Travel Blog Episode 1

Travel Blog Interview 

Daniel Rubio- 36, San Diego, CA, Aviation.

  1. What was the defining moment that you knew you were meant to explore the world?

I was on a fishing boat in costa rica, on a last minute invite to go deep sea fishing with an expat. As we sailed further and further away from the coast, I saw the blue water and dolphins swimming directly underneath and next to our boat as I hung my feet off the bow. A few minutes later, we caught a sailfish and it started pouring rain as I started to reel it in. The waves began to rise with the wind and started smashing into the side of the boat. Swaying from side to side, trying to keep my balance in the rain, while reeling in a huge sailfish… that’s when it hit me, LIFE IS FUCKING AWESOME! 

  1. Best travel story, go. (Not a question but whatever. We do what we want)

During one of my Eurotrips (hitting London, Lisbon, Hvar, Budapest and Frankfurt), I decided to fuck off on my own after only having gone to London and Lisbon with a couple friends, and went to Croatia instead of sticking with the group and going to Ibiza. (I’ve heard mixed stories about Ibiza and to be honest, it just sounds like more of a hassle than what its worth). So I land in Split on an early Weds afternoon. Not a single person there speaks english so thank god for google translate, I eventually made my way to the port and hopped on a ferry to the Island of Hvar. I only knew of this place because I once came across a picture of it on my Instagram explore page. The ferry pulled up to Hvar just after sunset, it was the perfect time and weather to see everyone out, eating and drinking. It was so fucking cool! I’ve never seen anything like it. The buildings and whole town in general were historic, the water was crystal clear, and the nightlife was amazing. I did some bar hopping and met people from all over the world. Two guys from New Zealand in particular, loved Americans and American culture, kept buying me beers and calling me a Cunt. I took both as a sign of endearment. Great guys, hope they’re doing well. Anyways, I spent the next 4 days exploring the island and day drinking on boats in some of the most beautiful and clearest waters I’ve ever seen. And this bar “Seven Hvar” was insane. The bartender spits fire, lights the entire bar on fire, and also the whole ceiling when he spits the flames up. So goddamn cool to see! The only thing I didn’t get to do was check out Carpe Diem Beachclub. Definitely going there next time.  

  1. What’s your all-time favorite place to visit, and why is it special to you?

Tamarindo, Costa Rica. The first city I visited outside of the US, since leaving the Military in 2010. My very first passport stamp. Life is so simple there. I had no cell phone reception almost anywhere. The Casado Plate is a must try. All I did everyday was surf, train jiu jitsu, relax, drink beer on the beach, and went bar hopping at night. When I’m there, I can completely disconnect from all my 1st world problems. No traffic. No worrying about staring at my phone every 5 minutes, no need for pants or shoes… Just raw dogging life in boardshorts, a tank top and flip flops. 

  1. What’s your least favorite city and why? (Think of a place where you just didn’t feel satisfied after you left. Or it’s completely overrated)

Probably San Francisco. I base every city I go to, on a “Fun-to-Bullshit Ratio”. Its easy, just ask yourself “how much of my time do i have to spend dealing with bullshit (traffic/long wait times/bad customer service/difficulty of getting around, etc…), in relation to how much time I actually spend having fun. San Francisco was “just okay”. Spent a lot of time just getting around, sitting in traffic, dodging homeless people everywhere... It was also pretty expensive and not a single place blew my mind or had me in awe. If you never go there in your entire life, you’re not missing out on anything you can’t see or do anywhere else.

  1. Was there ever a time you felt unsafe or have gotten into a bad situation? How did it play out?

There was one time on the tube in London, I had my carry on bags with me and there was a group of 4-5 mandem (aka road mans, aka imperial ghetto mf’s) wearing all black track suits and trainers, “I’m NoT LiKe OtHeR gUyS but I dress exactly like other guys head ass”… Anyways, they were talking about how they all recently jumped some dude in the ends, but one guy in particular kept looking over at me. I could tell he was looking at what I was wearing, probably trying to figure out where I’m from because there aren’t many Mexican guys out there, and he also kept looking down at my carry on bags and just smirking. I got this feeling as if he was contemplating taking my stuff. Well, idk if you know this but London gets super “stabby”, so I took my jacket off and loosely wrapped it around my arm in case one of them did pull out a knife, I could at least use that as a means of protection while I get close enough to bite off an ear, in true American, Mike Tyson fashion. I eventually made and kept eye contact with the one who kept looking at me and I nodded with a “sup foo?” kind of demeanor because you can take me out of Victorville but you can’t take the Victorville out of me. But I digress, he just kind of dropped the little smirk he had on his face and looked away. Luckily, the train station I was meant to get off at, was next. So, nothing actually happened. I most likely misread the whole situation because I’m a paranoid idiot, but at least I’m a paranoid idiot who is aware of his surroundings. Stay safe out there. It never hurts to do a bit of research before going somewhere and try not to travel alone if you fall into the category of person who is statistically more at risk during solo travels than others. 

