robert schrader travel

I’ve been a traveler my whole life, having lived in six houses in three U.S. states before my 18th birthday. In 2005, the year I turned 20, I took my first trip to Europe; by 30 I had been to nearly 100 countries and was one of the most prolific traveler bloggers on the planet.

Business and leisure trips notwithstanding, I’ve also completed several stints as an expatriate, primarily in Asia. Most recently, I followed up two years in Bangkok, Thailand with 18 months in Taiwan’s capital Taipei, before living in Kyoto, Japan for most of 2021. As of 2022, I base myself in a charming historical district of St. Louis, MO, my hometown.

I launched the blog Leave Your Daily Hell in late 2009, first to chronicle my short-lived career as an English teacher in Shanghai, then to document my increasingly expansive travels. By the mid-2010s, it had become one of the most trusted independent travel publications on the web.

Since then, I’ve created several country-specific niche sites, starting in 2018 with Japan Starts Here, whose popularity grew exponentially in the lead up to the Tokyo Olympics. Taiwan Starts Here and Thailand Starts Here are poised to take off as soon as the respective nations they document re-open borders in the wake of Covid-19.

Informing, inspiring, entertaining and empowering more than 10 million travelers around the world since 2009

From Tokyo, to Kyoto, to Hiroshima, and all the wonders in-between, all your trips to Japan start here

Taiwan is everything China should be—Taiwan Starts Here is everything you need to discover Asia’s pearl

Thailand’s seemingly endless contrasts, contradictions and colors will never cease to amaze and delight you

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Japan Starts Here

My name is Robert Schrader. For the first few years I ran my award-winning travel blog Leave Your Daily Hell , I refused to commit to a favorite country, though certain places always seemed to make the long list I would give instead. At some point in the not-so-distant past, however, it finally became clear: Japan is my favorite country in the world, no question. Well, there was one question, which was when I’m get around to starting a Japan travel blog.

By this point, I’d visited the Land of the Rising Sun nearly a dozen times, had set foot on all its main islands and had enjoyed all four of its very different seasons. I’d already planned a dozen more trips inside my head (and had envisioned many others beyond that), but I quickly came to realize that Japan deserved more from me—and that I had a lot more to say about Japan. Whether you’re a newbie Japan traveler or a near-expert, I think you’ll want to listen.

I’m excited that you’ve chosen to join me on the Japan Starts Here journey, which has now been ongoing for nearly a decade. Without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to the sort of content you can expect to find on Japan Starts Here, which will be my blueprint for the foreseeable future as I continue up-leveling it into the best Japan travel website the internet has ever seen.

Whether you simply need help choosing where to go, or want to peruse my Japan trip ideas and Japan travel advice for deeper insights, these are the best Japan travel guides you’ll find.

My best Japan travel blogs provide an up-close and personal look into the day-to-day of every trip I take to Japan. Here is also where you’ll find some of my best advice, include tips for business travelers to Japan.

My Japan itinerary blog posts are informative, but when you book a Japan travel planning session , you get an itinerary that recommends accommodation, transport, meals and activities—and a lot more.

Who is Robert Schrader?

I grew up in a middle-class family in the American Midwest, so while sushi, Shinkansens and most everything else related to Japan fascinated me, I never dreamed I’d be able to go there, let alone more times than I can count. The love affair I’ve cultivated with Japan is the thing I cherish most about the decade-plus I’ve now devoted to my career as a travel writer and photographer.

Apart from Japan Starts Here, which I update weekly with content from all my trips to Japan, I contribute to a number of other publications. These include TripSavvy (formerly About.com Travel) , The Huffington Post, blogs for Skyscanner, Expedia and Orbitz and the inflight magazines of Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, to name just a few. I spent most of 2021 living in Kyoto, though I moved back to the US in the latter part of that year due to a family health emergency. I now return to Japan between 5-10 times per year.

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Are you interested in promoting a Japan hotel, tour company, event or destination to a growing community of energetic, intelligent travelers? Visit Japan Starts Here’s partners page to learn more about working with us.

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Thailand Starts Here

My name is Robert Schrader. When I first started my award-winning travel blog Leave Your Daily Hell , I did my best to maintain an air of impartiality about the growing list of countries I’d traveled to. But I developed special affection for Thailand the moment I sped into the neon-lit heart of Bangkok on a rickety motorcycle taxi, way back in 2010—and it’s never let up.

10 years on, I’ve visited the Land of Smiles more than two dozen times, have lived in Bangkok (on more than one occasion!) and have traveled so many places that even Thai people are in awe when I tell them. Thailand deserves more from me than a landing page on my main travel blog—and certainly, I have a lot more to say about Thailand. Whether you’re a newbie Thailand traveler or a near-expert, I think you’ll find this new site useful.

I’m excited that you’ve chosen to join me on the first leg of the Thailand Starts Here journey, no matter how you found your way here. Without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to the sort of content you can expect to find on Thailand Starts Here, which will be my blueprint for the foreseeable future as I transform it into the best Thailand travel website you’ve ever seen.

Whether you simply need help choosing where to go, or want to peruse my Thailand trip ideas and Thailand travel advice for deeper insights, these are the best Thailand travel guides you’ll find.

My best Thailand travel blogs provide an up-close and personal look into the day-to-day of every trip I take to Thailand. Here is also where you’ll find some of my best advice, include tips for business and MICE travelers to Thailand.

My Thailand blog posts are informative, but when you book a Thailand travel planning session , you get a comprehensive itinerary that recommends accommodation, transport, meals and activities for the duration of your trip—and a lot more.

Who is Robert Schrader?

I grew up in a middle-class family in the American Midwest, so while Pad Thai , temples and most everything else related to Thailand fascinated me, I never dreamed I’d be able to go there, let alone more times than I can count. My many crazy journeys to Thailand are among the things I cherish most about the decade-plus I’ve now devoted to my career as a travel writer and photographer.

Apart from Thailand Starts Here, which I update weekly with content from all my trips to Thailand, I contribute to a number of other publications. These include TripSavvy (formerly About.com Travel) , blogs for Expedia and Skyscanner and the inflight magazines of Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, to name just a few. When I’m not in Thailand, or traveling further afield to mine content for Leave Your Daily Hell (and my Japan site Japan Starts Here ), you can find me in St. Louis—at least until I have the patience to live in Bangkok again!

Let’s Work Together

Are you interested in promoting a Thailand hotel, tour company, event or destination to a growing community of energetic, intelligent travelers? Send me an email to learn more about working with us.

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Taiwan Starts Here

I’m Robert Schrader. When I first visited Taiwan back in the mid-2010s, it was a revelation. Although I’d previously traveled extensively in mainland China—I lived in Shanghai for a year—Taiwan embodied everything I once imagined China would be. Everything I hoped China would be.

“Taiwan,” I concluded proudly, in a post on my main travel blog Leave Your Daily Hell , “is the real China.” Needless to say, some people (mostly mainland Chinese ones) did not appreciate this declaration.

I’d be lying if I said my decision to move to Taipei in 2019 (and my having gotten stranded here, as thankful a stranding as it is, during the coronavirus crisis) wasn’t my main motivation to launch Taiwan Starts Here. However, the initial magic I felt during my first days on this incredible island years ago still courses through my veins every time I take to the streets (or tea fields, or bamboo forests—you get the idea).

It’s my hope, therefore, not only to imbue you with the the knowledge I’ve acquired of years of exploring—and now, a year of living in—Taiwan. I want to inspire you to discover Taiwan, so that it might move you in the same way it continues to move me.

Taiwan might be a small country, but as you’ll see browsing these Taiwan destination guides, as well as my Taiwan trip ideas and Taiwan travel advice , it packs a big—and potent—travel punch. It’s hard to believe some of these places exist!

Want to get an idea of what the real, on-the-ground experience of traveling in Taiwan looks—and feels—like? My first-person travel blogs take you inside my head (and sometimes my heart) as I explore the nooks and crannies of Taiwan.

You can easily plan your own trip to Taiwan here, but when you book a Taiwan travel planning session , you get a comprehensive, personalized itinerary that recommends accommodation, transport, meals and activities for the duration of your trip.

Who is Robert Schrader?

I grew up in a middle-class family in the American Midwest, and while a very good childhood friend of mine is the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, I never dreamed I’d be able to visit Taipei myself, let alone reside here. My decision to move to Taiwan (and to dive deep into the country, creating Taiwan Starts Here in the process) is one of the best I’ve made during my career as a travel writer and photographer.

