Tripfilms Blog

Michael Murphy: 100 Countries, 7 Continents, One Hell of an Amazing Ride 07/02/2008 11:07, by Kelley in Tripfilms Blog

Michael Murphy is a self proclaimed travel junkie. If you've ever seen his Destination Unknown videos, you can tell that he lives for travel. Every month or so, he gets the itch and he knows the only way to satiate that craving is... you guessed it... another trip. Michael's enthusiasm and talent for storytelling has enabled him to make his passion also his livelihood. We sat down with this charismatic videographer, also known in the TF community as RailayBay, to find out what gives him his unfailing energy, where he dreams to go and how he hopes to be remembered.


When were you bitten by the travel bug?
My first trip was to New Zealand in my teens and I took that trip on a whim. I had heard that it was amazing, so I packed a bag and the address of my parents' friend and that became my home base. From there I'd just take off for three weeks at a time, backpacking and hitch-hiking. Basically, I went wherever new friends on the way suggested. I spent three months there traveling around, and I remember thinking that if the rest of the world is as nice as the Kiwis, then I'm set. That was the start of it for me. From then on, I was just hooked.

I think one of the biggest challenges for traveler is how to make their passion, their job. How did you do you start out?
I used to be a fireman, a carpenter--all seasonal summer jobs. That way I could spend my winters on the beaches in Thailand or the Philippines. Back then, I could live for like $150 a week and I was living like a KING. Now, 25 years later, my friends say they finally realize what I was doing. They keep telling me, "Mike, I wish I would have come with you." I always asked them to come but they never did! I think they regret that now.
One of my best jobs I had was with Lindblad Expeditions where each week I had to create a 40 minute show documenting the trip for our guests. I constantly had these strict deadlines so it really made me learn how to shoot, edit and piece together a video, very quickly. It's the single best job out there for travelers. You get to be a storyteller.

What made you pick up a camera and document your trips?
When I used to research my trips, I'd always wondered why there were no videos of places. I used to have to look at at least ten pictures to get an idea of the place. I kept thinking, a video would be so much easier. So I went back to school for basic video editing. I took quite a few classes and after I completed every class, I went on an expedition and used the skills I had just learned so they really stuck.

Of all the places you've been, where did you feel most at home?
Thailand. Unquestionably. The number one reason for me to go anywhere is for the beauty of the place. If you put yourself in a beautiful place and just let that place soak in your soul--that's the magic of it.

Where were you the most outside of your comfort zone?
India was definitely challenging. I wouldn't say I was uncomfortable, but India definitely tested me to my limit. There's one billion people and it makes it really difficult to travel around--you really have to work at it. It's a place where you love it and hate it all at once.

On all these trips, who's your copilot?
Every year I take a trip with my wife and son and sometimes I travel with my brothers, but I have to say that 90% of the time it's just me. There's so much freedom in traveling alone. It doesn't matter if I take a left or a right--I can just go. It also forces you to meet new people. You have a choice of either being lonely or saying hello. Solo traveling definitely makes you discover new things about yourself.
On the flip-side though, when I was climbing up Mount Kilimanjaro with my wife, at the top we reached this beautiful view. I was able to put my arms around her and share this experience with her and that was truly magical. There's something about being able to share those experiences with someone else. So that's the downfall of traveling on your own, when you see something great and you can't turn to anyone to share it.

So if you are solo 90% of the time, who holds the camera?
I use a tripod! I just hit record and I start going at it. Everyone is looking at me like I'm crazy and some ask me what I'm doing. I used to be self-conscious about it but I'm not anymore. I just say I'm making travel videos! 9 times out of 10 someone else is there doing the same thing and I meet a lot of people that way.

Is that why you share the experience with your camera?
Exactly!

How do you choose your next trip?
I have a map on my wall with pins on it. When I'm picking the next place, I always look to that area where there are no pins!

It says on your TF profile that Mongolia is your dream destination. You've been to so many places, what draws you to Mongolia?
I love Mongolia for it's openness. The plains, the desert--the vast emptiness of it will make me feel, you know, alive. You realize just how minuscule you are. Also, there's a place where Genghis Khan once stood and there's a memorial to him. I want to stand there. I just think that will be awesome. Mongolia is not an easy place to visit either--it requires a lot of preparation. It's not a place where you can go and just get lost.


