Globetrotters Writer Spotlight-John Culver
Hi Globetrotters. My name is…
John Culver, and I’m knocking on the big 40-year-old door. My favorite travel companion and partner in crime is my wife. I’ve got one crazy, cute, and dramatic dog to go along with three, yes three, cats.
I love to travel because…
It just opens your mind when you experience different countries and cultures. Traveling gets you out of your comfort zone and makes you explore and meet new people. One of my favorite things while traveling is striking up a conversation with locals and fellow travelers. It’s usually at a local brewery or pub.
My number one travel activity is…
Is exploring the local food and drink culture. I absolutely love trying fresh, authentic cuisine, cooked by locals (I’m looking at you Bitterballen in Amsterdam!!). I’m also a sucker for a well-curated local beer selection or local brewery. I can spend a whole day sipping on brews from different regions.
I come from…
The middle of America. I grew up in Oklahoma and Kansas.
I work as a…
Employee for a large county entity. I’ll leave it at that for now…
The best place I’ve been is…
Man, this is such a tough question. If you ask me this question on different days I may give you different answers each time. Obviously, if you’ve seen my profile bio, you’ll see that I’m in love with Las Vegas. But, with that said, that’s a destination that I’ve been to probably fifty or more times. Now, international locations, on the other hand, I’m going to have to say Iceland. Breathtaking landscapes, amazing citizens, and a laid-back culture. Stepping off an airplane and being at an active volcano within a couple of hours (see above pic) was a top travel memory that my wife and I still talk about to this day.
In my spare time, I like to…
Travel (duh), play poker, spend time by the pool, and watch sports. College football season is my favorite time of the year. I’m a huge Oklahoma State fan, Kansas City Royals fan, and a Kansas City Chiefs fan. I’ve also been known to spend some time in the casinos, particularly at video poker bars.
My top travel tip is…
Have a rough outline of what you want to do in certain locations. You can spend too much time and waste some valuable travel time deciding what to do if you haven’t done some basic research on the area you are visiting. On that same note, don’t hop around too much. We’ve found that if taking an international, two or three-week trip, we like to have a “home base” for at least three nights. Anything shorter than that feels like you don’t get the full experience of that location and you spend too much of your time and energy traversing from location to location. Get somewhere and explore that area.
If I could live somewhere else, I’d live in…
Another tough one since there are so many variables that would go into this choice. After visiting Nice, France I could see myself living in that region. The food and culture were top-notch. Amsterdam, Netherlands would also be towards the top of my list. And, of course, if I won the lottery I’d have some sort of home in Las Vegas.
My favorite way to travel is…
I’m a sucker for road trips. Taking a road trip around Iceland for two weeks in 2021 was on a whole new level. Highly recommend it and would do it again in a heartbeat.
Three lessons I’ve learned from traveling are…
- Be very selective about who you travel with. Travel companions can make or break a trip.
- Learn something about the local culture BEFORE you get there. There’s nothing more embarrassing than standing out and being “that tourist” when in a place you aren’t familiar with.
- Pack light. Pack light. Pack light. You don’t need as many clothes as you think you do. How many times have you been on a trip and there are items in your wardrobe that never get touched? Think about that before you leave home. Pack what you think you’ll need at LEAST a week out. Look at your suitcase multiple times before you leave. Take out items that aren’t absolutely necessary. Why take three pairs of jeans when realistically one or two will suffice.
Thanks for following along and reading about my life and travels. I have a lot more stories and tips to share along the way! Please help me reach my 100 follower goal deadline of August 1st!!
