5 Reasons You Want to Know Daniel Baylis
- You're short of friends and need to add more names to your Christmas card list?
- Even though Daniel is currently travelling the world, chances are he will one day return to his home base in Montreal, and, well, it'd be nice to have a free place to crash in Canada's favourite city, right?
- Okay, why you really want to figure this guy out: Daniel had the chutzpah to quit an excellent job, leave his friends and home to travel the world on his own - without a detailed itinerary - and he's having the most amazing experiences. Tell me you aren't dying to know his secret.
- His take on travelling, as evident in his blog "The Conversationalist," is unlike most travelogues and travel blogs you'll find through Google.
- Daniel's thoughtful, and sometimes whimsical, observations of life on the open road aren't those of your typical 30something on a career-break. He's quirky, and quirkiness opens a different set of doors in life.
Daniel Baylis: Canadian to the bottom of his heart; traveller in his soul. (Photo by Alexandre de Bellefeuille)
There's Something About Daniel
Daniel Baylis left home last year to, in his words, "tackle the biggest project that I’ve ever attempted: a year of solo, international travel where I exchange my skills and abilities for food and accommodation." Readers can follow Daniel through his weekly "Letter Home", his videos and through an ever-expanding photo gallery that features amazing landscapes -- but also gritty images from the non-touristy side of life, taken in a slum, a cafe or from the back of a taxi. (His photos of poverty-stricken areas of Peru are documentaries in themselves.). But, hey, let Daniel tell you about how he got started in his video I Went To Huanchaco.
I pitched a handful of questions to Daniel and he's what he fired back:
Q: What do you miss most about Canada when you're on the road?
A: "On the road, I am meeting lovely people and seeing stunning landscape, so I have yet to become terribly homesick. But this said, there are things I yearn for, such as coffee at Café Olympico in my hometown of Montreal, crisp winter days and my vinyl collection. And I certainly have a reinstated appreciation for the safety and familiarities of home. But my biggest cravings are times with my close family and friends. I miss sitting at bistros with a bottle of vino and the sound of my friends laughing. And I’ve now seen, via the wonders of Skype, my 14-month nephew display his freshly acquired walking skills. But there is nothing quite like being there in person."
Another day in the life of sojourner Daniel Baylis
Q: On your web site you talk openly about your fears as they relate to picking up and planting yourself alone in a foreign place. What was the biggest hurdle you had to overcome in terms of leaving your job, home, family and friends? (And, because I'm nosy, how did you made it happen financially?)
A: "In terms of leaving my well-established Montreal life, there was certainly some trepidation. I politely excused myself from one of the coolest jobs in Canada – a position as a staff blogger for Tourisme Montreal. But I had turned thirty, and realized if I wanted to travel in the low-cost, dorm-room, work-exchange, unglamorous way that I had always dreamed of, I knew that the time was right."
"Still, the absolute hardest part was saying goodbye to family and friends, and knowing that I wouldn’t be with them for a year. But now [ed note: spring 2011] that I’m three-months into my journey, and I’m having textured experiences and meeting such wonderful people, I feel confident that I have made the best decision for myself. The ROI (return on investment) for this time of experience is immeasurable."
Moments that last a lifetime: sunset in Costa Rica (Photo by Daniel Baylis)
Taxi stand in Peru (Photo by Daniel Baylis)
Q: And the money question?
A: "Right. In terms of money, I had a bit of savings, but I also decided that a trip of this magnitude was worth incurring some debt. So I obtained a $15,000 line of credit, and told myself, “This is going to be the most valuable (alternative) Master’s Degree you’ll ever get.'”
Daniel volunteering in a school in Peru.
Living la vida loca: Daniel Baylis's quirky, one-of-a-kind journey unfolds day by day.
Q: Have you had an epiphany while on the road, or an ah-hah moment when you said to yourself, "Yup, this is exactly what I'm meant to be doing, where I'm meant to be"?
A: "The value measure of each of my one-month experiences is my emotional reaction upon leaving. I’ve just completed my third month of my yearlong project, teaching English in a low-income neighborhood in Trujillo, Peru. As I write these words I’m leaving on a bus bound for Lima, and I admit to having misty eyes as we pulled out of the city. A powerful experience will elicit such a reaction."
"But one of my key lessons learned is that the sadness of goodbyes will never outweigh the value of the experiences that I have had and will continue to have and the people that I will engage with."
Gauchos (cowboys) horsing around (Photo: Daniel Baylis)
Volunteering in a school has enabled Daniel to connect and interact, unlike a tourist passing through.
Q: What are some of your most memorable experiences to date?
A: "In terms of the genuine “Holy-crap-is-this-actually-my-life?” moments, I've had several so far that have affirmed my decision to travel:
• Dancing to brass bands in an authentic Treme bar in New Orleans
• Skinny-dipping at a waterfall in the heart of a Costa Rican jungle
• Being invited into a Peruvian woman’s home for a personal ceviche lesson
• Receiving personal messages from people around the world, generously cheering me on in this adventures."
A: Who would be your dream travel companion?
A: "I'm my best travel companion! I always get my own jokes, which are reliable disappointments."
"But, I could think of a couple of folks that would provide some memorable adventures. If I were traveling to Paris or Shanghai for fun and fashion (and certain debauchery), I would think that Oscar Wilde would be able to provide some good laughs. Especially if he got arrested. I would love to do an African safari with Jane Goodall, for her wisdom and grace. I could bring her iced tea whenever she became thirsty. And maybe ride motorcycles through India with Willie Nelson in the '70s (if time-travelling backward were an option). Each time we'd pack up the bikes, he'd start whistling, "On The Road Again." I would roll my eyes, but secretly love it. If anybody reading this is able to arrange such adventures, please contact me via www.danielbaylis.ca. Thank you."
The Conversationalist Was Here. (Daniel Baylis)
Q: Where to next?
A: "I'll be travelling to a mountain retreat - with no WiFi - in South Africa in early May."
Stay tuned.
