“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page”
-Saint Augustine
The story so far
Who would be stupid enough to move to the other side of the world during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression? Me, that’s who, and I don’t regret it for a second.
My partner and I left New Zealand in 2008 to live and work in London, stopping in Thailand, France, Italy, Greece and Belgium on the way. We did everything the hard way: it was our first time overseas, we knew nobody in London, the NZ dollar was worth roughly diddly-squat and, not long after we arrived, Lehman Brothers collapsed, effectively signifying the start of the global financial crisis.
Those were very dark days indeed. As the proverbial shit hit the fan and financial markets around the world went into meltdown, we were finding our way in an unfamiliar city, looking for jobs, friends and a place to live.
It hasn’t all been struggle and hardship, of course, as you’ll soon find out from this blog. These past three-and-a-half years have been some of the best in both our lives. With London as our base, we’ve travelled to nearly 30 countries in just under four years while also focusing on our careers. If we can make it happen during those economically unstable times then so can you.
Now, we’re planning to do the same in Asia in 2012. Armed with a passion for travel, our life savings and with a 120-hour TEFL course under our belts, we’re about to take Asia by storm. Our first stop is Singapore in February; after that, who knows where we’ll end up.
Join us (well, me) for a mix of new and old travel adventures, advice, tips and reviews, as we look to explore the world. Man vs World will entertain, educate and hopefully inspire you, too, to travel the world.
Me
My name is Simon Petersen and I’m a sports and movie fiend with a passion for world travel. I love meeting people and seeking out new and unique experiences in foreign countries.
Born and raised in Whangarei on the North Island of New Zealand, I later moved to Christchurch on the South Island to study journalism at the University of Canterbury.
Since then, I’ve worked for community newspapers in NZ, a UK technology magazine (I know nothing about computers!) and two London business magazines covering the legal and quality assurance industries respectively.
I’m relatively new to this blogging malarkey but I’m eager to make up for lost time. I’d love to hear from you:
· Follow me @Themanvsworld on Twitter
· Email me at SIMON @ MANVERSUSWORLD . COM