Anthony of The Travel Tart .com admits to being a travel addict with a reputation for trying just about any kind of offbeat adventure he can find.
So far there’s only one thing – a culinary adventure – that he says he will not indulge in, and you can read about that below.
You’re known as a travel addict who looks for offbeat adventures. How do you define “offbeat?”
Pretty much anything that is a little bit left of field. This can be anything that is a little bit weird, unusual, or even funny.
Travel to me is about having a lot of fun and having a laugh at yourself even when things go wrong now and then.
What got The Travel Tart started in your search for offbeat adventures?
I’ve always had a taste for the unusual, and the things that package tourists avoid like the plague.
It must be where I’m from. Australian’s are known for their quirky sense of humour, which is probably because we are located at the geographic arse end of the world. We’ve evolved in isolation to everyone else, so we need to know what else is out there.
What would be the travel tart top three offbeat adventures you wish everyone could experience?
I recently wrote a list of Tips For Offbeat Adventures for you, but that’s not necessarily comprehensive. These are harder to pick than a broken nose, but I’ll nominate three that I didn’t write about in the article for you.
1. Go to a Cafe con Piernas (Coffee with Legs) in Santiago, Chile. This is like going to a strip joint at 9am, but you go there to drink coffee only.
2. Continuing with the coffee theme, try the world’s most expensive coffee at $500 USD per kilogram in Indonesia. It’s called Kopi Luwak, and it’s processed through the stomach of a small mammal before some poor guy has to sort through the dung to retrieve the coffee beans.
3. Check out some Cockroach Racing in Brisbane on Australia Day each year (January 26th), which is basically a thin disguise for a booze-up – while watching cockroaches race each other.
Have you ever had what you thought was a great offbeat adventure idea but regretted it soon after it started? If so, what did you get yourself into?
That would be when I decided that travelling in African mini bus taxis was an efficient way to get around.
I almost started to regret this when I had to sit next to the person with the biggest backside on the bus, which left my backside overhanging for a 12 hour trip going at 140 kilometres per hour – after waiting 4 hours for it to fill up with passengers.
Having said that, I gained some great stories from that experience. Not sure if my travel insurance would cover that though.
What offbeat foods surprised you the most when you tried them for the first time… both pleasant and unpleasant experiences?
Pleasant experience: Tea with egg from Indonesia (Teh Telur). Sounds terrible, but tastes great.
The unpleasant one was also from Indonesia: Rujak Cingur, which is Cow’s nose with satay sauce. Tastes crunchy and meaty at the same time, so that was hard to finish.
I’m sure you’ve run across some interesting cultural adventures during your many travels. What are some of the more interesting customs on The Travel Tart list?
Not exactly a custom, but I remember playing bingo on a bus in Argentina so someone could win a bottle of wine. It’s a great way to learn numbers in Spanish.
Where did you find the most hospitality when you were a complete stranger in a place?
I’ve found that people are pretty much the same around the world in terms of hospitality. We just do it in different ways. I’ve experienced great hospitality everywhere.
You seem to be the adventurous type who is up for just about anything. Is there anything you saw others doing that you said to yourself, “I think I’ll pass on that one.” If so, what was it?
I’ve done a few crazy bungee swings in South Africa, which left a few people pale.
I’ll try almost anything, but there’s no way in the world I would ever want to eat Balut, which is popular in the Philippines. Balut is a duck fetus that is available in various ages and crunchy textures.
You seem to be somewhat of a beer aficionado. You even have a beer index on your website. Give us a short list of your favorite beers from around the world.
That’s like trying to pick your favourite child. There are so many beers for different situations and climates that it’s impossible for me to nail one down as my favourite.
I’m a promiscuous beer drinker – I don’t stick to one beer! My favourite beer name is from India – Knockout Beer, which truthfully advertises it’s high alcohol content.
Where are The Travel Tart top three offbeat destinations, and why do you like them so much?
The United States – anything goes there.
Anywhere in Asia that has signs that don’t translate well into English (Engrish!).
And anywhere in the world that makes me laugh.
What is the one single funniest experience you’ve had on one of your offbeat adventures?
This one’s hard. There are way too many. But the one I remember the most was when a hustler in Tangier, Morocco placed a death curse on me when I didn’t pay him for useless advice that I didn’t ask for or want.
He said, “I hope that my god makes your bus crash and you’re the only one who dies!”
Give us your best travel tart adventure tip?
Just have a crack at something that you wouldn’t normally do. You might surprise yourself on how much you like it!
What are some of the things that are high on your offbeat adventure list right now?
Anything I haven’t tried yet! There’s always something out there. I want to see if I can score a travel blogging junket into space sometime soon!
Tell us a little about your website, The Travel Tart .com? What do you want people to get from it when they visit?
If you like your travel with a bit of a laugh, this is what you’ll get.
When I started The Travel Tart I didn’t need to be a serious travel writer like everyone else, and I think it’s worked for me. I don’t take myself too seriously, and you’ll notice this as obvious as dog’s testicles when you see the header photo of me on the site!
Anthony created The Travel Tart .com so he could share funny and unusual offbeat travel tips. He is well on his way to becoming a professional backpacker to help fulfill his dream of providing funny travel reviews and tips for the rest of his life.