# Interview with Johnny Ward from onestep4ward.com Riley Quinn ยท January 31, 2014 > I'm really happy to have Johnny Ward as our most recent interviewee. Johnny has made his way through 107 countries and shares his stories at onestep4ward. [https://cdn.mightytravels.com/creative/czM6Ly9taWdodHl0cmF2ZWxzLW9sZC1iYWNrdXAtb25seS9iYWNrdXAtZm9sZGVyLWltZy9qMS1iaWcuanBnarr.jpg](https://cdn.mightytravels.com/creative/czM6Ly9taWdodHl0cmF2ZWxzLW9sZC1iYWNrdXAtb25seS9iYWNrdXAtZm9sZGVyLWltZy9qMS1iaWcuanBnarr.jpg) I'm really happy to have Johnny Ward as our most recent interviewee. Johnny has made his way through 107 countries and shares his stories at [onestep4ward.com](http://onestep4ward.com). *How, why and when did you get started to blog your thoughts on travel?* I started it in 2009 when I was in Australia on a working holiday visa. It's the only time in my life I had a 'real' full time job and I was pulling my hair out so I used that time to create my blog! I hired a Filipino guy to knock together a basic blog for me. I had been reading travel blogs for a while and it seemed that very few people 'really' traveling, so I thought there was a space for me. *What is your blog all about?* It chats a bit about stories from the 100+ countries I've visited, but more recently I've focused more on inspiration, motivation and lifestyle design. Trying to inspire people to follow their passions, and forgetting the status quo. *Are you a full-time blogger? If so, do you live a rich lifestyle? :)* Yeah I guess I am. I started a media company, step4wardmedia.com, off the back of the revenue I was generating. I recently bought an apartment in Thailand, invested in a stock portfolio and I'm buying an investment property in London at the mo so it's paid off for me, that being said - the industry isn't going to be around forever so I'm trying to smart with my money! *What has been your most popular post so far?* Perhaps the post I wrote about 20 things to learn in your 20s. I wrote it last month as I turned 30 so it was straight from the heart. *What's your favorite country/place you have traveled to and why?* To travel - I'd say Ethiopia, Iceland and China. They all have super beautiful things to see, and Ethiopia and China are cheap as chips too. *Where would you want to live if you'd have to settle on one place?* I have my 'home' in Bangkok, Thailand. When I'm not traveling I'm based there. *If I would be looking for beaches, mountains, city life, nightlife - where would you send me?* You mean all in one place?! Or individually?! Beaches - Mozambique, Indonesia, Philippines. Mountains - Bhutan and Nepal. City life - Budapest, Bucharest, Bangkok (all awesome cities with awesome prices), Nightlife - everywhere! *How many countries have you been to?* 107 and counting. I'm planning to visit them all (193 according to the UN) before I'm 35. 5 years to go! [https://cdn.mightytravels.com/creative/czM6Ly9taWdodHl0cmF2ZWxzLW9sZC1iYWNrdXAtb25seS9iYWNrdXAtZm9sZGVyLWltZy9vbmVzdGVwNHdhcmQvbWVfaW5fam9yZGFuX3dpdGhfdGhlX2JlZG91aW5zLWJpZy5qcGc=arr.jpg](https://cdn.mightytravels.com/creative/czM6Ly9taWdodHl0cmF2ZWxzLW9sZC1iYWNrdXAtb25seS9iYWNrdXAtZm9sZGVyLWltZy9vbmVzdGVwNHdhcmQvbWVfaW5fam9yZGFuX3dpdGhfdGhlX2JlZG91aW5zLWJpZy5qcGc=arr.jpg) *What places/countries are the most overrated?* For real traveling South East Asia is insanely over rated. It's a middle class booze cruise. I live in Thailand, and love taking holidays in SE Asia, but traveling here? I'm not a fan at all. *What's currently in your TOP 5 list to go to?