This system is based solely on living and traveling with a manageable disability, MTBI, as well as the flow of my personal experiences of global travels to date.
1) The week cycle shall be Sunday to Sunday, meaning my arrival to your city will be on Sunday and my departure will be the following Sunday. If we can all do our best to adhere to this proposed system, I believe things will flow fluidly for all parties. There will be a few exceptions here and there, of course, as in the event when I am flying internationally since the travel time is much longer and we are also dealing with different time zones. What feels right to me is spending a minimum of a week in one area so I ask that whoever hosts me must be willing to accept the full responsibilities, explained below. The intention of doing a week cycle is so that it’s easy to schedule things, primarily for myself since this is a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) tour, and so that all parties involved can be on one accord.
Anywhere in the world
2) I have set up a few default cities around the world as a home base, if you will, for the weeks I’m not booked anywhere. So many floor spaces and couches to choose from within my tribe!
3) Transportation can include any of these: plane, train, bus, carpooling, road trips and anything else I haven’t thought of!
4) Room and board can range from any of these: hotel and a per diem for the more financially able; bed and breakfast; communal artist living space; the host’s private home; any of the host’s connections whatever they may be; a padded floor somewhere for my bony body; a couch long enough for me; taking turns cooking for each other; invited for a home cooked dinner anywhere; or grubbing on the streets. You get the picture!
I was given refuge in this temple for 2 nights during the cold, rainy nights. This cot and electric blanket were alms provided by someone else who crossed my path. All the alms came together beautifully, wouldn’t you say?
Atlanta, USA
5) The first host assumes full responsibilities of: paying for travel and room and board expenses for the chosen week of his/her choice; organizing a reliable mode of transportation for me; paying for my return travel expense to any of the default cities if the immediate next week is not booked by another host. If it is booked, then the next host will assume the forward travel expense to his/her destination, and so on. Let’s work together on this if money is an issue for you so just let me know upfront and we’ll work it out!
6) Invitations are encouraged to come in sooner than later, but travel bookings are requested to wait until the previous week of said booking. This is in the event of a host booking me months in advance and since I can be anywhere in the world at any given time, I am requesting that said host waits until the previous week cycle of the confirmed invitation to book my travel arrangements. Since I do not know the pace of this tour in this moment, I need hosts to be mindful that, for instance, I could be taking a train in from a local city or you could be flying me in from another country. What that means is that the price ranges from one extreme to another, so I need potential hosts to understand and accept this. I am doing my best to be as fair as possible to all parties potentially involved and I pray that it comes across that way.
The only catch is that all hosts would have to understand this and be willing to potentially pay for an international flight ticket. I know that’s a huge chunk of change for many of us, so I came up with this cool idea of having both hosts split the cost so that way, we’re all collaborating and growing together. So let’s say I got booked to speak in Germany and while I’m there, I suddenly get booked to speak in the states the following week. Instead of one host bearing the burden of paying the international flight ticket, both hosts can split the cost. Each of us has something to contribute to the cause so if we approach it from that viewpoint, we’d have more harmony in our relationships and communication with each other.
I love vibing with the young people of today and hearing what’s on their minds and in their hearts because they always surprise me; and thus I learn so much from them.
Atlanta, USA
HERE ARE MY REQUESTS:
1) The minimum request is that I am booked for a week in an area.
2) I am also very happy to assist in booking travel and lodging accommodations. For any host working on a meager budget, please know how grateful I am for your support and please be comforted knowing that this would be a perfect opportunity for me to rely on my list of personal contacts.
3) For international destinations, I am requesting for a minimum of 2 week cycles in your city. This will apply to all cities outside of the states since currently I deem the states as my general home base. (This is subject to change at any given point in time, and when it does, I will update this information.) My biggest concern with traveling extensively is the inevitable wear and tear on the body so I am being very conscientious about it. In a case like this, we can discuss different options where I can stay the second week if your budget does not allow you to host me longer than a week. I’m very open about all of this and I’m more excited to collaborate than be rigid and ruin all the fun!
This leg of travels around the world exposed me to the delightful and scary thrills of riding tuk tuks aka auto rickshaws. Be kind to your tuk tuk drivers because they endure agonizing back pain from the long hours zipping passengers around.
Bangkok, THAILAND
4) At times, I may require an assistant to travel with me. Hosts will assume full responsibilities for said assistant.
5) My life on the road is one of an intentional purpose and it is important for me to stay grounded in meditation, prayer and worship. So yes, I will take my time because the work I am doing is important to me and my health is also important to me. It is simply not healthy to put the body through intense wear and tear from an overpacked schedule of any sort.
As a personal token of my heartfelt appreciation for your hosting enthusiasm, I will be honored to heal you in whatever ways I am capable.
Communication is primarily via invite.me@followingmyheart.com and video chats or conference calls are scheduled upon request only.