Random Traveller #103 with Dan and Alissa of This World Rocks

by Poi on February 10, 2014

1 Flares 1 Flares ×

Welcome to round 103 of ‘Meet a Random Traveller’. The series dedicated to bringing attention to fantastic people all around the world doing their thing.

Random Traveller #103

Who are you?

We are Dan and Alissa, from Minneapolis via Wisconsin, USA. We met in college and have been married for 4 years. We love seeing new places, learning new things, and watching or playing nearly any sport.

This World Rocks

Dan & Alissa on a train in Myanmar

Whats the deal?

We were tired of our desk jobs, so we started saving as much money as we could and planning a year-long trip. We started ThisWorldRocks.com, named for our love of traveling and concerts, as a way to keep our friends and family involved in our trip, and to record it for our own memories. Dan has a background in digital advertising, so we started it with the hope of one day being able to make a bit of pocket money from it as well.

You’ve made some big moves to allow you to travel more extensively lately but what were the first trips that really developed your love for travelling?

During university, Alissa spent a summer “studying” in Copenhagen with a few side trips around Europe and realized how much more there was to see. The same summer, Dan traveled for two weeks in Europe with the university football team and really gained a love for travel. Together, we’d gone on a few domestic trips, but it was 2 weeks in the Philippines in 2010 that really sparked our desire to see more.

This World Rocks

On the beach in Australia

Tell us a bit about how you fund your travels now?

We had done some freelance work for extra money while we were saving for the trip, and since we started traveling, we’ve formalized our business. Our company is Black Beach Digital (blackbeachdigital.com). We build websites and design digital marketing strategies for businesses. Dan’s background in advertising sales has also made a big impact on the money we make from selling advertising on our blog. It was going so well that we now represent two other travel blogs and sell advertising for them.

And where are you at the moment and what have you been up to?

At the moment we are in Kenya, preparing for a 56-day overland trip across Africa. Check out our plans here

Is there anything unusual you carry round with you when travelling?

We are more geeky than the average traveling bloggers – we both have substantial computers (Dan’s 15″ MacBook Pro and Alissa’s 13″ Lenovo Yoga), two iPhones, Dan’s iPad, and a rugged external hard drive. Its all a bit heavy but worth it for when we have web development work.

This World Rocks

Temples in Bagan, Myanmar 

What’s next?

After our overland trip, we are excited to meet up with some family and friends: South Africa with Dan’s aunt, Turkey, Israel with Dan’s parents, Rome, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, France with Alissa’s parents, Amsterdam with six friends, than Brazil for the World Cup with four friends.

A big thanks to Dan and Alissa for taking part. Check them out here:
Blog: This World Rocks
Facebook: /ThisWorldRocks
Twitter:  @ThisWorldRocks

Fancy being Random Traveller #104? Contact us.

subscribe-banner

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

Catherine February 12, 2014 at 10:48 am

It’s so inspiring to hear about people that are successfully funding their travels through online businesses. Best of luck with your trip through Africa!
Catherine´s last blog post ..24 Things I’ve Learnt In 24 Years

Reply

Leave a Comment

CommentLuv badge