For half of the year, he and a video producer (0) traveled the world as backpackers, reporting in for regular live appearances on the CBS Early Show. Viewers were told to visit the website AroundTheWorldForFree.com and tell Alex where he should travel next. The goal was for him to rely on the kindness of strangers and (Q1) -------------------------------------------- missed being alone relied on the locals forced to interact with the locals guide you to the most authentic experiences is more affordable than you might think not pay for any part of his trip witnessed and learned is generally a safer place to travel in was real life ask a local invited us into a hut not pay for any part of his trip never had anything stolen .

Now Alex and his team have edited the video shot during the journey through 16 countries- from the rural parts of the Dominican Republic through the backstreets of Calcutta to Kenya during political unrest. The resulting TV series will air on WGN America, starting in January.

I recently spoke with Alex about what he and his producer Zsolt Luka (Q2) -------------------------------------------- missed being alone was real life not pay for any part of his trip guide you to the most authentic experiences forced to interact with the locals is generally a safer place to travel in invited us into a hut ask a local relied on the locals is more affordable than you might think never had anything stolen witnessed and learned , plus his advice for budget travelers. Here's what he had to say:

Money can be a crutch that prevents you from a profound experience. While what I was doing was unusual, the same rule applies to everyone. When youre traveling cheaply, youre (Q3) -------------------------------------------- missed being alone ask a local relied on the locals is generally a safer place to travel in not pay for any part of his trip is more affordable than you might think never had anything stolen witnessed and learned guide you to the most authentic experiences forced to interact with the locals invited us into a hut was real life and really put yourself out there emotionally day after day, and thats the truly broadening part of travel.

To find out wheres the best restaurant or the liveliest bar, (Q4) -------------------------------------------- missed being alone ask a local witnessed and learned was real life guide you to the most authentic experiences forced to interact with the locals is generally a safer place to travel in invited us into a hut never had anything stolen is more affordable than you might think relied on the locals not pay for any part of his trip . It's a cliché but its true. It's the critical piece here, but when you're traveling, don't ask the hotel porter and dont ask the leader of your walking tour or the information desk for the tourist office. During my trip, I would be asking someone - like the lady behind the counter making the tacos - where do you go for dinner or where do you go for fun. She didnt know who I was and there was no camera equipment around or anything unusual about me. I was just a 30-year old from out of town. And she gave me great advice. Locals will just naturally (Q5) ------------------------------------------- ask a local invited us into a hut never had anything stolen not pay for any part of his trip forced to interact with the locals was real life missed being alone relied on the locals witnessed and learned guide you to the most authentic experiences is generally a safer place to travel in is more affordable than you might think and culture.

On our trip taping this show, we walked from Thailand to Cambodia, walking down dusty roads. A monk with broken English (Q6) -------------------------------------------- missed being alone not pay for any part of his trip ask a local invited us into a hut relied on the locals is generally a safer place to travel in was real life never had anything stolen forced to interact with the locals guide you to the most authentic experiences witnessed and learned is more affordable than you might think . It was spontaneous generosity. When we were in the Maasai Mara in Kenya and Tanzania, we met with a guy named Freddie where we were staying. He says, my boss has this campground in the park that you should check out. We agreed. He drove us there, and we passed through a Maasai warrior camp, with young guys carrying spears. It (Q7) -------------------------------------------- missed being alone is more affordable than you might think never had anything stolen forced to interact with the locals not pay for any part of his trip relied on the locals was real life is generally a safer place to travel in ask a local guide you to the most authentic experiences invited us into a hut witnessed and learned . We'd never see it on typical travel TV documentary or on a trip taken in a group with a tour guide.

The world (Q8) -------------------------------------------- missed being alone ask a local guide you to the most authentic experiences is generally a safer place to travel in not pay for any part of his trip invited us into a hut never had anything stolen is more affordable than you might think witnessed and learned relied on the locals was real life forced to interact with the locals than many Americans realize. Media reports always play up the scary part. We went on this journey with a mindset that the world is a good place. We didn't seek outside security help of any kind. We (Q9) -------------------------------------------- ask a local relied on the locals invited us into a hut not pay for any part of his trip is more affordable than you might think missed being alone forced to interact with the locals was real life guide you to the most authentic experiences is generally a safer place to travel in never had anything stolen witnessed and learned we met to guide us about where to be safe, and when to scram. By making friends with them, they helped direct us. For example, when we were in Kenya, riots and protests broke out, but locals told us how to avoid the trouble spots. And crime wasnt a problem for us. Even though we were traveling the world with this expensive camera gear and laptops in our backpacks, we (Q10) -------------------------------------------- ask a local invited us into a hut witnessed and learned never had anything stolen is generally a safer place to travel in not pay for any part of his trip missed being alone guide you to the most authentic experiences forced to interact with the locals was real life relied on the locals is more affordable than you might think . Its true that during the times when we had our camera out and we were shooting a scene, people were less likely to bother us. But most of the time we just looked like tourists. If we were safe, you will be safe, too.