Apart from Taiwan Starts Here, which I update weekly with content from all my trips to Taiwan, I contribute to a number of other publications. These include TripSavvy (formerly About.com Travel) , blogs for Expedia and Skyscanner and the inflight magazines of Korean Air and Garuda Indonesia, to name just a few. When I’m not in Taiwan, or traveling further afield to mine content for Leave Your Daily Hell (and my Japan site Japan Starts Here or my Thailand site Thailand Starts Here ), you can find me in Kyoto, Japan, where I’ve resided since January 2021.

Let’s Work Together

Are you interested in promoting a Taiwan hotel, tour company, event or destination to a growing community of energetic, intelligent travelers? Visit Taiwan Starts Here’s partners page to learn more about working with us.

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Ep. 267: How This Travel Blogger Was Able To Leave The Daily Hell with Robert Schrader

Sharing is caring!

In this week’s episode, I speak with Robert who is one of the web’s original travel bloggers.

Robert has spent more than a decade visiting nearly 100 countries on all six inhabited continents.

And has lived in Thailand, Taiwan, and Japan, and is now back in the US plotting ways to ride the post-pandemic travel tsunami.

Listen on to find out how Robert has been able to leave the daily hell and live a freedom lifestyle

Listen below:

Related episodes:.

Ep. 266: How This Long Term Traveler Seeks Out Epic Adventures with Sherry Ott Ep. 265: How This Writer Turned Her Love for Travel Into a Career with Jordi Lippe-McGraw Ep. 264: How This Nomad Turned A Backpacking Trip Into Lifelong Freedom with Paula Carvalho

Transcription:

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for being here.

I am so excited for my guest today. I’m here with Robert.

Hi Robert. How are you?

How are you? I’m great.

I am so excited to have you here because first of all, I could already feel your energy before we even started our interview. And I’m like, “oh my God, he’s going to be so amazing to talk to”. So, can you tell us more about you and why you live an offbeat life?

Yeah, so my name is Robert Schrader. I am 37 years old, I feel much older sometimes and I was actually one of the web’s first travel bloggers.

So, I started my website, well, my main website; I have several now, but I started my main website, ‘Leave Your Daily Hell’ in 2009, before travel blogging was really a thing. And to be honest, I started it before I really knew that I was going to be able to make a living on this, and it was more for my own entertainment and to tell others about my life in Shanghai, where I was living at the time, than it was to make money, but I learned very quickly that people were starting to monetize travel blogs and I got in on it very easily.

And so since then I have not ever been full-time employed. I’ve been self-employed ever since then, making money based on my own writing, photography services and brand and I live an offbeat life because I’ve lived life on my own terms, since then, you know.

I haven’t always lived nomadic, I haven’t always chosen to live overseas, but I like the fact that I have the freedom to do so if I want and then other times I have the freedom to go live near my family or live wherever else I want.

So, I think to me an offbeat life is escaping the 9 to 5 and you know the title of my website says, ‘leave your daily hell’, leaving your daily hell behind and I think that I have more than done that many times over.

Which is really interesting. And I, I was looking at your website and I was even thinking to myself, “Oh, my gosh, his domain name is so awesome!”. That is – I love your domain name, by the way, Robert.

So we can all relate to that. But how did you get to that point where you thought about, finally, like, “I need to transition out of this. I need to leave my daily hell.”.

Was there a specific moment in your life, or was it like a combination of specific events that led you there?

Well, it was definitely a combination of specific events. And I think the ironic thing is, I actually kind of failed my way to success.

So to go back in time a little bit for that, I graduated college in 2006. And I sort of, although I had been a top student throughout school, I emerged into the real world, without a real idea of what I wanted to do.

So after college, I bounced around from a couple crappy jobs to another couple crappy jobs. I kind of think about it like the image of Homer Simpson falling down the stairs. That’s how I felt professionally. And I ended up, believe it or not, after about two years, going back to waiting tables, which is what I had done during college.

And then at the beginning of 2009, when the recession, the Great Recession was really kicking in, in the United States. I actually lost my job waiting tables, and then spent that entire summer on unemployment and feeling really like a loser, because again, I had gone from being this top student, thought I was going to be a doctor. Graduated college, couldn’t find my way, and as I was browsing jobs in Austin, Texas, where I was living at the time, I saw ads for teaching English in China.

Now, I have never personally thought to do this because as much as I respect teachers, I didn’t think I really had what it took and I didn’t really have any interest in it. But lo and behold that ended up being an opportunity for me, because what I realized is that if I was going to go overseas and do that, I would be making much more than my local cost of living and then I could save that money and travel within Asia.

Now, what happened when I got there is, as suspected, I wasn’t really very suited for teaching. I mean, I did my best and my students liked me, but it just wasn’t really my jam. But the crazy thing is that when I was over there, and that you have to understand China was a very different place at this time, you didn’t have Shenzhen things and all his incursions into the South China Sea and being really combative against the west. At this time, it was right after the Beijing Olympics and China, I think really wanted to play nice with the rest of the world. So you have a lot of English language applications in Shanghai, not a lot of English speakers and they were all looking for people to write for them. So that’s actually, even though I’d majored in writing in college, that was actually my first paid experience, writing articles online.

And so I got into online content writing then. So, then when I decided the next summer in 2010, that I was going to quit my job teaching English, right before that, literally days before that, I happened into a more regular online content writing gig that allowed me for the first time in my life to become location-independent. So instead of leaving China and going back to the states, I actually ended up traveling the other way around the world for several months and working remotely back in 2010, which you have to understand back in 2010, this was a really a novel thing, everybody does it these days, but very few people were able to do it back then.

And then what happened over the years, is that as my own website, which again I had started more for fun, as that started to get more and more Google traffic, and more people aware and interested of it, I learned how to monetize my website to display ads, to sponsored posts, press trips. And then a couple years later by offering a service that I called travel coaching, where I actually use my travel expertise to plan custom itineraries for other travelers.

Well, that is definitely a journey that took you from a totally different life course than you thought it would, right? It’s like, it’s pretty interesting when we go to school, we expect the real world to be completely different, then you actually go into it and you’re not prepared most of the time.

And that’s exactly, you know, what happens to most of us, because we’re taught these ideas and, you know, the idea of what the real world is going to be like and then once you go into it, it’s completely different and then you’re shookt because you’re it’s a lot scarier than we think it is.

But it’s also very incredible because it can lead you, a lot of these things when you talked about this Robert, failing into success because you did, you failed your way into it and that’s what got you here. And I think that’s one of the things that people are afraid of, but it’s the one thing that you need to do in order to succeed. You have to keep failing over and over and over again.

You do, and I think ironically two things on that; Number one, I think it’s sort of a full-circle moment because, you know, in the states, we grew up with this idea or at least we did in the 80s and 90s, that if you get good grades in school, you’ll go to college, it’ll be paid for, that was a lie. You’ll get a scholarship, then you graduate college and you do well, and you can do anything you want, that was a lie.

But then you get to the real world and you think, “okay, actually, I had all this promise when I was growing up and now I’m destined for a life of mediocrity”, but then you fail at the mediocrity and you get back to the greatness that you thought you were initially going to achieving.

The thing that I think back on is, in that summer of 2009, when I was debating whether or not I should teach English in China and when I was feeling like a failure and not knowing what I was going to do, what I tried to remind myself, as I struggled with my decision. Is that, look, the best case scenario, which, by the way, what I actually ended up achieving, was so much better than my best case scenario. I thought I was just going to go over there and save a few thousand dollars and then come back and do whatever.

The thing I try to remind myself is, particularly when you’re young, but not only when you’re young, cause that’s a relative term but you can always take the easy path, right? I could have always gone to another restaurant and been a server. I could always go work in an office and be anonymous. Like, you can always do the easy thing, but like, if you don’t risk the hard thing, then you have no chance of reaping those great rewards. And I think people don’t understand that if you fail at something you don’t die. I mean you don’t usually, unless you’re jumping off a cliff, and you fail and you fall the wrong way, you don’t die.

But the thing is, like, if you don’t risk that failure, if you don’t make yourself vulnerable in that way, then you have no chance of achieving greatness and you know, for some people, that’s fine, like, many of my friends and family members, all they ever wanted to do was own a house down the street from their parents, have the same number kids their parents had. And that’s fine. I don’t judge people like that. But my advice to anybody who has ever dreamed of greatness is just do it, just do it, because the worst that can happen is, you’re going to be exactly where you are right now.

I absolutely love that. And I also see this from, you know, you and I are around the same age Robert and I see this all the time from people who are, even right now, they’re in their thirties, they’re like shells of themselves because they keep thinking about, “oh, what if I had done this?”, and then I’m like, you’re still really young. You could still do this and then they have this mentality that, it’s too late, but it’s too late, like, no, you’re not 89 years old and you’re on your deathbed. There’s always a time for you to turn around and do something with your life.

