Phase 1: Research

A journey this big is going to require a lot of research to make sure it succeeds. I have given myself a lot of time to prepare but the biggest factor for this will be help from friends and family and any like minded people out there. I think the beauty of this whole idea is the network that it could create, not just from the people I meet while out there but also the friends I have now and the people this blog attracts. With your help I can make sure there's nothing I missed in planning and gain knowledge from those who have actually traveled to those places. That is why I have made a list of areas to research, a table of contents for planning this journey if you will. I will update and fill it in as we go and finally when the date comes to start this journey, hopefully I'll have all the information I'll need and be fully prepared. I know there will be an element of going with the flow and winging it from time to time once I'm out there but I believe the least of that the better, for starting off anyways. So here is my list, broken down and organized the best I could. There is a list of pages on the right for each of these sections for everyone to leave their advice and tips.

Research Table of Contents:

 Staying: - hostels vs hotels
                - friends and family
Any tips and suggestions for staying cheap are welcome, and of course couch surfing when possible is much appreciated.

Eating: - eating in vs eating out
              - shopping at markets or stores
The difference between eating out and buying from markets to make your own meals will greatly affect my budget, the farther a dollar can go for feeding me, while still staying healthy, the better. tips on this would really help.

Transit: - buses and trains vs flying
               - buses vs cabs
               - packing light, only taking essentials vs bringing everything you need
Finding cheap ways to travel both around the city I'm at and going city to city or country to country is key in this journey, also not having too much to carry around with me would be nice, I know there's all sort of ways out there to consolidate and condense what you need to bring and how. All tips and suggestions are welcome.

Contacts: - internet cafes and wifi
                  - phones - pre-paid vs monthly plan
                  - contact list - electronic and paper copy
It'll be important to keep in touch with everyone online back home as well as the ability to contact and make plans ahead of time, how to do so the cheapest will be key.

Health and Safety: - shots and insurance
                                 - emergency services
                                 - where NOT to go
                                 - ID to bring - passport/ other
I must always think of being safe while on this journey, making sure I have the proper shots and traveling insurance isn't enough, also knowing places and things to stay clear of and best ways to get a hold of emergency services if needed is a must.

Money: - carrying currency vs using credit/debit cards
              - carrying different currencies - Euro/US/CDN etc
              - discounts - backpackers card, special rates, etc.
              - reservations and pre-paid items
Saving money and cutting costs while on this journey is the big point on this list. Whether it's saving spending by carrying a different currency, using a particular bank or just using plastic instead, or finding places with discounts. I've heard of a global backpackers card that makes it cheap to stay at hostels across Europe, or a special transit card that make it cheap to take the trains when traveling across the continent.  Things like those will be key to stretching the budget and making this all possible. Please, any information, links, leads etc. are greatly appreciated.

Places To Go: - sites, landmarks, museums etc.
                         - countries and cities
                         - clubs - BJJ and other.
Finally, places to go, anyone who had a great experience who heard of a great place to check out, let me know. I already am forming a list of places to go as far as cities and sites, the list of clubs to look up is very sparse but that's really more a phase two thing, contacting and making connections to meet down the road.  

First Post: My Quest

Hello my name is Robert Barker and this is my blog. What is the blog about? Well I'm pretty sure the title says it all but let me explain it more. I am big fan of martial arts, always have been, I've never felt better than when I'm on the mats or in the ring training, sparring or competing in one form of martial arts or another. I've tried out quite a few styles over the years and I loved them all. Currently I spend most my time training in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, it's such a fun ever changing game and the art has so much dynamic to it. I also train in Japanese jiu-jutsu which I love for the practicality of it, self defence is always on my mind in anything I practice, 'how would this work into my self defence situation?' I'm  a fan of training for sport and competing but lets not forget, it's roots are from self defence, to truly learn a technique one must also study it's roots. Also, whenever I can if it's possible I try to train in whatever else is out there and available weather at home or traveling and visiting, as the saying goes "Have Gi, will travel"!
After a rather successful summer of traveling for work and training while on the go I was able to visit a bunch of different school, clubs and dojos, mostly all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or grappling clubs. They all had one thing in common: the love for the art. This furthered my belief that all martial arts are tied together, not just by having similar moves and concepts but they all are built on the same principals of self defence in combat and respect to one another outside of combat. This reinforced my beliefs of this connection that I've noticed over the years training at different clubs. This got me to thinking, I've always wanted to see different martial art styles in the homeland they originate from or how the same style differs from place to place. Brazilian jiu-jitsu for instance is so varied from club to club that your own style can work perfectly against a more senior belt in one club and be completely shut down by a junior belt in another club, and that's just in the same city. To see that and think about how much is out there still to see and learn is overwhelming and exciting. And so with this I have began my planning phase to travel the world, going from country to country, city to city, club to club training in martial arts and experiencing this wonderful art, the Art of Self Defence.