Jason would probably one of the most travelled person I have ever interviewed in Meet the Nomads. He had visited around a hundred countries and territories at this time and the numbers are still adding up.
He has been travelling for quite awhile but he only started documenting his experiences just last 2009. He came up with Digidrift as a combination of his three passions which are travel, photography and technology.
With many years of travel experience under his belt, you could be assure of useful information and awesome travelogues that will surely fuel up your wanderlust (not to mention his great collection of pictures from different parts of the world).
Get to know Jason more and visit him at Digidrift.
But before you do that, check out my short interview with Jason Webb.
How did you discover your passion for travelling?
“When I was younger I never had any real desire to travel. None of my friends or family had traveled, but by the time I reached my early twenties something just clicked inside me. I can’t put my finger on it, but I was compelled to hit the road, and leave all that I knew behind. I suppose it was an inner drive that I had to go and discover my own answers. Although a little cheesy, the icing on the cake was watching the movie ‘Romancing the Stone’. From that point on I knew I had to get to South America, and especially Colombia.”
What’s the most horrible experience that you’ve had on the road?
“There’s been a few horrible experiences whilst of been on the road. I suppose they are quite personal, and I don’t really want to single out any one experience. They all revolve around the fact of being overseas, in a far away land and having no control or input into problems that are arising at home with close friends and family.”
What’s the best travel experience that you’ve ever had?
“My greatest travel experience would be the two weeks I spent sleeping under the stars on a secluded beach (that from all accounts is now quite popular) with some great friends in India. That beach was Gokarna and the year was 1994. It was a great period in my life, and a time where I felt the most inner peace, and freedom. The feeling of not having anywhere to go, or anything you needed to do. Just simply being. I’ve searched my whole life to replicate this feeling, but as you get older things just get more complicated. Oh well, it was great why it lasted.”
What’s the biggest realization that you’ve got out of travelling?
“It’s a bit of a cliche but something that rings so true. There are good and bad people the world over, from all countries and all cultures. The positive aspect is the good far out weigh the bad, and the amazing generosity I’ve received over the years from complete strangers still astounds me.”
‘The more you see, the less you’ve seen!’
What keeps you going? What keeps you motivated?
“Traveling is certainly a tiresome activity, and can slowly grind you down if you let it. My motivating factor is just the plain old simple desire and thirst for the unknown. I very rarely go back and visit places I’ve already been, unless I found them to be very special. It’s what over the next hill, or around the next bend that drives me. I’m a very curious person by nature, and I’ve always been driven to find my own answers in life. It’s this curiosity that will no doubt keep me going for many years to come.”
This is a silly and hypothetical one. If you would be given a chance to travel with a popular person or a celebrity, who would it be and why?
“Gee, you’ve got me stumped here. Hmmmmm….It would have to be someone funny, as I’ve travelled with a couple of mates that are quite funny, and when times get tough the’ve always keep you laughing. I suppose given the chance I’d like to travel with Chevy Chase. I can just imagine the adventures we’d get into if he played the role of one of the characters from the movie Fletch.”
Where’s your favourite place in this planet and why?
“This is a hard one to answer. After 20 years of travel and covering almost 100 countries, I can honestly say that there is no one place I can put before all others. What I can say, is that Africa is my most favourite continent and a place I feel drawn to, in a number of ways. To me, Africa is the ultimate in travel experiences, it’s hard and tough going, but the rewards are so great it just keeps me going back for more.”
What’s your best tip for newbie traveller?
“The greatest tip I could give any new traveler is to record your journey. Take lots of photos and keep a journal. After being at this game now for over 20 years, and now in my early 40’s, I can seriously say that your memories will begin to fade no mater how vivid or strong. The people you’ve met and the experiences you’ve had, will all fade with time. By keeping a journal it makes it so much easier to remember the great times you’ve had, and something I wish I had done allot more of in my early years on the road.”
What’s the funniest and silliest thing you’ve ever done while travelling?
“My traveling life has been full of silly and stupid things, but one that comes to mind is the time I was quite drunk on ouzo and decided to ride my motorcycle through a guest house/hostel on the Greek Island of Ios, about 15 years ago. It’s not something I’m to proud of, but it was quite funny at the time. Bare in mind it was 3.30am in the morning and everyone was asleep, as I flew through reception and down between the aisles of bunk beds. What an idiot…..”
What do you think about yourself?
“I’m just an ordinary bloke, that has a thirst for adventure and the unknown. I try not to take life to seriously, but I’m a deep thinker and always enjoy a challenge to keep me motivated.”
“The DigiDrift travel blog is a place where I like to showcase my photography from over the years, as well as write about some of the not so common aspects of travel. You’ll also find a few tales of my adventures, and I also like to write about the most travelled people on the planet in my ‘Dromomanic’ series. More importantly I hope my blog will inspire people to not only see the world, but to take that path less traveled.” – Jason Webb of Digidrift
Photo Credits: All Pics by Jason Webb
Next: David Hogan Jr of Malaysia Asia Blog. Previously: Keiichi Iwasaki of Feel the Earth. For more interviews with travel bloggers, check out the archives of Meet the Nomads.
These words really struck me: There are good and bad people the world over, from all countries and all cultures.
People always have a tendency to believe in stereotypes and let fear get in the way. What if I get robbed? What if something bad happens to me on the road? These are very valid fears. But as Jason correctly points out, you’re probably in as much risk in a foreign country as you are in your home country.
i agree with everything that you’ve said… on my last 2009 trip, i have never lost anything in all the dodgy places that i went to… except when I landed in Manila haha i lost my small bag in the airport… a week after… we got burgled in our house in paranaque and my camera was stolen… it was frustrating but i tend to laugh about it everytime i remember… sh*t could happen anywhere… even in our own home country
another interesting soul and site to check! =) thanks for sharing Flip!
Hey Flip, Thanks for taking the time to interview me. Hope your readers got a bit of a laugh, and a little insight into the world of travel through my eyes. Cheers….
you’re welcome jason
im sure you inspired a lot of of my readers 
I’m curious. Are the mountains reflected in your sunglasses the Himalayas? They look like they could be the peaks around Mount Everest. It’s a very impressive portrait. Nyle