Vagabond Guide

Review: How to Work Aboard a Cruise Ship

Adam Mayfield — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 07:25:12 +0000

Free travel, food, room and board, and decent pay doesn’t sound to bad right? Then you may be a prime candidate for life aboard a cruise ship!

I have just been fortunate enough to have a look at the new How-To guide from WanderingEarl.com titled…

How to Work on a Cruise Ship

I remember back when I was fresh out of high school and the thought of working on a cruise ship had crossed my mind. After weeks of research I wasn’t much better off than when I started. Had this guide been in my hands, things may have been very different.

Flickr – TwoBrowns

I could say this is a comprehensive guide, but that may be a bit of an understatement. This guide covers everything from tailoring your resume and getting through the interview process to what day-to-day life will be like on the ship! Not to mention all the contact info you could ever need. Combine all that with frequent updates, you’re golden!

I can definitely give this e-book two thumbs up if not for the sheer volume of content alone. It has been laid out in a easy to read and understandable format complete with embedded links. It even has a glossary of salty sea dog terms! I do think there could have been a few more words that started with “ARRRRR” but that’s just my $0.02.

Get it? Pirates? Sea? Ships?

Anyway, if you happen to be looking for work aboard at cruise ship, then this guide will give you all the info you need to get started and then much more. Besides, they have a 60-day money-back guarantee!

I think he has me convinced to start looking for a job!

Check out!

Automatic Doors – Living Life Without Them

Adam Mayfield — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:21:58 +0000

Have you ever noticed that some large department stores will stagger the automatic doors so you have to walk diagonally to get through them?

I’ve always been one to take the straightest path which would make me open a regular manual door and then allow me to use the automatic sliding door. I don’t know how many times I’ve walked though these types doors but the other day it hit me like a ton of bricks to the forehead. It actually hit me so hard I sat down and watched people walk in and out of the two sets of doors for a good while. That’s when I figured it out.

This is a metaphor for a lifestyle!

Most people walking in and out of the store took the easy way and walked the extra distance just so they wouldn’t have to open the manual door. For most it didn’t matter if they had something in their hands or not and I also made a few other observations that day. People who had large shopping baskets full of stuff they just bought ALWAYS took the extra steps to walk though the automatic doors.

Why? Because it was simply easier than trying to negotiate your way with a huge cart through a set of regular old manual doors. However, it took from them extra time, effort and energy

Who took the straight path?

About 5% of the people actually took the path that led them though one manual and one automatic door. Most of these people didn’t have anything in their hands and none a shopping cart.

Since I’ve become a minimalist, my trips to the store have change dramatically. Now, when I go shopping for food I rarely buy more than one to two bags of food and most of the time that will fit into my backpack. If the rare occasion comes up where I’m buying something other than food, I usually am buying only one item. This leaves me with at least one if not two free hands to open the manual door and allowing me to take the quickest path to my destination.

What did I learn?

Don’t allow yourself to be weighed down by material goods. Eliminate your stuff and make sure you can get to your destination quicker than the people with large shopping baskets full of crap they probably don’t need! You’ll spend less time, money, and energy living and thinking like a minimalist than those who aren’t able to using manual doors anymore.

Hardcore minimalism isn’t for everybody but I truly believe that EVERYONE can benefit from a little minimalism. It may come in the form of being a bit more frugal, or clearing out a spare room, or just cutting back on work and spending more time with family or friends. Either way, what I say is true. Don’t waste time with things you don’t need. I do my best to practice what I write about and so far, it seems to be working.

I’m planning a few mile stone posts of the next few months. They are mostly going to be personal posts but I feel that I can share them with you in hopes of inspiration.

Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to check out my first mini e-book.

Adam’s Simple Guide to Minimalism

Google Voice – Expanded

Adam Mayfield — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:36:02 +0000

Awhile back I wrote a post about Google Voice and the Vagabonder and I just wanted to say…

Things just got better! Google has just announced that you will now be able to make calls from you computer via Gmail. All you need now is a headset and a internet connection and you’re set!

