To celebrate his 70th birthday, the Accidental Travel Writer made an emotional detour on his 70 Days Across America sojourn to visit the neighborhood he spent his teenage years in

Image by Michael Taylor

“As I meandered through the beautiful Oakland Hills, I was truly awestruck by the beauty and grandeur of the majestic redwood trees and pine trees and other trees whose names I do not know. But growing up amongst them, they had always seemed like nothing more than a quiet backdrop to our not-so-exciting lives. And I remember wondering frequently along the way, is it true I once lived in such a beautiful place?”

After spending most of his adult life living overseas, Michael Taylor, a.k.a. the Accidental Travel Writer, decided to celebrate his 70th birthday by taking a trip down memory lane, exploring the neighborhood he spent his teenage years in – the Oakland Hills. Struck by the beauty of that part of Oakland and filled with sweet memories and nostalgia, Michael wrote a blog post on his website entitled The Beautiful Oakland Hills – Who Says You Can’t Go Home Again?

In it, he recounts his visit to a childhood friend still living in the neighborhood followed by a lengthy walk through his former stomping grounds. Full of beautiful pictures, the post recounts his reactions as he stops to take a selfie in front of the home he once lived and Skyline High School, his alma mater. Some things have changed, and others remain the same. Most touching are his musings about his high school days. Coincidentally, he attended the same high school that Tom Hanks did.

As a travel writer, Michael writes about the places he visits – and wants to visit – with the intention of arousing nostalgic reactions in readers and encouraging them to explore both familiar and unfamiliar places. However, the beginnings of his career as a travel writer happened by “accident,” which is why he calls himself the Accidental Travel Writer. After spending many years in journalism, Michael decided he wanted to spend less time at the office and more time exploring the world. And fortunately, all it took was an unexpected phone call from a newspaper editor to make this dream come true.

While his initial assignments were not all that glamorous, he has since explored and written about several cities in China and several other Asian destinations, including Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Vietnam. He has also been to Brazil, Britain, Canada, Croatia, Portugal, and Sweden, and he currently resides in Hong Kong. But unlike most travel writers nowadays who identify themselves as digital nomads, Michael is committed to slow travel, which means traveling less and staying longer in one place to fully take in and experience the countries he visits. And on top of travel, he writes about his other two passions – food and sports. As he explains, food, sports, and travel are interrelated.

His blog, the Accidental Travel Writer, has a unique niche, covering everything from food and wine to historic sites, off-the-beaten-path locales, must-see attractions, hotels and resorts – the list goes on.

For more information about Accidental Travel Writer, visit his website at https://accidentaltravelwriter.com/

About Accidental Travel Writer

The Accidental Travel Writer is an influential blog by seasoned travel writer Michael Taylor. In addition to his blog, his writings have been published in a variety of publications, including Ageless, Frequent Traveller, Business Traveller Asia, the Hongkong Standard, MIX, The National, Prestige Hong Kong, ReviewAsia, Silkroad, the South China Morning Post, and The Peak Hong Kong, among others.

Michael has had many years of experience in publishing. In addition to having a Bachelor’s Degree in Chinese Studies from California State University, East Bay, he has a Master’s Degree in English from San Francisco State University. He speaks English, Chinese-Mandarin, and Portuguese.

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Company Name: Accidental Travel Writer
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Website: https://accidentaltravelwriter.com/

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