And I think when you don’t do what you feel like, is your purpose, that’s when all of these things start to really stock up on you and you have all of these regrets because like you had mentioned, there’s nothing wrong with wanting something that is quote-unquote, you know, the typical, right? Like the typical American dream, if that’s what you want, then that’s what you should have. But I think it’s when you have to get outside of that, that’s really outside of the norm that most people just kind of reel themselves back in because they’re so afraid to do and then all of a sudden, you see people in their forties and fifties all miserable and even younger than that because they feel like they wasted their life and they’re looking at somebody like you, Robert, who did take a risk and they have all of these thoughts in their heads.

So it does take also, I do have to say, what you did takes courage, in a lot of ways, especially when you were just starting out and nobody else was really doing this, and you had to figure most of these things out yourself, so.

Yes, I did, there was a lot and as I said, I made it seem like I only failed once, but I failed many times, and it’s just again, I just failed in the right way, I guess. I don’t know.

But you know what? I do have to say when you fail and you fail, a lot of times. It doesn’t bother you as much anymore. You know? I mean, obviously, it does, it still hurts, but you do, you get used to it and then it turns into a lesson, right? It’s not, it’s no longer, it’s like, it doesn’t bother you as much as obviously, it still hurts, it leaves a little dent in you, but you’re just like, “okay, it’s another one, what’s another one?”. It doesn’t kill me, right?

Well, when I think back on my life and all the times I failed, I realize, you know, it’s like that Katy Perry court. I hate to be cheesy but, maybe the reason why all the doors are closed is so that one can open and lead you to the perfect roads.

That’s really true, I mean, that’s not always true in every case, but I always think about, “well, maybe the reason I failed at this is because I need to be taking off in this other direction.”.

The thing is also, I mean, I think, one of the things you highlighted is that, we’re, even if you’re in your thirties, your forties, your fifties, even if you have kids, even if you have all these obligations, you are not on your deathbed, the only end is when you die.

So I’m going to tell a little too personal story. So during covid, obviously as you can imagine, the travel industry suffered immensely. A lot of people who are doing the same thing that I’m doing weren’t able to continue doing it. The only reason I was just because I had, I thought there would be a recession coming in 2020, so I saved a bunch of money and it ended up saving my career.

But anyway, I was really depressed because my entire life had been based upon the freedom of movement, being able to go wherever I want, whenever I want to really create my life and I couldn’t do that for almost a year. So, I was really down in the dumps. I was feeling sorry for myself. But then last summer or I guess last spring, around this time last year, my Mom got diagnosed with breast cancer.

And the good news, of course, spoiler alert, she’s fine now and she has two more treatments and after that she will find out if she’s in remission. We have our fingers crossed that she will be.

But I was sort of feeling sorry for myself with her at lunch, one day, and, like the November or December last year, and looking back, it’s so stupid, of course, cause here’s a woman with breast cancer, who has lost all of her hair because of chemo and I, a healthy 37 year old who, you know, covid notwithstanding, nothing is wrong in my life. I’m sitting here complaining, looks ridiculous looking back, but, she reminded me, she said, “Robert, you know, I’m 60 years old, almost 61 years old. I thought my own life was over before I got cancer” and she said, “ironically now that I’m in the process of beating cancer, I feel like I have another chance to write another chapter, and so I think that, that whether it’s in your career, whether you face health struggles, this self-defeating attitude, that so many of us have because of XYZ reason, we can’t do more. If my mom, my 61 year old mom with cancer, can say that she’s going to write another chapter, anyone else can, until you take your last breath. It’s never too late.

And you know what, I’m sorry that happened to your mom and it’s kind of crazy as human beings that we don’t wake up until something like that sometimes happens, right? Or somebody that we love is going through that because it allows you to really take stock of your own life.

Like if I die tomorrow, am I going to be happy with how I’m living today? If you can say yes to that, then you keep going and you keep moving forward. And, you know, obviously, you want to reach other things in your life. But if you can say no to that, then there’s changes there that has to be made, because I’ve seen people die in their nineties and hundreds. And I’ve seen people die in their twenties and even teens so, we are not guaranteed the next day. You can get hit by a bus tomorrow or you can live until your 110.

You just don’t know, but I don’t know, for me. I think about it this way, like we don’t know what’s going to happen after we die. We don’t know if there’s reincarnation or we’re just going to be dirt and I’m like we have to live the best life that we can, that we’re given cause I’m like, it’s so freaking precious and if you’re unhappy everyday living this, change it. You can always do something.

Obviously, there’s certain situations and circumstances that you can just up and leave and do whatever, but you can do something every single day and just, I don’t know for me, just being thankful with what you have right now and that keeps you going for another day and making changes and it’s sometimes it’s just the simplest things that you change.

Even just the way you think about things that can really get you to a different level in your life and you don’t need to be like making an x amount of money or having this amount of whatever. And really, honestly, is, as I grow older, I don’t know if this is something that you’ve felt too, Robert, it’s like sometimes it’s like the simplest things in life, in the people that we have that really matter to you.

When you are given situations where, you know, either it’s you, that you’ve experienced like a life-and-death situation or somebody that you absolutely love that you’re like, what the hell am I doing? Why am I so stressed about this? When you know, like everything else, it’s really great or whatever it is that you think about in your life.

Well, and I totally agree with that because I actually think another reason that I, I try to maintain a bit of a can-do attitude, is not only for myself, but for people who, for whatever reason can’t, you know, there are people who because of their life circumstances, can’t even take the chances I do.

So right before, going even further back in time, right before I lost my job, serving, waiting tables and then moved to China. I’ve taken a trip to India. And this was a really important trip for me, cause it was my first trip to a developing country, I’ve been to Europe and stuff, but, you know, it’s basically older America.

And going to India was really eye-opening for a lot of reasons, but one of the reasons is that I feel like as a person from a rich country, particularly a white person, when you go to a place like this, like India, the first instinct, I think some people have is this weird guilt and shame which maybe some of that is justified, maybe it’s not, it’s not productive. And what, someone reminded me, I met a group of Indian guys at this beach and, you know, they were relatively well-off, they were starting tech companies. They had call centers and whatever, but I was sort of, I was just being really guilty and weird and unproductive and saying, “I’m a privileged American here in India, blah, blah, blah.”, just really kind of crying over my own circumstances, and they said, “you know what, Robert, you should not feel guilty about the fact that you have an American passport, and you have this, and you have that. If you gave that to any single poor Indian person, they would get on the plane and they would never look back. They would do everything they can with the privilege that you were handed in life, stop feeling sorry for yourself and live your life. Do your thing and don’t apologize for it.”.

And I think it’s interesting because of course in the years since then, you know, obviously society has had a lot of discussions about privilege, white privilege, male privilege, straight privilege, whatever. And I’m not going to comment on those individually because I think that discussion is really important and people have a right to talk through however they feel about things and then eventually we reach a consensus as a society.

But I think one thing that we don’t talk about enough, is that it is your one life, you have to do what you can and most people if, whether or not it’s right that they have a big advantage in life, human nature is to take advantage of whatever you have and do the most you can with it. And I think that whether it’s apparent having cancer, or whether it’s being faced with poverty and realizing how lucky you are in life. Your job as a human being is to make the most of your circumstances. Go as far as you can cause a lot of people can’t.

Yeah, I a hundred and thousand percent agree with that. And I say this all the time, you know, I come from the Philippines. I came here when I was 9 years old and my family lived in complete poverty, you know, you see those people sometimes in late-night evenings, where they’re, like, “help these children.”. Like, that’s literally the shacks that my family might’ve lived in. And now, we have engineers, doctors, nurses, like, in my family, and they came from nothing.

And one of the things that I learned from them is to never feel sorry for yourself because you can always do something about it. And I see a lot of that, where it’s like, “oh, it’s my circumstance.’. And I’m like, “yeah, but I literally came from a family who had nothing.”. There was like, there was no, like, government assistance in the Philippines. Like, there is no, don’t like there is none of that. Like they literally lived in, like wooden shacks. There was no running water or, you know, like the bathroom or holes in on the ground, so I’m like, and every time I talk to people about this, Robert, I’m like if I don’t do something with my life, it’s like wasting the hard work that my family had gone through to literally come from nothing. So I’m like, unless you’re using your privilege, to do bad or to do all these things, like if you’re enjoying your life, there is nothing wrong with that. I’m like, “you live your life. This is your one life.”. I’m like, you shouldn’t feel bad because you’re doing something that other people can’t do. If you can help them, that would be great. But like, there is no shame in living your life, the best way possible. And I hate that sometimes when people talk about that cause I’m like, yeah, but you’re judging them for, like, living their life.

