Used to be I would go to my mailbox everyday. But not these days. After a few years of personal financial crisis there is rarely anything good. That was not the case today.

Holy Guacamole in my mailbox was a book. Not any book, but a book with a few pages about me, InvisiblePeople.tv, Glendale Winter Shelter and The Dream Center.

Two years ago while working the winter shelter some guy tweets me he is riding in his RV with his family and wants to stop to visit. I was not yet at the shelter. When I arrived there was a huge RV in the parking lot and this family was making all of our homeless friends coffee.  If I remember right they ran out of cups and took his huge RV through a drive-thru or something. Anyway, I became friends with Chad Houck and his wife and Amy. Truly amazing people.

What really impressed me about the Houcks is their genuine love for people. The family volunteered at the winter shelter with the worst of the worst chronic homeless and it didn’t phase any of them. In fact, as I am sure with all the other experiences a family can have on the road full time, this was just one of many. Chad was a COO for a growing company and then decided to take a risk. Today he told me they drove 27K miles together. During that time the family of 5 became a family of 6. I was happy to hear about their new addition, Bethany, and very saddened to hear health complications have them grounded near Dallas. If you know me, you know I rarely ask people to pray. Please note: I believe in prayer. I just think we all ask God for stupid stuff He could care less about. That said, if you are reading this please pray for Chad, Amy and their 3 children. Especially Bethany. God does care about people.

I have to admit I am sincerely honored that anyone would take the time to write about me. I never ask for this, I just focus on helping others as a means to my own survival. In a way, I am living a dream. Chad had a dream to travel with his family around the country in a large RV and write a book. His dream was to write a book that would motivate Christians do to more. I am blessed to be part of Chad’s dream, and you can too by simply buying a book or ten. If you’d like to know more click here. If you click on the book to the right it will take you to Amazon where you can order “Share Well With Others”

I don’t have many fond memories of living in St Louis.  Lots of really awful things happened. One of which is losing my house to foreclosure. My last year living in St Charles County was one of the worst in my life. It was very dark and lonely. I have no desire to go back.

Recently,  an old friend from the area posted on my Facebook that he was taking bikes to a tent city. I called to encourage him,  yet he ended up encouraging me. Seems one of the links I posted some time ago prompted him to take real actions. I once worked with homeless people in STL when I lived there. In fact, this photo I took one Saturday afternoon handing out water in a park downtown. It was nothing like I do today, but it was most certainly part of my training. I learned the difference between real compassion and marketing gimmicks, commitment and convenience.

Today my editor from change.org sent me the following links. I am wrecked! Obviously, there is a lot of unseen hurt in St Louis and St Charles County. Obviously, I need to pass through on this summer’s road trip. If you are from there or know of anyone honestly helping homeless people please send me an email at mark [at] invisible people [dot] tv.

At home in a graveyard?

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/04/28/stcharles/special_feature/0429stc-jenn10.txt

Few resources available for mentally ill homeless

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/04/28/stcharles/news/0429stc-jenn20.txt

You just met Jennifer

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/04/28/stcharles/news/0429stc-jenn30.txt

Homeless numbers up in St. Charles County

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/02/17/stcharles/special_feature/0218stc-homeless0.txt

Just a bus ride from a hot shower

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/07/04/stcharles/news/0705stc-showers0.txt

Our Lady’s Inn prepares homeless, expecting women to nurture, supply, support

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/03/14/stcharles/news/0315stc-ourlady0.txt

Shelters struggle to meet demand

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/08/29/stcharles/news/0830stc-shelter0.txt

Six kids, no job and one guardian angel

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/12/22/stcharles/special_feature/1227stc-familyfree.txt

Program gives families place to call home

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/11/10/stcharles/news/1111stc-housing0.txt

Family crams into one-room home

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/12/29/warren/special_feature/1230war-nurse0.txt

Long road for homeless students

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/05/30/stcharles/news/0531stc-students0.txt

Homeless make camp in woods, under bridges

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2010/01/30/stcharles/special_feature/0131stc-count0.txt

