Traveler Profile: Turner

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Screen name:

Turner

Age:

Gender:

Male

If you must know:

I'm single

Travel status:

Traveling soon

Hometown:

Dallas, Texas

Currently in:

Austin, Texas

Expert Japan

I lived in Japan for two years, teaching English in Hiroshima and working with a private Japanese company in Kagoshima. During that time I had the chance to travel extensively around the four main islands, visiting hot springs, sightseeing at the hot spots, and appreciating the culture.

Traveling Next:

North Island, New Zealand

Favorite places I've been:

Kurokawa Onsen, Japan
Kou Raya Yai, Thailand
Rotorua, New Zealand
Austin, Texas, USA

Places I want to go to:

Angkor Wat, cherry blossom festival in Okinawa, Mt. Everest, skiing in Hokkaido Japan, Hawaii, Maldives, Dunedin in New Zealand, the Outback in Australia, The Void in the Sahara (just the fringe), Mt. Kilimanjaro, running the original marathon in Greece, low Earth orbit with the private space industry, Iceland, Thailand, Egypt, Sweden, Easter Island

About me:

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, attended the University of Texas at Austin from 2001-2005. After college, I stayed in Austin for a year doing freelance work until I heard about an opportunity to travel to Japan.

Right now, I'm learning to make ends meet wherever I happen to reside, attending Couchsurfing gatherings, and spreading the word of independent travel to any willing ears... guess that would make me a vagabonding missionary. But I also divide between advising people on how best to come to the land of the rising sun, making day trips to interesting areas, honing my photography skills, and writing practical travel pieces for Matador.

I have a degree in aerospace engineering. I enjoy singing Phantom of the Opera (badly, I'm sure) when I'm wandering empty streets in a foreign country at night. I once went for 60 hours without sleep (and, consequently, slept for 26 hours after that). I've been the knight in shining armor, saved the maidens fair, and battled for my life. I've woken up at 4 AM to pull a bottom-dwelling fish with 200 feet of fishing line in Alaska. There's still so much more out there waiting.

Keep an open mind when you travel. Everyone has something unique to offer. Explore this world (and perhaps beyond) using all five senses.

Profile URL:

http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/turner

Read more about Turner

I'm fired up on:

Going the distance, skydiving, writing with passion designed to induce feelings rather than convey facts, Japanese hot springs, eating Mexican food while overlooking the sun setting over the Riverwalk in San Antonio

Tunes I rock out to:

Live Like You Were Dying, The Distance, Here I Go Again,

Travel style:

I usually travel based on mood, though almost always by myself; sometimes I enjoy going entirely rural and backpacking through the mountains, relying on nothing but my feet to take me around. On other occasions I feel like checking into an expensive hotel, and making short day trips with plenty of snacking opportunities. I'd consider my trademark to be sleepless sightseeing in Kyushu, Japan: taking the last train to Fukuoka, partying or karaoke all night with friends, then taking the first train to any number of cities, using the local hot springs, and coming out refreshed enough to continue the day.

Quote:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Sports I do:

marathon running, swimming, skydiving, hanggliding, bodysurfing, aquajogging, rock climbing, western horseback riding, weight lifting, cycling, Tai Chi

Favorite books:

Timeline by Michael Crichton, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

Who I'd like to meet on my travels:

Anyone who can keep up with me

I want to make a difference by:

The only way I know how. Having an impact on this world isn't all about having your picture on the cover of magazines, or your voice heard by millions... it's about the people around you, and how you treat them. What you leave behind isn't as important as how you lived your life.

Languages spoken, other than English:

Japanese, Latin, a little French & Thai

I felt the most immersed in a foreign culture when:

I was packed into a Japanese train car in the middle of Tokyo's rush hour

Why I travel:

I know it's not possible for me to see every square cm of this world before I die, but in the meantime, I'm learning more about foreign cultures, eating things I never thought I would touch back in Texas, and finding myself changing with each experience.

Ideal place to watch the sunrise:

Kanahama Beach on Tanegashima island, Japan

Ideal place to watch the sunset:

Terayama Park overlooking a volcano and Kagoshima city, Japan

Before I die I'd like to:

Skydive over the Hawaiian islands, propose as the sun sets over Maldives, participate in an archeological dig in Egypt

Let's collaborate:

I'm a good writer, but I don't claim to be an expert in travel photography and reporting the kinds of experiences people want to hear; take a look at some of my work and offer me feedback where it's needed. I'm all for collaborating with people in similar positions around the world. In the meantime, I remain a freelance travel photographer, writer, and advisor, wherever I happen to reside.

