After years of traveling to the world’s main sites and cities, I realized that the whole point of traveling was to get away from the familiar and experience real culture different from my own.

But as I traveled, I began to find most of the familiar tourist hubs were just packed with Starbucks, McDonalds and other Americans, leading me to the question: What am I really learning here? How authentic is this experience?

On top of that, most of my favorite stories and experiences seemed to always come from the lesser explored villages and second cities of the world. These places have less English, fewer tourists, more challenges and more situations that force you to grow.

So I stopped collecting passport stamps and set out on a goal to visit 1,000 places that most travelers don’t know exist.

I hope you enjoy following my journey as I set out to find and deliver them to your doorstep. And maybe inspire a few people to go out and grab a slice of the village life for themselves along the way.

Matt Johnson, September, 2025