The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step, yadda yadda yadda, so if blogging is ever going to make it back into my daily routine, I’ve got to start typing something. Much has happened since I was using this space on a regular basis—Holy Crap! I’m a Nuthatch—but one story is compelling enough to spark my return to BlogSchmog.
On March 1, Paul Smith will set out from his UK home with a smart phone and without his new bride to attempt to travel on the kindness of strangers. Dubbed the “twitchhiker,” Smith intends to leverage his growing Twitter follow network to find transportation and lodging in an attempt to travel as far as he can in 30 days.
To accomplish this, Smith, a media writer for The Guardian, will live by five basic rules:
- Only offers of travel and accommodation made through @replies on Twitter by people following twitchhiker will be accepted. As of this moment, there are over 3,000 people who can help get Smith from point A to point Z.
- Plans are made no more than three days in advance. Smith is living in the moment.
- Money can only be spent on food, drink and anything that might fit in a suitcase. All travel and lodging must come from tweeple, or Smith is homeless for the night.
- Smith can choose, if there are multiple offers. If there is only one, he has to take it within 48 hours.
- If he gets stuck in one spot for 48 hours, the challenge is over early.
The goal is to get to the other side of the world, which for Smith is a small island off the coast of New Zealand.
Smith hopes this experiment raises money for charity:water—also a beneficiary of the February 12 worldwide Twestival event—which is trying to help the 1.1 billion people on the planet who don’t have clean water. So far, donations are already at £841.41 with the first step out the door still being a few weeks away. £3,000 will fund a water well.
Since he is aiming for the other side of his world, the shortest path can be in any direction. However, the usage of Twitter favors the best chance for help coming from a trip through America. It will be interesting to see if Smith can even get to a port for a trip over the pond. In addition to Twitter, Smith will be blogging his adventure.
Good luck.