I'm Chris Guillebeau, author of THE $100 STARTUP and travel hacker who visited all 193 countries of the world from 2002-2013. AMA

I really enjoyed reading The $100 Startup and it has led to me thinking a lot about side ventures that don't require a lot of money to start.

My friends all think you need a lot of money to make money. How can I convince them that you can start a business with very little money?

Thanks, Daniel! Yes, that is a common perception that I try to counter wherever I can in the books, blog, etc. Ultimately, though, I think most people's minds will be changed through direct experience. It's not so much being able to point to an author or pseudo-celebrity as an example of success, but being able to point to someone you know who has created their own freedom.

As more and more people embrace creative self-employment, I think that some of the negative perceptions about starting a business will change.

What gear (gadgets, luggage, etc) do you usually take with you? Anything in particular you never bother taking?

I'm pretty basic. Everything fits in a carry-on bag (Briggs & Riley) and a laptop bag (Tom Bihn). The thing that takes the most space is my running shoes. I take the same clothes with me wherever I go. Tech-wise, I always (always) have my laptop and iPhone. I'm working almost everywhere I go, usually for about half the day. The other half is transit, sightseeing, or meeting up with friends and readers.

North Korea included? if so,

What was it like there, I understand they put you in a hotel, on an island, and you are always accompanied by someone unless in your room. You get out and explore with the travel authorities, that's what I've seen/heard.

What was the most unique difference of North Korea, other than anti american propaganda?

What were the people of North Korea like?

Did you enjoy your trip to the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) as I'm sure you know ;)

I didn't stay in North Korea proper. I went on the Panmunjom tour from Seoul, where you can visit the point where both sides hold talks and view the room that divides them. It's technically possible for Americans and other Westerners to actually stay in Pyongyang if you go from Beijing on an organized tour. I haven't done that yet.

[deleted]

When I was a kid, I had a stepparent who was stationed in the Philippines and I was dragged along for two years (not drugged, but that could have happened too). At the time I wasn't very excited about it, because it meant that I was separated from my dad. Travel-wise, though, it was good to have a strong cross-cultural experience at a young age. I was six years old and remember riding jeepneys to buy fireworks and ninja stars, which I then smuggled back to my room. I've often thought back on those years, especially once I started pursuing travel more actively.

Have you had an airline dispute miles gained from your practices? What was their response?

Have you been banned from any airline for your creative thinking? Which ones?

Great questions.

1. No, I don't believe so. It's important to realize that airlines benefit from the Frequent Flyer mile programs they set up. In many cases it's a profit center for them, not something they expense.

2. I had a dispute with Egypt Air and they withheld my passport in Cairo. They wanted me to pay them $600 (long story) and I preferred paying them $0 and receiving my passport back. Finally they agreed to return my passport as long as I signed a piece of paper saying that I would pay them later. I signed it "Under Duress" and wrote "This is bullshit" -- but as the guy explained it, that was good enough for him and he returned the passport. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable flying Egypt Air again, though.

How do you manage travel and marriage?

I'd be the first to say it's sometimes a challenge. She deserves far more of the credit for making it work than me, I'm sure.

In the early days we talked a lot about how much time we'd both be comfortable being apart, and for the rest of the journey I was usually able to stick to those parameters.

[deleted]

Much of travel hacking is fairly universal, with the exception of the credit card stuff. Even from Germany you can still take advantage of: Round-the-World tickets, glitch or mistake fares, elite status, many of the U.S. promotions, and a lot more.

Oh, and the Miles & More program is actually pretty decent. Among other things, the FRA First Class terminal is the best in the world. :)

What was Nauru like?

Nauru was odd. Aside from Australia, it's the only country in the South Pacific that requires a visa in advance. None of the info I read in advance indicated this fact, and I was denied boarding the flight in Brisbane on my first attempt. I regrouped, got the visa, and was able to visit a few months later. It's a tiny, tiny place with very little to do. The high point for me was going for a run up and down the actual runway, which is only used as a landing strip twice a week when the plane from Brisbane returns. The rest of the time, people go out at sunset to walk along it or play soccer on it.

Hi Chris. I loved your book. Welcome to Reddit and /r/iama! You are up against no-belly button guy, no-puberty guy, cancer survivor, plane crash survivor, Renny Harlin and Bill Nye's DWTS partner. Good luck!

Questions: 1) any book-readers who have recently made it big? 2) what do you think of the 'Four Hour Work Week' and Gary V's 'Crush It'?