If you are calling in the U.S. and Canada it’s still free. International calls are charged at Google’s low rate. I’d be curious to find out if while out of the country and you make a call to U.S. phone number you have to pay a rate or if it’s free. Google expects to roll this out over the next few days so keep an eye out for it!

I’m glad to see that Skype has some competition now. Hopefully this will do wonders for the advancement of VoIP.

Be sure to check it out here: Google Voice via Gmail

Hopefully the next step will be to make calls from you handset via WiFi while overseas.

More Must Have Free Netbook Apps

Adam Mayfield — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 20:45:19 +0000

Awhile back I wrote a post about 8 Must Have Netbook Apps and I got some decent response from it. Since then, netbooks have continued to gain popularity and I have added a few more applications to my list of everyday programs.

Gmail Offline
I know, I know! Google this and Google that. Seriously though, Gmail Offline is pretty awesome. It basically downloads your recent mail and stores it on you computer for offline use. Not only does it allow your to read you mail offline, it also allows you to compose new emails while offline. It’s stores them until you are able to connect to the internet again.

You can access Offline Gmail in the labs section of you Gmail account.
Open Office
In my last post about netbook apps I talked about Google Docs and how you can pretty much replace Word and other expensive Microsoft programs with it. That’s all great and dandy until you have no internet! Then what? Well, that is where Open Office comes in handy. Open Office is basically Word but in an open source package. The best part about it, it’s free!
VLC Media Player
Have you even gotten an email from Aunt Peggy and it’s some video you can’t seem to get Windows Media Player to open? Or maybe you have the same problem from your Uncle Mike sending you audio files in a weird format. I have yet to come across something that can get the best of VLC. This media player can pretty much handle any video or audio file you can throw at it. It’s also not a resource hog so it doesn’t slow down your netbook which is already short on CPU power.

Do you have other apps you use on a daily basis on your netbook? Feel free to list them below and share you experience!

The No Baggage Challenge – Rolf Potts

Adam Mayfield — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 23:08:11 +0000

Author and world traveler (Vagabonder) Rolf Potts is planning a trip around the world without carrying a single bag or backpack with him. How you may ask? I’ll tell you.

He’s wearing a speical vest with some awesome pockets. The vest is a ScotteVest Tropical Jacket and is pretty freaking awesome. Rolf will also be wearing some cargo pants for some extra space. I personally learned years ago how valuable cargo pockets are and I think every pair of shorts or pants I own have cargo pockets.

Rolf’s journey will take him through 12 countries in 42 days. His pack list is about as minimal as one can get. A few extra pair of socks and underwear (he doesn’t say but I would really recommend ExOfficio) along with a t-shirt is about all he’s taking for clothes. He’ll also be bringing a few packable toiletries and a few electronics plus his all his paper work. Other than that, he’s ready to go!

I will definitely be following his journey and I hope it will serve up a nice helping of inspiration and maybe even some useful travel tips! You can follow his jorney over at his blog.

http://www.rtwblog.com

I want to wish Rolf the best of luck with his travels!

Ohh and I really want one of those freaking vests! They look incredible!

Review: The Packing Book: Secrets of the Carry-on Traveler

Adam Mayfield — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 22:23:35 +0000

I came across this book while browsing the travel section of my local library and thought I’d give it a read in hopes that I would be able to learn a thing or two. If not, maybe at least hone my packing skills. I however, wasn’t able to learn any new tricks. I spent around an hour flipping through this book hope I would be able to pick something up. I tried to keep in mind that not everyone is the same and not everyone wants to fit everything into a 40 litre backpack. Then I thought, well that is kind of what the site is all about.

Who is this book for? Well, this book is for someone who knows virtually nothing about packing or for people have major issues over-packing. Now that I got that out of the way I will say the author does offer some decent pack lists for many different occasions. I would however take the pack lists with a grain of salt and know that each list isn’t going to fit every situation. This book is only a few years old but you can tell the author isn’t on top of the latest technology.

For my specific needs, the pack lists have more clothes than one would need. The author suggests you have something in the neighborhood of five t-shirts. I don’t even wear that many when I’m at home! The author also suggests you take a rain coat, wind breaker, and poncho when a single packable jacket would be just fine for most situations. Not having to carry around a poncho and a windbreaker will save a fair amount of space in your bag.

