As a kid growing up in East Tennessee, it was a thrill to hear my dad ask me to bring him the map. This meant we were about to plan a trip somewhere. Just a glimpse of the towering skyscrapers of Atlanta, Georgia, or the towering Great Smoky Mountains would ignite a passion in my soul.
That passion for travel and adventure, for discovering new experiences and learning about worlds far away from my own, has stayed with me to this day. To me, there is nothing better than planning, and ultimately going on a trip. Whether to a place I have never been or somewhere I have been 100 times already, I always aspire to discover more; push myself further, and come back a little bit different than I left because of it.
I’ve been on nearly 20 cruises so far, and consider myself an expert on cruises and cruise ships. My first cruise was on the Carnival Tropicale; a short 4-day voyage down to Cozumel was all it took to get me hooked on cruising. The Tropicale was Carnival’s oldest and smallest ship when I sailed her in July of 2000, but the grip she took on me was titanic (probably not the best word choice here, but let’s go with it). It wouldn’t be until 2013 that I would take my next cruise, but from that point on I was nonstop, taking at least one cruise every year.
Then 2020 happened when the world and all of its travel shut down. I had just launched my YouTube channel and suddenly had nowhere to take it. How could you produce quality travel content absent the ability to travel? Once travel resumed in 2021, I took off like a rocket, going on 4 cruises by the end of the year, and featuring 4 cities across the United States in my new ‘In A Day’ series.
I spent more than 3 and a half days on an airplane in 2021 alone, equating to over 31,000 miles, or roughly 1.3 times around the globe. These trips took me to theme parks, some of the newest cruise ships at sea, and cities from Athens, Greece to Seattle, Washington. Not bad for someone who hadn’t even stepped foot on an airplane until he was 21 years old.
Traveling and creating travel content is not my full-time job.
I am fortunate to have a very successful career that I worked extremely hard for all my life. The journeys that I go on are all on vacation time – they are my actual vacations. As such, I strive to make the most of every opportunity I get to travel. You won’t find me wasting time and creating “content” in the hot tubs or pools on the ship – I want to be ashore learning and exploring all I can. Further, this means I create and share content and knowledge that is more relatable to you, the ordinary traveler. We work hard for our vacation time and money, and so I strive to make the most of my precious time and money and share with you how to do the same.
So welcome to the next stage of my sharing, this new website.
Whether you have been watching my videos for a while, or have never watched me at all on YouTube, I feel I have, or will soon have, something for just about everyone on this site. From my FREE travel guide to relevant travel articles to videos that will help you plan your ideal getaway, it is my goal to bring value and knowledge to you with all the content I produce.
Leave a comment down below to say hello, and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. My goal is to add at least one new item, be it an article or guide, or some other useful resource, to this site each week, in addition to the multiple videos I post on my channel each month.
So, are YOU ready? Let’s get THIS adventure started!
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The Discussion
Hello Zach. I just watched found you on YouTube this evening. In late October, I am traveling with my mother, probably for the last time, to Barcelona and then taking a transatlantic cruise on Celebrity Reflection. I was last on a cruise when I was a very little boy when we moved to Spain in the early 60s. When the idea for this trip came up, I jumped at the thought, and now I can’t help but totally geek out about everything. I spend hours every night looking at itineraries and dreaming big dreams. I love your content and the joy you exude about cruises. I wish you well with your endeavors. Happy sailing.
Hi Steve, what a great comment. It made me happy to hear about your upcoming trip with your mother. I hope it is a fantastic adventure and you both make lasting memories. In my opinion, the planning and plotting of a cruise adventure can be even more exciting than the trip itself. I love to have a cruise planned to look forward to. I am so happy you found my content and are enjoying it. And I wish you and your mom all the best!