Zipkick Bloggers: William Tang
Where was the first place that you traveled that made you think WOW—travel is amazing?
The first time that I was truly wowed was definitely when I went on exchange to Sweden and had a chance backpack though Europe. The first city I went to Brussels and I remember being incredible impressed with Grand Place and just realizing how much history and culture was steeped into every corner, every brick, and every cobblestone.
If you had unlimited resources, where would you go and what would you do?There are still so many places I want to go but the reason I haven’t gone to some places has been about time and money. If those weren’t obstacles, I’d finally make it to Africa and explore the whole continent.
What were you afraid to do and how did you find the courage to overcome it?
I’ve always been terrifyingly afraid of heights. I’d always make sure I walk away from second floor railings and the thought of walking on top of the CN Tower glass floor would make my legs turn to jello. Traveling as much as I do, and with my niche being adventure travel, you kind of run into things involving heights all the time. Now I can’t say that I’ve totally purged my fear of heights from my system but I’ve certainly learned to better co-exist with it. For me travel has always been about pushing myself to the limits and the one way I’ve done it is basically tell myself that “this is the only time I’ll be able to do X” or “I’m going to regret it if I don’t do Y”. Once I have that mindset, anything is conquerable.
What apps do you use regularly that make your life easier?
Social media is so integrated in my life that you’ll find me checking Twitter, Facebook and Instagram many times throughout the day. Besides from that, I like to keep track of my expenses with iXpenseIt and jam to tunes with Spotify.
What place do you wish more people have seen?
Indonesia is known for Bali but I wish travellers would spend more time exploring the rest of the country. Even in my limited time there, being able to experience sunrises at Mount Bromo and Borobudur were magical. Indonesia should not be passed up on anyone’s jaunt through Southeast Asia!
Best advice you have been given and by whom?Best advice I’ve ever gotten is from my Mom as I grew up with the mantra of “working your hardest and good things will come”. It has worked out so far!
When were you surprised by the kindness of strangers on a trip?
There were so many instances of random acts of kindness when I was in Japan. The best story comes from my girlfriend and I being totally lost in the labyrinth which is Shinjuku station. As we were trying to figure out how to go from A to B, a kind gentleman approached and asked if we needed help. Not only did he point us in the right direction, he literally escorted us to the platform we needed to be on. We learned along the way that his actual hobby is to help foreigners. I was blown away.
What inspired you to travel for extended periods of time or live in a new country?
It all started from me quitting my job in consulting. Wanted to live life on my own terms, I left everything behind and travelled through Asia for 4 months. The biggest inspiration for this was honestly 4 Hour Work Week where the idea of doing something your passionate about truly took hold.
I am a zipkick blogger because….I love the community and the incredible people that power it. There are some really exciting things happening with Zipkick and I not only want to be part of it but want to be an influencer in its evolution and growth.
Thank you William Tang for being part of our ZipKick Blogger interview series!
Connect with Will:
- Blog: http://goingawesomeplaces.com
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/
goawesomeplaces - Facebook: http://facebook.com/
goingawesomeplaces - Instagram: http://instagram.com/
goingawesomeplaces - Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/
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