Meet Dennis-Michael (DM)
Born in the USA (Guam)
Has been traveling since birth (Father was in the US Navy)
Has visited 86 countries
He describes himself as a Solo Traveler
Follow Dennis-Michael’s amazing trips at DM World Adventures
Interview
Where did we meet?
Answer: Chinese New Year Fair in San Diego.
What was your first travel experience, and what impact did it have on you?
Answer: My first travel experience was moving to the Philippines. I was too young to remember, but between living there and Guam, I didn’t move to the mainland USA until I was 12. That move was actually the most memorable, as the USA was the foreign land to me.
How did you get involved in humanitarian work? Could you talk about some of your projects?
Answer: I’ve always volunteered for community organizations and good causes. And I had been traveling for a bit by the time I decided to do some international volunteering. I started to feel like there was more to going somewhere than just taking pictures, eating the food, and exploring. I still loved doing all of that, and I still do, but I just felt like there was more I could do to make my travels more meaningful.
So after learning about some organizations that were based in San Diego that provided unique opportunities, I went to northern Thailand to volunteer at an orphanage in Chiang Rai. It was not an easy thing, at first, as I am not really all that great with children, but they warmed up to me and I started to feel like I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. I helped build a classroom and built some shelving for storage.
From there, I went to volunteer at an educational center in Banda Aceh, where the 2004 tsunami struck and killed thousands of people. I went there on the ninth anniversary of that event to see how much it had built back up. At the educational center, I did a lot of lawn work and taught English to the Indonesian kids.
A few years after that, I met a man in San Diego who was distributing water filters to developing nations that had large populations of people who did not have access to clean drinking water. That struck something in me, telling me that I could do this, too. So I went and did this a few times – in Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania, and the Philippines.
In March 2020, I went back to Africa to distribute more water filters to rural villages in Uganda and Rwanda.
What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of volunteering abroad?
Answer: The challenge is not knowing what to expect – who is going to help, who is trustworthy, who is going to cause problems, etc. Not knowing the language and not knowing how I am going to get around are challenges. I have been lucky to have had all those figured out, but there might come a time when transportation won’t be so easy to figure out.
The rewarding part is helping people out – especially with the water filters. People know they are drinking water that can harm them. No matter their tolerance or immunity and resistance, it’s only a matter of time. However, children and infants are much more susceptible to water borne diseases and bacteria, so their mortality rate is high for water related illnesses. Even if this solution is just a band-aid, if it helps prevent illnesses and death, or lessens the potential for it to happen, that’s a good thing. People appreciate it; and when they express it, there is that feeling I get, knowing I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.
For those who desire to make a difference, what advice would you give them?
Answer: Find a cause you can believe in. Find someone who has done that or who has done something. Contact someone who has done it, and learn from them. If you don’t know your cause, find someone who is passionate about helping people, and maybe what they are doing or their passion can lead to you finding your cause. Passion is infectious. Passion is inspirational.
What are the coolest places you’ve been?
Answer: Angkor Wat is still probably the coolest place I’ve seen. Petra was really incredible, too, though. I like ancient ruins and Indiana Jones type of settings – ancient or lost cities. Machu Picchu, Tikal, and other central and South American sites or Roman ruins around the Mediterranean – all very cool stuff to explore and learn from.
You missed your layover flight. What do you do next?
Answer: I’ve missed way too many flights. If the airline desk won’t help you—and they usually don’t—call the airline right away. Sometimes they won’t help you, either; if that happens, hit them up on social media. That’s my thing for international flights to return.
If I miss a flight abroad and it’s not my flight home, though, I just figure out what to do with my time. One time, the airline cancelled my flight back from Kathmandu without notifying me. So I called the airline and they put me up in a hotel for two nights at no additional cost.
You missed your layover flight, but it wasn’t the airline’s fault. What were you doing that caused you to miss the flight?
Answer: I missed a connecting flight because of all the following: 1) I didn’t take notice of the time difference; 2) I decided that I had a lot of time, so I ventured into the city and didn’t realize how long it would take to get back; 3) I had headphones on; 4) there was a gate change and I didn’t realize it until I was at a different terminal.
I’ve missed a lot of flights.
What would be the most useful superpower to have as a traveler?
Answer: Flight or teleportation. But that would be too easy an answer. I’d say, fluency in every language.
What are you doing when you’re not saving the world?
Answer: I’m planning the next recreational trip!
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