Now, if they’re doing it, you know, like in a pretty bad way, they’re taking advantage, then that’s one thing, but just to see somebody living their life and doing these things. Like there’s a difference to that, you know?

No, because I think that there’s a tendency for people to oversimplify things and see them as a zero-sum game, and to see it, “oh if I’m living my best life, that means someone else can’t live theirs”, but actually that’s living a good life for yourself and securing, a good life for yourself and your family, is not at all the same as deliberately oppressing another person.

And in fact, living in this sort of belief system, that in order for you to have something, you have to be taking it away from something else, I mean, it’s sort of flies in the face of the entirety of human history, which is that humans have been able to create abundance, where there was nothing, you know, you have in Israel and Saudi Arabia, people growing food in the middle of the desert with crazy irrigation systems and sea water filtration.

You don’t have to push someone down in order to lift yourself up. And in fact, what I think to do with my blog, you know, beyond the fact that it’s like a very useful travel resource, I think, my overall message is to inspire others to follow in my footsteps to whatever extent they can, you know, not everybody can drop everything and move to China and start a travel blog, but most people are capable of achieving greater things than they’re currently achieving and most people are held back at least as much by mental blocks as they are by circumstances.

Yeah, absolutely.

And so my goal is to inspire people to get over the barriers they put in their own ways, you know, you can’t help the hand that the world dealt you, that society dealt you, your skin color, your passport, but you can make decisions every day and I think that empowerment is the key.

Well, it’s also interesting to me is that a lot of this discussion happens, where there are a lot of privilege too, when I go to the Philippines, or in other countries that are, developing countries, I don’t really hear a lot of this because there’s so much more that’s happening that you have to, to think about. And I do love that there is a discussion to it. And obviously now, especially in the United States and other Western cultures, you know, we do have that privilege that we can talk about this, because we don’t have to think about running water –, you know?

or working seven days a week.

Yeah, like where your next meal is coming from and I do love that. But yeah, I mean and honestly for me I’m like, it’s not really your job to go out there and change somebody’s life. You cannot do that unless they want to do it themselves, at the end of the day if they don’t want to take that step or if they’re not ready, you just can’t do that.

I mean, and it may sound selfish but in a lot of ways as humans, it’s to each their own, right? You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of the person next to you. I mean, that’s what they do in the airplanes, right? You have to put your oxygen mask first,

Before you can do it for the next person. Otherwise, you know, you’re done too, so, it’s very interesting. I love that.

So, Robert, with you, that you’ve been doing this and you’ve been doing this for quite some time. You’ve been a travel blogger. You’ve seen all of these different places. What is your next step? Like, what would you like to do? What’s another thing that you would like to accomplish for yourself?

You know, it’s really interesting because, of course, if you would have asked me this 2 years ago, I would have had a lot of different answers. But as I talked about earlier, the travel industry is really still digging itself out from covid that, you know, a lot of borders have only recently just opened, some borders are still close, you know, Japan and China, Taiwan Hong Kong are also closed to foreigners, you know, your ancestral country, the Philippines, just opened a few weeks ago.

And so, my immediate goal, I would say probably the next year or two is really getting my business back to where it was before covid. And then beyond that, I don’t really know. You know, I always said that I would like to write a book of some kind. I’ve actually written a few manuscripts that I haven’t sought publication for, because you know, the problem when you write hundreds of pages, is that, then going back and molding that clay into something that people actually want to use.

It’s actually the going back and editing and fixing. It’s actually more difficult and time-consuming than writing and I just haven’t had the chance to get it. So, I guess I’d like to write some kind of book. I don’t know whether I would write more of a nonfiction thing, a novel and something like that.

I started youtubing briefly during covid because, you know, I have a second website devoted to Japan, it’s called ‘Japan Starts Here’ and before covid, Japan was actually my biggest, the biggest part of my business, people went crazy over Japan, but Japan is still closed, and so I made a series of videos explaining the government’s crazy racist order policy and when I thought it might end, of course, I kind of gave up at that because they’re not following any logical science, the just don’t want foreigners in their country. And I, so I thought about maybe getting more into video making. You know, I’m a writer in my core and so, my business has always been about using my writing to market myself to draw people to my website, so and so forth, and then secondarily my photography, but I don’t know, I’d like to maybe get into vlogging and then I think beyond that, you know, ironically, even though I started this journey by sort of being nomadic; I am 37 years old and I do think that by the time I’m 40, I’d like to buy a property somewhere.

I’d like to have a, like a home because I sort of happily have been bouncing around the world and around the country for the past 13 years, but I think I’m looking forward to my future. I kind of don’t want to keep paying rent, just wasting it. I’d like to have a place. Like a very modest place, because one of the things that I will say, overtime and moving around a lot, I’ve realized, I don’t actually need a lot of possessions and I don’t want a lot of possessions, but it would be nice just to have a little cute house and do it up the way I want to. And I think more than anything to have a sanctuary where I can come back between my travels and sort of reflect and recharge.

Yeah, it’s interesting because when you do travel quite often, like somebody, like you, Robert, it’s great to see all these fancy things and you can stay in these places then you’re like, yeah, but if I try to consume all of this and try to achieve all of this, it becomes like a prison, right? Because then you constantly have to work to get to that point and then you know, you’re not enjoying life anymore.

So, and then you realize what really matters in life when you see people who have way less than us and they’re perfectly happy with what they have because there’s other things, you know, and they may not be happy with everything but they see and they have gratitude with simpler things in life and in a lot of ways, so.

Which I love. I think we should all like, have that mentality.

Attitude with gratitude, right?

Yeah. Absolutely!

So, let’s maybe move forward to around 30 to 40 years from now and you’re looking back at your life, what legacy would you like to leave and what do you want to be remembered for?

Oh, God, well, first of all, I hope I’m still alive in 30 or 40 years.

You will be, you will be. Like, traveling still.

I don’t know. I mean, I think that the most important legacy I would like to have is actually not with the general public, but more with the people that I really care about. I think that I need to go back into my past a little bit, I was kind of a difficult child growing up. I was gifted in school, but I also, as you can see, I have the gift of gab and I talked back a lot. I created a lot of problems because I was just sort of a really big fish in a really small tank. And I think that for a long time, my, my family, and a lot of my close friends, they loved me, but they didn’t really get me.

So, I think by the end of my life, I would like the people I really care about and love to really understand me. Who I am, what I meant to do, the journey that I was on and really see, “wow, we didn’t get this guy in the beginning, but he showed us who he is.”. And so, I think the most important legacy for me, would be on the people that I really care about and that they really finally understand me. And then I think, then on my side, that I have sort of progressed to a place of understanding of myself, less anger, less judgment, and, you know, understanding and accepting the world because I think being a high achiever, one of the things you always try to do is change and improve things and, and acceptance really isn’t an hour handbook, but I hope that by the end of my life, I’ve learned to accept things. And then in terms of my career and my legacy, I don’t know. I mean, I don’t even know if travel blogs will still be around then. But, you know, so far in my career, I’ve received so many, hundreds, maybe thousands of emails from people telling them that I inspired them to take a trip or to go somewhere or to work overseas or to live overseas. I plan hundreds of trips for people through my travel coaching service and created memories that I hope will last a lifetime.

And so, I guess I want my legacy more than anything more than fame or fortune, or notoriety, to be the impact that I had an individuals, people’s lives, you know, the idea that I have inspired people in that I’ve empowered people and that less than my progression through my career being about, look at me, look how fabulous I am that someone saw me and they thought they could do better, and they did do better. Because really, someone’s life is judged not just by looking at it, that person’s life, but on the way they impacted other people’s lives and how that rippled out, and I would like my ripple effect to be as far as possible.

I love that. And I love how your thoughts are with that because it’s, especially when it’s the people that are closest to you, right? Because when you’re gone, you’re gone. The people who don’t know you, may never know you. You know, but your legacy is the people that you leave behind and how they feel about you and how they remember you and how they talk about you to future generations who are and you know, and in that circle and that is pretty, yeah, it’s so important to have that, cause who was it? Like a, there’s a quote, it’s like, you know, the most important thing is how you make people feel when you know, where,

Oh, yeah yeah yeah, Maya Angelou,

Maya Angelou, yeah, so,

People will forget what you said, and what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Yup and it’s so important. And well, that’s what you’re doing now. And I think as, as we go, it’s so crazy to me cause I’m like, you know, people told me this when I was like a teenager and you’re like, “yeah, whatever.”, and then as you get older, you tend to understand more and more like how life is in your, you know, when you think about it and you really start to understand how important relationships are. With, like the people that you have around you and how much less important it is to impress people you don’t even know, you know, especially with social media culture right now. If it’s not, you know, on social media, it didn’t happen and it’s so crazy.

