Wow, I am stunned at the response to my entry for Nomadic Matt and GAP Travel’s Costa Rica contest. After languishing in 7th and 8th place for a day, my friends on Facebook got busy and started spreading the word high and low. I think I’ve kind of gone micro-viral, (I just made that term up and want credit if it catches on) with dozens of people I’ve never met cheering me on and helping out. It is an amazing and heartening thing, and I am soooo grateful!

There has been significant cost to my pride, however. I have resorted to groveling, begging, and pleading — I’ve even offered to wrestle a monkey if I win. My friend Floyd has been enticing his buddies to vote by declaring that I am a “dirty hippie” and that he wants me out of country longer so that I don’t offset his vote come election day. The joke is on him because I’m allergic to patchouli and showered today.

My friend Lexi took a different angle: she posted that I was a raging drunk and needed to go to Cost Rica to “dry out”. This is completely false: I plan on getting hammered when I get there. When that didn’t get much of a response, she tried the sympathy angle claiming that my pet gerbil died and I wanted to bury his ashes in the mountains there. I think Twinkie will very happy in Costa Rica. *sniffle*

Thanks again for all the support and if you haven’t voted yet, please do (I’m #8)!

A few weeks I entered to win a two week trip to Costa Rica in a contest sponsored by Nomadic Matt and GAP Adventures. Voting has finally begun and my entry made it to the final round! Please hop over to Matt’s site and vote for me if you think I’ve made a good argument for winning the big prize. There are 15 finalists and I’m #8 on the list.

I noticed that one of the contestants promised in her entry that she would keep her clothes on. I, too, would like to reassure everyone that I will remain fully-clothed throughout the trip. Unless there is drinking involved, then the pants are a maybe at best…

There is also a very good chance that if I go, I will be attacked by a monkey. I’ll take photos.

Thanks for your support!

My entry: On Winning a Free Trip to Costa Rica: Making My Case for Inadequacy

Contest link: Vote here

Nomadic Matt and Gap Adventures have announced a contest, in which they are giving away a two week Costa Rica trip to the person who can best answer this question: “Why do you want this trip, and what do you hope to get out of it? … Just tell us why you deserve this lovely prize.” Contest Link

Strangely enough, this trip begins the same month I intend to leave on my 1+ year journey around the world. The coincidence seemed too much too ignore, so I couldn’t resist throwing my name in the hat.

Answering the Question: Why Do I Want this Trip?

I want this trip for the same reason I’m traveling around the world: I want to see as much of it as I can, while we’re both still here, and to learn how to move through it while leaving the smallest possible trail.

We live in an interesting era: modern air travel has made it possible for nearly anyone to travel the world. What was once reserved solely for the uber-rich is now available to a poor boy like me.

At the same time, however, this increased accessibility and global communications networks are rapidly diluting our cultural differences – languages are dying and cultural traditions are degenerating into mere stage shows for tourists. On my first trip abroad, I checked into a hotel in Madras, India, only to hear Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” pouring out of my neighbor’s room at full volume. I love Willie – don’t get me wrong – but that’s not one of his best tunes.

The impact on the environment is even more pronounced. We are burning through resources at an unbelievable rate. We are not killing the planet — we are killing ourselves. I want to visit, learn from, and pay tribute to those who are trying to slow and, hopefully, reverse this trend.

Making My Case: Why Should I Win This Trip?

1.  I’m Fat and Out of Shape
One thing I’m hoping to do with my journey around the world is to motivate everyday people to get out and explore this incredible planet of ours. You don’t have to be rich, famous, or athletic – you just have to commit to doing it. Most travelers will leave me far behind while hiking trails on the sides of the Arenal Volcano – I move at the speed of your average arthritic grandmother. But, while the others plow noisily ahead, I will be quietly wheezing by the side of the trail — taking photos and making notes. (Pro tip: setting up a tripod can gain you several minutes of recovery time.)

I also have a much higher chance of seeing the local wildlife up-close, as animals are more likely to approach while I’m unconscious.

2. I Don’t Speak a Lick of Spanish
After two years of study in high school, about all I can manage in Spanish is finding the beer and the bathroom (often in that order). Hopelessly inept with languages, I get by with pointing, gesticulating, and dancing about like a monkey. Again, I want everyone who reads this to know that they, too, can travel the world even if they have barely mastered their mother tongue (and are willing to dance like a monkey).

3. I Do Stupid Things
Okay, some people will see this as a negative. I don’t. I secretly revel in my seemingly endless talent for getting myself into ridiculous situations. While another blogger might stand atop a rocky outcrop, waxing poetic about the amazing view and how it makes them feel, I will probably trip and stumble into a cactus. The other blogger’s soliloquy will last but one post, but I’ll be complaining about pulling cactus spines from my butt for days. High-brow? No. Entertaining? Your call.

So that’s my pitch. I would love to travel with GAP Adventures and share my adventure with you. If you’d like to learn more about Costa Rica and sustainable tourism while being entertained with beautiful photos and offbeat commentary, please vote for me.