Why I Created Next On the List

For months, I thought I was building a travel website. Turns out, I was building something else.

While I love talking about travel, I’ve realized something critical over years of exploring: the most meaningful part of every journey has rarely been the destination. It has always been the people.

It’s the unexpected conversations with strangers, the overwhelming kindness of locals, and the shared laughter despite deep language barriers. These are the moments that remind us just how much we truly have in common. Somewhere along the way, I stopped collecting destinations and started collecting connections.

That is why I created Next On the List.

I didn’t build this to be a corporate travel agency, a rigid tour company, or a shallow highlight reel of “perfect” expensive vacations. Instead, this is a space where curious, independent people can explore the world together. It is a place to share raw stories, discover vibrant cultures, celebrate traditions, listen to music from around the globe, and connect with fellow travelers and dreamers.

Travel is part of the story here—but it isn’t the whole story.

Because travel has taught me something that no guidebook or premium resort ever could:
people are remarkably alike.

We may speak different languages, worship differently, eat different foods, and celebrate entirely different holidays. But around the world, most of us want the exact same things. We want our families to be safe. We want our children to thrive. We want meaningful friendships, purpose, hope, and a place to belong.

Travel has a unique way of revealing those truths. The farther I’ve traveled, the more I’ve discovered how connected we really are. That’s the heart behind Next On the List—a global community built around curiosity, connection, and shared humanity.

On this site, you will find practical, DIY tools to help you map out your own authentic adventures, but always with an eye toward experiencing the local community. Here, travel is simply the vehicle, and people are the destination.

So whether you’re planning a rugged trip across the world, listening to music from another culture on our site, signing our Global Guestbook, or simply stopping by to grab a custom t-shirt and say hello, welcome aboard.

There’s a seat for you here. A first-class seat. Because we’re all neighbors in this world.