SPARTA, Mich. — Brad Bultman grew up in the apple farm town of Sparta, but has now found himself living in Queensland, Australia.
"I was in my mid 20s, I thought, surely there has to be more things that I can see that would be completely different to what I'm doing right now.," said Bultman as his hunger for travel first began after completing his goal to see all MLB stadiums in the U.S.
Now he has duel-citizenship, and has seen 112 countries and all seven continents.
"I essentially would wake up every day, trying to think what could I do that day to get closer to achieving my dreams, not just travel related, but literally anything I wanted to do with my life," said Bultman who also says that his story is not just about seeing the world, but of wanting to inspire others to pursue their goals in life.
His journey includes visiting 28 African countries, climbing a volcano in Nicaragua, backpacking across Vietnam, visiting the DMZ between North and South Korea, and seeing the Detroit Lions play in London.
He has also seen notable people on his journey's, such as two Popes, and the then Prince Charles and Camilla of the British Royal family while in New Zealand.
"And then at night, I would sit down and decide 'how did I do that day? Did I get closer to achieving my dreams?'" said Bultman who wants others to see how they can "work hard and play hard" in their own lives.
"I did not grow up wealthy," said Bultman who says that his upbringing taught him the value of hard work, as he adds "We need to make a living, yes, but we also need to just simply live. So work hard, play hard. Really in your early 20s, but even throughout your life, you need to take a step back and think, 'What do I want out of this life? What is going to make me happy? And how do I achieve that?'"
When asked how he finances his trips, he says that while he has built a career for himself in finance, working for companies for a period and saving money, and then taking time off or setting aside time in between times in his career to dedicate to his goal.
Bultman says he refuses to wait until retirement to see the world, and hopes that others can find ways of achieving what they want to see for themselves.
He also hopes that people will take advantage of or create opportunities to visit places they wouldn't otherwise go to.
"I think traveling really broadens who you are and what you know about the world, but you will learn so much more about yourself as well."
While being a volunteer English teacher in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, his travels also helped him find his next goal, as he peruses a degree in education.
"I want to be able to help folks, and one of the ways is, you know, teaching young adults, not just in first world countries, but also developing countries, and help them set up their lives."
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