What is your schedule like when you reach a new city?
When, I get up, I just start walking. I figure out in advance where I want to eventually end up and I just head towards it. It doesn't matter if I get lost on the way because that's where you find the true city, not just the touristy aspects. I'm definitely not a destination person--I like to wander aimlessly.You have to be flexible or you are just missing out.
My schedule is packed--I do everything all in one day. If you couldn't tell I have a lot of energy and I love what I do. My friends laugh at me--they can't believe how intensely focused I am at what I am doing. I get up at 6am and I just go all day nonstop. Most of my videos are shot all in one day because I don't want to waste anytime. People can't believe I have the energy but when you love what you do, you just keep going.

So it's clear you've traveled the world, I'm curious, where have you loved enough to call home?
Well, I realized a while back that I didn't want to always live out of a backpack and I couldn't be vagabond my whole life. I was looking to make some kind of roots. So twenty years ago, I bought a house in Seattle after visiting the area and falling in love with it.


How do you think travel is different today than it was on your first trip to New Zealand?
I don't think traveling now as a young kid will ever be the same. That's for two reasons: cost and the Internet. Prices are skyrocketing and that's why places in Africa are now going on the map. When I first went to Southeast Asia, there were no tourists and definitely no Americans. Now that's the opposite.
The Internet has 100% changed everything. People will no longer ever understand total isolation. I remember once going to the post office and I used to salivate over the one letter I received. It was my only contact with home. I remember reading it before I went to bed and re-reading it every morning. Now, when I was recently in the middle of Malawi, I was on the Internet and emailing my wife. From now on, you can always have that contact with home. It can be really useful for instance when I was in Nepal, an email told me that friends were going to be in Kathmandu and we arranged to be there during the same days.

Is there any place you wouldn't travel?
There are some places that people don't travel to because the US issues an "unsafe to travel" warning. Nepal and the Philippines are in economic disaster because when the US warning goes out, it devastates a country. They only have four months to make all their money for the year, and with that warning, they end up losing tons of money. I was ridiculed for going to Burundi because the government there is so wrong. Yes, the government is corrupt, but if you don't travel there, then the people starve. You have to pay $300 to get in the country but the money ends up filtering down to the people. It's good to have a conscience about where you travel but it's important to keep the whole picture in mind and not to let the politics defer you.

What do you think makes a great travel video?
I'm not going across the world to get [a shot] of the inside of a church. I need a shot that no one else has got. I need to step outside the box and go beyond the call of duty to distinguish myself and my videos. That's why when I was the videographer for Lindblad Expeditions on a trip to South Georgia Island, I left the pack to climb to the top of a mountain and get that shot that no one else could get. You have to go outside of where the masses are.

Million dollar question, why "RailayBay?"
There's a beach in Thailand called Railay Bay. Twenty years ago I stayed there for $2 a night in a bungalow on the beach. But now, it's $200 a night. When I returned and was walking on that beach, I had tears in my eyes. I think the problem was when I came back, I was so excited about it that I told everyone about this place. And then everyone I told, told everyone else. It's still beautiful but now it's probably the most famous beach in Thailand. It's still the single most beautiful place I know and the place hasn't changed, but the people definitely have.

What's your advice for travelers and filmmakers out there?
My best suggestions for videographers are two things: hold your shots steady and enjoy what you are doing. It really comes through in your videos. I love what I'm doing and I think people can tell that from my shows. I mean, I'm 47 years old look what I'm doing. I'm a little kid! There's a child in me that I don't ever want to lose. Also, if you want change in your life, take a trip. There's that one moment where a spark goes off. It is what inspires people to travel.


Besides making great films for Tripfilms (shameless plug), what is your full-time job?
I now work primarily for a company called "Nothin' but Shorts." I met the project manager there while hiking Mount Kilimanjaro. While hiking, I told him that I wanted to make travel videos. He told me "the day you get good, I'll hire you." So I kept his name and a few years later I called him. Nothin' But Shorts broadcasts in Australia and the States. It's a lot of sports focused shorts, rally racing and shows about sports figures. It gets about a half million hits, which is a pretty significant number.

Any parting words?
I never got to go to college and I'm not rich, but I have to say I have a life that I'll put against anyone's. Your life is only as rich as your memories. The day I die I want my tombstone to say: "Michael Murphy: 100 countries, 7 continents, one hell of an amazing ride."

Amen.
Travel On, Michael Murphy.

Check out Michael's website: Travel On Productions