Movie extra or finding family all happens on a journey
Seasoned globetrotter and bag designer Doug Barber tells John Anthony his travel highs and lows.
SOMEWHERE ONLINE there’s a Bollywood movie featuring a Whangarei entrepreneur dancing in a night club scene while dressed in whitewater rafting gear.
This is an example of the weird and wonderful things travelling through Nepal can throw out as Doug Barber discovered in 2009.
Barber and his business partner Jimmy Hayes, of Nelson, shot to entrepreneurship fame last year when their business Minaal released a custom-designed travel bag which proved popular with travellers – selling out in the United States. To fund the project they raised $341,000 on Kickstarter.
The seasoned globetrotters designed the bag after finding nothing on the market which met all their needs while travelling.
It was on one of those overseas adventures where Barber unexpectedly found himself being filmed for a Bollywood movie.
He awoke early one morning for a day of whitewater rafting in Nepal but the guide made an impromptu detour to a movie set.
Barber found himself acting as an extra in the nightclub scene.
‘‘After a bizarre few hours of filming we were back on the road and somehow eventually made it to, and down, the river,’’ Barber said. ‘‘I believe the footage is online somewhere, but the link is closely held.’’
Barber and Hayes plan to expand their travel bag range but their focus is restocking the bags. Worst flight? I recall a flight a few years ago in Asia where there was barely enough room for my legs while standing, let alone once I sat. I remember approximately one centimetre of room between my head and the seat in front. But I slept. It remains the only time I’ve ever fallen asleep while standing. Best flight? Getting on the last flight out of Da Nang in Vietnam before an incoming cyclone caused the cancellation of all flights for the next few days. Once the plane left the ground and the turbulence subsided, party mode took over. Best person you’ve met while travelling? The ferry captain who took pity on me camping out in the remote Scottish Hebrides and invited me to stay with him and his amazing family. We realised we shared a common ancestor and the captain was able to show me the original record of that ancestor’s birth in the 18th century. Favourite international dish? The Korean dish, dolsot bibimbap, with its crazy hot stone bowl, marinated meat, rice, and spicy sauce. Favourite travel app? Tripit to help co-ordinate with Jimmy. We email booking confirmations to Tripit and the details are automatically added to our calendars. This makes it easy to know when the other is in the air. Favourite airport to land at? Whangarei. Small plane and short runway, on a narrow peninsula in a beautiful harbour. How do you avoid jet lag? I feed myself generous helpings of water. After a big time zone shift, I’ll try to get plenty of sun in the first few days. Top travel tip? Travel carry-on only.