5 Minutes With Chris Backe of One Weird Globe

For McCool Travel’s 139th travel interview, I am pleased to present Chris Backe. Bizarre, offbeat, quirky, unique, weird, random. Enough about me. Kidding aside, I love seeing social media posts from Chris Backe because they always entertain, inform, and enlighten me. He recently published a book about Florida weirdness—called What the Florida (buy it!)—since I grew up in Florida I had to remind myself what I am missing.
Chris Backe‘s bio: “Chris Backe is the blogger behind One Weird Globe, a travel blog that’s focuses on the weird and offbeat destinations around the world since 2008. He’s written dozens of guidebooks and itineraries, and has been seen on Atlas Obscura, io9, Fark, and Mental Floss.”

McCool Travel interview with Chris Backe of One Weird Globe
Chris Backe of One Weird Globe

Chris Backe of One Weird Globe

Hometown …
Believe it or not, Seoul, South Korea. Why? Spent 5 years there, dealt with my quarter-life crises—yes, plural—and met my now-wife there.
Where I grew up, though? Hammond, Indiana.
Always in my luggage …
The games I’m designing, a blindfold (rather sensitive to the light when I sleep), a 25′ Ethernet cord (because sometimes the wifi sucks…)
3 favorite home-away-from-home places …

  1. Seoul, South Korea
  2. Chiang Mai, Thailand
  3. Berlin, Germany

A favorite travel memory is …
The moment I knew I wanted to marry my now-wife.
Laura and I were traveling to Daejeon, South Korea while we were dating. I saw a weird ship on the left as we pulled into Daejeon’s train station. We had a rough itinerary for the city and the weekend, but as soon as I saw the ship it flew out the window! We spent close to an hour at the train station, trying to figure out where and what this thing was – we’re nowhere near water, mind you. I looked over, and she was as earnest in looking for information as I was. I thought to myself, ‘this will be the woman I marry.’ We had been dating for about six months and things were getting serious… Eventually, we hopped in a taxi and found the ship – it was actually an abandoned wedding hall of sorts. It’s not technically open to the public, and not published on the blog since I’d rather not encourage people to trespass…
3 favorite travel brands …

  1. Lowepro for a camera bag that’s exceptionally well-made.
  2. Apple (iPhone and iPad)
  3. Airbnb

I seriously don’t use many branded products…
3 money-saving travel tactics I use (before trips) are …

  1. Remembering time is money. Spending a dollar on a bus ride to save a couple kilometers of walking is worth it.
  2. Watch how much money you spend at bars. Pre-game or set a limit.
  3. I’ve had good luck with Airbnb hosts offering an airport pickup. Usually it’s one of their friends helping them out, but it’s a quick, easy way to get from A to B.

3 ways that I have fun while traveling are …

  1. Posing with statues, ice cream cones, animals, buildings…
  2. Being as observant as possible—there’s weird in everything
  3. Giving people bunny ears when they’re taking a picture of someone else

8 word (or less) travel mantra …
Keep looking for weird stuff!

McCool Travel interview with Chris Backe of One Weird Globe
Chris Backe of One Weird Globe

favorite non-travel website …
Reddit. Wide variety of stuff, found here before it’s seen on Facebook and elsewhere.
most memorable souvenir …
I didn’t buy it, but the neon-colored David statues seen in Italy were definitely memorable.
favorite cheap eat …
Kebabs. They’re everywhere here in Bucharest.
recent discovery …
The Michael Jackson monument at a park in Bucharest. Why’s it there? No idea!

McCool Travel interview with Chris Backe of One Weird Globe
Chris Backe of One Weird Globe

I am fortunate to have met …
My wife (see story above)
Also, Gary Arndt, one of the great travel bloggers.
I would like to meet …
Charlie Carlson (RIP)—he was sometimes referred to as Florida’s Master of the Weird.

McCool Travel interview with Chris Backe of One Weird Globe
Chris Backe of One Weird Globe

Thank you so much, Chris, for taking a few minutes to share your travel inspiration and tips.
Follow Chris Backe on TwitterInstagramFacebook, Pinterest, and One Weird Globe.


McCool Travel presents tips from travel experts in our 5 Minutes travel interview series—featuring travel industry giants, super frequent travelers, and adventurous persons. Check out McCool Travel’s previous travel interviews. Previous 5 Minutes travel interview: Dennis Littley of Ask Chef Dennis.


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5 thoughts on “5 Minutes With Chris Backe of One Weird Globe”

  1. Bonjour,
    Lors de votre passage en Espagne, savourez la beauté du parc national de Doñana situé sur le Guadalquivir, dans le sud de l’Espagne, à 100 km de Séville. http://www.affaireweb.com/blog/donana/
    Ne manquez pas d’apporter des jumelles, choisissez un abri et contemplez les milliers d’oiseaux migrateurs qui trouvent dans le parc un havre temporaire.

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