TRAVEL INTERVIEW WITH RAYMOND WALSH OF MAN ON THE LAM

Raymond Walsh -- Man On The Lam -- Loi Krathong- Chiang Mai- Thailand

I first noticed Man on the Lam travel blog last year because of his fantastic, fun logo: a box with a man running around inside it. That definitely caught my attention! But as soon as I read the first post, Raymond’s super witty humor had me hooked. I immediately added it to my list of favorite blogs. Since then, I always look forward to his next entertaining article.

Needless to say, I’m quite excited to finally interview Raymond, find out where he developed such wit, where his world travels have taken him thus far, and what he’s up to next. Without further ado, here’s Raymond:

Q1. First off, I just have to ask: Where did your witty, off-beat sense of humor come from?

I’m from Newfoundland, and we’ve yet to discover what’s in the water there that makes us the way we are. Plus my Dad fancied himself a bit of a comedian, so I’m sure some of that rubbed off on me too.

Q2. It seems you started your travel blog, Man on the Lam, several months before you actually set off on your world travels. How did you find out about making a travel blog? And what inspired you to do so?

I had started to follow a few travel blogs as a way to live vicariously through others – you know, to fill the void of my miserable 9 to 5. When that wasn’t enough, my New Year’s resolution for 2011 was to start a blog of my own. That forced me out of the fetal position I was locked into. I started on Blogger then moved onto WordPress about a month later. Google is a newbie blogger’s best friend when it comes to starting out.

Raymond Walsh - Man On The Lam -- Antigua, Guatemala

Q3. How did you come up with the unusual name, logos and theme?

I had the name Man On The Lam in my head for some time – it was short, easy to remember, and it had that sense of going against the grain that I was trying to convey. The tagline “Shake the Shackles. Escape through Travel.” just came out of that line of thinking as well. I always liked the look of darker backgrounds, and the mossy green had me written all over it.

Of course at the time I never stopped to think people would confuse it with Man On The Lamb – which I’m pretty sure is an entirely different type of website. 

Q4. Before you began your nomadic travel life you had a career that included lots of travel. What was your job? Where did it take you on travels? Did you actually get to explore and enjoy the places you visited, or were you just busy working on the trips?

I was a corporate trainer for a telecommunications company in Canada. Looking back, it was a pretty great gig – I got to travel to the Philippines, Guatemala, and El Salvador for months at a time. I even had my own driver in El Salvador. There was plenty of time on weekends to explore, and I always tacked on a couple of weeks at the end to see as much as I could. At the end of the day though, I still wasn’t happy – it just wasn’t enough travel.

Raymond Walsh -- Man On The Lam -- Rat Hunting- Tomohon- Indonesia

Q5. When did you actually quit your life in Canada and begin your new nomadic lifestyle?

I left my job mid-June 2011 and 2 weeks later I was in Bangkok. I wrote about it in a post I called Growing Old Before My Time. It all happened a lot faster than I thought it would.

Q6. Where have you been since you set out last year?

Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, and Florida. I like to travel slowly.

Q7. What are your 3 most favorite places and why?

I love sun and sand and desert – so if it’s got any of those three, I’m in. I really loved Jordan for the people, Israel for all things biblical, and Egypt for the pigeons. Kidding! Although the pigeons were tasty in a gamey kinda way, Egypt is a living and breathing history lesson — there is just so much to see and do. Sulawesi in Indonesia was a very pleasant surprise as well – again because of the people, but also because of the lack of tourists. And I will always love Newfoundland – it’s one of the quirkiest places on Earth.

Raymond Walsh -- Man On The Lam -- Tattoo parlour- Bangkok- Thailand

Q8. Are there any places you really disliked / hated / would not return to / wouldn’t advise people to visit? If so, where and what was the turn off?

Well, I wouldn’t advise taking an overnight sleeper bus in Vietnam, but honestly, there is no place that I would not return to. I think every place has its own appeal and charm. Some just get better reviews than others.

Q9. You’re currently back in Canada. Is that just a short visit or a longer stay?

It’s short-term – just until July-ish. I’m not sure what the next steps are, but that’s part of the allure – I love not knowing what’s around the corner.

Raymond Walsh -- Man On The Lam -- Waterfall- Koh Samui- Thailand

Q10. Aside from your upcoming (current) press trip to Legoland, Florida, when and where do you plan to head off to next?

I’m going to do some travel in Canada for the next couple of months, and I would love to get to TBEX 2012 in Colorado in June, but other than that, no firm plans. Although I do need to get back to Newfoundland to see me Ma pretty soon.

Q11. What else is coming up for Man on the Lam in 2012?

Well, I’m finally starting a monthly newsletter. I usually don’t get too personal on my site – I like to keep it one part offbeat, one part upbeat (with a dash of inspiration) so this will be a way of keeping folks updated with what I’m up to personally. Plus I’d like to get back to Asia at some point.

As you know, I can’t get me enough of that Asia. 

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Thanks for telling us about the origins of Man on the Lam and your world travels, Raymond. Great to finally get to know you a bit better. cheers, Lash

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