Hey stp! meet this douchebag: the mastercard vagabond

[Kal]

This guy sucks he should travel the way most of us do by train, foot and van.

 

[Durp]

Well atleast we all know what he looks like. If you run into him on the road be sure to give him a friendly hello

 

[WanderLost Radical]

I can't really blame him to ally with mastercard to travel for free... But the stealing and lying and living off the poor makes him a massive douchebag!!

 

[EphemeralStick]

This guy is no vagabond and has no right to call himself such. Using the ideas of freedom and wanderlust to turn a profit while advocating against corporate greed? What a colossal waste of breath. I hope this asshat checks out StP, I hope that he finds what real nomads are like. I hope he attempts to give real nomadic life a chance after reading our stories and becoming enamored with a romanticized idea of what it means to travel with nothing.

And I hope that illusion breaks him.

 

[Dmac]

i hate to admit it, but if i could get some company to pay me 1000$ a month to wear shirts with their logo's on it, i would. hell i would get a mastercard tattoo for that much. the lying, sealing and general douchiness he can keep.

 

[sandpaper cowboy]

Deleted

 

[Tomislav]

Hi all, "The MasterCard vagabond" here

The person who started this post (and the one on Reddit, and another one on Reddit, commented on my TEDx YT talk, and my blog) told me I should come here, where the REAL and TRUE vagabonds are, and justify myself. So here I am.

Couple of things I want to point out so we can have a normal conversation, unlike the one on Reddit, where I was banned from replying for no reason whatsoever. You can check it for yourself and make your judgement.

So, here are some issues I would like to address:

1. If you call yourself TRUE and/or REAL vagabond/whatever, you most likely have some ego issues. Just sayin'. Thinking your way is the only one that is proper, while everyone that is not playing by the unwritten rules someone sets - is just being childish. My dad is stronger than yours. My way of traveling is better than yours. Same thing.

2. I have been accused of several things, to name the few: I ran from my debt/investors when I lost money on stock exchange, I begged 12,000$ on my crowdfunding campaign, I monetized my blog before I started traveling, I used people in poor countries, etc. All of these are utter nonsense, you can read the reasons in my first reply that was pasted on this forum. Of course, when you see that, that is not relevant any more.

3. And then we come to my only sin - MasterCard sponsorship. How dare I take money from big company while promoting traveling with almost no money? Well, I had these kind of thoughts before accepting their proposal, to be honest. But then I faced with a decision - do I take this offer and continue with my travels around the world while that sponsorship pays off my debt, or to stay home and work/save money for 5-10 years to be able to pay off my debt? I chose the first option, and I was never sorry. I continued with my way of traveling (hitchhiking, couchsurfing, volunteering, busking, dumpster diving, etc.), and every now and then mentioned MC. Was I lying? Was I being dishonest? Not really. I wrote what I was going through, and had some obligations for people that I was working for. One can question morality of working for big corporation, but if you look around you - there is a big chance you are using some immoral products every day. Apart from "true vagabonds" who don't spend any money or work for someone. But the real vagabonds won't go around and brag with their lifestyle, accusing everyone (99,9% of the population) for living differently. If they do, they also have some ego issues.

4. The last - did I travel the world with almost no money? Did I hitchhike through Iraq/Iran/Pakistan, across Indian ocean, couchsurfed/camped/slept outside on 5 continents, volunteered, worked, busked, and all that spending 7-8$ a day? Yes I did. And I wrote about that. I never wrote how I am the ultimate traveler, I never wrote with disrespect to other travelers/tourists - if I did, I had some ego issues. My story is about how its possible to travel with almost no money. Does it hurt to have money on the side? Not really. Am I causing damage to the world by putting a MC logo on my T-shirt? Depends on who you ask.

I'm not trying to save the world and present myself as being a travel guru. I just do what I do, trying not to hurt anyone in the process, enjoy my life and share my story. That story is not for everyone, just like yours is also not for everyone. But if we go around and attack people that are different from us - ask yourself are we making this world a better place or we are just frustrated with big egos?

 

[Wawa]

Shrug maybe I'm being taken in but this guy doesn't seem too unreasonable. Can't say I've ever actually read the blog though.

 

[Durp]

I definitely commend you for coming to this site, took some balls especially since hardly any folk here have any money to buy your stuff or book. I don't know you from adam and only you know in your heart if what you are doing is ethical. I personally have political ideologies that prevent me from following your path, but to each their own I suppose. Welcome to stp mastercard.

 

[Tomislav]

Now to reply directly to some of you.

Why does he need 12,000 USD to write a book? I've started writing a book of some of my travels it did not require money for me to think lol...let alone 12,000 USD? I feel no shame in working and then traveling with the money I have earned. It sounds like this guy just doesn't want to work and found a way to beg on the internet and through lying about his financial situation to live on a lifeline prepaid vacation.

I didn't need 12,000$ to write a book. I needed $6,400 to publish the Croatian version and to translate and publish it to English. People liked my story and gave me more than I asked for. Which is a normal thing to happen when you do crowdfunding.

