Cam Darling – About Me
My Discovery, My New Adventure
This is part where I describe how many countries I’ve visited and how my adventures have inspired me to help others have the most incredible adventures of their own. But that’s not why I started writing, far from it. I didn’t start this to help others.
The truth is that I was inspired to write my own memoirs of my journeys. I wanted to record what I was doing, my reactions, and the finer details of what I saw. As if I were a young Marco Polo or Samuel de Champlain, this was my great adventure, I had to document it, preserve it. Everything was so new, exciting, each and every day. Why not write it down?
I experienced in weeks what historic explorers took years to achieve. I took to the sky to fly around the world in a day, not a year, or ten. In the days of Marco Polo traveling the Silk Road it took him years to reach each destination but it was a new discovery. Today, I can see pictures on Instagram from almost anywhere in the world, but living through others isn’t living at all. Get out there and make your own new discoveries!
Travel for you, it’s okay to be a little selfish, to tell your friends or partners or travel buddies what you want to do, or don’t. You’ll visit places just once in your life, why not experience it the way you want?
The internet connects us more than ever before but it’s important to live your life and experience the wonders of the world first hand, not just through social media. Put away the phone, get out there and see the world your way. I certainly am.
Opening Up to the World
I discovered I loved learning about other cultures, history, languages and seeing the world as it develops and changes. It’s amazing to look back and see how small my world was before I traveled.
The world is changing so rapidly in ways we don’t see in our everyday lives. Few regions have advanced faster than Asia, where technology is fueling innovation and allowing countries like China and Vietnam to leapfrog into the future. From express trains going 350 km/h, to 4G LTE coverage in areas that never had landlines or dial-up internet. Seeing little shacks in the jungle with Satellite TV, the locals watching premier league football. Who knew Arsenal FC had so many fans in Vietnam?
But there are also social changes, the acceptance of foreigners or appreciate for other cultures. Like I had no idea that Japan and France admired each other so much. Every second tourist in Japan seems to be French! And many Japanese study the French language and watch French films! Or how Chinese often visit the parks late at night for dancing lessons! I saw people learning the Salsa in Dalian, Northern China in front of a train museum! I learned how repressed English society can be when it comes to dancing and singing… I can’t dance at all but Cubans love dancing and singing at all hours of the day, it’s so refreshing and just part of life on the island.
We all have that one friend that visited Nepal once and now acts like they are so cultured, or have seen so much. It can be annoying. I agree, IT IS ANNOYING. For me, I just realized how much of the world I didn’t know. With each new experience, I appreciate all the things I don’t know. It’s a slow journey – all this opening up to the world stuff – but I like it.
Feeling Insecure on the First Overseas Trip
Over the course of my first trip, a 17 week journey to South East Asia, I realized everything I thought I knew of the world was slightly misguided. Going to a foreign country is scary, daunting and requires an open mind.
A small fact here, an over-dramatized movie there and my ideas of the world were way off the mark. I had to come to terms with this new realization almost immediately. The world isn’t as we are told. Talking with other travellers, this is something we all experienced differently.
I started in Vietnam for 27 days, then Cambodia for 7 days, then Thailand for 30 days… but after a week in Thailand of being sick in a bamboo hut on the beach, I decided I needed a change of pace.
I signed up to volunteer at a farm in Northern Thailand called Sahainan. I paid a small daily fee $5 for a bed and three meals a day and it turned into one of the best experiences of my life. I spent 12 days with an incredible group of 15 people from all around the world, from local Thai, to Germans, Americans, French, Swiss, Scottish and more! My digestive… condition… got back on track thanks to the healthy local vegetarian cuisine and I had enough time to make true friendships!
When it came time to leave, I was sad but anxious because my Visa was expiring soon! I took a flight to Malaysia where I volunteered again for 2 weeks with an educational social enterprise called Talespace. I taught English to refugee children, ran workshops and helped with this newly started venture aimed at improving the lives of the vulnerable communities. I spent 2 more weeks in Malaysia, traveling almost every other day to new destinations.
I know as a Canadian, I was born on 3rd base, I’m well aware of this fact. Many others do not have the advantages I took for granted. Volunteering has become a regular part of my travels experiences and a great way of giving something back. Recently I’ve noticed a rise of “Begpackers” – western people who travel broke and beg for food on the street when they need money or a meal. Some cultures compel people to be charitable, even when those people have very little themselves. It can be very easy to take advantage of such generosity while simply being ignorant of local culture. We assume people wouldn’t give charitably if they couldn’t spare it, that’s a very western way of thinking and wrong on so many levels.
