After a year and a half long stint teaching English in South Korea and hopping around SE Asia I returned to my home in Minneapolis hoping to settle down and find a job in the often dreary industry of professional journalism. I told myself that despite my longing for continued global travel, there was no conceivable way I could stay out on the road whilst providing a livable means for myself and thus no reason to try. That was in December of 2011.

Three months hadn’t even gone by before I realized that the less than slight tugging to hop a flight and jump into the unknown wasn’t going to mysteriously fade away, and after a joke with my girlfriend suddenly turned serious (in a good way) I quickly found myself making plans for another long-term trip abroad, this time with an eye toward Taiwan. Teaching English would once again provide the means for more travel, and–if I work hard enough–the opportunity to break into freelance travel journalism, a career that’s about as easy making a living off of as selling socks made of human hair.

Me and Blogging
During the first part of my time in Korea I blogged consistently and was able to garner a solid readership. For reasons that include laziness, and too much time spent travelling and drinking soju, my blog stuttered to a measly 1-post-a-month before going stagnant. It’s not that I didn’t want to write anymore; I just became somewhat bored with it and I felt this transferred into writing boring posts for my readers. This time around with Dreadlock Travels I hope to keep the posts pithy and plentiful, and hopefully I can redeem myself from a lackluster performance with Dreadlocks on the ROKs.

What’s with the Name?: Me and My Dreadlocks
Wherever I’m at in the world, for reasons I cannot fully explain, my hair has been a point of interest. In Korea old women tugged at it on the subway, often without my permission;  in Indonesia it raised suspicion as to my relation to Bob Marley (there is none) and in Italy it afforded me glares of aberrant curiosity, usually concluding in a glass of wine or shared espresso. In many cases my dreads have provided a fun segway into some interesting travel experiences so I feel it appropriate to include them in the blog title. Enough said.

While my interests span everything from food to culture clash, I tend to keep and eye out for global interpretations of Hip Hop (an old but constant love affair) and anything having to do with bicycles. Say what you must. That’s what I love. Also, I’ll most likely include a few series of varying nature, but I suspect that’ll iron itself as the blog progresses.

Enjoy!

Jay