To the bottom of the Earth, blogging all the way

UConn student takes leave of absence to pursue chance of a lifetime

By: Mike Northup

Posted: 12/4/08

Taking a year off from college, while infrequent, isn't the most uncommon thing for a student to do - unless it's to take a solo motorcycle trip to the bottom of the world. Jeff Roy, an accounting major at UConn, decided to do just that - and he's letting the rest of the world follow him along on his journey via his blog.

Since this past February, Roy, 26, has chronicled his adventure as he motorcycles solo from his home in Enfield to his intended destination of Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, on his blog, "Journey to the Bottom of the World."

Roy uses the Web site, www.Jeffs9thSemester.com, to include posts about his plans, gear, adventures and experiences during his journey. The site is complete with videos of himself, numerous photo albums and an interactive Google Map showing his current location. His latest post came on Thanksgiving from the South American country of Ecuador.

"The most rewarding aspect of my trip has been seeing these countries and meeting the people here firsthand," Roy said in an e-mail. "Although I haven't spent a large amount of time in any one place, I can't help but feel I have a slightly greater understanding of the world and the people in it."

Despite making regular online posts, complete with anecdotes, observations, pictures and maps, Roy doesn't consider himself a "blogger." He said he's more "just a guy with a Web site that I use to share my trip with others, something more like a travelogue."

Roy said that he didn't even consider keeping a travelogue of his trip until a few months into his planning. Looking back on his decision, he is glad he went online.

"I know that if I kept a personal journal in a notebook, I would have stopped writing after the first week, or that it would have simply become a list of places I'd visited," Roy said. "By keeping a travelogue in a public forum, I've stayed motivated to publish regularly."

It has become increasingly difficult for Roy to decide what to post on his Web site as he travels farther along on his journey. Much of his experience, regardless of which country he is in, starts to become very similar from day to day, making it difficult for him to decide what readers would want to hear about.

"The travel experience in general starts to feel normal after a while," Roy said. "It's not that I enjoy the trip less now than at the beginning, it's that, as time goes on, it becomes difficult to identify material that the reader will enjoy, and that isn't repetitive."

It is easier, Roy said, for him to maintain a Web site while on the road than when he was back in the United States, even though he doesn't carry a laptop with him while on the road.

While Roy had to use public libraries or borrow computers when still in the U.S., he said that every town in Central and South America with at least 2,000 people has an Internet café that is accessible. He said typically uploads photos from the larger towns, where Internet speed is faster and more reliable.

It costs about $0.50 to $2.00 per hour to use a computer at a cyber café, Roy said, which makes the Internet a luxury item for most people living there.

He recalled one wealthier family that he stayed with in Guatemala. The two sons were opening up an Internet café of their own. Their father, who lives in Florida, had to import all of the computer equipment from the U.S. because of the prohibitive cost of technology in Central America.

"They were a wealthy family, living in a big house with all the modern amenities," Roy said. "And they said that having everything imported was the only way that they could start the business."

Nevertheless, he said he has seen the youth in South and Central America embrace instant messaging and social networking sites such as Facebook.

Though he doesn't know the exact figures, Roy said that his Web site averages about 60 hits per day, which is more than he had anticipated it would. He said that it has also been linked to several travel and motorcycle forums as well.

"People seem to really enjoy hearing about the trip, and many people whom I've never met before have written to wish me luck and thank me for having the site," Roy said.

Roy said that he plans to take the Web site down a few months after his trip because of the cost of keeping it online, though he said that he would definitely create a new site for any future adventures he attempts. He has already said he would like to motorcycle to Alaska at some point within the next two years.

"It's great to be able to share the trip with friends and family as it's happening," Roy said. "And I can share much more of the trip with the travelogue than I could with a conversation when I return home. I can't see myself maintaining a blog for anything else though."

Roy said that he doesn't consider his mode of travel very expensive, but in order to take a trip like his, the most important factor is having the right attitude and committing to the goal. Many people he spoke with along the way have told him that they regret not doing something similar to his trip before settling down.

"If your dream is to take a road trip across the states, tell yourself, 'On May 21st, 2011, I am taking a road trip across the States,'" Roy said. "Once you have committed to the idea and the day, everything else falls into place."