Homelessness rises, federal aid doesn’t

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2010/02/16/warren/news/0217war-count0.txt

County’s homeless population increases

http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2010/02/23/stcharles/news/0224stc-count0.txt

Darn that Chris Brogan. I swear he’s a robot that never sleeps. Always doing cool stuff and launching neat ideas.  Like today I see a tweet and click to see the soft launch his new travel site “Man On The Go” .  So very cool! I’m looking forward to lots of tips. In this video I thought I would find a solution to packing clothes so I’ll never be called “Sir Wrink A Lot” every again. I did follow on to One Bag. Looks like a great site but I’ll have to study it another time. Those simple solutions sometimes complicate me! HA!

Well, that got me to thinking about something I planned on doing last year after the 1st road trip. But as usual, I put it off until now. No, I am not going to start a travel blog like Chris is starting. But given the time if I find something worth sharing than I will try and write about it.

I also need to once again thank Hilton for helping me help homeless people. You may not know this, but Hilton Foundation is a leader in the fight to end homelessness. Point blank honest – if Hilton didn’t help me out the road trip would not have happened. They are also the biggest sponsors meaning they provided the most support. I am sincerely grateful. When you support the Hilton Family of Brands you are helping hurting people.

Last year speaking at Blog World I went to support Adventure Girl. Listening to Stef it hit me, I am a travel blogger. I just don’t go anywhere nice! Well, it is true most of my time is spent in tent cities or under a bridge. But there are times when I do relax in a nice hotel. Now, before you go judging me about sleeping in a hotel you should know meeting new homeless people every day is emotionally exhausting. It takes a lot out of me. I also drove 11,263 miles so I need rest and escape from the madness. Plus, I lived on the streets off and on for a year, then spent 8 years in a homeless type program where I always had roommates in very small rooms, I was eating donated food everyday, I wore only donated clothes, and I never had my own bathroom. Nearly 9 years of my life I lived in a homeless shelter or a church program. I also have to work each night editing and uploading videos. A good internet connection with uninterrupted time to work is vital so staying in a hotel is the only way to guarantee that.

Ok, here are a few belated tips:

I used to love Price Line until I was burnt real bad by a horrible hotel experience. Hilton covered hotel stays in most major cities, but there were times I had to find my own. After my bad Price Line experience I started to use Trip Advisor which is where I found Plaza Beach Resort in St Pete Beach, Florida.  I was driving in from Baton Rouge and actually planned on finding a hotel on the road before arriving in Tampa. Plaza Beach had good reviews but it was cheap. I was a little scared that the price was so low. But the whole trip was a risk so I booked it. I was making good time and figured if I drove all night instead of stopping it would give me a full day on the beach. Only a two weeks earlier my step father died and I had to fly to NY for family. At the start I programed in a few days off but because of this change all ‘flex’ days had to be removed. One day off at the beach was very appealing. I called in to see if I could change the reservations. The man that answered said, “sure, no problem. I’ll just leave the keys in the door for you”. WHAT! Are you kidding me! I was now really scared about the price.

The room was perfect. Less than $100 and only 50 feet from the beach. It also had the perfect bench. I highly recommend this hotel. It’s not the ‘fluff’ style luxury. You’ll have to go to the store and buy your own coffee. But it’s maybe the coolest little hotel efficiency unit  I’ve ever staying at. And it’s on the beach!

I also really liked the Hampton Inn and Suites in Downtown Austin. It was an awesome hotel and it reminded me I was in the south by it’s decor and friendly staff.  I am not just saying that. Casey died while I was there. I had a huge crisis trying to figure out what to do with the Ford Flex that was loaned to me by Ford, and that was full of brand new Hanes socks. You just cannot leave a car like that full of boxes at the airport.  Maybe I could have, but I felt responsible for that car and now I had a family crisis. The hotel staff were wonderful. They helped me with all the arraignments so the car would be safe and I could fly to be with family. If it wasn’t for Hilton I would have never stayed there. I am truly grateful.

