"I thought I was a big shot traveller until I met these people and I realized that I was nothing, and they were incredible. I've read books and seen movies and TV shows where people take their motorcycles around the world. It's easy to think  - that person's crazy or that person has a personal fortune or that that person has some unbelievable life circumstance that makes that possible. But when I met people in real life who had done these long-distance motorcycle trips, and I realized they're just ordinary people who and they're just really passionate and excited about what they do. And it's possible for anyone to do it." - Tim Patterson

Listen to the full interview here

Tim Patterson started off at the Naval Academy as part of the mighty class of 2002. He served as an officer onboard nuclear submarines for 8 years. After his transition from the military, Tim spent over four years traveling the world. Two of these years were done by BMW motorcycle, where he rode over 28,000 miles along the Pan-American highway, from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina. Studied Spanish in Guatemala. Survived Arctic weather, flat tires, and Colombian soldiers.

Why to Listen:

• Time to reflect - many of my guests have talked about how they rushed into a career or into school and did not have time to consider what they wanted to do or take time to decompress after their military service. Tim took 4 years to travel the world, two of which were spent traveling more than 28,000 miles by motorcycle. He had more than ample time to think about what he wanted to do next.
• Freedom - Tim is different from nearly every interview I have done to date. He is an example of complete freedom and autonomy after the military. He talks about it in a very real and personal way that shows that any veteran can do this too, and any veteran can pursue whatever dream they want to achieve.

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Selected Resources:

• Outside Magazine - read frequently on Active Duty to plan his trips
• The Longest Ride - spent 10 years traveling by motorcycle, very inspirational
• Road Fever - tried to set Guinness World Record from Argentina to Alaska in 26 days. Gave Tim the inspiration for the destination for Tim's own trip
• The Driver- the Cannonball Run, the fastest drive from New York to LA. Set a record for fastest trip.
• Ewan McGregor - Long Way Round & Long Way Down - actor's journey across Europe and Asia. These were inspirational for Tim's planning
• Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
• Shantaram
• The Zanzibar Chest - incredible book about East Africa
• Anything by Paul Theroux - The Great Railway Bazaar, The Old Patagonia Express
• Lost Japan

Show Notes

• Tim's background
• What did you do while on Active Duty to make this journey possible? How much money does someone on Active Duty need to save up to make this possible?
• What led you to travel - was the certain moment when you knew you were going to travel the world? How long did you initially think it would last?
• Could you give a high-level overview of what those four years looked like?
• What was one of the most challenging moments of the trip?
• Did you have a favorite location along the way?
• Why might someone listening who is on active duty benefit from taking time to travel instead of going directly into a job or school?
• How did you travels shape what you want to do for a career?
• What resources recommend for traveling?
• Could you talk about how you became involved journalism?
• What is a typical week like as a journalist?
• Where are you headed from here?
• Final words of wisdom?