Lee Abbamonte
Try to become the youngest person to travel to every country in the world
Africa/Indian Ocean Slideshow
By Lee | 
4 Comments » Here is a slideshow set to music of my last trip covering some 20 countries of Africa and the Indian Ocean islands.
Gorilla Tracking in Rwanda
By Lee | 2 Comments » 
Some friends of mine from business school are currently in Rwanda for 6 weeks and just did the Susa group gorilla trek in Parc National Des Volcans that I did New Years Day. Apparently, they had much better weather than I did and my friend Rob wrote a great article about their adventure. Nearly two months removed from this amazing experience I can fondly recall the amazing hike and the incredible sight of the gorillas in their natural habitat. Rob’s article is very well written and captures the experience very well. I appreciate the mention in the article and hope they enjoy the rest of their trip. Here is a link to what I posted immediately after my very wet and memorable climb if you want to relive both adventures. The experience is one that will stay with me forever.
Final Preparation for Africa
By Lee | 7 Comments » 
I wanted to write a quick post and remind everyone that I leave for Chad on Sunday on a 6+ week trip that will cover at least 18 new countries including some of the most (Seychelles, Mauritius) and least (Chad, Equatorial Guinea, the Congo’s) desirable places on Earth. I am virtually all prepared except for a bunch of errands before Sunday morning and many of you have asked me about Angola. As of now I will not be going to Angola after a long and drawn out process in which I did everything I could’ve done but they, because of a combination of apathy, bureaucracy, stupidity and laziness did not grant me a visa in time even though they said they would. So I will not be visiting Angola or Cabinda this trip unless a miracle happens while on the road. Also, I want to thank my friend Carlos for trying his hardest to get me that visa and I only wish I called you earlier as it would’ve made life easier but certainly next time.
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The Royal Geographical Society
By Lee | 4 Comments » 
I am often asked about the Royal Geographical Society. It is an old British Royal Society based in London that I am a very proud “Fellow” of and attend meetings in the UK whenever I can. I have the priviledge of being granted the use of the post nominal letters FRGS after my name if I choose. FRGS stands for Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. The following is a brief history of the Society and some of its more famous members and explorers.
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I Know, I Know
By Lee | 1 Comment » 
I know that I haven’t updated in a few weeks but I have been pretty busy on the weekends and have been criss-crossing the United States for several different reasons and commitments. In the past two months or so, I have been all over Arizona; in Florida for a wedding; New York and Connecticut for Thanksgiving; Eugene, Oregon for a football game; Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona for other games and Las Vegas. It has been tiring and exhausting but very fun and rewarding at the same time. All the while, I have been planning and detailing my upcoming 6 week trip to Africa that I leave for next weekend. So needless to say it’s been busy. I also wanted to say thanks for all the tons of emails from all my readers and I haven’t stopped writing, I just haven’t been anywhere out of the country lately and have been super busy. I will probably post a few times before next Sunday when I fly to Chad but rest assured I will be blogging my whole Africa trip and hopefully will be putting up some streaming video along the way. So keep posted and keep checking back with me. Happy Thanksgiving!
A Quick Update
By Lee | 9 Comments » 
I know I haven’t been posting much lately but I have been extremely busy. I have been spending most of my time planning my winter trip to Central and Southern Africa along with the Indian Ocean nations; which has been a total nightmare with flights, logistics, visas, costs, etc. Additionally, I have been away the past few weekends in San Francisco and New York respectively and I will be in Las Vegas next weekend. All are not bad things obviously and I am certainly looking forward to getting things started with the African adventure but it is a huge trip to plan and requires months of planning, research and visa acquisition.
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Beating Jet Lag
By Lee | 8 Comments » 
Jet lag sucks. It does…and it’s difficult to avoid but there are ways that I have found to make it a little easier-sometimes. Jet lag also comes down to where you go or better yet which direction you fly in my opinion. For instance, when I fly east from New York to Europe I get it the worst but there are steps to take in order to avoid it or at least minimize it as best you can.
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Eight Years Later
By Lee | 2 Comments » 
Eight years ago today was one of the worst days of my life and the worst day in the history of America. For everyone, but especially for those of us who worked in the World Trade Center or knew anyone who passed away on September 11, 2001; today is always a difficult day to get through. For me, it is extremely important to always remember my good friends and countless former colleagues who did die that horrible morning and be extremely thankful for those who are still with us, including one of my best friends. To my man Sterg-I miss you brother, Monique, Billy, Lynn, my eSpeed/Cantor corporate development team, the incredibly brave FDNY, NYPD and everyone else who passed away: you guys are always in my thoughts and will never be forgotten-your spirit lives on forever and touches me each day. I can’t believe it’s been eight years.
I’m Alive
By Lee | No Comments » 
I know I haven’t posted in a few weeks and yes I am still alive. Thanks for all your emails and it’s nice to know so many people read my site and enjoy my stories. Unfortunately, I had to cut my last trip short for family reasons and have been busy since I got home. I made it to the Bismarck Archipelago and Papua New Guinea before I had to come home. I am contemplating heading back out on the trail in August but haven’t made any plans yet as I am adjusting to being back in the States and enjoying being home, seeing friends and family. The new Yankee Stadium is as awesome as you’d imagine and I have been going to as many games as I can. I will have more moving forward especially if and when I get back out on the road. Thanks again for the emails and take care.
Value of Travel Forums
By Lee | 1 Comment » 
As many of you reading this site are avid travelers or at least wannabe avid travelers, you have most likely been on a travel forum from time to time. I don’t make a habit or going on them very often unless I need some immediate information and the best one I have come up with by far is Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree Forum. I think it’s great and usually gives me some great advice. I know a lot about travel and about many places but when it comes to specifics and especially entry ordeals and onward travel info-I always post on Thorn Tree to get answers from people who have just been there or actually live there now. This is the real power of the Internet at work.
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