Journal

He had visited all the countries of the world, the North and South Poles and climbed the highest peak of every continent except the last one. He was born in very poor circumstances, today he earns millions in the online world. With the money earned, he builds hospitals for those who live in poverty. He wanted to compensate his wife and mom for the time spent away from home and took them to Bratislava. We had the honor that they laid their heads in Hotel Devín**** and Johnny agreed to an interview.

Hi Johnny, welcome to Bratislava and to the Hotel Devín****. Could you please briefly tell us your story?

Yes of course. I’m from Galway, which is on the west coast of Ireland. My sister and I had a difficult childhood. My father was in prison and my mother, sister and I had to leave the country. We changed our names and moved to Kilkeel in Northern Ireland, which belongs to Great Britain. We had hard times. For about ten or fifteen years, we lived on welfare. We had no money for anything, certainly not for travel. I was imprisoned in this small village. I was 22 years old when I graduated from university. I had no money and a student loan to pay. I wanted to travel so much that I flew to Thailand and started teaching English. I was getting a very small salary, something like $500, but I was used to living on nothing, so it was fine. When you are young, nothing bothers you. I lived in a small apartment that I rented for $100 a month and learned Thai.

How did you get into blogging?

I really wanted to show people who come from a similar background that they can have an interesting life even if their parents don’t pay for them to study, or buy them cars. If I can do it, anyone can. With this message I started blogging. It took me a long time. I blogged daily for the first 3 years, after 5 years the blog slowly became known. Any business requires hard work in the beginning. I knew that no one from Ireland had ever visited all the countries of the world. I wanted to be the first one. It lasted 11 years. By 2017, having travelled to all of them, I decided to climb the highest mountain in each continent and visit the North and South Poles. No one has ever been able to do that. I wanted to be the first. Now that I have climbed Mount Everest, I have only the last mountain left.

Was Mount Everest the toughest travel challenge you ever tackled?

Two years ago I sailed across the Atlantic on a boat. Together with three other people, I spent two months in that small boat paddling from Europe to America. It was great. But it was harder than climbing Mount Everest. No motor, no sail, in the middle of the ocean, just oars. For two whole months I rowed for two hours and slept for two hours.

When you finish, will you write a book or do a photo exhibition? Will there be a grande finale?

It’s not my style. I don’t like the shallow feeling that social media shows daily. Like “Look at me, how perfect I am. My life is great, yours sucks.” I don’t rent houses and expensive cars to lie on social media. I want to live a simple life and inspire others to do anything they set their minds to. I tell the truth about my origins and give travel tips. I’m 39, I’m old school. I have my blog and my website. I like it that way. If I was 21, I would be all Tik-tok, but that’s another story.

What will you do when you finish?

When I finished countries in 2017, I started a charity, Munida adventures. So many people want to travel and they would pay a fortune for it. 2-3 times a year I guide them and from the profit I build a clinic for malaria patients, a kindergarten or a playground in poor communities. This is what I want to do.

Why did you choose our small Bratislava after the attractive Mount Everest?

A trip to Bratislava is different. Whenever I go on an expedition, I leave my wife and mom at home. I travel to challenging destinations such as Somalia, Iraq, 17 people have already died on Mount Everest this year. I want to compensate them for the time I’m away and leave them at home worrying. When I go alone, I don’t deal with choosing a hotel as much as when I take them with me. I want the best for them. I am looking for 4 stars and above.

My wife has a Thai passport and it is very difficult for her to get a visa. Fortunately, I have a lot of experience in getting visa. For example, I’m going to Japan next week and I have to work on my documents because they still have very strict rules due to Covid. And then in a month I fly to Mali, Turkmenistan, Iraq and Syria. I have spent my life getting visas. At least now I can help my wife get hers.

You were in Slovakia 10 years ago. Do you see a change?

Oh huge! It has developed a lot and is incredibly clean! Yesterday we went to Vienna, that old cool city, but Bratislava is much cleaner! I was shocked. Slovakia is a first world country, it is developed, I see no reason for people to leave the country. However, I think that the travel industry is not doing enough for the development of tourism. Estonia, Portugal and Georgia have made a program for digital nomads. They pay about 5% tax. These countries have opened their borders to wealthy travelers who make money online. They don’t care where they work from. They buy expensive accommodation, eat in restaurants. Countries who did it get so much money. Many people have no idea what kind of destination Slovakia is. Unfortunately, many rumors originate from movies. When you say Slovakia, Hostel immediately comes to mind. Romania has a similar problem because of Dracula and Kazakhstan because of Borat.

Do you feel good in Hotel Devín****?

We are staying here for 3 nights. I’ve lived my whole life in hotels. In cheap hostels, as well as in luxurious five-star hotels on private islands. When you don’t want to spend much time choosing a hotel, you book a chain hotel and know what you are going to get. But those are black and white. No energy. When I want to experience the culture and energy of a city, I go to an independent hotel, but that requires a bit of a gambler’s soul. You never know what you’re going to get. The location of your hotel is incredible! My mom has Parkinson’s disease and this place is close to everything. Right at the center, you just cross the street to get on the ship.

Do you have a last message to share?

Don’t go to chain hotels. Come to Slovakia, stay in a Slovak hotel and feel good. /span> It’s luxurious and gorgeous, don’t be afraid of it.

You can read more about Johnny’a travels and his life story on the blog onestep4ward.com