Spring Break
To the bottom of the Earth, blogging all the way
UConn student takes leave of absence to pursue chance of a lifetime
Mike Northup
Issue date: 12/4/08 Section: News
Taking a year off from college, while infrequent, isn't the most uncommon thing for a student to do - unless it's to take a solo motorcycle trip to the bottom of the world. Jeff Roy, an accounting major at UConn, decided to do just that - and he's letting the rest of the world follow him along on his journey via his blog.
Since this past February, Roy, 26, has chronicled his adventure as he motorcycles solo from his home in Enfield to his intended destination of Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, on his blog, "Journey to the Bottom of the World."
Roy uses the Web site, www.Jeffs9thSemester.com, to include posts about his plans, gear, adventures and experiences during his journey. The site is complete with videos of himself, numerous photo albums and an interactive Google Map showing his current location. His latest post came on Thanksgiving from the South American country of Ecuador.
"The most rewarding aspect of my trip has been seeing these countries and meeting the people here firsthand," Roy said in an e-mail. "Although I haven't spent a large amount of time in any one place, I can't help but feel I have a slightly greater understanding of the world and the people in it."
Despite making regular online posts, complete with anecdotes, observations, pictures and maps, Roy doesn't consider himself a "blogger." He said he's more "just a guy with a Web site that I use to share my trip with others, something more like a travelogue."
Roy said that he didn't even consider keeping a travelogue of his trip until a few months into his planning. Looking back on his decision, he is glad he went online.
"I know that if I kept a personal journal in a notebook, I would have stopped writing after the first week, or that it would have simply become a list of places I'd visited," Roy said. "By keeping a travelogue in a public forum, I've stayed motivated to publish regularly."
It has become increasingly difficult for Roy to decide what to post on his Web site as he travels farther along on his journey. Much of his experience, regardless of which country he is in, starts to become very similar from day to day, making it difficult for him to decide what readers would want to hear about.
Since this past February, Roy, 26, has chronicled his adventure as he motorcycles solo from his home in Enfield to his intended destination of Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, on his blog, "Journey to the Bottom of the World."
Roy uses the Web site, www.Jeffs9thSemester.com, to include posts about his plans, gear, adventures and experiences during his journey. The site is complete with videos of himself, numerous photo albums and an interactive Google Map showing his current location. His latest post came on Thanksgiving from the South American country of Ecuador.
"The most rewarding aspect of my trip has been seeing these countries and meeting the people here firsthand," Roy said in an e-mail. "Although I haven't spent a large amount of time in any one place, I can't help but feel I have a slightly greater understanding of the world and the people in it."
Despite making regular online posts, complete with anecdotes, observations, pictures and maps, Roy doesn't consider himself a "blogger." He said he's more "just a guy with a Web site that I use to share my trip with others, something more like a travelogue."
Roy said that he didn't even consider keeping a travelogue of his trip until a few months into his planning. Looking back on his decision, he is glad he went online.
"I know that if I kept a personal journal in a notebook, I would have stopped writing after the first week, or that it would have simply become a list of places I'd visited," Roy said. "By keeping a travelogue in a public forum, I've stayed motivated to publish regularly."
It has become increasingly difficult for Roy to decide what to post on his Web site as he travels farther along on his journey. Much of his experience, regardless of which country he is in, starts to become very similar from day to day, making it difficult for him to decide what readers would want to hear about.
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