From the point of view of science, I am a member of the big family of the, Eukaryota, Unikonta, Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Mammalia, Theria, Eutheria, Primates, Haplorrhini, Simiiformes, Catarrhini, Hominoidea, Hominidae, Homininae, Hominini, Homo sapiens.

A poet would say in a nobler manner that I am a Man, living on Earth.

My name is Nathanaël, Natha, Nath’, but I easily accept variants from my interlocutors. In England, I was named Nathaniel, in Spain Nathán (Natha, was not allowed because nata, is the word for cream) or Zlatan (This one I never quite understood, something to do with a Soccer player, I believe). There are also the diminutives and nicknames from my childhood, Thanel, Tatousolaire (God only knows), Thatoo (I choose this one), juveniledelinquant (Thanks to my brother).
For this adventure / journey, and on this website, I'll be known as Yogo. I don’t know how this nickname came to the mind of one of my University friends, but I like it. It is easy to remember, there is little chance of confusion in a foreign language (well that is a personal belief). And finally for those who have studied a bit of English or Spanish, there is a pun :-)

I heard about CouchSurfing (CS) around 2006 for the first time.
Then, many time I heard about without taking the time to come on the web site.
Finally, I heard about someone who travelled around the world only using CS two years ago.

I offer you to discover Wikipedia description:

Couchsurfing is a neologism referring to the practice of moving from one friend's house to another, sleeping in whatever spare space is available, floor or couch, generally staying a few days before moving on to the next house.

Free to register, members have the option of providing information and pictures of themselves and of the sleeping accommodation they offer, if any. More information provided by a member, and other members, improves the chances that someone will find the member trustworthy enough to be his host or guest. Security is often measured in the reference established by networking. Volunteers may verify names and addresses. Members looking for accommodation can search for hosts using several parameters such as age, location, gender and activity level.

Homestays are consensual between the host and guest, and the duration, nature, and terms of the guest's stay are generally worked out in advance. No monetary exchange takes place except for compensation of incurred expenses (e.g. food).

The mission statement of CouchSurfing is Create Inspiring Experiences:

"At CouchSurfing International, we envision a world where everyone can explore and create meaningful connections with the people and places they encounter. Building meaningful connections across cultures enables us to respond to diversity with curiosity, appreciation and respect. The appreciation of diversity spreads tolerance and creates a global community."

I'm sure I 'll apreciate CS during my trip. For now, I only meet people for a coffe. I have never host anybody and when I wneeded a couch I always used my own network.

There are plenty of site similar, BeWelcome and Hospitality Club very close to Cs, or also HelpX and WWOOF (World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) which is a world network of organique farm created in England in 1971. Farms offer to host you if you want to share there daily life and farm job during some time.

I was a Wwoofer during a bit more than a month in two different farm in England. I really apreciate this way of meeting people. If you want to (re)discover the value of work (work to feed people), if you want to travel, if you want to take time to meet people from here or there, Wwoofing is a very good way.

How to define my world trip route?

In my head, the earth not only have spun from west to east... I look at all horizons and all directions before deciding.
It depend how long time you go around and I changed that too.

First of all, I thought travelling with my backpack to visit the world during one year. Then, I said I want to stop in some place to feel it and share peolpe's life, one year seem to be short. When I decided to make a bigger projet of my world trip, two years appear to be necessary.

Anyway, you still don't know which country I'm going to visit, so I'm telling it now.

I'm not going to visit rich country,because of b budget and I know a bit the "western" way of life :-) Anyway, I'll casue the oportunity to go ther later.

I'll start in Asia, in Turkey. I'm looking for a boat (sailing boat, ferry or freighter) which is going to Turkey from France and accept to bring me there.

Then, I'm doing a return, a circle, first way by the North and back by the south. Thus, I'm not going to turn around the world because I don't cross the Pacific ocean whereas I'm going to cross all the continent except Oceania.
So, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Tibet (I know it's in China but, it's, at least, different geographically , historically  and the climat is different too), Nepal, India, Pakistan, Iran, Irak, and Israel.