And you know, really, satisfaction in life, I think, is about, can I wake up feeling good about myself? And can I go to bed feeling good about myself? That’s really what it is. It’s so simple. It’s so simple and I think that if you can’t find happiness and satisfaction within yourself and within your very inner circle then what is it for? You know? There’s always going to be someone richer than you, someone hotter than you, someone taller than you, someone with a bigger house than you. There’s no point in even going to that. But yeah, satisfaction has to come from within. It has to.

Yeah, and unfortunately, we don’t learn this stuff until we’re, like older and we go through all the hurt.

No, right? No, but I think if we knew it, if we knew it from the moment we were born, I don’t know what the purpose of the journey of life would be, you know?

That’s true, I love that.

We have to take this journey, each of us. And that’s the other thing though, I do wish that in the education system, we relate to say the old cliche, the Tolkien quote, we really talked more about the journey than the destination because I think, again, going back to where we started this conversation with the myth of college and, you know, you do well in school, you go to college for free, you get your degree and you’ll be successful.

We need to speak less about what the result is. Because of course, the result for every living thing is that if you really want to be morbid about it and more about the journey and the value of the journey in the transformation, because that’s really what it is. It’s not, it’s not about going through life and being the same person and just having these external and extraneous circumstances affect you. It’s about going through life and allowing yourself to be transformed and indeed to seek transformation.

Yeah, it’s so true. And I, I heard this from somebody at one of my friends and I think it was actually my husband, he said, you know, if our life was perfect and just great all the time, like, you know, it wouldn’t be a life worth living because you wouldn’t have anything exciting, you know, like everything was just great. Everything was just fine. And also like, if you were to write a book about your life, like these things that happened to you good and bad is what makes every chapter different and what makes them exciting because then it will just be like, you know, this is Robert, he led a really great life, he did this, the end.

Yeah, no, there has to be more drama.

Yeah, it is. It’s all about the drama. I love that.

Well, thank you so much Robert, for being here with us, I so enjoyed this conversation with you.

Thank you for talking to us, telling us about your journey, if our listeners want to get to know you better, where can they find you?

So, they can go to my main website, which is leaveyourdailyhell.com. As I said, I have secondary websites, japanstartshere.com, thailandstartshere.com.

You know, on my website, you can search for different destinations and be informed, inspired about travel. You can just look at the pretty pictures and enjoy them. You can hire me as your travel coach, and I’ll plan a custom itinerary for you to dozens of countries around the world.

I am on social media, although I’ve never been as much of a social media person, as I am on my own platform person. So I am on Instagram, @leaveyourdailyhell and @japanstartshere, and then I’m on Twitter, @japanstartshere, but I think that my websites are really where you should go, because we all spend too much time on social media anyway.

I love that. Thank you, Robert! We really appreciate you.

Alright, thank you very much!

Listen to Robert’s extended interview where he talks about how to plan an epic world adventure and finding love while on the road.

What you’ll find:.

In this extended interview, Robert talks about what to do to plan an epic world adventure and what’s it like finding love on the road.

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Audio engineer: ben smith.

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Leave your daily hell with Robert Schrader

Robert schrader is the creator and owner of leaveyourdailyhell.com. it's one of the world's most successful travel blogs and aims to entertain and inform travellers from around the world. robert talked to us about some of his experiences on the road and explained more about the website., in 2009 robert schrader turned his back on conventional life and set out on an adventure. starting out teaching in china he has since travelled around the world and created one of the internet’s most visited travel blogs., his website, www.leaveyourdailyhell.com , aims to inspire and entertain travellers while giving advice and sharing his passion for photography, for which he is fast becoming world renowned. , what was the inspiration behind leave your daily hell and how did it all come to fruition.

The answer is in the name: My life was a sort of hell – and leaving it all behind was the only way to overcome it. I didn’t coin this phrase (I stole it from a Tori Amos song), but it perfectly describes where I was in late 2009, when I first bought the domain name.

I was the classic victim of the Great Recession, having graduated only a couple years before it happened, which left me totally vulnerable to the resulting economic meltdown. I had talents and passions, of course, but because my résumé was so unimpressive, I was essentially unemployable on paper, especially with the low number of jobs in 2008-9.

The official way I left my daily hell was moving to China to teach English, but I always had the greater goal of becoming a travel blogger.

I didn’t dare tell anyone about this, of course – they thought I was crazy enough for moving halfway around the globe in the first place! – but I pursued it relentlessly.

During the eight months I lived in Shanghai, I moonlighted as a freelance journalist with various publications (the Shanghaiist blog and eventually, if you can believe it, CNN Travel), until I had saved enough money (and built up enough confidence) to ‘leave’ once again. My exit strategy was extremely flimsy on paper – a one-way ticket to Vietnam – but I knew fate would reward me for taking another big risk.

Sure enough, a few days before my departure to Saigon, I got approved for an online copywriting gig with a digital media conglomerate. The per-article pay ($15-18) was shit, but there were so many articles that needed to be written I could easily earn hundreds of dollars per day, if I was willing to work. So I did: I wrote ten articles a day and used the money almost entirely to fund my travel.

At the same time, I was building Leave Your Daily Hell from the ranty, way-too-personal publication it had been during and just after my time in China, into an actual travel blog. A few months after I left Shanghai, I won a spot on a blogging trip to Thailand, which exposed me to talented people who showed me what it took to be a successful blogger. This was November 2010.

It would take another 18 months or so before I could parlay my increasingly popular blog into an income source, but today I’m proud to say that I earn my keep completely from my travel writing: advertising on my blog itself www.leaveyourdailyhell.com ; freelance gigs with high-profile clients like MasterCard and Hipmunk; and travel coaching, which I’ll get into more later on in this interview.

The website has been the backbone of your travels in more ways than one. Did you always have a passion for writing and what do you think has made the blog become so popular?

I did always have a passion for writing, but it wasn’t until I buoyed my writing with other essential skills that people really began to take notice of Leave Your Daily Hell as a whole.

For example, while I’d always been interested in travel photography , it wasn’t until I invested in good camera equipment that I could publish ‘next-level’ photos that command people’s attention. Likewise, the majority of travel blogs look like they were built in the late 1990s, so the work I’ve done updating my coding skills (I do all my own Web design) has really put me at a huge advantage.

The final piece of the puzzle has been marketing, from search-engine optimization (SEO), to social sharing, to handing out business cards in-person. As my audience has grown, there’s been significant word of mouth as well, but ultimately, the lesson has been that it isn’t enough to simply be great: You have to be great at convincing others of your greatness!

Where have your travels taken you and what have been some of the highlights?

My travels have taken me to all six inhabited continents, so it’s difficult to name individual highlights when I look at the big picture. Of course, there are some countries where I felt most immediately at home ( Thailand , Italy and Israel – I’ve travelled to each of these countries several times) and others I’ve only been once, like Japan or Finland or Indonesia , but made me hungry for a return trip.

The greatest thing my travel has taught me is that it’s not about where I’m travelling, but how open I allow myself to be, that determines my experience. For me, the task is not only to seek out the most incredible destinations and experiences (although that is a big part of it), but to find the gold wherever I am. This doesn’t always happen (my recent trip to Armenia , for example, was less than life-affirming), but I’m coming to realise that inspiration is usually a choice, not a circumstance.

What places have you visited most recently?

Well, I headed to East Africa for the first time at the end of November: safari in Tanzania, followed by two weeks backpacking through Rwanda. In January, I visited the Harbin Ice Festival in northeastern China, and bookended the experience with a stop at the Snow Festival in Sapporo, Japan. I turn 30 next February and would like to celebrate it by visiting my seventh continent, but we’ll see – I try not to look too far ahead these days.

Your travel photography has won several awards and has also been utilised by publications around the world. Has being able to take the perfect picture always come naturally to you?

I would say I’ve always had a good eye, but I’ve really had to school myself on the fundamentals of good photography – composition, perspective, depth of field, light, shadow, colour – over the years, especially as the visibility of my photography (and thus, the scrutiny placed on it) has increased.

More than that, however, I attribute my reputation as a good photographer to my increasingly strong ability to curate – that is, to select photos that are not only ‘good’, from a technical perspective, but representative of the destination where they were taken, and of the feelings I experienced while I was there. Most of the photos I take these days would earn me at least an average grade in a photography class, but where I excel is being able to put together a collection that tells a compelling story.

