In 1999, he was dumped at the altar, just days before his scheduled wedding. The guests were en-route, the food and wine were on location, and the whole party was pre-paid. So he chose to have a weekend wedding bash anyway… just without a bride. He then decided to go on the planned two-week honeymoon to Costa Rica, substituting his brother Kurt for the Runaway Bride. They had such a good time exploring the country and reconnecting as siblings that they opted to extend the festivities for two years and fifty-three countries in Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, South America and Africa.

Throughout the “honeymoon,” he penned a series of emails to family and friends about the quirks and oddities of travel. Until then he’d written for others (PR clients or politicians) but never for himself. Some of the essays made their way into newspapers and magazines thanks to a few encouraging friends in the media.  If you’re interested in becoming a travel writer, this is your show!