John Eliason – Travel

Croatia

Leaving the clogging crowd of selfie snapping tourists behind, we accelerated out of the city. It was just my son and me, excited to live like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn on an in a little stone house by the Adriatic Sea.

Paris

After the obligatory tourist circuit (Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Champs Elysees…) I wondered what happened to the Paris I imagined. That’s when I did one thing; I stepped off the grid to see if I could find it.

Transylvania, Romania

Slowing my bike to a stop at the base of the giant mountain, I looked up, and wondered how I was ever going to make it up there. Then I thought, “It’s another challenging situation, let’s see what I’m made of.”

Scotland

Imagining knee-deep in a cool Scottish river casting for salmon, hiking barren highlands, bicycling coast to coast though villages, thatched roofed cottages, the smoky smell of peat in fireplaces... This doesn’t exist in the guidebooks. I’d have to connect the dots myself.

Sweden

Sold! I’d just ordered a new Volvo SUV. The sales guy asked “Want to pick it up in Sweden?” Absolutely! Then I wondered, “What if I connected with long lost Swedish relatives while I’m there..?” I found a phone number online that seemed right, dialed, it was ringing.. and then, “Hallo?”

London

Diving into a plate of hot golden fish and chips, mushy peas and cold pint, I wondered, “What if we expanded our business into the U.K. so we’d have a really good excuse to spend more time here? How might that work?” I set out on a quest to figure it out.

Norway

How can I create a life where I can live and work from anywhere in the world and have the time to do what means the most to me? That’s when I did one thing; started building it.

Thailand

“Flooded,” we were told. “Don’t bother.” But arriving in Bangkok two days later, we had the city virtually to ourselves. Rooms upgraded to opulent suites, no lines at the temples, markets, boxing ring and the custom made suits were delivered the next morning. I thought, “Yep, another reward for following your instinct, not the crowd.”

Fiji

What would it be like to spend a week of deep dive focused time with one of the worlds’ most charismatic leaders? That’s what I wondered... So I joined Tony Robbins’ Platinum Partners and headed to his remote island resort half way around the world to find out.

India

Sparks flying into the night sky, funeral pyres blazed beside the river, silhouettes of bodies, and a corpse lying at the water’s edge. Bells tolling in the background, dogs and cows pawing through the rubble. Imagining hell, I thought this town is it.

Japan

Surprised that I was savoring some of the tastiest sushi ever - and in Minnesota, I asked the chef where he learned his craft. “My auntie, she has a tiny restaurant in Tokyo.” A month later my son and I were in Tokyo, before we did anything else, we set out to find her.

Montana (Wilderness)

Waking up in the middle of the night to a huffing sound outside the thin fabric wall. We were in grizzly country and hiker had been killed just days before. I wondered, “What do you do when a grizzly crashes your tent?” I figured I should be prepared. I reached for my gun...

Austria

Looking down from Hitler’s Eagles Nest I thought about him, up here, conspiring to get others to march to his drum beat, to lose their independence, afraid to say the wrong word, or go against the Nazi status quo. Looking through the same window he did, I wondered, “How I can I help people do the opposite?”

Switzerland

Emerging from the woods at the edge of a small alpine village it occurred to me, “This isn’t right.” We were lost. “Ok.. what do you do when you’re lost?” We pulled out our map orientated and ourselves and started navigating our way.

U.S. Virgin Islands

“Where do you like to go that all the tourists don’t know about?” -It’s the one question I ask locals wherever I go. This time it landed us in a tarantula filled ravine wondering how to get out.

Grand Cayman

Looking at the menu, Lionfish was their specialty? No Thanks! I heard that’s poisonous. Turns out it’s not. It’s mild, flakey, tasty, awesome! Later, headed back to seven-mile beach, balmy, moon lit, windows open, I wondered about Lionfish politics and wondered where else I might be misdirected, vowing to keep my mind open.

Italy

About 10 million a year visit St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, they all stand in St. Peter’s Square and look up. My son and I decided to climb out on the roof and look down.

Monaco and French Riviera

Invited onto the mega yacht on a moonlit night in the Mediterranean for a small private party was not planned. We hadn’t known these people a few hours before, but we’d unscripted the afternoon in Monaco and were open to connections in the right direction - and this door unexpectedly opened. The host handed us a champagne and we stepped aboard.

Hawaii

After driving, hiking, snorkeling Kauai, it was time to see it from a different vantage point. We found a helicopter and wow, the things we saw... It changed what we wanted to do next.

The Ice Hotel

Looking out the airplane window down at the frozen tundra it occurred to me that while everyone else is headed south for warm sandy beaches, I’m headed north, really far north, above the arctic circle, in Sweden, to sleep in a dark frozen room, with no running water, on a bed of ice and reindeer hides and who knows what else...

Greece

Standing on the threshold of the ancient temple of Apollo, I imagined looking up at the message chiseled in marble, hammered in gold, the one requirement to understand the wisdom of the Oracle, “Know thyself.” Stepping away I wondered how I could do that one thing that better.

Wales

“Yeah, not going to go, too expensive.” For a man with means that’s your excuse? I was disappointed in my buddy for bailing on the father-son trip. But then my son and I rearranged everything; hikes, coasteering, where we stayed and when.. everything. The trip was epic - when maybe it wouldn’t have been. That’s when I was reminded, “What if all things do happen for a reason...?” Now I remind myself of that every day.

Belize

“Roll down your windows and unbuckle your seat belts, that way if go over the edge and into the water in we have a better chance of getting out.” – “Always know your exit,” That’s what I told the others as we started across the flooded bridge to the Mayan ruins.

San Diego, California

Struggling up the loose rock on the parched desert mountain we finally reached the plateau, the same one we’d been to many times before. What a view! This is why we kept coming back. I always assumed any higher would be more of the same. But this time we went a bit further, and what we found less that 100 steps away changed how and why we hiked this trail ever since.

Ireland

Excitedly we dropped into Ireland, but before long what surprised us was how un-Irish Ireland can feel. We expected leprechauns, rainbows and Guinness at every corner. But like so much in life, we needed to stop with the guide books, reviews, and start thinking on your own. – And then we found it.

The Million Mile Club

These are some of the places I’ve gone with my million miles.
What about you?
Where could you go?
What does you best instinct say?

Going beyond.

Returning better.

True Freedom Experiences: Places where an experience ignited a deeper feeling of True Freedom

Croatia

Paris

Scotland

Sweden

London

Norway

Thailand

Fiji

India

Japan

Montana

Austria & Switzerland

Virgin Islands

Grand Cayman

Italy

Monaco and French Riviera

Hawaii

Greece

Belize

San Diego

Wales

Ice Hotel

Glimpses into some of those adventures

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