My links:

www.keepingpaceinjapan.com (my blog)
www.flickr.com/photos/64521915@N00/sets (sample photos)

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Post New Comment

by made_in_italy | 2009/05/26

I heard Phuket was nice =)

-Yours truly, Brooke

by made_in_italy | 2009/05/21

Intending on going to The Andaman Sea, Phi Phi Islands, and possibily Coral Island. I'm excited!!!! oh and not to mention, Bangkok

by made_in_italy | 2009/05/19

Yes sir! Well- I have a lot of family here, even more in Dallas, Texas so- hopefully that's where I'll be moving to next! How do you like Austin?

by Ms. Rogers | 2009/05/08

I will be home in almost exactly one month. So if you are passing through after the 10 of June let me know and maybe we can meet up for a coffee and shoot the breeze or something.

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by Ms. Rogers | 2009/04/30

Ha! Why may I ask would you be going through Beaumont? I can't say I know many people who just pass through.
Actually, I won't be going home until the beginning of June. Just long enough to get settled at home and then "hopefully" I'm coming back here.
If you pass through again sometime after May let me know.

by Tim Patterson | 2009/04/25

Turner, I think you're personally responsible for half the traffic at Abroad. Just wanted to say doomo arigatou gozaimasu, osewa in natte imasu!

by T-Kron | 2009/03/31

Hey, your profile shows that you have travelled Thailand. I am about to graduate from college, and am looking to teach English abroad. Would you recommend going there to teach, and if so why? Thanks!

by Ryukyu Mike | 2009/03/07

Hi, Turner,
Sorry I took so long to reply; I'm a bit spastic with the mouse and keyboard! More later
Mike

by Insolent Minx (not verified) | 2009/01/07

Greece is amazing you should totally go. It was on my top 5 and might as well do it now while I'm young and have a bad azz camera. :)

by kikers | 2008/10/22

I'm having a difficult time deciding where to go next, but I think I'm going to Africa (Morocco, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania) and all over the South Pacific..then on to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and I would love to finish the trip with a trek in Nepal..What about you? Do you have any plans for your next trip?

by GregoryHubbs | 2008/08/11

Hello,

Thanks.

I am in NYC as a base these days working as the Web Editor for TransitionsAbroad.com.

Our upcoming webzine issue is on Asia with much material on ESL (itshould be out this week). Our previous webzine issue was on Mexico and Central America.

http://transitionsabroad.com/tazine/0807/index.shtml

Take care,

Gregory Hubbs
Web Content Editor
http://www.transitionsabroad.com

by novoarte | 2008/05/27

Can't wait to see the next piece. Glad you connected with Peter (ourmaninshanghai). Page views you can see on the Trips page. Check the "Today's Top Posts" and the number in parentheses is the number of page views.

by novoarte | 2008/05/27

Way to go, Turner: 15,000+ page views in a single day! Great work.

by jgbrandt | 2008/02/24

Thanks for the comment. It's one of the most unique experiences you can have, I think.

by Jay Martin | 2007/11/30

Thanks for the comment. That is something I have struggled with, as well.

by Adam | 2007/08/29

The beach in those two pics you've got up looks gorgeous- you should post some more..

by Tim Patterson | 2007/08/29

ようこそ、マタドルヘ！

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There Will Always Be More

By Turner | Location: United States | 06/09/09 | Pics: 1

Being at home has its advantages. For one, rather than wandering from couch to couch in an endless search for meaning and the perfect travel food, I find myself inundated with Couchsurfing requests now that I have a place in Austin. Every week at least one traveler emails me requesting a place to...

2 comments | Send to Friend |

Culture In My Own Backyard

By Turner | Location: United States | 05/25/09 | Pics: 0

As is often the case in the minds of travelers, we feel as though our lives fall into such routines in our hometowns that the only way to truly escape the monotony is to get as far away from normalcy as possible: catch the next freighter pulling out of San Francisco; get on that one-way flight to...

1 comment | Send to Friend |

Financial Realities

By Turner | Location: United States | 05/15/09 | Pics: 0

It's funny how easy it was just to drop back into a life here in Austin, Texas. I don't know where else I could possibly live in the country. Within a week, pieces just fell into place: new friends, new girl, new job... and it's not the most horrible thing in the world. Maybe I'm losing that...

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