The author does offer some valid information carry-on size limits, luggage and document security, and if you ever need to know how to pack a suit. My view of this book might different if I was writing for a site that was dedicated to “Minimalism Travel – Go Anywhere with a Suit” or something of the sort.

I can’t recommend this book but if you happen to be at the library and come across this, take a peak and maybe you’ll find a little bit of useful information.

If you find yourself in a must have situation, you can pick this book up from Amazon here: http://amzn.to/aeDbQL

Minimalist Travel Packlist

Adam Mayfield — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:42:24 +0000

So the last few months travel and all my grand plans have kind of taken a back seat and the hum-drum day to day actives have taken the front seat. Working a regular job, paying off the rest of my bills, and just forgetting about my dreams. I guess that’s what happens and before you know it you’re middle aged and forgot about what you wanted to do.

That’s why I’ve taken the next step in my minimalist world travel plans and have brewed up my version of a minimalist round the world travel packing list. This is list of items is mainly geared toward warmer to slightly chilly at night type of climate. I don’t plan on hiking over the Alps with what I have listed. I also tried to make sure everything fit into my 40 litre carry on backpack.

I’ll break things down into a few different categories.

ELECTRONICS

Netbook & Charger (MSI Wind)
Buy – MSI Wind Netbook
640GB external hard drive for storing media. IE: Pictures and HD Videos
Olympus digital camera/Charger & USB cable with an extra memory card
Buy – Olympus Stylus Tough 8010
Kitchen timer for an alarm clock.
Mini Flash light or Head lamp (for reading or night time exploration)
Universal Power Converter
Cell Phone/Charger (has built in WiFi for quick email/blog updates)

CLOTHING

Swim Trunks
1 Pair of long Smart Wool Socks
2 Pair of short Smart Wool Socks
2 Pair of regular shorts (I’ll be wearing one pair)
1 Pair of long pants
2 T-Shirts (I’ll be wearing one)
1 Button up REI quick dry shirt (short sleeve)
2-3 Pairs of Exofficio boxers
Buy – Exofficio Boxers
1 Belt (Wearing at most times)
1 Columbia Quickdry Long sleeve button up shirt
Buy – Columbia Long Sleeve Shirt
1 REI packable rain jacket (black)
1 Pair of trail hiking shoes (low top)
Buy – North Face Ultra 105 GTX XCR
1 Pair of Five Finger shoes
Buy – Vibram Five Fingers
Sunglasses
Buy – Native Hardtop Sunglasses
1 Pair of Athletic shorts (for exercise)

TOILETRIES\MISC

2 Pairs of Ear Plugs
Microfiber Towel
Buy – MSR Packtowl
Toothbrush
Toothpaste (mini container)
Floss
1 Disposable razor
2-3 Zip lock bags (for misc items)
Ibuprofen
Deodorant
Buy – Thai Deodorant Stone
Journal/Pen (notebook)
Paper work (Passport, Drivers License, Debit Card, etc)
2-3 Family pictures (more of a conversational piece)

This will all fit into my 40 litre backpack with a rain cover and compression straps. The rain cover and compression straps make for a nice package when traveling via plane, train, or automobile.

Total weight = Appx 20lbs

I’m not worried about bringing any kind of soap because you should be able to find that anywhere. I also have short hair so washing what little hair I have with bar soap isn’t a problem. I can also do my laundry with the soap in the sink. I may add a small clothes line to the list but am unsure at this point. I also have room for a pair of flip flops to use while in showers or bathrooms but again, not 100% sure since I have my awesome Five Fingers.

I also know that I’m a bit heavy on the electronic gear but I love taking pictures and video and I would love the have the laptop with me to stay in touch with friends and family. I also would like to keep up my blog with new posts and pictures. I could do away with the cell phone if needed but it’s fairly light and makes for a great mini computer for updating twitter or checking email. Sure beats busting out the laptop every time. The DSLR is still up for debate as it would take up a fair amount of room and add an extra 1.5 lbs and would also mean an extra wall charger.

Feel free to make any suggestions for adding or subtracting something. I’m always open to ideas!

