Hello, my name is Joel. Welcome to my travel blog!
There is so much world out there, it would be a shame to not experience as much of it as possible. If you are anything like me, you are continuously in search of the next adventure. It does not matter if it is in the next town or the far reaches of the globe, something out there calls to you. I completely understand you. I am with you! There are always new bounds to conquer.
Often, I am asked by family, friends and peers for travel advice and photography tips. It brings me joy to be able to help people, especially when it involves travel or photography. Whether it’s giving advice ranging from finding travel deals or sharing travel hacks. What camera gear do you use? How do you pack? Where do you go and why? Can you suggest places to stay and things to do?
Unfortunately, no matter how great your desire to pack your bags and go, for most of us, we cannot drop it all and start walking the earth. It is a dream of mine to let the career go, sell off all my possessions, leave the ol’ life behind in exchange for a more nomadic lifestyle. Is it a dream of yours as well? Or are you fine with planning travel around the 9 to 5? The beautiful thing about this journey called life is that we don’t know what the future holds, so take it all in!
I created this blog in hopes of helping close the gap between travel dreams and travel reality. I look forward to assisting you find the information you seek.
A little more about me!
I, like you, am someone who loves to travel! I also enjoy photography and dabbling in writing. Since I was a wee lad, my dream was to become a pilot. I felt as if I was destined to be airborne – landing all over the world. Well, needless to say, I never attempted to get my wings, but that did not stop my wanderlust. Since college, I have taken standard holiday trips here and there. However, it was not until the spring of 2013, when I took a month off to travel Europe with my backpack. For me, that was enough…I knew I wanted to be abroad long term.
Unfortunately, I had too many obligations to afford the luxury of walking away from it all. It was just not realistic for me to do so at the time. Upon my return from my European dream trip, I knew the travel bug bitten me something fierce. My desire to explore was more voracious than ever and has not since diminished. The question then became “How can I experience as much of the world with limited means and limited time?” Now, answering that question has been a primary motivator in my day to day.
Working in IT, I can research for days on end. I read up on many travel blogs for as much information as possible and search for budget travel ideas from the best in the game. Look for ways to leverage credit cards and loyalty programs to reduce travel costs. I research travel and camera gear until I am blue in the face to get the best value for my limited dollar. I take all this information and mash it with my own experiences. Then I thought, I’ve gained so much from others, why not share what I know with back with you. Which is when the idea to create a blog hit me like an all-pro middle linebacker and here we are!
Welcome to Conquering Bounds!
I hope you find something in my blog that will help, motivate or inspire you. Even if it is one small thing you learn to help push you forward in your endeavors, I would consider it a great success. I also look forward to learning from you, as well. I hope you enjoy the content on Conquering Bounds and that you keep going onward in experiencing all the world has to offer.
BE BOUNDLESS!