Very long day

Mark Prokop — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:58:15 +0000

Today I started the first day of orientation for my new job. It started at 8:30a.m and finished at 7:00p.m. It was a very long, tedious day of initials, signatures and safety videos. Even though it was a hard long day, it was an exciting day do to the fact that I will be able to save a lot of money with this job and focus more on my trip and getting on my way.

South America in August

Mark Prokop — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 06:56:01 +0000

Since I am not leaving in March anymore, my starting point has changed also. I plan on leaving the end of August and starting my journey in the beautiful continent of South America. I should have a tentative itinerary on here within the month. Look for more posts soon.

Back on Track

Mark Prokop — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 02:02:44 +0000

December was a hard month for me. I lost my job at the end of November and was unable to find a job through December because of the holidays and just a hard time of year to find work. Finally found a part-time job the beginning of January and I start a full-time job in a week. Because of the lack of work and being able to save I have been set back a few months on my departure date.

I am now back on track and will be departing the end of August with a little more money than anticipated. So all is well. Sorry about the lack of posts these past few months. Will definitely be posting on here a lot more.

No Ticket Anymore!!

Mark Prokop — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:34:21 +0000

Everything has been smooth sailing with this trip so far, from immunizations, saving, research, to even buying a really cheap ticket into Manchester, UK. But this Thursday I had a curve ball thrown at me from Travelocity. I received an email saying that there was a problem with my flights and needed to contact them for details. Of course I called right away to see what the problem was and what could be done to fix it. I was informed that British Midlands doesn’t fly from Chicago to Manchester anymore and therefore my flight for that leg was not confirmed by the airline. Mark, the Travelocity Agent, called British Midlands to see if there was anything they could do for me, but since they don’t fly that route anymore there wasn’t much they could do but refund my money.

So now the search for cheap flights is back on, and the date will probably be different than 30 Mar 09. The only good thing about this is that I found out about it four months prior to my departure instead of four days. So wish me luck in finding another cheap flight pretty soon.

Thailand Beaches

Mark Prokop — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:31:36 +0000

One month relaxing on a Thai Beach. Oh yeah!!

Electronics/Gear

Mark Prokop — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:29:43 +0000

One of the toughest decisions that I am faced with right now is what electronics and gear I want to have on my trip. My main concern is probably how I am going to charge everything on the road. I don’t want to have to carry a lot of extra chargers and plugs, however I’m not quite sure how to get around that yet since I’m not to electronically savvy.

ELECTRONICS

Even though I haven’t specifically bought anything for the trip, I do already have a few items that will be going with me. My Macbook Pro, which I have had for a couple years so it wont matter if it gets beat up a little more, an iPod Nano for some tunes, and my Canon Rebel Xsi to hopefully take some amazing shots.

I am also looking into getting an HD camcorder (preferably with built in hard drive) and possibly a GPS if I can find a good deal on a decent one. I have a few ideas on camcorders but still running the pros and cons through my head. As far as the GPS goes I just thought about it yesterday as maybe being a good idea, but haven’t looked much into it yet and not even sure what I’m looking for.

CLOTHING/GEAR

As much as I would like to wear my normal daily clothes on the road such as Jeans, Hoodies, and Dr. Martens, I know that it is not practical. I pretty much need to get a whole new wardrobe for the road. Everything should be quick-drying since I will be washing my clothes in sinks and tubs at night and moving forward in the day.

I am looking into getting wrinkle-free convertible pants, a few shirts, socks, underwear, and also a sturdy pair of sneakers and sandals.

My priority right now is to get a list together of electronics/gear that will be needed for my trip. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions on electronics or articles of clothing that will be useful to me, please feel free to let me know.

Sydney Opera House

Mark Prokop — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:52:16 +0000

Sydney Opera House, Can't wait to see in person.