I'm back to the Eurasian-African boreder, back from my first end of earth.
Ther, if I want to respect the good timing for climate, I have to cross rapidly Egypt, where I can go later anyway.
Then, I go down Africa, along the rift valley. I took this decision after reading Africa trek.
I'll live for some time in Sudan (We don't know yet the name of the two nexte state), Ethiopia , Kenya,  Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Finally South Africa, my second end of earth.

Next, I'll need to find a boat to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
I'll arrive somewhere along east coast of South America. I'll go to the South, crossing Argentina and Chile in order to stretch to ground fire .
Finally, I'll go North, Peru and Colombia.

I'll write the end next time. I may go back France or continue to the North to Mexico and USA. There are also countries of West Africa that I would like to visit...

Exchanging through internet with scientists or explorers, training on computers or for digital photography, attending to writing or drawing workshops, such are the offers made by  « L’enfant@l’hôpital »to ill children.

A thousand ways to learn differently !

Via Kolibri, a private internet platform, their cyber-reporters send, seldom from the end of the world, short reports with photos and enigmas. They answer personnaly to the children. 

The young ill an disabled may also express themselves trough writing, drawing or digital photo workshops. With the most modern tools, culture can so meet ill children.

Since more than 20 years, volonteers of this association intervene at request, in all of France, to help hospitaized ill or disabled children or adolescents.

Born in 1986, the association « L’enfant @ l’hôpital » has always had for mission to equip and accompany ill children and those who take care of them, to modern technologies, in  order to establish a continuity school.

Each year, nearly 3000 hospitalized children benefit from the services of  « L’enfant@l’hôpital » and several hundreds connect themselves each day to Kolibri.

And I will be one of their correspondants during my world tour. I have made an appointement with the children from the hospital of Valence (France) in January, to introduce them to my project and invite them to follow me for the two coming years.

If you wish, you may read the terms of the agreement I made with the association here below.
Thanks to the two "rémois", Anne et Benjamin de BiketoSchool who mentionned this association during our exchanges. And thank you to  Ludovic Hubler who's book encouraged my desire to provoke this meeting. Yet niether one of the three are members of this association.

Special thanks to Anne Dunoyer, Déléguée générale de l'association, for having welcomed me me to discuss my project. It was very pleasant.

And soon I will be meeting Lauréline Perotin,trainee at the 'association and who will be my contact during my journey. 
Hi Lauréline,
Meet you soon,

On thursday february third 2012, I had an appointement with the children from the paeditrics unit of the Valence (France) Hospital, according to my partnership with   enfant@hopital.

This meeting with children and tennagers from Valence, (nine of them, aged 10 to 17), made me very happy.

I believe they were all pretty intrigued by my project, and some seemed honestly interested. I had a bit of trouble juggling the various views and perceptions of the world, due to the age gap. I prayed them to ask all the questions that came through their mind, and if necessary, to interrupt me.

My world tour : surely one of my most important projects of life. I've dreamed about it from childhood. When I was 8, I planned it with my best friend.
I'm preparing it. Now, I want to live this experience and put it down on page of my history.

For this project, I'm Yogo. I'm 23 and I'm leaving in less than a year, I'm going to travel around the world.
I want to meet people, to go and truly meet them in their life. I want to share their way of life.

Concept

I'm going to travel from local place to another, from Turkey to Peru by many countries1.

The two subjects that I'm the most interested in are Energy (and environmental aspect) and Education. I studied Energy and I started working on it and probably carry on when I'll be back.

Education took me a big part of my commitment time. I have been an AFEV volunteer, I've got involved in "SUD étudiant" union, I taught children, and I always have been interested in "Petits Debrouillards" association works. I read a lot about alternative education.