I think we should learn to give back to the world when it is in our means to do so. I work hard, but so do even the most impoverished people who will never have the chance to see the world the way we can. Traveling is a journey for oneself, but it’s through connecting with others that we can learn the most. Rather than take, I encourage my readers to always give, you might just receive one of the best experiences of your life in return.
Why I Started Tallypack
It’s easy to find travel advice in travel books and online. I spent months preparing to travel reading blogs, books, government websites and checking flight prices. I spent so much time focusing on how I was going to travel that I completely overlooked why. Sounds silly right?
I never made a “Why I want to travel to ____” list. Oh I had a few things in mind like wanting to see the Great Wall of China and Angkor Wat, but there should have been more! Much More! What kind of jokes do the locals laugh at? What foods do they consider the delicacies or eat on special occasions? What is the daily life of a local? What are the famous folk tales? How much of the local language can I pick up?
I want to focus on the history, local lives and language by sharing my experiences, awesome documentaries, podcasts, movies and stories from locals. There are communities of travellers all over the world, connecting on groups via Facebook and other apps, making it easier than ever to get advice, make friends and to ask for help when you need. We just need to be pointed in the right direction to find the useful info we need.
The Traveling Professional
The day job I return to when not on the road is in corporate finance. Like my grandfather before me, I love economics and history, but also marketing and travel too. Between my love of funky headbands and yoga, It can be difficult to slap on a suit and tie without feeling a tad over-dressed. Then again, I’ve been spending my evenings locked away at the library writing or studying finance for years, I’ve gotten used to changing my attire to fit my surroundings.
Education is so important, setting goals and having ambitions to follow your dreams. I love to travel, but I take the time for professional development, playing the long game of life rather than looking for the next instant thrill. Sometimes that means not being able to travel at all for many months, or years, or having hard talks with friends, family employers about the time I spent on work and studying.
I am pursuing my Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) credentials, learning key languages for business and constantly looking into new trends for digital marketing and media.
Digital Nomad Vs. Entrepreneur
I recently moved to Shenzhen, China for my primary job, to live abroad, practice Mandarin daily, and travel to more destinations in Asia. Being in Asia, I meet a lot of expats and digital nomads.
We hear the term “Digital Nomad” but people overlook the qualifications necessary to be successful as a digital nomad. I mean the persistence and “do it yourself” attitude and practical skills useful in finding success online.
The dream of abandoning the 9-5 lifestyle is a nice thought but unrealistic for most people, that’s a hard truth. If someone is pitching you the 9-5 dream, take a look at how they make their money first, it’s often off of the people trying to be like them by selling coaching services or ‘courses’. The better way of traveling for work is to find opportunities to work 9 to 5 in the places you’d love to stay long-term.
I don’t really consider myself a digital nomad at all. I’m open to moving somewhere new and working 9 to 5 like everyone else. What I really enjoy though is Entrepreneurship. I started Tallypack Travel at the same time as my friend Greg started “Start Starting Up“, a Youtube Channel about Entrepreneurship and making money passively online. Being surrounded by other passionate young entrepreneurs make the hard journey so much easier.
If you think this was going to be some inspirational “I can do it, you can do it too”, you should stick to Instagram. Whether you want to be a Digital Nomad or Digital Entrepreneur, or simply work abroad on a holiday Visa for a year, there is a tough road in front of you that requires a DIY attitude, sacrifice and self-motivation.
Becoming a Storyteller
I’ve always loved a good story. I find storytellers in all forms to be extremely talented. Having to convey with words, music or pictures a feeling or situation in a way that deeply connects with the audience is difficult and amazing when successful. I read Brandon Sanderson novels and love listening to Freakonomics and Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History Podcasts. Writers and historians all share in the element of storytelling. More than knowledge or information, stories connect with emotions and force listeners or readers to live in the shoes of characters, face their challenges and share their thoughts.
Travelling is like jumping from campfire to campfire listening to countless tales with wild characters in wonderful places. So naturally, you image yourself everywhere, in countless situations: Personal stories, historical folktales, religious scripture, all shared in multiple languages. Sometimes things are lost in translation, or concepts are unfamiliar or unrepeatable. The best stories change as they are told and retold, becoming ever more dramatic to capture audiences. I believe deep down, we are always looking for another story, our own as well as from others.
Cheers, Cam Darling