I came to Steemit not knowing what I was getting into. I never owned a smart phone, I spent maybe 30 minutes every other day on the computer. My main form of communication was email. I just got facebook! I don't know about this online world. I know travel. I know so much about travel that I thought it was a shame not to share my info and help others. That is why I came to Steemit.

So far I have helped others, and others have helped me. I've met some great people on here. I have whale supporters that see quality and value in my work. I have minnow followers who religiously view everything I post. I have people that value my travel tips. I have people that love my documentary like photos, and ones who love my in-depth travel reports.

I've helped people choose retirement destinations and advised people on travel routs and where to stay in specific locations. I've shown people how affordable it can be to travel around the world on a budget. But being on steemit is not all about me, my knowledge, and who I can share it with. Today I want to talk about some very special people who've I've connected with in significant and meaningful ways.

https://steemitimages.com/DQmURjo7XAxVRwmiysdcrrdYo5LGesomm5MuzooGi39rcCB/Dan%20in%20guayaca%20truck.jpg

Who do we love?

@eturnerx has become a significant follower and supporter of my work. He's a steemit investor and much more. Not only is he a travel enthusiast he's taken an active role supporting minnows like myself rise through the ranks. He has a very kind heart and really wants to see unique content creators like myself succeed. He is a delegator of steem power and founding sponsor of the "Make a Minnow" project. You can see how he goes about it here.

@biglipsmama with almost 2000 followers is an all pro blogger and supporter of everything steemit. She too has taken a liking to my work and has put my Island Tour article in her minnow lifting magazine posted on @the-curator along with the help of @aliciaonline.wow. They are doing all they can to lift up undervalued content creators and make Steemit a better place for everyone. You can see the latest issue of The Curator here.

@karenmckersie and I go back to my first couple weeks on here. For the life of me I couldn't figure out how to put up a profile photo. She took the time to walk me through it. She too has taken a liking to my work and resteems just about everything significant that I post and I thank her for that. She just crossed into the land of 2000 + followers. She has an incredible spirit and has recently started the "PoP" Power of Positivity contest. You can learn about that here.

@lukestokes has got to be one the original steemians on the platform going back to June of 2016. He has almost 4000 followers and is a big time witness, and works on techy "under the hood" kind of stuff that makes my head spin. He's the real deal. He's a hard working father and husband, and a fellow American. I reached out to him after working hard on a series of 30 cent posts and was ready to walk from the platform. He instantly recognized my unique high quality work, he's taken me under his wing, advised me and has kept me in the game. After some very interesting dialogue I'm happy to consider him a friend. You can learn about what he's doing and vote for him as a witness here.

@fitinfun is an all pro social media master, health enthusiast, and weight-loss success story. We made friends on steemit, and continued that friendship meeting in person in Bangkok last month. In two days I'll be in Bangkok again and we have plans to hang out. She likes what I post about on steemit, and not only resteems my work, she also tweets it out to thousands of twitter followers. She recently told me that I suddenly have a following on twitter I know nothing about! You can see her latest social media tip about using "simbi" to improve your Steemit blog here.

@twinner is another big time Steemian, cryptocurrency enthusiast and investor in the platform. I'm not really sure how we crossed paths but he found my work and has taken a liking to it. He always leaves a little something in my tip jar and it never goes without appreciation. He's been doing a series on his trip to the Island of Sardinia. You can see his latest post on that here.

@gavvet, what can I say about this guy, other than he's South African and is super smart. He can talk philosophy with the best of them. Writes highly detailed and informative articles about all sorts of stuff; it's very interesting but sometimes over my head. He is passionate about helping others and lifting up impoverished communities in Africa. He's an original Steemian with a 76 rep and 6,500 followers. He's taken a liking to my quality work and has been helping pull me out of the minnow weeds. You can see his latest post about the Southern Africa Bushmen here.

@flipstar found me right off the bat on my main intro post. He is a fellow traveler and investor in the platform. He immediately noticed my wealth of travel knowledge and I was able to help him with his decision to stay in Phuket Thailand or go to Bali Indonesia. He trains in Muy Thai Kickboxing and other martial arts. Well, he's still in Phuket, and now on a Wim Hof adventure which is some serious exercise training that I've now learned about and you can too here.

@magicmonk has to be one of the nicest guys you can meet. He's a math teacher in Hong Kong and we instantly had a connection when I told him how I taught English there for a year. We've gone back and forth for several month's now. I just learned that he is an incredible programmer. Look what he just created about seeing who your friends are and how they up-vote you on steemit. You can learn about it here.

@gtg is currently the number one witness, and a total IT wizard. I reached out to him for advice on how I can improve my blog, and within minutes being as busy as he is, he replied with great advice and a nice up-vote. He's advised me a couple more times over the past few months. When he speaks I listen. This guys knows his stuff. You can see his latest witness log post here.

@lindsaybowes is always delightful to go back and forth with. She is an expert gardener and homesteader....and steemian! She even grows her own tobacco. A very cool mother and wife, living life to the fullest in Nova Scotia. She's passionate, heart felt, and always interesting. You can see her latest post about growing food not lawns here.

@broncnutz is Denver Broncos Nuts! A big football fan, an OG crypto enthusiast, a recent investor in the platform, and a fellow American who I seem to have much in common with. He makes passionate videos about all sorts of topics and they're full of energy and a trip to watch. This is one fun guy and one cool cat. You can see his latest here.

@oldtimer is someone I recently connected with. He is a pretty big investor in the platform and a minnow supporter. He sometimes warns he doesn't have time to respond to everyone. Well he responded to me and even took notice in my quality work. I hope to get to know him better as I love the old timer spirit. He too is a bit of a traveler himself, you can see his latest post on his time in Croatia here.

@luczypher he was the first big time Steemian to notice my work. He put my first World Travel Report: Ecuador up on the travel trail, it blew up for over 250 votes and 60 dollars. We ended up meeting more than once in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We had a great time hanging out. He's an incredible musician and he's the guy to follow for all things music. He lectured me about how important socializing is on steemit and to be a team steemit player. I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me anymore as he has completely ignored me lately. I think he believes I'm not "team player" enough. Which is fine, I came here to share travel knowledge but I'm learning it's more than that. Hopefully he is just too busy running the steemit open mic contest which you can learn about here.

@skan is an interesting guy. He's Korean and lives in Seoul. I told him about my years teaching in Korea and we instantly hit it off. If you read Korean you can see his latest post here.

@heyitshaas has to be one of my most loyal followers. He always reads my stuff. He's a big travel fan and wants to get back to traveling himself. He recently wrote a post titled "My Travel Dream Team" giving me a fantastic write up. He's asked me about how to travel on a income other than from your computer and I gave him a detailed video response he was very happy to see. You can see his latest post about a Palace in Amsterdam here.

@diabolika is a spunky, opinionated, and passionate traveler. Her posts are way different than my own, but she has no problem finding an audience for her artistically well written travel stories. You can see her latest one here.

@anna-redhead is another enthusiastic traveler. She and her boyfriend have been backpacking around South East Asia for a long time. She recently reached out to me and we are now in communication sharing our travel experiences. She likes to write about her latest adventures. You can see her last post here.

I Give a Big Thank You to These Special Steemit Members....Now Steem On!

https://steemitimages.com/DQmYQbcnjU3iK4Tz3XZWwJBtSPhSJaUW2PzHCJFqrhLvQr9/bumper.jpg

All proceeds from this post will go to purchasing my tickets to Steemfest Lisbon!