I can't complain about education (school system) I had, because it worked for me. However, I complain there is only one system and we force all children to adapt to it, whereas it should be the opposite. I know there are other way to educate children and citizen. We should use cooperation and not competition, to build the self-esteem and not sanction by marks, to rise critical thinking and not bombarding people with knowledge.

Thus, I'm going to focus my world trip on education subjects. I want to attend “world school”, I want to learn with pupils, by them, from them, their language, their customs and the way they learn (and by the way how their teacher teach). I'm conscious there isn't school in each village of our world but I'm sure there are associations and volunteers everywhere and I want to highlight their work, at least through this blog. I'm going to meet women who create associations to learn, to train in order to go on and improve their futur.

This is the first definition of my project, my “daily” project...

I would like to enhance it. I'm looking for some special educating project that can be like big stages along my route.
I'm totally open minded and I will study any partnership to build a bigger project with a world NGO or association for example.

Means

I'm really worry about climate change. Therefore, I want to avoid planes. This is not really a problem for me, I prefer using local transport, walking, biking, hitch-hiking, bus, train, boat...

I'm going to travel as backpacker. I'll just have the subsistence stuff : some clothes, toilet bag and  first-aid kit, my passport and IDs and a VISA Card. I'm going to write everything down a notebook and I'll try to share as much as I can. I want to offer the possibility for people I'll met to write and express themselves in an other notebook, my "interviews notebook". For those who don't know how to write, I'm going to interview verbally. Do I bring a movie camera and a computer or just a camera and a handheld recorder? I'm afraid of the weight of netbook+movie camera and I think it's more disturbing.

Funding

I'm working this year as Energy Advisor for the Pays d'Epernay Terres de Champagne association. I should finance alone my trip.

Some people ask me questions about my job when I'll be back. I don't really think about it and I'm not afraid about that. All experiences I'm going to live will be unique and beneficial, not only because I'm going to discover other cultures but also because I'm going to developp my networking.

I may try to find jobs when I'll decide to stop somewhere in order to earn money along my trip.
For example, I would like to give some french, english, spanish or technical (energy, math...) courses to young pupils.
Of course I'll give a hand to all associations I'll meet on my way.

Finally, consider this blog as a way for me to learn from you. Don't hesitate to tell me your experiences and give your advice and "tips" around the world.

A few months ago, I devoured Ludovic Hubler's book until the last page. And in this last page, the author mentionned the project he had in mind: Travel with a mission

I quickly contacted Ludovic to learn more about his project and offered to lend him a hand.

Building bridges between teachers who are keen to welcome globe trotters and those who are globe trotting and are keen to visit the schools of the world, is what www.travelwithamission.org set itself as an objective.

The plan in a few words

A first notice about travelers using this website

There are more and more young (and sometimes less young) cultured and open minded people willing to travel a few months or a few years to increase their knowledge of the world surrounding them. These, often polyglot, fully licensed globe trotters, are more and more frequent on the world's roads. Before leaving, or on their way, they often realize that their journey could be useful to others as well.

This is "Travel With A Mission"'s (TWAM) "raison d'etre"

Our western consumer society is too individualistic, too self centered, let's say: too selfish!

And yet, more and more young people wish to be useful to help cure our sick planet, suffering from environmental problems, wars, and all sorts of social disorders.

The TWAM site will be a useful tool to all these young altruists, wishing to travel for a specific goal.

A second one about homebody's using this website

The development of new rechnologies across the world (and more recently the growth of social networks) has shown the need for people to learn from each other, in order to respect each one's right to be different.

Teachers have a crucial part to play in this field, as they train youth and encourage cultural exchanges.

Thoughout the world, teachers and training officers seek for means to allow youth to mix with other people originating from different social and cultural backgrounds.

TWAM will help teachers to meet this need.

Concept and Objective

TWAM is an interactive website that allows links between people willing to perform lectures throughout the world in every social or cultural environment (schools, universities, various organisations) and those likely to accomodate these lectures in their institutions.

It will promote :

• Intercultural dialogue and exchange of knowledge between nations/ ethnic groups/ communities/ religions...................