Another one of my strengths is that I really don’t post-process – typically, only cropping, straightening and slight exposure adjustments. I think the average travel photographer, especially in 2014, relies way too much on Lightroom/Photoshop/HDR and for me, this is really tacky. I like to depict the world with a sense of beauty and drama, but I also like my photos to reflect reality, more or less.

Oh, and I am really good at selfies, both in the ubiquitous, 2013/4 way, as well as using a tripod/remote. In fact, almost all the pictures of me you see on my site are selfies.

You have had many travel guides and articles published but have you ever thought about putting pen to paper and writing a book?

Totally – I’ve acted on this impulse many times. Last December, in fact, I travelled to a remote Indian beach for ten days, without any electronics or connection to the outside world, and wrote a 200-word manuscript with an actual pen and paper. The problem for me is that I want to write a work of non-fiction, and since my own story continues to evolve and change, it’s difficult to follow any sort of narrative arc – I don’t know how or when mine will end.

You offer travel coaching through your website. If you could sum up the message you try to instil in people who come to you for help and advice what would it be?

Travelling is easy when you’re armed with the right information, which is the main product I deliver via travel coaching.

For now, I’m just trying to be present in every moment and savor where I am. To relay a quote I recently saw on an aeroplane: “Enjoy your time here – you are almost there.”

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Inspiration for savvy travellers and urban explorers

Travel Like a Pro: City Travel Tips by Robert Schrader, Blogger at Leave Your Daily Hell

City travelers, here’s a new interview with one of world’s best travel bloggers, sharing his favorite city destination and travel experiences

Meet Robert Schrader , editor of travel blog Leave Your Daily Hell . Up and running since 2010, his blog was little more than a repository for his personal rants – more “hell,” less “leaving.” But when he began to travel, Robert noticed that he had a knack at writing travel articles that were both informative and inspirational – entertaining and empowering at the same time. Over the past half-decade, this unique combination has won him more than 150,000 monthly readers.

Robert, your best city trip so far?

It’s hard to say overall, but I really enjoyed the two days I spent in Osaka, Japan back in January. Remember that terrible book/movie “Eat, Pray, Love”? Well, a visit to Osaka allows you to do all three of those in one day, without any of the schmaltz.

Your tips for city travelers heading the same way?

In spite of its huge size and ultra-modern façade, Osaka’s blend of cuisine, culture and heritage is surprisingly accessible. Spend your morning at the spectacular Shitennoji Temple, a traditional shrine surrounded by skyscrapers, before taking Osaka’s old street car line to Sumiyoshi Shrine, whose real highlight is the food market just past its first torii gate.

Watch the sunset from stunning Osaka castle, then fill in the street food holes you missed at neon-filled Dotonbori, before heading to the Umeda Sky Building for a priceless nighttime view of Osaka’s sprawling skyline.

As a professional travel blogger, what makes a city worth visiting?

It’s about balance. I love skyscrapers, but I love trees just as much. I love modernity and convenience, but there’s something to be said about tradition, and having to work for your reward. The need for good food and plentiful culture goes without saying, but they need to be more than good – they need to be totally unique to the city I’m visiting.

Your five ingredients for the perfect city trip?

Infrastructure

Which apps are essential companions for a modern city traveler?

Honestly, I mostly make do with my Web browser, Google Maps and Google Translate . Some other apps make travel easier, but very few niche-y apps are global. Yelp is great in North America and Western Europe, for example, but is pretty useless in other areas.

Would you consider yourself a responsible traveler?

I could certainly be more responsible. I mean, I don’t litter or accept unnecessary packaging with my purchases, and I usually use the same bed linens and towels for the entirety of a given hotel stay, but I don’t go out of my way to be green.

Thanks, Robert.

Like those Osaka city travel tips by Robert Schrader, editor of Leave Your Daily Hell ? Share and spread the word!

← Travel Like a Pro: City Travel Tips by Paul Johnson of A Luxury Travel Blog
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Storytellers

In today’s Culture with Travel interview, we feature storyteller Robert Schrader of Leave Your Daily Hell . Learn what inspires Robert as he shares his perspectives and stories about travel.

Follow Robert Schrader’s stories on the Leave Your Daily Hell blog, Facebook , Twitter , Google+ and Instagram .

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Why I Prefer Oahu Over Maui

April 11, 2024 by Robert Schrader Leave a Comment

All my trips to Hawaii’s islands have been exercises in the futility of expectations.

Hawaii Begins in Oahu

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Stay in Oahu as long as you can—and longer than you think you need to.

Is Antigua Worth Visiting?

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If I’m honest, I wouldn’t have made my own trip to Antigua had I not been invited.

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Why You Should Visit Vilnius

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Skip the tourist traps in Europe—go to these uncrowded spots instead.

Luang Prabang Starts Here

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I know from personal experience that your first impression of Luang Prabang can last years.

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Is Macau worth visiting? Absolutely, and here’s why.

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I promise you’ll get the hang of it.

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Chengdu: a guide to China’s next hottest destination

China is massive, so in spite of how dramatically tourist arrivals have been spiking the past several years, it’s understandable why so many tours of the country stick to the well trodden path: Beijing, Shanghai, and maybe, just maybe, Xi’an!

But I believe you should venture southwestward on your next trip to the Middle Kingdom, and pandas are only one reason why.

To be sure, while Chengdu first earned its place on tourism maps as home to the cutest members of the Ursidae family, its appeal extends far beyond them. Think deliciously spicy cuisine, an eclectic cityscape, and a huge variety of destinations within day-trip distance. Plus, I found Chengdu astonishingly laid-back, which is probably an adjective you never expected to hear in conjunction with the phrase “Chinese city of 14 million.”

Tianfu Square

Here’s a little summary of its attractions, uniqueness, food scene, and more.

Peaceful vibes, hidden monasteries

Chengdu feels immediately different from more ubiquitous Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai, in spite of the constant haze in the air, and the slim likelihood of finding someone outside of your hotel who speaks fluent English. Here, there’s a relaxed skip in people’s step, and in spite of the rapidly increasing number of tall buildings, the rustling of gingko leaves seems to capture your attention more than any combination of steel and stone.

Wenshu Monastery

Which is not to say Chengdu’s manmade treasures aren’t as enjoyable as its natural ones, or that there isn’t tangible awesomeness here to match the delightful energy that surrounds you as you explore.

If you want to step back in time, for example, head just northward from Chengdu’s central Tianfu Square (ironically, just past the Mao Zedong statue) to Wenshu Monastery, the best-preserved one in the city that’s also remarkably well-hidden within a residential neighborhood.

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Jin Li Street’s newfound popularity makes it feel less hidden then Wenshu, although I did manage to shoot some mysterious-looking tripod selfies amid its colorful “wishing bags.”

Jin Li wishing bags

Further north, Tianfu Square is slightly less well-known, and sits adjacent to lush People’s Park, whose modern design (not surprisingly, given its name) dates back to the beginning of the Communist period, but whose origins date back to the days of the Qing Dynasty.

If you’re looking for more upscale urban scenery, head to the designer shops of Taikoo Li, which sits right down the Jinjiang River from the iconic Sichuan TV Tower, and just upstream from picturesque Anshun Bridge.

VISIT CHENGDU ON OUR 12-DAY FOOD TOUR OF CHINA

Up-close and personal with pandas

Pandas are native to Sichuan province (which surrounds Chengdu) and have long been the city’s most famous attraction, not to mention its cutest. The best place to see pandas near Chengdu is Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, not only because it’s a short journey from the city center, but because it’s a scientific research facility purpose-built to help ensure the future survival of pandas.

The photo opportunities here are truly endless, as you might expect.

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Otherwise, your panda options in Chengdu are limited. The 2008 Sichuan earthquake damaged much of the pandas’ remaining natural habitat (which, to be fair, had been waning for decades as it was).

READ MORE: THE 10 BEST CITIES IN CHINA TO VISIT

The world’s next great foodie destination

American and Chinese restaurants have been serving up “Szechuan Chicken” entrées for as far back as anyone can remember. Many of Sichuan’s most famous dishes will sound familiar to your Western ears, from Gong Bao Ji Ding (also known as Kung Pao Chicken) to Ma Po Tofu. Yes, there’s a reason there’s so many Sichuan restaurants are so popular in the West. The UNESCO City of Gastronomy and capital city of the Sichuan Province is in a class of its own.

The best thing about eating in Chengdu is the hole-in-the-walls crowded with locals. (Love Chinese food? Check out our guide to traditional street food there!)