  1. What’s one item, (other than shoes or clothing), that you absolutely must have on all your travels?

The boring answer: a sturdy pen. Emphasis on “sturdy”. It’ll save you time and from anxiety attacks when needing to fill out customs forms or any other forms you might need. It can also be used for self defense if you know how and when to use it. This is why it needs to be sturdy and have a fine (sharp) point.

The fun answer: The small black dildo that I ended up with from a white elephant gift exchange. I had no use for it so I decided to create an instagram account for it and take it on all my travels. It went to Miami, Costa Rica, Denver, and Austin before finally meeting its fate, at the bottom of a river we floated on, in San Marcos. The pictures I got of it were hilarious. Great times. RIP Lil Kev. 

  1. Do you prefer solo or group travel? Why?

For the longest time, I’ve enjoyed solo travel the most. The feeling of absolute freedom to do whatever I want, whenever I wanted, was hard to beat. Never having to wait on anyone, never having to take care of anyone or going through the annoying pain of splitting a bill 4+ different ways, never taking too long to decide on where to go that would make everyone happy. Most people don’t care anyways, and if they’re too particular about things, that’s not the type of person I want to travel with anyways. Solo travel has been amazing. When going to a new city, I’d always chat up the uber driver and ask for their personal favorite restaurants. My first couple stops after checking into a hotel (or setting up the SUV i’ll be sleeping in for the weekend), are always family owned coffee shops or deli’s. Why? because I’m hungry by then and I need coffee, but also because it’s usually young-ish people who work at places like these. People who really have an insight on the nightlife or fun things to do during the day. I’ve found out about so many hidden gems by simply asking locals about their personal favorite spots. 

Now for the downside of solo travel: it can get very boring sometimes. And some sights or experiences you have while exploring, are meant to be shared with friends or family. I’ve found myself saying, “this is so fucking cool, I wish my friends were here to see this…” 

  1. What is the one place you would say everyone should absolutely see at least once in their lifetime? What did you love about it? (Doesn’t necessarily have to be your favorite place)

Sapphire Hotel. Portland, Oregon. It’s gotta be my absolute favorite craft cocktail bar ever. Dark and dimly lit, founded by hipsters (assumingely), ridiculously good cocktails that change with the seasons. The names and stories of each drink always updated to reflect current events or modern culture. A fucking gangster of a drink called “The Professor” (hidden/not on the menu). The music and atmosphere is just perfect and not so loud that you can’t carry on a conversation with someone sitting next to you. And lastly, the story behind the bar itself, dating back to the early 1900’s… You’ll just have to go to learn about it for yourself. It’s told in the Menu. 

  1. Have you ever had a life changing moment or epiphany while traveling?

Life changing moment… I was on a random trip to Frankfurt, Germany with a close friend whom I’ve known for almost 20 years now. We ended up going to a rooftop lounge on a Weds evening. I went on google maps and literally typed in “rooftop bar near me” and this place was the first one that came up and it had great reviews. the pictures looked cool too so we decided to check it out. When we get to the roof, we could hear the music, it was pretty good. The place looked cool, but it was fairly dead inside. We kind of expected it to be empty since it was a random weds night, which was good because I hate waiting in line at the bar just to get a drink. We got a couple drinks and hung out on one of the couches. There were a couple guys sitting at a table a few feet away from us. I ended up talking to them and we’re all friends on social media now. Glad to see you guys are still doing great! Anyways, my friend and I finish our first drink and I walk back over to the bar to get a second round, when I get back to the lounge area, my friend is talking to a group of girls, only one of which who speaks english very well. I introduce myself and we all have a laugh for a bit. All small talk at this point but it’s going well. Before moving on to find another place to check out, we ask for a recommendation, and my friend exchanges instagram info with the only one who speaks english, while I stand to the side and try not to look so awkward because my social battery has pretty much run out by that point. So we move on to the next place. Then make our way back to the US, back to normal life. But I couldn’t stop thinking about that one girl who spoke english. There was just something about her that I couldn’t… I couldn’t not try. So, in true romantic fashion, I replied to one of her ig stories with a fire emoji. Because goddamn… We ended up following each other on ig, messaging back and forth for a while, fast-forward to today, now we’ve been together for a couple years and I’ve gotten to explore and experience a lot of new things in Germany. More Places to come in the future. Life is wild.

 

  1. What city/country would you love to see next?

Tallin, Estonia. I just want to go somewhere random, but also looks like it could be fun. I just don’t like going places where I feel like l’m still in the US. Other cities I haven’t been to yet that are still on my list (but not a high priority)are: Prague, Rome, Paris, Munich, Oslo and Zurich.

  1. Where can people follow your adventures on social media?

Instagram: @themoderndrifter and @themodernxdrifter