• "Intelligent travelling" and encounter between travelers and natives.

• Knowledge and "know-how" exchanges between individuals whatsoever.

• Help to globetrotters media coverage of tehir journey by means of a data base of journalists throughout the world, who are eager to publish orginal initiatives carrying a positive impact on the community.

If you wish to support this beggining project, or if you approuve of it, linf to the facebook page or send an email, and come discuss it at the first meeting in Paris on December 10th and 11th.

Later, I will need to find a way to cross the atlantic from South Africa to the Americas. Here are three sailing websites.

Yes, I know, because that is were I started my search, there are plenty of freight companys that offer tickets to cross, but they cost money, and quite a bit! Expect roughly 100$ per day, and the crossing of the atlantic takes about ten days..........

So, let me introduce you  to  Sail The World, created in 1997 by a group of passionate navigators, they gather about 10 000 people and offer a number of services through their website (unhappily, the site is not translated, only in french!) According to Alain Richard, the President, " whether for a world tour, a sabbatic leave, a big cruise, for begginners or experts, there is always room for you on Sail The World. In 14 years time, we've become the reference for preparing a saiboat trip, and it is as well a mine of advice, an open forum, a meeting point for crew members, and a guide to  high seas. Sail The World gives concrete and practical answers to sea loving traveller's questions- may they be adventurers, handymen, mile eat uppers, fishermen, or even dreamers!" And what I am interseted in, is the Bourse des équipiers that allows the meeting of skippers without a crew, and crews without a boat. But, unhappily for me, they usually get together for transatlantic or other big crossings and not for the tiny Med...

Then, there is Find a crew, that, even if it doesn't give all the advice that Sail The World does, offers a lot more adds for skippers without a crew and crews without a skipper. The website is in English and Italian, too bad there is no Spanish or French..  And, once again, the small Mediterranee doesn't seem te be short of crews..... , yet I've been told that the escorting season is between March and June. I'll find out, it's not too late yet....

And at last there is  Amis de Jeudi Dimanche Bel Espoir et Rara Avis…

They implement Michel Jaouen's religion, Jésuit : "the mixing of people, in need or not, for the benefit of alll".

"We manage two three-mast skooners: "Bel Espoir" and "Rara Avis", and a fleet of small sail-, row-,or motor-boats, the island of Stagadon in the Iroise sea, a workshop for crew members, a base at l’Aber Wrach ( Finistère) and another one in Paris. We offer navigation and our knowing how to eclectic groups. It's up to you to tell us what you expect and offer from your personal richness."

I thought about contacting them for my project, especially the tranatlantic bit, but after a better look, they mention small sailboats... maybe they cross Mediterranee with them?

And here, I give you a website list where you can find and place an advertisement about the crew you are looking for:

 https://www.bourse-aux-equipiers.com/

 http://www.voyages-transversales.com/bateau2.htm

 http://www.lavoile.com/crew.asp

 http://www.equipier.fr/?id_rubrique=3

 http://www.bourseauxequipiers.fr/index.php?option=com_annonces&view=annonces&catid=2&Itemid=53

 http://www.bateaustop.fr/Recherche/Offres

 http://www.cotweb.com/indexx?search=annonces&rubrique=

 http://www.floatplan.com/

 http://www.vogavecmoi.com/

Finally got around to it and went ahead and got my second vaccine shot, the one against the Yellow fever, named Stamaril. May I remind you that it is the only mandatory vaccine, as it is the only one that can be required by customs and immigration when you travel.

The shot must be administered in an International Vaccination Center. For me it was done at the university Hospital in Reims at Hospital Robert Debré. The shot are only given once a week on Tuesdays between 2 and 3pm.

Once you have gotten your shot, they give you a small Vaccination “passport”, which can open the door in certain countries.

At the Hospital Robert Debré, the consultation, the Stamaril vaccine and the Vaccination “passport” , costed me 34.98 Euro so about 48 US $.