The backpack I’ll be using is an REI Venturi 40 (men’s large) and so far it seems to be an awesome pack. Plenty of pockets for organization which for me is a life saver.

I’ll be doing some experimenting over the next month to try and lighten the load a bit so this may change. I might even write a new list and re-post.

Forex Update – April 2010

Adam Mayfield — Thu, 06 May 2010 18:10:57 +0000

I’m not sure about you but for me April just few by. Between my current day to day job, injuring my shoulder, and a handful of other stuff I hardly had time to tend to my little website here. I also didn’t have nearly as much time to trade on the forex as I had would have liked.

The first week and a half of the month went well and I was well on my way to attaining my goal of a 25% return. Now, some of you out there in the wonderful world of the internet might say that 25% is totally unrealistic. You are probably right. I don’t expect to reach 25% every month but you have to have some kind of goal right? If I didn’t have a goal then I’d have nothing to aim for. This however is on the point of this post but more of a clarification for my little buddy who left me a nice comment on my post from last month.

Now for the meat of the post and I’ll start off with an apology because I haven’t had time to make any graphs but next month I should be back on track.

The first nine trading days were going well. I was on track and my new trading strategy was working well. I had returned just shy of 10% of my initial investment which meant I was about 1/3 of the way to my goal. After this I made a simple mistake and things took a turn for the worse. I entered into a long position and the market took a turn for the worse and decided to hold its nose dive. Normally not an issue because I was trying out some different stop loss strategies but for whatever reason I didn’t get one put in. Since this is only a practice account and not real money, I thought I’d let go and see if it ever recovered. I continued to trade and increase my percentage.

All was well until the end of the month came. I’ve decided to close all my positions at the end of the month to make keeping records simple. Normally I’d leave them open if they were doing well. When things were all said and done and I had closed all my positions, I was left with less than I’d like but still in the black which is never bad.

I ended the month at around 13% of my initial investment and I learned a valuable lesson which is to always double check your stop losses. A simple mistake that could have ended in disaster but thankfully didn’t.

On a side note, I think I may have found a strategy that works for me. While there are some losses I, in the end I seem to be coming out ahead and by a fair amount. I’m lagging behind this month and I’m hoping things fall back into a rhythm and I can’t start hitting the forex hard.

Cheers!

Random Posts

28 things I wish I’d known before I started traveling

Adam Mayfield — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 07:53:56 +0000

This is a great post from the blog of Anderson Cooper. He makes some very great points on his list.

Check it out!

http://bit.ly/asssgx

Forex Update: March 2010

Adam Mayfield — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 22:22:24 +0000

Last month (March) was the first month where I started to actually track my progress on the forex. At the beginning of each month I will start out with a set amount of cash. This cash goal is obtainable for me in real life. My goal is to make enough on the forex each month to live overseas and travel.

The month of March was a bit off. I started with a bit more cash than I had planned. I was also investing 15% of my available cash with each trade. While this is a bit risky the rewards are obviously greater. That being said…

I was able to reach my goal I’ve set for myself. I’ve calculated out how much I will need to survive while traveling and added a bit extra for a buffer. Each month I need to make about 25% of my initial investment. That of course can decrease with the larger amount of initial investment.

For the month of March I dominated and made just a hair over 38%. That left me with almost double my minimum goal for the month. This however was due to a higher percentage invested per trade and a risky strategy.

The above graph was all I was able to pull up. It ranged from the 27th till the end of the month. The blue triangles pointing up is a buy order and they yellow triangles pointing down is a sell order. The green circles is a take profit. I think the main tool I use is a take profit. I use a stop loss but they are usually placed far away. I hope to start tracking PIPs also.

This is a quick profit chart. The weekends are represented by red. As you can see I had a few days where I was negative since I was holding on to a short position and was charged interest.

For the month of April I will be reducing the amount invested per trade from 15% to 10% and will be taking on a more sound trading strategy. I’m sure this will produce less return by the end of the month but should make for a much safer investment.

Being just over a week into the month of April I’m tracking pretty close to my goal per day. At the moment I’m just 10% below my average daily goal.

Vagabond Guide

Review: How to Work Aboard a Cruise Ship

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