One thing I have wanted to do more of is video. However, video to me is quite scary. It’s easier to me to hide behind words, to cobble together whatever honest filaments of prose I need to build a story. In contrast, video is captured as is and though editing can do a lot (and de-contextualize), the medium remains a lot more daunting to me. Your mannerisms come across, your quirks or your expressions. All of which are fairly scary. Getting up on stage at WDS was also scary, as it marked the first time I spoke in public to a crowd, and to a crowd of 500 no less! I was a corporate attorney, not a litigator, so I was not accustomed to public speaking in any capacity. And Chris, bless him, only told me this when he asked me to speak – “Be inspiring”.
Oh, is that all?
Talking about the two giant men who tried to bench-press me on a Trans-Siberian train trip, at WDS
In writing the speech – and as you’ll see as a newbie I wrote it all out – I decided to use my own story and my travels as a basis for my message. Namely, that while it’s worthwhile to follow your dreams, you also need to keep moving along that path even in the face of negativity. It’s not enough to say “I quit my job to travel” and leave it at that – your path (like you) is a work in progress, one that is fraught with challenges. In retrospect, quitting was the easy part. What is difficult, and remains difficult, is the chasm of uncertainty that opens up in front of you the moment you do so. I’ve written about this in some capacity, specifically on the things that long-term travel does not fix, but this is the first time I’ve explained the trajectory in full of why I did what I did, and how.
In telling my story I wanted to make it clear that I wasn’t encouraging people to change their lives in the same way, but rather to use my story as a prism through which they could see their own choices. Or, as I said in the speech “there are always things I could do, so why not risk doing the thing I want to do?”
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I’ve gotten quite a few reader emails asking if I would post my WDS speech, so I thought it was high time to do so. It’s 33 minutes long, and I hope you enjoy.
-Jodi
p.s. Yes, I am fully aware that I spelled my own site name wrong in one of the slides. That, my friends, is what you get for doing your Keynote slideshow on a 10-hour layover in Seoul ;)
I am a former lawyer from Montreal currently eating my way around the world, one country at a time. Traveling since April 1, 2008. See the 
Thank you so much for posting this video. I’ve just stumbled across your blog and am totally glad I did. I’ve been planning my escape (May 2012) for a month now with little to no support and it’s such an inspiration to read so many stories of people who have followed their hearts in spite of naysayers…etc. Love your story and I will continue to follow your adventures as I prepare for my own. Have a great day!
Hi Venus – thank you for sharing your story and best of luck with your own trajectory. Feel free to reach out with any question you might have.
Hello Jodi,
from one Canadian to another.
Thank God I found your blog. I have tears of joy running down my cheeks at this moment while listening to your WDS talk.
I am currently on a three month “what to do for the next few years?” holiday here on a tiny island. I am trying to decide if I am too old (65) to finally set off for a life on the road. There must be some divine intervention going on here!!! You have ins_ired me to go for it. (Lost the letter _ on my keyboard a month ago, sorry.”
I usually go to one location for two to three months at a time, then return home only to wait for the next tri_. I will only travel for six or seven months a year because I do not want to lose my Ontario health coverage and it will also afford me the luxury of visiting friends for those months.
You are busy, so I’ll not continue.
Thank you so much.
Safe travels to you.
Hi Gail, thank you for the lovely comment. Wishing you safe travels, be they short or long term. Let me know if you’ll be in Montreal this summer as I’ll be back for a few months!
Remarkable! The only thing small about you is your physical vessel. I work in behavioral health and the personal transformation you describe through facing your fears is inspiring. My sense is, though, that you couldn’t have resisted your urge to journey outward if you wanted. I hope my 2 daughters have just a little of your spirit in their DNA. Thank you for sharing your story.
What a wonderful comment to read and start my day with. I’ve no doubt that with your attitude your daughters will do just fine, imbued with a sense of curiosity that cannot be shaken. Have a great rest of the week!
Jodi – you are such an eloquent speaker. I loved this!
Thanks Nicole! Glad you enjoyed.
Hi Jodi! I’ve been following your blog ever since the bug of travelling bit me. I’ve been away from home since October of last year. I can totally relate to everything you said. I’m happy I’ve made the decision. However, fear never left me. Everyday I make a decision to continue and move forward. You’ll always be an inspiration. I wanted to share my stories as well, but never had the courage to post it on my very shy blog. I’ve never felt comfortable with my own writing. That’s one important thing I’m working on. I hope to personally meet you someday. We’ll never know. It’s a small world after all.
Hi Angelynira, thank you for the kind comment. It’s true that your fears never fully disappear, though certain aspects of them may get easier, or at least easier to handle. It is a small world, and it’s great to cross paths with fellow travelers within in it. Good luck with the writing. Remember that while it’s tough to put yourself out there to others, it’s wonderful when you get a chance to hopefully make them more comfortable to do the same. That’s how I felt in putting up this video, but comments like yours and the emails that mirror them make me very happy with my decision. I wish you many safe travels!
Hi Jodi, thank you for this speach!! This speach finally encouraged me to finally put my travel dreams into reality:) Leaving for good at the end of the year. Alone.
Hi Nina, that’s great to hear! I’m happy the speech was a part of your decision to explore, and please do reach out if you have any questions that I can help you answer. Safe travels to you!
Thanks for your reply.
Not sure if I missed the initial comment but don’t see any others from you here. Thanks for reading either way!
