[TMD Presents] Wayfarer Wednesdays: @Philwaukee

Way·far·er – ˈwāˌferər : 1. A person who goes on a journey. 2. A person who travels on foot.

Also known as the nomad. The wanderer. The drifter. Call it as you may, we’ve have hand-picked a group of fellas that have taken the world of travel to new altitudes as they journey through the world one passport stamp at a time. Each Wednesday, we will feature a new traveler to encourage and inspire you to take the leap!  Travel with us through the minds of these brothers to get the scoop on how they hop through the hemispheres with ease.

"Today is a GREAT DAY to have a Great day" #NOphilter #IMtheSameColorAsTheMountain #israel #mytravelcrush #soultravel #Blacktravelhackers #cocoatravelersintl #travelisthenewclub #wegotoo #blacktravelfeed #passportclique #melaninpopin #travelnoire #philtheculture

A photo posted by Philwaukee (@philwaukee) on May 21, 2016 at 2:46am PDT

In a split second, life as Phil Calvert knew it would change forever. After a few successful seasons of pro basketball in Copenhagen, Denmark, an acute knee injury bought his career to a screeching halt. The injury had taken its toll, leaving him with other choice but to abandon the once beloved pastime that had uprooted him from his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and landed him 4,000+ miles away in Europe. After permanently hanging his jersey, Phil allowed his global curiosities to emerge from backcourt.

With his newfound free time, Phil fused his knack for people, with a strong desire to experience other cultures, and took to social media to document his 42+ country trek around the world. We recently got a chance to rap with him  about his travels. Check out the interview below:

Great Wall. 3,100 Stairs. Full knee brace. No excuses.

Beer & Beauties. Oktoberfest 2016.

Kilt Chronicles. Scotland, 2016

Welcome to TMD Wayfarer Wednesdays! Tell us about yourself. 

Phil: I’m Phil Calvert I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and there was a time that basketball was my life. It provided me with a free college education and even took me overseas to my first non-North American country.  After my short professional basketball career was over I was bit by the travel bug. Utilizing my time overseas as effectively as possible, I built a platform on social media where I highlighted my love of learning about and embracing different cultures while sharing my adventures and what my travels were teaching me with my family and friends.

What’s the greatest piece of advice that you can give a guy looking to travel for the first time?

Phil: Number 1: Have no expectations… because if you go to Paris and you are expecting the Mona Lisa to be larger than life…it’s going to hurt your heart. Number 2: Upon arriving to other countries make sure you’re positivive, meaning don’t get sad, mad about the weather, food, prices, transportation. Just relax and rethink, POSITIVITY can go a long way. Number 3: DON´T LET NOTHING STOP YOU! I climbed the Great Wall of China with a knee brace.  Bam DROP THE MIC.

Your Snapchat & InstaStories are always pretty lit. How has social media changed the way you share your travel experiences? What are some tips you can give for the perfect Snap or IG Story?

Phil: In the past my primary way to show my travels was through youtube. Then Snapchat came around and changed everything for me. I’ve seen my viewership signifigantly grow over the past year, the first major bump came snapping with WOW Airlines as a brand ambassador. However, snapping through WOW Air brought me a new audience and opened up my demographic. I had to be much more mindful that I have adults and kids, With that in mind I keep my content at a certain level because I know how influential social media is. THE BEST TIP I can give for snaps… Do not snap everything. THINK TO YOURSELF…would I myself watch this? Yes this cheese pizza is delicious, but do people really care to see cheese pizza in Africa?

When and where is your next destination?

Phil: My next destination will be in Europe. To know which country…you will have to come follow my journey.

Where can we find you online?

Phil: My Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook can all be found @philwaukee. I also just started my blog in May and you can find that at www.philwaukee.com.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKoOUkoDAGG/?taken-by=philwaukee