Interview With Johnny Ward of One Step 4 Ward
Johnny, please give my readers a background about yourself. What made you want to start onestep4ward.com?
I had been traveling for a couple of years and kept telling people all these crazy stories, my friends suggested I write a book. But i had only been to 20 countries or something so i didn't feel i had the travel experience. I was traveling so cheap, like $500 a month or something, and noone believe traveling could be that inexpensive so i thought I'd show them through my blog.
In all of your travels, in your opinion what country has the best food? and the worst food?
Best food has to be Thailand, I can't get enough of the spices. Worst, Malawi hands-down, awful!!
When you first started traveling, did your family support your decision?
I'm not from a wealthy family so I hadn't traveled at all really until I graduated from Uni in 2006, initially my family thought it would be a one year thing but soon they realised it was a lifestyle and now they support it wholeheartedly which is really lucky to be honest, although my grandmother occasionaly comes out with "when's Johnny going to get a real job??"!
Did you always have a love of travel or did you develop your passion for traveling as you got older?
I had always wanted to see the world, but I didn't realise how possible it was until i was 21 or 22. Since then the urge has got stronger and stronger. I honestly think, the more you experience, the more you want to see. The world is a very awesome place, and we're wasting it if we dont get out and feel it.
What impact has onestep4ward.com had on your life?
A massive impact! I got flown to Taiwan to present a Thai travel show, it allowed me to live without having to really 'work', I've met so many cool people from it, it helped me market my new company Teach dot Travel. It has literally changed my life.
What has been the least exciting destination you've traveled to?
I'm not a huge fan of traveling around South East Asia to be honest, so many other tourists all doing exactly the same thing, that's not travel to me. If you wanna party, it's awesome but if you want to really travel, it's not the place to be.
What has been the most surprising destination you've been to? Meaning, you had a specific mindset about a certain destination but it was totally a differnet experience than you had imagined.
Lebanon for sure. I know it's pretty ignorant but I imagined some dusty, rubble-strewn war zone and i turned up and it was all skyscrapers and range rovers!
If you had to decide which destination has been the most influential in your life, which destination would you chose?
It has to be teaching English in Thailand, it showed me a whole different lifestyle is available and I'm so grateful for that. Now when I need a break from traveling, i head straight back to Chiang Mai or Bangkok to recover.
Johnny, if you could travel with any celebrity for one week, who would you chose and why?
Hmmm, it's gotta be a funny dude, a gorgeous chick, or someone I can really learn from. I guess, backed into a corner, it'd probably be the girl so I'll go with Scarlett Johansson.
What advice would you give to a newbie traveler?
Don't be scared, book a one way flight and deal with the emotions after. Taking that first step is tough, after that it's just pure awesomeness!
In 10 years, do you see yourself still traveling or slowing down?
I plan to live in Thailand 6 months and travel 6 months. 6 months working online with a few businesses and 6 months seeing every country in the world! That's the plan anyway
*Johnny Ward graduated university in 2006 and has been on the road ever since. Traveling, studying and working in more than 50 countries around the world, he uses his website One Step 4 Ward to fund his travels and show people how easy it is to hit the road. You don't have to BE rich to LIVE rich.
Visit Johnny blog @ One Step 4 Ward
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