Welcome to The HoliDaze, I’m Derek Freal and I’ll be your host. Unfortunately, I am also “that guy” so for all of you out there who are reading this and wondering “hey, is he that guy who….” well yes, that was me. Please direct all criticism and congratulations in the form of a tweet to @the_HoliDaze (preferably ≤140) for an appropriate apology or thank you. Whichever the situation dictates. Tweet Me Follow @the_HoliDaze
10 years of traveling in 3 sentences:
After moving to Tokyo in 2008 I quit my job at the start of 2009 and have been wandering the globe ever since. I have also been blogging since ‘day one’ back in mid-2008, when the world’s economy was crumbling and my dumb-ass had just gotten an apartment in the most expensive city on earth and taken a leave of absence from work. As my travel style evolved over the last decade, from luxury traveler to party animal to backpacker to adrenaline junkie to cultural enthusiast, so too has my my writing style.
Since 2015 I have been producing videos for clients in the travel/tourism industry, primarily excursion companies, tourism boards, hotels. That is why I have complete freedom to be blatantly honest here. Unlike other travel bloggers who only write about the positives because they are on sponsored trips and are obligated to, I make my money off videos. I can be as honest or as critical as necessary here. That makes The HoliDaze so much more enjoyable for the reader because every place is not “perfect” and a “must-visit” just to keep advertisers happy. The HoliDaze is honest. And sure, sometimes this raw honesty creates a bit of controversy (or a lot, as you’ll see below) but in the end the reader always wins….so enjoy it, especially my infamous Rants & Rambles 😉
My life would make one helluva television show. Been saying that since I was 16.
Guess I’ll have to settle for a blog. For now.
Why? Consider me the human version of Curious George, which gets extra interesting in when you factor in that I simultaneously have the best and the worst luck in the world. I’ve been getting myself into (and out of) awkward situations since I was a teenager. When shit hits the fan at its hardest and the fan is spinning full speed, shit is flying everywhere, left and right, blinding you, stinging, sometimes missing, sometimes sticking, sometimes getting flung on nearby friends, but always relentlessly flying…just when it looks like everything is at its worst, well that’s when the ‘Luck of the Derek’ arrives to wipe away all that shit and provide a fresh polish. One day this luck will run out. But until then it’s going to be an epic ride!
This is a story about a boy named Derek
He had a fancy corporate career but overworked himself and suffered a midlife crisis in his early 20s.
So Derek quit his job to travel the world!
After 3 years of traveling nonstop money was getting low, so Derek converted Shibuya Daze into a more professional global travel blog and re-branded it as The HoliDaze.
Within a year this blog was funding my global adventures.
PRESENTING
Derek Freal’s
Dubious “Accomplishments,”
Morally Questionable Incidents
& Travel Fucktastrophes:
Adventures Include That Time I…
…drove 3,000 kilometres (2,000 miles) across India in a rickshaw for charity.
…starred in a film in Indonesia.
…spent 6-months on a 32-state road trip across the United States in a school bus.
…sparked improvements at the Zoo of Death
UPDATE: The bears are still hungry. Despite what the mayor of Bandung said, apparently I changed nothing.
…learned to scuba dive in Malaysia.
…ate bull penis.
…and bone marrow. A cobra heart. Several types of brain. Bugs. Raw organs.
…even dog.
…survived the 2015 Nepal earthquake.
…worked on a marijuana farm in California.
…partied with Yakuza and rappers in Tokyo.
…appeared on Indonesian national television…again.
…and so much more!
That’s far from everything…why not browse around The HoliDaze and see what you stumble upon.
Highlights Asia America Africa Europe
Contact Derek Freal