I’m glad you posted this Jodi. Loved your talk and you clearly are talented when it comes to public speaking! Thanks for sharing :)
Thanks for watching, Laura! Hope to see you sometime this year. :)
Saludos desde México. I can´t imagine all the things you´ve lived accross almost all the world. I think people like you inspire a lot of more, even like me who don’t know you in person, but I think its awesome. I am just 18 years old, at college studying hard, but my life´s dream has always to know the world not only because of their buildings, animals or landscapes but the people and how they live in their own way,
Maybe i hope i will travell as you one day, so what are your most important advices you think are for me??? Or something aabout to think before do it
also, you must travel around Mexico its very nice and gorgeous to see and live.
Suerte en lo que hagas, Luis
Gracias Luis, for the kind words. Advice is to remember that enthusiasm for living the world by seeing it, even when life starts to get in the way. And to also build yourself a skill-set that will allow you to work from elsewhere, enabling you to travel and even potentially work abroad. I always tell people that setting up a ‘worst case scenario’ they feel comfortable with – be it a job training, a degree or a plan b if their travels don’t work out – goes a long way toward making you more comfortable taking your show on the road :) Best of luck to you and safe travels!
Such an inspirational speech! Also, great article in the New York Times. You must be ecstatic.
All the best!
Thanks for the video. You are awesome for all the choices you made.
What an inspiration! My friends and I have been touched by this speech, and are spreading your words. Thank you!
P.S. When you’re back in Montreal in May, we should do some video work together =D
Thanks Alain, and I’d love to do a joint vid when I’m back this summer. Sounds fun!
Good for you for being brave- for speaking at WDS and for being on camera. Right now, co-founder Bret Love is the primary face of Green Global Travel, but as the other co-founder I know that I need to be more vocal and “get out there”. Thanks for being an inspiration!
Thank you Mary! I’m glad you enjoyed and hope to meet you this summer at TBEX!
Thanks for posting your WDS video for those of us who weren’t there!
Having worked in video, I have difficulty watching any online vid that’s longer than 2 minutes. But your 33 minutes rocked! From start to end, you were entertaining, inspiring & informative. I enjoyed it as much as I do your posts!
Thanks Christine -a high compliment! Thank you for watching :)
The video sums it all up, I read lots of your posts in the last few days as I am about to get on the 3rd stage of my year of interactive travelling in a few days. I am still unsure of things and how it will turn up at the end but I am sure I will not regret too much to have been on the driver seat of my life. I still remain with few questions about how you have got to experience some of the things you achieved during your travel but I hope I will be able to get to know you better and get those answers…and I know that I have to get there on my own but a hint or a mentoring view would certainly be appreciated ;)
Hi there. Glad you liked the speech and the posts. Feel free to ask questions, of course. I don’t really know what you’re looking for answer-wise, so post away and I will give you responses.
Your speech was music to my ears. It was incredibly inspiring and exactly what I needed to hear. I have been planning my long term travel trip for the past 3 years and it means so much to me to hear your experience. I have had so many doubts and so many people discouraging me that what you have said is keeping me on the right path. Thank you for sharing and I am so glad I found your blog!
Have been uploading your video from the far end of Côte d’Ivoire where I currently work, and loving the 7 first minutes I got to watch. Had to post a comment.
Considering a very-long-term-trip for myself, starting september 2013. How long did it take you to plan ?
I am not very good at keeping with my journal and things when I travel (have been to 30+ countries) so far thanks to my job and lifestyle….but never good at keeping track, blogging, etc. so I wonder if I’ll be abble to do it on a very long term trip. Is it very time consuming ? Do you just do is as you go or do you set yourself “working rules”.
Geek question: Do you still travel with your Macbook AIr 13″ ? Because I want to go with the 11″ and wonder if thats OK…Never went backpacking with a computer before. I worry about hostels.
Thank you in advance for your reply!
Your web site is very inspiring.
Camille (from France), writing from Tabou, Ivory Coast
Merci Camille! Glad you’ve enjoyed what you could listen to. I started planning around January 2008, and left in March. The long-term travel page (www.legalnomads.com/wds) is a place where I put together the various resources I used to plan for long term travel. Yes, the blogging was always consuming but now much more so as I’m not travelling as I used to – it’s primarily for work. At the beginning, when I was running this site as more of a hobby and a fun way to keep people updated, I would set aside a day in the middle of travels to write a post. But I didn’t even have a laptop with me for the first while and posted less frequently. See Shannon’s “should I start a travel blog” page – http://alittleadrift.com/2010/01/should-you-start-a-travel-blog/.
As to your question, I have a Macbook 11″ not 13″. I’d definitely lock it up in your bag when you leave the hostel and if you’re worried about it perhaps look at a netbook instead as they are quite a bit cheaper. Also take a look at insurance for electronics so you have them covered too.
Safe travels!
hello Jodi, Thank you for this video. I really connect with the feeling of restlessness. I have felt restless all my life. I went into the Navy because I was bored with life, it had a great impact on my life. I went to Nursing school cause I was bored with life and it has also been a great impact on my life. I now have been a nurse for twenty years and traveling around the country working in my specialty for assignments. I feel I am ready for the next step but do not know what that may be. I realize I will not be satified with working a regular job, I want more out of life but I also dont want to be irresponsible with my future. I came across your video and really enjoyed it, thank you again. Randall
Thanks Randall. Glad that you enjoyed and best of luck with the next steps on your path. Safe travels!