African Overland Trucks

October 19th, 2011 | By Lee | 16 Comments »

Nouakchott, Casablanca, Timbuktu, Arusha, Khartoum, Lilongwe, Swakopmund, Freetown, Bujumbura, Conakry, Fez, Lalibela, N’Djamena, Mombasa, Sfax, Ziguinchor, Laayoune, Brazzaville, Yamoussoukro, Abu Simbel, Harare, Lubumbashi, Mbabane, Ngorongoro, Douala, Ouagadougou. These names sound made up. They sound like a fairy tale that parents tell kids about far, far away lands and other dimensions. They sound exotic. And truth be told, most people, including many of you reading this right now, don’t know where half of these places are. That’s because they are all in Africa. They encompass the whole of the Dark Continent. They are places most people will never see. They are places most people would have no idea how to see, even if they wanted to. In reality, there is only one way to see all of these places without dealing with an unheard of logistical nightmare. A Trans-African overland truck.
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Study Abroad

October 18th, 2011 | By Lee | 10 Comments »

Most people say that college is the best time of your life. That can certainly be true if you make the most out of the experience. As far as I am concerned, there is no better way to do that than by doing study abroad. It was the best thing I ever did. It changed the course of my life, my focus and what I wanted out of my college experience and my post graduate life. It opened my eyes to a whole new world. If and when I ever have kids, it will be mandatory for them to study abroad and I cannot possibly recommend something more for college kids. It is the best experience of college and actually has long lasting implications. Although it was always hard to convey to friends who didn’t study abroad; I knew then and still know now, that it was a life changing experience. It shouldn’t be missed.
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Solo Travel: Absolute Freedom

October 14th, 2011 | By Lee | 22 Comments »

Traveling alone, whether you’re a man or a woman, is one of those taboo things for some people and is the most adventurous way to travel for others. It can be the single most rewarding travel experience that you will have or it can be lonely and depressing. Solo travel can make it easy to be outgoing and meet the locals and other travelers or it can make you go further into your cocoon and sit on the Internet all day chatting with your friends back home. It’s all what you make of it. Solo travel is all about your attitude. If you go into it with a positive attitude and excited to go out there and meet people and do cool things, then that is what will happen. If you are timid, scared or depressed that you’re traveling alone and feeling sorry for yourself then you will have a bad time. It’s that simple. Mix attitude with basic common sense and solo travel can be the best thing you’ve ever done for yourself.
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7kg or Less! Packing 101

October 10th, 2011 | By Lee | 15 Comments »

Packing seems like such a simple thing. You put some things in a bag that are essential for your trip and you go. In theory, there should be no hassle, no stress and surely nothing silly that you don’t need. I get the question, what should I pack or what do you pack, so often that I felt compelled to write about the art of packing for a trip. At least the way I do it and I do look at it as an art form. So forget that hair straightener, leave the hair dryer, and don’t even think about bringing those big shampoo and conditioner bottles. Just read this, take a deep breath and realize that you can get by on very little-trust me.
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9/11/01 Ten Years Later

September 11th, 2011 | By Lee | 2 Comments »

Ten years ago today was one of the worst days of my life and the worst day in the history of America. For all Americans, 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 pass away that horrible horrible morning and be extremely thankful for those who survived and are still with us; including one of my very best friends, Mike, who is here with me in Romania right now. To one of my all time favorite people Stergie-I miss you always brother; also Monique; Billy-the Cubs are still awful!; Lynn, my eSpeed/Cantor Fitzgerald team, the incredibly brave FDNY, NYPD and everyone else who passed away during that awful day and since fighting for our country abroad. You guys are always in my thoughts and will never be forgotten-your spirit lives on forever and touches me each day. I truly cannot believe it’s been ten years; it seems like yesterday.

Radio Interview with Peter Greenberg

September 7th, 2011 | By Lee | 4 Comments »

The Next Adventure Starts Sunday!

August 11th, 2011 | By Lee | 4 Comments »

I know I’ve been bad at posting on my website as I’ve been posting more on my Facebook page but for those of you who aren’t yet fans, I am starting another massive trip Sunday. The loose trip itinerary starts in Angola and Cabinda, then down into Namibia and Botswana before heading down to Cape Town, South Africa. I then have a 12 hour layover where I am meeting a friend for lunch in Johannesburg before catching a non-stop up to Cairo. I’ll have a day in Cairo before catching a bus into Eastern Libya. Then it’s back to Cairo and over to Sinai and to Petra before heading into Israel to visit friends and catch a flight up to Moscow, Russia. From Moscow it’s down to Sochi, where we will head into Abkhazia and back. There may be a few other stops depending on timing, etc. From Sochi, it’s off to Bucharest, Romania to visit much of the country I’ve not seen including Transylvania and Brasov. Then finally it’s off to Antalya and Southern Turkey to relax before heading to the UK and the finally back home. Wow, I am tired just writing that itinerary!
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A Quick Travel Update

June 21st, 2011 | By Lee | 6 Comments »

I know I haven’t been writing too much on my site since I have been back from my last trip so I wanted to give a quick update as to what I am up to and what I am working on and planning. First, I am trying to get a visa to Angola and I am making great strides and hope to have that squared away pretty soon. I hope to visit Angola and the Angolan enclave of Cabinda afterwards along with Namibia and South Africa. From there I plan on heading up to Cairo, Egypt and making a very interesting trip west. Yes there…
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Dangerous Mountain Roads and Passes

April 26th, 2011 | By Lee | 4 Comments »

CNN today listed their idea of the 10 most dangerous roads in the world. I have to say that I do agree with several of the choices. I have driven 4 of the 10 they listed and another 3 I would love to do but politics and war make some of them quite difficult; namely the Iraqi road of death, the Karakoram Highway and the road from Jalalabad to Kabul-not to mention the elusive Khyber Pass which I would kill to drive. This list got me thinking about roads I’ve driven, roads I’d like to drive and just mountain roads in general. Here is what I’ve come up with.
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My Africa Trip is Set!

March 3rd, 2011 | By Lee | 1 Comment »

After many issues, my upcoming trip to Africa is all set to go. While I am still disappointed that I can’t include Libya in this itinerary, it makes sense for obvious reasons. I hope they can resolve that situation very soon and once they do I will surely be there. So the amended trip starts in Khartoum, Sudan for a few days then heads to Addis Ababa for 5 days or so, which is one of the best cities in Africa, so I can get the Somaliland visa and head to Hargeisa and do a quick turnaround to Mogadishu, again for obvious reasons. Heading back to Addis, I hope to have time to fly to see Lalibela and/or Axum depending on how the timing works out with flights, incomprehensible delays, unforeseen hassles, etc…you know the drill on the Continent! I’ll then head, via a night in Cairo, to Algiers, Algeria for a few days before heading home through a night of feasting in Istanbul. It will be a very action packed trip with a lot going on in a relatively short timeframe but I am getting pretty pumped for it. Keep checking my site and facebook fan page for daily updates on my progress.