The fact he is trying to translate his book just shows he is looking to profit from it. If I were to write a book I would be concerned about the people of my country hearing my story and hopefully being an inspiration for some people to change their lifestyle. If I got a few bucks out of it...then cool, but I think the message is more important than a 12,000 USD pledge fund. Just sounds to me like he is pocketing it. He can't release the book in his country and then use that money to translate it? Nothing he did is even inspirational anyway. I would feel like a piece of shit if I lost my friends and family a ton of money and then left on a prepaid vacation by Mastercard.

Is any of his money going back into their pockets for the losses they incurred? I don't even know this dude and this got me heated. What a shitty human being.

So you are okay to write your own book and getting "few bucks from it" - but if I want to translate my book that is wrong? Would you translate your book to German for example if 200 Germans asked you to? Or would you be like - no, I just want to inspire the members of my local community?

Also, 95% of the sponsorship money and book profits went to paying off my debt.

I just posted my opinion on his blog. I'm sure it will get deleted, but hopefully some will read it. Thanks for posting this Hobo Huck.

Well done! Its not deleted, unlike reddit post when I was attacked (apart from the first one) and my banning from commenting on Reddit. Thats pretty ironic, right?

 

[Tomislav]

@Matt Derrick I'd support travel blogs by real vagabonds. I love reading that stuff. I'm just tired of all these "Backpacking through Thailand/Costa Rica/Morocco blogs. Jeez, there's like 100,000 of them, and 90% of them are full of shit just like Tomislavs blog.

I see you read my blog.

I left a comment on his blog also. Thanks for calling him out on his own blog, that was epic. I can just imagine his face when he reads that shit...he is going to shit a brick.

However, he can't delete this article from stp, or the article I put on my forum, and I have a feeling the combination of these will expose him to a much, much larger community. And he deserves it, too.

I've seen some poser-blogs before, but this is the absolute worst I've ever seen.

No problem man. I wouldn't have been able to unless you posted this article so thanks for that. I'm not broke, but I wander and get odd jobs to fund my travels. The shit he is posting is deceiving and fake. Fucking over people and then acting like you're some broke vagabond is just pitiful. There's nothing wrong with earning money to travel, but lying about your story for financial gain is about as low as you can go imo.

Spread the word, people! Let the world know!

BTW, I really like this last sentence in the quote - ""

I'm currently summoning his username and taking him to Vagabond court. He is being charged with 1 count of "Impersonating a Vagabond"

This is his official court summons. I also sent him a direct inbox message informing him of his right to defend himself.

This should be fun.

COURT SUMMONS: (http://www.reddit.com/r/vagabond/comments/33wbp2/u1000daysofsummer_you_are_being_summoned_to/)

I would also suggest leaving comments on his TEDx video link, since he can't delete those comments, and much of his publicity is coming from that youtube link. I left a comment there already, as well.

Why did you erase that post? Because nobody replied and wasnt interested?

This guy sucks he should travel the way most of us do by train, foot and van.

Oh lord. So you are saying that everyone that doesnt travel with trains, on foot or by van - sucks? Seriously?

I can't really blame him to ally with mastercard to travel for free... But the stealing and lying and living off the poor makes him a massive douchebag!!

Can you please elaborate on what stealing and lying are you referring to? Thanks.

i hate to admit it, but if i could get some company to pay me 1000$ a month to wear shirts with their logo's on it, i would. hell i would get a mastercard tattoo for that much. the lying, sealing and general douchiness he can keep.

I get what you're saying, and that's gotta be a hard temptation to pass up for someone who's homeless with no income or security, BUT...

it's one thing to get sponsored by Osprey backpacks, or Marmot for gear, and a whole 'nother thing to be sponsored by Mastercard. I can't think of a more Uncle Tom thing to do than running around raving about how great our slave master is.

Also, the human brain is great at finding excuses. People believe what's convenient for them to believe. Like someone said above, this guy has justified everything he's done in his mind. I'm not perfect, I've done it as well and still catch myself doing it from time to time. It's a hard habit to break. The zen buddhists say: "observe your own mind". Don't let it go where you don't want it to. Of course it's easy to say, but harder to practice.

I agree with this "observe your mind". All of us should.

Btw, do you know where the money from Osprey or Marmot is going to? Or is it just that they are not a big international corporation and that makes them okay?

 

[Tomislav]

I definitely commend you for coming to this site, took some balls especially since hardly any folk here have any money to buy your stuff or book. I don't know you from adam and only you know in your heart if what you are doing is ethical. I personally have political ideologies that prevent me from following your path, but to each their own I suppose. Welcome to stp mastercard.

But that is the point of this all attack - to tell people I'm a fraud because I don't travel the way they do. Or I do, but I made a pact with the devil himself to pay off my debt and now I'm spreading lies all over the world.

I respect your ideologies, and I wish is that everyone respects mine. Thats not hard, is it?

 

[EphemeralStick]

@Tomislav Let me clarify something to you.

My largest issue is that you don't seem to see what kind of ripple effect your influence has. You want to inspire young people to live a different lifestyle? A more open and free one yes? That's fine and dandy.
What you don't realize is that those you inspire most likely will NOT be receiving any sort of sponsorship. They will be left to their own devices and that's where things begin to change.