* Oh I love dreaming about this stuff. Mexico, Brazil, Antarctica, Pakistan,Saudi Arabia, The first 3 are coming in 2014! [https://cdn.mightytravels.com/creative/czM6Ly9taWdodHl0cmF2ZWxzLW9sZC1iYWNrdXAtb25seS9iYWNrdXAtZm9sZGVyLWltZy9vbmVzdGVwNHdhcmQvYnVuZ2VlX2p1bXBpbmdfYXRfdmljdG9yaWFfZmFsbHMtYmlnLmpwZw==arr.jpg](https://cdn.mightytravels.com/creative/czM6Ly9taWdodHl0cmF2ZWxzLW9sZC1iYWNrdXAtb25seS9iYWNrdXAtZm9sZGVyLWltZy9vbmVzdGVwNHdhcmQvYnVuZ2VlX2p1bXBpbmdfYXRfdmljdG9yaWFfZmFsbHMtYmlnLmpwZw==arr.jpg) *What was the most embarrassing travel situation you ever faced?* So, so, so many! One time in Rwanda I was walking past a huge crowd where they were distributing free tshirts, I was really broke and had no clean clothes left so I was keen to get a free tshirt myself. I got a little too eager to grab one and ended up being summoned onto the stage where I had to dance in front of the crowd in payment for the tshirt. Awful! *What was the most rewarding travel situation you encountered?* Selfishly, probably summiting mountains - Kinabalu, Kilimanjaro, Fuji, or Everest Base Camp. From a more humanitarian point of view, volunteering with Syrian refugee kids in Kurdistan, Iraq. [https://cdn.mightytravels.com/creative/czM6Ly9taWdodHl0cmF2ZWxzLW9sZC1iYWNrdXAtb25seS9iYWNrdXAtZm9sZGVyLWltZy9vbmVzdGVwNHdhcmQvVG9wX29mX0tpbGltYW5qYXJvX05vcm5fSXJvbi1iaWcuanBnarr.jpg](https://cdn.mightytravels.com/creative/czM6Ly9taWdodHl0cmF2ZWxzLW9sZC1iYWNrdXAtb25seS9iYWNrdXAtZm9sZGVyLWltZy9vbmVzdGVwNHdhcmQvVG9wX29mX0tpbGltYW5qYXJvX05vcm5fSXJvbi1iaWcuanBnarr.jpg) *What is your most embarrassing travel pet peeve?* I will never pass a Subway sandwich place without eating, forgetting all about the local food. Footlong meatball all day long. [https://cdn.mightytravels.com/creative/czM6Ly9taWdodHl0cmF2ZWxzLW9sZC1iYWNrdXAtb25seS9iYWNrdXAtZm9sZGVyLWltZy9vbmVzdGVwNHdhcmQvZWF0aW5nX3N1YndheV9vdmVyc2Vhcy1iaWcuanBnarr.jpg](https://cdn.mightytravels.com/creative/czM6Ly9taWdodHl0cmF2ZWxzLW9sZC1iYWNrdXAtb25seS9iYWNrdXAtZm9sZGVyLWltZy9vbmVzdGVwNHdhcmQvZWF0aW5nX3N1YndheV9vdmVyc2Vhcy1iaWcuanBnarr.jpg) *What's the most recent food discovery from your travels?* Hmm, I'm a papaya salad (SomTam) addict in Thailand. And kebabs all across the middle east, love it. *What was the most complicated flight itinerary you have ever booked?* Oh God. I was in Uzbekistan and I was trying to get to Iraq. I had to fly from Tashkent to Kazan in Russia (8 hour flight, then 8 hour layover). When I arrived it transpired I didn't have a Russian visa and kazan has no transit facilities, my layover was spent in a police office convincing them to let me through. Eventually from there I flew to Istanbul - 14 hours there, then to Adana in Turkey, 4 hours then and finally onto Arbil, Kurdistani Iraq. Nightmare! *What was the longest time you had no sleep/ hotel bed in a row? Tell us the story behind it!* So many, I did 72 hours on a train in Kazakhstan but we had a bed. Once I did 49 hours on buses in India/Nepal, no bed, just benches in a hot bus full of people. Hell. *What is your favorite hotel you stayed at?* Sri Panwa, Phuket or Niyama Maldives - unreal (and heavy prices)! What airline/hotel are you craving to try? *I just wanna fly first class, any airline will do!* *What are your favorite travel websites and why? * Wikitravel - can't get enough of it. *What gadgets help you out on your travels?* XE app on iPhone. Wikitravel offline on iPhone. Momondo for flights. *Where do you earn the majority of your miles? Credit Cards, Online Shopping Malls? *My AMEX business card. *Do you have a simple advice for a beginner - how to collect and use miles easiest? * I'm pretty awful at this, just started last year. Canonical: https://www.mightytravels.com/2014/01/interview-with-johnny-ward-from-onestep4ward-com/ Markdown: https://www.mightytravels.com/2014/01/interview-with-johnny-ward-from-onestep4ward-com/index.md