Thanks! Tough competition. :)

1. I'm fortunate to be connected to an amazing community of people doing far more interesting things than just flying to every country. One of my goals for the near future is to do a better job of telling their stories.

2. Tim and Gary are great guys. I admire their generosity and persistence.

Did you set out from the beginning to visit every country?

No, at first I just started traveling. I volunteered for a medical charity in West Africa from 2002-2006. During that time I visited about 25 countries and began to get comfortable with going to places that were off the beaten path. After that I set a goal of going to 100 countries "sometime in my life." Then, as I started working toward the goal, I realized that 100 countries wouldn't be that difficult because I could pick and choose the easy ones. Once I was at about 80 countries, I officially set the goal to go to every country.

How do you decide when to use points for airfare or just pay for it?

A couple of considerations:

1. What's the retail price? (General rule is: pay for cheap tickets, use miles for expensive tickets.)

2. Is status a consideration? (I like to maintain elite status with a few airlines and hotels, so if I need to requalify, I'd be more likely to pay for it. If this doesn't matter, I'd be more likely to use points or miles.)

Hi Chris! Thanks for this! Big fan!

Is traveling full time a worthwhile pursuit? My little startup is making enough for me to be able to travel and work full time.

Congrats on your startup! If it can support you traveling full-time, it doesn't sound that little to me.

In my case it's been great to have a home base (Portland, Oregon) from where I can come and go instead of traveling full-time. But plenty of other people do pursue full-time travel, at least for a time.

Does that include Sealand? If so, what was it like?

Nope, it's the 193 countries recognized by the UN. Someone else will have to file the Sealand trip report!

What do you do to kill time on long flights?

In your opinion, what country has the best cuisine?

If I have a 4-5 hour flight, I usually relax (reading, movies, etc.) for half the time and work the other half. If it's a 10-12 hour flight, I hope to get a full sleep cycle of at least six hours if possible. My least favorite flights are short red-eyes, because you never get any real sleep and then arrive somewhere with a full day ahead.

Did you have any outside funding or sponsorship for all the initial traveling you did to all 193 countries? Were you doing any remote work, etc, at the time?

No outside funding or sponsorship. Other people have done it with those things and I don't think that's bad per se -- I just wanted to be more independent. Yes, I worked remotely from wherever I was. On some trip I had to work more than others. I never really took vacations, but that's not a complaint. I get bored trying to relax, so I'm always working on new projects.

How do you decide on an itinerary for a specific country?

How long did you spend in each country on average?

1. I don't plan a lot. My main concern is getting to the country. Once I'm there, I tend to rely on my readers or other contacts to point out what kind of experience would be best. I also enjoy spending a lot of time walking in cities without an agenda.

2. It greatly depends. Anywhere from a couple of days to a couple weeks was the average. The shortest would be an afternoon (Luxembourg) and the longest would be Sierra Leone or Liberia, where I lived on a hospital ship for about a year (in each country) in 2003 and 2005.

got a bunch of miles i want to use for a trip this dec. what's the best way to maximize them?

Give us more info! What kind of miles and how many? Where do you want to go?

60k or so with american. based out of miami. thinking anywhere from last 2 weeks of the month to maybe the whole month. probably a good beach and budget combo.

Panama? Nicaragua? Pretty much anywhere in Central America seems a good bet for you with AA miles and being MIA-based. For 60k you could go Business Class, which won't be that great on the short-haul flight but is still decent.

How many times have you slept in an airport, train, or bus station?

Dozens and dozen of times, especially airports. Ironically some of the worst experiences were in places that you might not expect to be miserable: Rome, Paris, Dallas, JFK, etc. Of course, sleeping on the floor of an airport in central Africa isn't great either, but I didn't really plan on visiting TGI Friday's there.

What country has the nicest airport?

Probably Singapore (SIN) would be the overall winner.

Other highlights include Hong Kong (HKG), Abu Dhabi (AUH), Frankfurt (FRA - but just for the First Class Terminal), Bangkok (BKK - but just for the First Class lounge), Heathrow (LHR - but just T5), and Sydney (SYD).

How was Mexico?

Fun place! I've been many times, mostly to the coastal areas but also Mexico City. We're hoping to do a book event there sometime next year.

Has smartphones changed the way you travel?

Definitely. First and most obvious thing: Despite having visited every country in the world, I get lost everywhere I go. Thanks to handheld GPS, I can now at least find my way home from the nearest coffee shop.

Do you have a favorite international dessert?

Uh... crema catalana? Flan in general? Baklava?