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Interviews Home Lee Abbamonte Interview with Lee Abamonte: Global Super Traveler | Tweet
I never aimed for or anticipated becoming the youngest
person to complete the list until a friend told me about the record a
few years ago when I was sitting at about 120 countries or something
like that. I figured out the timing and I had nearly 10 years to go and
said why not?! So it has been great because I have been to so many
places now I never would have normally gone to. The list is essentially
a guideline as opposed to a law but I do wish to complete it for sure.
My trips are self funded and I spend a few months on the road each
year, it depends on what else I have going on in my life, personally and
professionally. I hope to finish the list within the next 2 years but
it will depend on a few things as always.
When you decided to visit certain countries with "unsafe" reputations and you told people of your plans, I imagine their responses were fairly similar. How did/do you address their concerns?
Haha, yes they all think I am crazy. In the past 2
years I have been to Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Congo,
Liberia, Somalia, Sudan and several other rogue nations and people
always gasp. I simply say I do so much research and take all the proper
safety precautions that I will be fine. Additionally, I know what I am
doing and stay out of trouble spots and recognize what's safe and unsafe
to do.
Tell us a little about the Travelers Century Club and why this is a fairly exclusive organization.
The TCC is an organization that has been around some
50 years and is based in LA. There are 1800 members worldwide give or
take and you can only join if you have been to over 100 countries.
What's cool about the TCC is that there are several chapters around the
country and the world actually that have quarterly meetings wherein you
get to hear presentations on destinations but more importantly, you can
interact with other people who are extremely well traveled. This
doesn't necessarily happen in real life where you can talk about that
Italian place you ate at in Libreville, Gabon and the person you're
speaking to has been there too!
What has been the most difficult country to date for you to gain access to and why?
Angola has been and is still the most difficult place
for me to gain access to. It is the hardest visa in the world to get as
a tourist and a real pain in the ass. I hope to get one soon. The last
time I tried was 2 years ago, the embassy in DC had my passport 5 weeks
and still didn't issue the visa and I had all the proper documentation.
Many travelers have issues with this visa and I hope to get it over the
summer sometime or I may go overseas to get it.
You are a prolific traveler and have certainly been all over the world- are there any countries that you keep returning to again and again? And why?
I consistently go back to several countries in Europe
such as Spain, France and Italy along with the UK to visit friends.
Also, anywhere in South America or Southeast Asia I am a sucker for
because of the great food and people and I find myself there often.
Plus, being American I go to Canada and Mexico a lot as well because
they are so close and easy.
What advice would you give young travel writers starting their careers?
Just be honest and passionate in your writing because
it will come through to your readers and that's how you will gain
followers. If you sugar coat everything, it sounds like everything else
you might read in a magazine. That's the advantage of a blog, you can
say what you want and say it the way you want to say it.
"Perspective" is one of the most important words in travel - what sort of perspective or insights have you gained from all of your travels, especially from your visits to countries or regions of the world that do not see many tourists?
Perspective is probably the most important single word
in travel along with appreciation and recognition, meaning appreciating
and recognizing how awesome what you are doing is and how lucky you are.
I suppose perspective kind of encompasses both of those terms but it's
so important to keep in perspective what you are doing, where you are,
what people you are meeting and interacting with. It's important to
"Get it". I often meet people and travelers alike who don't get it and
that saddens me. If you are lucky enough to be able to travel the world
and see amazing things, places and people; it is important to make the
most of it and realize the power of what you are experiencing. Seizing
the moments you have because you never know when and if you'll be back
and making the experience positive for the people you are meeting
because they may have never seen a white person before-literally. The
biggest compliment I can get from people is that I get it and that I
have a good perspective and appreciation for what I am doing and have
done. That makes me feel good and that I have conveyed my passion for
travel to others. There is never a day when I take anything I have done
for granted.
Can you give us a description of a specific humorous moment (story, happening or other) from some of your travels?
I have so many funny moments that I could write a book
but one really funny and PG rated moment, at least in hindsight was at
the border between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. There was a line,
although it wasn't a line, it was a bunch of people pushing etc. People
in many parts of the developing world do not understand the terms
waiting in line or queuing up. I patiently waited for like 45 minutes
getting bumped into by tons of these locals trying to rush their way
through customs. So after a while I started to really lose my patience
after getting constantly pushed and bumped into by these people who
refused to simply wait in line. Since I was significantly bigger than
all of the people, I'm 6'3" 190 pounds so I literally went down into a
football stance and essentially bull rushed about 15 of these people to
the side and stood alone at the window and got my passport stamped
immediately. Ironically, most of the people seemed to appreciate the
move and just acted as if nothing had happened and they went on business
as usual pushing and shoving amongst themselves. It was pretty funny
and is a story I like to tell
Any advice for those planning a round the world trip?
My advice is carefully map out what you want to do but
always leave time for the unexpected places and things you really like
and want to spend more time in. You never know what's going to happen on
the road which is best part of traveling, every day is a new day with
things you've never seen or done before. It's the ultimate freedom.
Also, pack lightly, do the wash on the road, bring less clothes and
budget more money than you're expecting or at least have access to more
money because things are always more expensive than you think.
You are truly a citizen of the world but your home base is in New York City. What do you like about NYC and what are some of your favorite activities to do in "the city"?
New York is home and has been for the last 11 years, I
grew up less than an hour from the city so I've been coming here my
whole life. It has everything. It is truly the capital of the world
and has the best of everything. Each neighborhood is different and
people are very smart. My favorite things to do are go to Yankee games
in the Bronx and head to central park along with eating at the thousands
of great restaurants in the city and just hanging out with friends,
especially outside at bars and restaurants when the weather is nice. I
also love just sitting on my couch and watching TV but I don't get much
time to do that!
Biography
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