Location: Dublin, Ireland
‘Going Rogue’ is a new corner of my blog where I’ll track life on the road as I work and travel across the globe. The title ‘Going Rogue’ seems apt, or at least aspirational – ‘exhibiting maverick-like behavior, or bucking the status quo’. And importantly for a marketer, it’s on-brand – Ro-nan, Ro-gue etc. so there’s that.
(After a quick Google it is also the title of Sarah Palin’s memoir – which is nothing but a coincidence. This is a politics free zone. So if you find yourself here after some careless Googling, then I’m sorry to disappoint you. Though it’s probably a blessing in disguise.)
So after a quick change of Twitter and Insta handles (and a helpful dash of multiple underscores – turns out I’m not the first person to latch on to the phrase), a new blog mini-series was born!
As you may have noticed, it’s been 6 months since my last blog. An illustrious writer I am not. Though I primarily write for my own edification so that’s fine by me.
Since then I have ticked a number of high-priority destinations off my proverbial travel bucket list – Italy, Greece, New Orleans and Austin.
That list, however, is long. And despite a brief school tour to Beijing in 2008, my travel hasn’t extended beyond Europe and North America. While those trips were fun, it’s not exactly the type of travel that leads to real adventure.
It was always on the to-do list, but decidedly in the future tense. Suddenly, you wake up and realise if you don’t make it happen soon you may never get the chance. Having a lifestyle where it’s an ever present thing is certainly a goal, but who knows what’s going to happen in 10 years, 5 years or a year from now. Or tomorrow.
TL;DR – YOLO
The Plan
The first step is a week long trip to Lisbon and Marrakech in January. This will essentially be a test run for a much longer venture to South America.
In mid-February, I travel to Lima, Peru as the first destination on a trip that as yet has no end point. In fact it doesn’t have many middle points yet either. After Peru (which includes a short trip to Cusco to visit Machu Picchu), I head to Santiago, Chile, and from there to Buenos Aires in Argentina. And so far, that’s all I’ve booked.
Other countries on the shortlist include Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Colombia and Mexico City.
First Stop; Lisbon
So what should you expect to see on Going Rogue? The plan, as always, is to write regular updates from my travels, with the aim to put consistent publishing ahead of a perfect finished product.
My first stop is Lisbon, so if you’re planning a trip to the Portuguese capital check back here at the end of January for tips on where to eat, what to do and the best places to cowork. Also expect future posts to have more pictures, less rambling text and a little bit more interactive.
Até mais.
Want to see what I’m getting up to on my travels? The best way to do that is to subscribe to the blog if you haven’t already, and follow me on Instagram and Twitter.