Don’t miss dine-and-dash favorites like spicy, savory Dan Dan Noodles, but also consider treating yourself to one of the most sumptuous meals in the world: the 33-course extravaganza at Yu’s Family Kitchen, which features both Sichuan specialties and pan-Chinese classics like Peking Duck.

Dan Dan Noodles

Exploring Jinli Street, famous for its historic atmosphere and local snacks, is a must. Enjoy sticky rice cakes with sesame sauce, spicy chicken on a stick, sweet rice jelly, fried beef pancakes and, for the more adventurous, spicy rabbits heads.

And ensure you sample hot pot, also. One of the country’s most renowned dishes, and roughly translating to ‘fire pot’, the communal pot of spiced broth that you dip your choice of ingredients into, is quite the (delicious and spicy) experience.

Sichuan hot pot

Note: you can visit Chengdu and learn how to whip up some classic Sichuan dishes in a cooking class on Intrepid’s 12-day China Real Food Adventure .

Gateway to the (South)west

You could spend a week (or more!) just within Chengdu’s city limits, but what sits just beyond Chengdu is at least as awesome, especially given the rapid expansion of China’s high-speed rail network. Take a day trip to the awe-inspiring Leshan Giant Buddha or scale the summits of Emei Shan and Mount Qingcheng, which is known as the birthplace of Taoism.

READ MORE: 6 SURREAL LANDSCAPES TO EXPLORE IN CHINA

Leshan Giant Buddha

Chengdu is also a great precursor to Chongqing, an even less-discovered city that was also part of Sichuan province before its population exploded to more than 40 million.

Indeed, an entire world waits for you the moment you come through customs at Chengdu International Airport. Break out of the usual China travel bubble (and maybe, a little bit outside your comfort zone) and you’ll discover new cuisine, laid-back charm, lovely parks, and so much more.

(And, yes, pandas.)

Ready to embark on the trip of a lifetime? Check out Intrepid’s range of small group adventures in China.

(Image credits from top to bottom: Intrepid Travel, Robert Scrader x5, Intrepid Travel, Robert Schrader)

Facebook image c/o iStock/fototrav

Feeling inspired?

Robert Schrader

Robert Schrader is a writer and photographer who's been roaming the globe for nearly a decade. He documents his adventures, which have thus far taken him to more than 80 countries and all six inhabited continents, on his award-winning blog Leave Your Daily Hell (leaveyourdailyhell.com). Robert is currently based in Bangkok, but tempers his Thai food addiction with frequent trips around Asia, and beyond.

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Moscow Metro – Part 2

Have you been to Moscow ? In all seriousness, they have the prettiest metro stations I have ever seen and I still can’t believe how immaculate and lovely every station was. There are several different stations pictured below and this is the second of several posts where I will show you the beauty of the Moscow Metro. Did you see part 1 ? There really isn’t much to say because I think the pictures speak for themselves. I have so many more pictures to share with you!

Have you ever been to Moscow? Is it someplace you have thought about visiting?

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This is the train STATION?? Oh my god… So gorgeous. Moscow has never even crossed my mind as a possible travel destination but this is gorgeous…Hmmm… LOL

I know, right? We spent several hours in the metro, just marveling at the beauty of each one. Thanks for stopping by!

Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow. Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

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Parliamentary Secretary Oliphant to travel to Kosovo

From: Global Affairs Canada

News release

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that the Honourable Robert Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, will travel to Pristina, Kosovo, from April 14 to 17, 2024.

April 12, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

During his trip, Parliamentary Secretary Oliphant will attend the second International Forum for Women, Peace and Security (WPS Forum), where he will participate in various activities and panel discussions aimed at developing new strategies and frameworks for action in the wake of an ever-changing security environment in the Western Balkans, Europe and beyond. He will deliver an address at the WPS Forum, in a ministerial discussion titled "Voices matter: A global call to end conflict related sexual violence". Parliamentary Secretary Oliphant will also engage with leadership from both Kosovo Force (KFOR) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Mission on Canada’s role in supporting efforts for peace and stability in the region.

While in Kosovo, Parliamentary Secretary Oliphant will also meet with regional leaders, senior government officials and key partners. During these meetings, he will discuss how Canada can support the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue towards a comprehensive agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, and identify further opportunities for Canada and Kosovo to continue promoting peace, political stability, and economic progress in the Western Balkans. He is also scheduled to visit Canada Fund for Local Initiatives projects supporting the empowerment of women and youth in Kosovo.

“I am thrilled to participate in the WPS Forum and work with Canada’s international partners to create tools and policies to address rising global challenges. As we mark 25 years since the arrival of thousands of Kosovar refugees in Canada, I’m also looking forward to engaging with representatives of the Kosovar government to explore opportunities that will allow the relationship and cooperation between our two countries to continue growing.” - Robert Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Quick facts

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008, and was recognized by Canada on March 18, 2008. Both countries established full diplomatic relations on April 7, 2009.

Canada continues to provide small grants through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, to assist local partners in Kosovo with projects aimed at improving respect for the rule of law and human rights, increasing citizen engagement and combatting corruption.

On March 28, Canada released “Foundations for Peace’’, its third national action plan on the Women, Peace and Security agenda aimed at addressing the most pressing peace and security challenges of the day. This action plan also prepares the Government of Canada to respond effectively to the inevitable challenges and crises that will materialize in the coming years.

In the spring of 1999, Canada sponsored over 5,000 Kosovar refugees through “Operation Parasol’’ as part of an international emergency evacuation organized by the United Nations for hundreds of thousands of civilians who fled or were forced into neighbouring countries like Albania and Macedonia from war in Kosovo. Refugees airlifted to Canada were sheltered at military bases in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario.

Associated links

Canada-Kosovo relations
Foundations for Peace: Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security – 2023 to 2029

Media Relations Office Global Affairs Canada [email protected]

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San Antonio leaders travel to Europe to strengthen relationships, recruit international businesses

Satx strives to bring quality, high-wage jobs to the alamo city.

Tiffany Huertas , Reporter

Robert Samarron , Photojournalist

Maritza Carlos , Video Editor

SAN ANTONIO – In May, the San Antonio International Airport will get its first nonstop European flight and the groups that made it possible want to keep the momentum going and bring in new businesses.

Recently, San Antonio leaders traveled to Europe to strengthen business relationships and seek new ones.

“We work with companies globally to make sure they know that San Antonio is a wonderful place to live, to grow and to build a business,” Jamie Lutrell, vice president of brand and communications at Greater: SATX said.

The team at Greater: SATX, a private-public nonprofit, is dedicated to growing quality and high-wage jobs in the San Antonio area and have been developing strong relationships with the businesses in Europe.

“Our CEO traveled with a delegation from San Antonio which included Visit San Antonio and the San Antonio International Airport,” Lutrell said.

The San Antonio leaders traveled to London and Frankfurt to continue building the relationships with businesses in those countries and to recruit more international business to San Antonio.

“We have a set of target markets that we focus on, not only for business recruitment, but also for helping out local businesses continue to grow here in San Antonio. We focus on cyber security, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, financial services and of course those headquarter operations as well,” Lutrell said.

Recently, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also traveled to Europe to deepen the economic partnerships between the United Kingdom and Texas.

“The governor’s office, when he is traveling internationally it certainly is opening doors and making sure the message is well received that Texas is open for business and is the best state for business,” Lutrell said.

Lutrell says the new flight from San Antonio to Frankfurt is key to attracting businesses.

“When businesses are looking at our market for the potential expansion opportunities, they are looking at workforce, they are looking at real estate, and they are looking at that connectivity to make sure they will be able to get back to their home base and continue to building upon that,” Lutrell said.

More businesses could create a ripple effect that has a positive impact on the entire city.

“Lets take the most recent JCB, they are a UK based company that is growing here in San Antonio with plans to add over 1,500 jobs. It’s a tremendous opportunity and we know there’s going to be a ripple effect as additional suppliers come in to support their growth in San Antonio,” Lutrell said.

About the Authors

Tiffany huertas.

Tiffany Huertas is a reporter for KSAT 12 known for her in-depth storytelling and her involvement with the community.

Robert Samarron

Restaurant Globus

Ratings and reviews, location and contact, restaurant globus, elektrostal - restaurant reviews & photos - tripadvisor.

