Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand Oct / Nov 2017: The Travel Issue | Page 28

Travel
ROLLING WITH IT
What is the concept behind Dice Travels?
The concept was originally designed to
beat “decision fatigue,” by allowing dice to
determine what I ate, drank and did. However,
after a year on the road, I came to understand
how important random events can be to our
personal narratives. Even more important is
how the dice can help synthesize happiness
by forcing us to fully accept a decision. Once
the dice decided, there was no turning back.
Why did you begin this experience?
The idea for this trip comes from a very dark
moment in my life about six years ago. At the
time, I was an online poker player with an
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incredible fiancé. However, everything went
south shortly after I landed in Thailand when
we broke up. I was convinced that I would be
equally happy and unhappy no matter what I
decided to do at that point in my life, whether
I became a diving instructor on Phi Phi or
a war correspondent in the Central African
Republic.
From that point, I started to develop the idea
of using dice to make decisions both big and
small. It was an idea that had been simmering
on the back burner. I had talked about it, but
I was sure it would end up being more of a
fantasy than a reality. Then, about two years
ago, I realized I needed to get out of Phuket
WWW.WANDERLUSTMAG.COM
American editor Isaac Stone Simonelli was working in Phuket when
he dreamt up the idea to travel the world by motorbike. But it was not
a typical adventure that he envisioned. Inspired by the 1970s novel
“The Dice Man” (just with far more innocent intent), Simonelli swapped
itineraries for pure chance. As he zipped around the planet, much of
what he ate, where he went, and what he did was left to the roll of
two dice — and he kept track of it all on his blog, “Dice Travels.” Here,
we ask the adventurer for in-depth details after a year on the road.