These kids will eventually pass over from your idea of traveling to ours and that puts a strain on our community. The number one most dangerous thing on the road is recklessness and people like you who promote this false sense of whimsical, traveler fantasy bring people into our community that end up getting themselves into more trouble than they're worth.

You want to promote a travelers lifestyle? Go for it. But spare us your condescending humility crap. You're just hurting the community.

 

[Durp]

@mastercard (sorry but that's going to follow you a long time bud)

I guess the specific issue was the use of the term "vagabond" which is used to describe most of our lifestyles. I guess the general energy is you can't really be a vagabond because:
A) you have a corporate sponsor
B) you are clearly monetizing your efforts
C) you Can go home when you want, when the road is our home.

Vagabond is like a badge of honor in this community, and gives people something to belong to and hold on to.

 

[sandpaper cowboy]

I see you read my blog.
Btw, do you know where the money from Osprey or Marmot is going to? Or is it just that they are not a big international corporation and that makes them okay?

Never said it was ok. I guess it depends on how honest you are as a person and how deeply one is willing to look into the nitty gritty. I don't endorse either one of those companies, but I'm willing to bet quite a few nickels they haven't locked too many people into debt slavery recently.

Look, you've justified your actions to yourself I'm sure, so I don't really see the point of hopping on a carousal with you.

laterz

 

[Tomislav]

@Tomislav Let me clarify something to you.

My largest issue is that you don't seem to see what kind of ripple effect your influence has. You want to inspire young people to live a different lifestyle? A more open and free one yes? That's fine and dandy.
What you don't realize is that those you inspire most likely will NOT be receiving any sort of sponsorship. They will be left to their own devices and that's where things begin to change.

These kids will eventually pass over from your idea of traveling to ours and that puts a strain on our community. The number one most dangerous thing on the road is recklessness and people like you who promote this false sense of whimsical, traveler fantasy bring people into our community that end up getting themselves into more trouble than they're worth.

You want to promote a travelers lifestyle? Go for it. But spare us your condescending humility crap. You're just hurting the community.

I traveled all these year WITHOUT using my sponsorship money - lets be clear on that one. I told numerous times that I used that money to pay off my debts. Plus, I traveled 2 years around Europe with having no sponsorship money.

What I am trying to promote, even though share would be a better word - is that its possible to travel with almost no money. If you check that video of my TEDx talk, or see THE THIRD SENTENCE in my article about travel sponsors:

Before we start, I would like to point out that lack of sponsors (or money generally) should’t discourage you to travel. Sponsors are just cherry on the top, because you can definitely travel without them – ask 99,9% of the travellers that went on their trips with no sponsors whatsoever. Life on the road is not that expensive, after all.

Tell me, if someone listens my advice and goes traveling alternative ways - hitchhiking, couchsurfing, camping, dumpster diving, volunteering, working, busking - is that possible to do without sponsor money? Of course it is. Thats what I'm trying to point out. You can travel without sponsors. I had them when I was traveling. But I didnt use their money for my daily expenses.

Please watch that TEDx talk, and tell me do I tell people to go out there and be reckless. Please do.

 

[Tomislav]

@mastercard (sorry but that's going to follow you a long time bud)

I guess the specific issue was the use of the term "vagabond" which is used to describe to most of our lifestyles. I guess the general energy is you can't really be a vagabond because:
A) you have a corporate sponsor
B) you are clearly monetizing your efforts
C) you Can go home when you want, when the road is our home.

Vagabond is like a badge of honor in this community, and gives people something to belong to and hold on to.

That is the thing here - I was called out because of this - WITHOUT me saying anywhere that I am a vagabond.

People in "vagabond community" got insulted because I was promoting "my" style of traveling, only because I dont fit into their boxes of how traveling should look like.

 

[Tomislav]

Never said it was ok. I guess it depends on how honest you are as a person and how deeply one is willing to look into the nitty gritty. I don't endorse either one of those companies, but I'm willing to bet quite a few nickels they haven't locked too many people into debt slavery recently.

Look, you've justified your actions to yourself I'm sure, so I don't really see the point of hopping on a carousal with you.

laterz

You havent said it was okay, you said it was a different thing. Which kinda justifies it.

Every company, well almost every, can be guilty of something. If a CEO of a small local bakery drives a car - he is supporting the pollution on Earth. If he is buying BigMac he is bad. This can go forever.

Yes, I justified my actions to myself, and all I'm trying to do here is to defend from attacks on 4 different fronts from people that dont know me, but have issues with my way of traveling and living.

 

[Durp]

again, I don't know you, I just hope you use some of your new found funds to make a positive impact in the community. Good ways of doing this would be to donate a large percentage of your profits to some form of travelers resource like food banks, soup kitchens, loads of socks ect. You have the right to be your own person, just anything linked to such financial treachery raises a few eyebrows in radical comunities. Most of us do what we do to stand up against everything the financial system represents.

 

[EphemeralStick]

Maybe try asking yourself why an entire community would be targeting you. You clearly have just as much an ego as the rest of us if you're coming to our site specifically to justify yourself. If you believe in your own convictions so strongly what does any of our opinion matter?