I’ve been hatching big travel plans for a few years now.  Let me tell you 
about them:<p>

&gt;&gt;The big idea<br>
A solo, one-year, round-the-world travel adventure which I will document in 
text, images, and video in (near) real-time on Vagabonding.com, a URL I’ve 
owned for years.<p>

&gt;&gt;The multimedia project<br>
Approached from a journalist’s perspective, Vagabonding.com will feature 
travel content that:<p>

- Gives readers a feel for different areas of the world and what it’s like 
to travel through them<br>
- Focuses on compelling, offbeat stories of local characters and festivities<br>
- Illustrates the vagabonding lifestyle and what it’s like to travel the 
world on your own<p>

I’m going to tell these stories in text, images, and video.  Content will be 
displayed on the site and also emailed to subscribers on a biweekly basis.<p>

&gt;&gt;The route<br>
The travel plans are loosely as follows: start in the South Pacific, then 
thread through South East Asia, India, the Middle East, and Africa.  I’d use 
the Links.net mileage giveaway to get the trip started, traveling first to 
Nadi, Fiji, and then Auckland, New Zealand.<p>

&gt;&gt;The timeframe<br>
I plan on leaving at the end of summer, 2002.<p>

&gt;&gt;My qualifications<br>
I’m uniquely qualified to make this project happen.  Formally educated as a 
journalist, I have been producing professional Web content since 1996.  I 
have lived abroad for over a year and have traveled on four continents.  
Most importantly, I have the passion, the money, and the guts to do this.<p>

&gt;&gt;URLs<br>
- <a href="http://www.vagabonding.com/">www.vagabonding.com</a><br>
The first demo version has just been posted.<p>

- <a href="http://www.mikepugh.com/">www.mikepugh.com</a><br>
My resume/portfolio site.<p>

- <a href="http://www.chicagocircle.com/">www.chicagocircle.com</a><br>
I built and maintain this community site to stay in touch and share digital 
photography with my friends.<p>

&gt;&gt;Summary<br>
Some people think I’m nuts to leave a good job and a great scene to travel 
the world on my own for a year; I think I’d be nuts not to. It mainly comes 
down to this: I want to see the world, and two weeks of paid vacation each 
year just won't cut it.<p>

Why do I want to share my journey on the Web?  Because I enjoy doing so.  I 
like writing, taking photographs, editing video, and making Web pages.  
Travelogues are my favorite Web destinations.  I figure, why not make my own 
– and try to make it the best Web travelogue out there?<p>

Why would I be a good recipient of the Links.net Mileage Giveaway?<br>
- I have the skills and experience to generate intelligent and engaging 
multimedia content<br>
- I’ll provide all my own hosting arrangements for Vagabonding.com, 
simplifying your involvement<br>
- Vagabonding.com will be active for one year or longer, providing a lot of 
coverage and value for your investment<br>
- I’m going to some pretty intense places; interesting things are bound to 
happen<br>
- I’ll happily promote Links.net on the site and wherever else I can<br>
- The ideals behind Vagabonding are similar in spirit and philosophy to 
Justin’s Links<p>

Thank you so much for your time!<p>

Mike Pugh<br>
Want a formatted Word version of this document?  I’ve posted one here:<br> <a href="http://www.chicagocircle.com/v/mikepugh_links.net_proposal.doc">http://www.chicagocircle.com/v/mikepugh_links.net_proposal.doc</a>