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40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

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Travel Like a Pro: City Travel Tips by Robert Schrader, Blogger at
Storytelling by Robert Schrader
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Robert Schrader's Travel, Writing, Photography and Life
Robert Schrader's Travel, Writing, Photography and Life. I've been a traveler my whole life, having lived in six houses in three U.S. states before my 18th birthday. In 2005, the year I turned 20, I took my first trip to Europe; by 30 I had been to nearly 100 countries and was one of the most prolific traveler bloggers on the planet.
Leave Your Daily Hell: A Leading Travel Blog Since 2009
Leave Your Daily Hell: A Leading Travel Blog Since 2009. Leave Your Daily Hell informs, inspires, entertains and empowers travelers like you with evocative photography, immersive essays, easy-to-follow itineraries and priceless travel advice. My name is Robert Schrader—and I'm happy you're here!
About Travel Blog Leave Your Daily Hell
Well, I started Leave Your Daily Hell in 2009—yes, more than a decade ago!—because I faced the exact same dilemmas. My name is Robert and I'm glad you're here! I wake up every day with one goal: To inform, inspire, entertain and empower you to travel. Continue reading to learn more about how the site is organized and what you can expect ...
Japan Starts Here is where all your trips to Japan begin
My name is Robert Schrader, and you've come to the right place. I'm a Japan travel expert with nearly a decade of experience under my belt—and I'm thrilled you're here. ... The Japan travel blog posts I've written about travel at different times of year seem like they're about different countries! Hokkaido. Year-round adventure in ...
The Travel Photography of Robert Schrader
2 My Favorite Travel Photos from Around the World. 3 Travel Photography Tips & Tricks. 3.1 Buy a Real Camera. 3.2 Travel (and Shoot) With Several Lenses. 3.3 Get a Tripod (and a Remote!) 3.4 Shoot Exclusively in Manual—and RAW. 4 Purchase the Rights to My Travel Photography. 5 The Bottom Line.
Thailand Starts Here is Where Your Trip to Thailand Begins
On the hunt for inspiration—or just information—for your next trip to Thailand? My name is Robert Schrader, and you've arrived in the right place. I'm a Thailand travel expert with more than a decade of experience under my belt—and I'm delighted you're here.
Robert Schrader
Leave Your Daily Hell. Jan 2010 - Present 14 years 3 months. One of the Web's most popular travel blogs, Leave Your Daily Hell informs, inspires, entertains and empowers nearly 100,000 people to ...
About Japan Starts Here, The Web's Best Japan Travel Blog
Japan Starts Here. My name is Robert Schrader. For the first few years I ran my award-winning travel blog Leave Your Daily Hell, I refused to commit to a favorite country, though certain places always seemed to make the long list I would give instead. At some point in the not-so-distant past, however, it finally became clear: Japan is my ...
About Thailand Travel Blog Thailand Starts Here
My name is Robert Schrader. When I first started my award-winning travel blog Leave Your Daily Hell, I did my best to maintain an air of impartiality about the growing list of countries I'd traveled to. But I developed special affection for Thailand the moment I sped into the neon-lit heart of Bangkok on a rickety motorcycle taxi, way back in ...
All About Taiwan Starts Here
I'm Robert Schrader. When I first visited Taiwan back in the mid-2010s, it was a revelation. Although I'd previously traveled extensively in mainland China—I lived in Shanghai for a year—Taiwan embodied everything I once imagined China would be. ... "Taiwan," I concluded proudly, in a post on my main travel blog Leave Your Daily ...
A conversation with Robert Schrader
Robert Schrader runs the popular travel blog ... Leave Your Daily Hell, Robert's travel blog, receives over 100,000 travelers per month. I would argue this ties back to authenticity: If you consult the services of a proverbial guide before you depart, you're not really on a tour. With few exceptions, I find tour guides to be obnoxious and ...
Ep. 267: How This Travel Blogger Was Able To Leave The Daily Hell with
In this week's episode, I speak with Robert who is one of the web's original travel bloggers. Robert has spent more than a decade visiting nearly 100 countries on all six inhabited continents. ... Robert: Yeah, so my name is Robert Schrader. I am 37 years old, I feel much older sometimes and I was actually one of the web's first travel ...
Escape Artist Q&A: Robert Schrader of Leave Your Daily Hell
Travel writer Robert Schrader runs Leave Your Daily Hell, a travel blog that focuses on adventure travel and custom itineraries. Originally from Texas, he is looking forward to escaping 2016 and ...
Leave your daily hell with Robert Schrader
ROBERT SCHRADER is the creator and owner of leaveyourdailyhell.com. It's one of the world's most successful travel blogs and aims to entertain and inform travellers from around the world. Robert talked to us about some of his experiences on the road and explained more about the website. IN 2009 Robert Schrader turned his back on conventional ...
Travel Like a Pro: City Travel Tips by Robert Schrader, Blogger at
Meet Robert Schrader, editor of travel blog Leave Your Daily Hell. Up and running since 2010, his blog was little more than a repository for his personal rants - more "hell," less "leaving." But when he began to travel, Robert noticed that he had a knack at writing travel articles that were both informative and inspirational ...
Storyteller Robert Schrader
Read about Robert Schrader of Leave Your Daily Hell, a blog that informs, inspires, entertains and empowers more than 150,000 travelers per month. About. Guest Blogging; ... "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and ...
How Robert Schrader's 2 Travel Blogs Earn Up To $10k/Month From Display
How Much He's Earning. As was the case before Covid, my income is somewhat variable, but between Mediavine, sponsored content, and travel coaching, I earn somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 per month from all my websites. As a general rule, about 50% of it comes from travel coaching, with 25% each from Mediavine and sponsored posts ...
Travel blog with cheap travel tips and travel guides
Leave Your Daily Hell is a travel blog that blends detailed travel guides and cheap travel tips with the witty writing of blogger Robert Schrader.
Chengdu, China: Why to go and what to do
Robert Schrader. Robert Schrader is a writer and photographer who's been roaming the globe for nearly a decade. He documents his adventures, which have thus far taken him to more than 80 countries and all six inhabited continents, on his award-winning blog Leave Your Daily Hell (leaveyourdailyhell.com).
Moscow Metro
Ihere is something special about seeing art and beauty while hundreds of feet underground. The metro in Moscow is breathtakingly beautiful, don't you think?
Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations
6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders. Novoslobodskaya metro station. 7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power.
Parliamentary Secretary Oliphant to travel to Kosovo
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that the Honourable Robert Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, will travel to Pristina, Kosovo, from April 14 to 17, 2024. April 12, 2024 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada The ...
He lost his job in the US so moved to Spain and unexpectedly ...
Robert Webber lost his job as a facilities manager in the US in 2018. After relocating to Sitges in Spain, he decided to open a chocolate shop.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secures ballot access in battleground ...
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has secured a place on the ballot in the battleground state of Michigan, state officials confirmed Thursday, elevating his potential to ...
San Antonio leaders travel to Europe to strengthen relationships
San Antonio leaders travel to Europe to strengthen relationships, recruit international businesses SATX strives to bring quality, high-wage jobs to the Alamo City
RESTAURANT GLOBUS, Elektrostal
Restaurant Globus. Review. Share. 67 reviews #2 of 28 Restaurants in Elektrostal $$ - $$$ European Contemporary Vegetarian Friendly. Fryazevskoye Hwy., 14, Elektrostal Russia + Add phone number + Add website + Add hours Improve this listing. See all (2)
40 Facts About Elektrostal
40 Facts About Elektrostal. Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to ...

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Ep. 267: How This Travel Blogger Was Able To Leave The Daily Hell with Robert Schrader

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Mountaineering

Leave your daily hell with Robert Schrader

The website has been the backbone of your travels in more ways than one. Did you always have a passion for writing and what do you think has made the blog become so popular?

Where have your travels taken you and what have been some of the highlights?

What places have you visited most recently?

Your travel photography has won several awards and has also been utilised by publications around the world. Has being able to take the perfect picture always come naturally to you?

You have had many travel guides and articles published but have you ever thought about putting pen to paper and writing a book?

You offer travel coaching through your website. If you could sum up the message you try to instil in people who come to you for help and advice what would it be?

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Green City Trips

Travel Like a Pro: City Travel Tips by Robert Schrader, Blogger at Leave Your Daily Hell

Robert, your best city trip so far?

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As a professional travel blogger, what makes a city worth visiting?

Your five ingredients for the perfect city trip?

Which apps are essential companions for a modern city traveler?

Would you consider yourself a responsible traveler?

Privacy Overview

Storyteller Robert Schrader | Leave Your Daily Hell Travel Blog

Shaping Cultural Experiences

Update & BBC News Link

From Nigeria to Boston

Mark Twain on Travel

Pleasing The Taste Palate

Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?

Annual Human Rights Report

Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes

Remembering Tiananmen

Coffee's Uniting Power

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