Every Hilton property I stayed at was amazing. Even the Hampton Inn in Sioux Falls, South Dakota was top notch comfy. But I must say The DoubleTree Guest Suites in Times Square made me feel like my financial crisis was behind me. Remember, last year I was unemployed and without income. I’ve traveled to NYC often when I was in my 20s. Never did I stay anywhere nice so this was a huge first for me.   Yes, it’s NYC so parking costs alone are killer. And I got lost arriving so I had to drag all my bags (I was on the road for 3 months so I had lots of stuff) several blocks. I’m sure there may be better and more luxurious places in NYC but this was a huge ‘wow’ for me. I’d stay there again although I think my next visit I have to try the Rogers Smith Hotel. Social Media is always talking good stuff and they featured me at 140 Conference LA.

My friend Chris Noble swears by Hot Wire. I did try their service twice and both times where good. I don’t like not being able to pick the location exactly. All I need is a clean bed and warm shower with good internet. Free parking rocks. For what I do it’s important to stay downtown. I’ve tried staying outside of the city and it never worked. The first time I used Hot Wire I got a deal at Swissotel Chicago. This was the second leg of the trip so I had switched the Ford Flex for an Escape Hybrid. The Swissotel’s parking is 1/2 off for hybrids. But what impressed me the most was the attention to customer service. When I picked up the car there was cold water inside. Shampoo was in the shower. little things like that make a world of difference.

I will be using Hot Wire more this road trip.

In the middle of the trip a very cool hotel in San Fransisco invited me to stay. The Good Hotel! I am not sure if they are still open because their twitter feed is deleted, and their main mother site no longer lists them.  It was a cool experience to say the least. For one, being in the ‘tenderloin’ was right where I needed to be. The hotel lobby listed volunteer opportunities, the business center’s computer was a “one laptop per child” computer, and the toilets were extra green. It was very eclectic and not for everyone. I like new and different, and I do believe they were on to something so I hope they are still around.

There is so much more, like Chinese pizza in Des Moines. But my fingers are sore from typing so that means it’s time to say goodnight. This year it looks like a film crew will be following me so all these cool travel tips will soon be in a theater near you.

So, is InvisiblePeople.tv really a travel blog after all?

Earlier this week Dominic Mapstone posted “Why You Shouldn’t Give Money to Panhandlers” on change.org. Although I don’t agree with Dominic I am glad he brought up the topic. I am not a big blog commenter. I hate to type and written word is not my forte’. But I did post a few. What always gets me going when this topic comes up is how ‘housed people’ so naturally believe that homeless people should be removed of the freedom of choice – “I give food because homeless people are not smart enough to use money as I think they should”! INSANE!

Then this showed up. On The Adventures of Homeless Girl the most wonder post “Should You Give A Homeless Person Money?”

I just love this:

I decided that when I give money to a homeless person or anybody who asks, it is a gift. So when I give it to them it is no longer mine but theirs.

And when I give a gift to my friends for Christmas or birthdays I don’t tell them what to do with it or what to buy with it because it is no longer mine.

And so when I give to the homeless, I am not their parent or guardian to make that judgment and assume that they are going to use it for something else. And even if they do, so what? If you are so concerned about them not doing drugs or consuming alcohol then why not pay for their rehabilitation or take them to counseling, speak to them about their situation rather than ignoring their presence and forgetting they are human beings

So please remember this the next time you see them. You have no obligation to give but if you do give you have no right to judge.

Isn’t that AWESOME?

And just like dumbster diving the good stuff is always at the bottom so I saved the best for last.  A while back a good friend sent me this post he said “thank you”

on every block, there is someone
who is homeless

I’ve come to ignore them

in Jon’s occupation we’ve helped a lot
of homeless and extremely poor people

I’ve become jaded, cynical
always ready to say “no”
I’ve learned from Robert and Petey and Leslie and Harold and Jose
and many many others
that our good intentions often were turned into abuse
…of themselves, their families, and the people who helped them

however…yesterday
the man Kat helped came back
and said “thank you”

she did not question his motive when he asked for ”a couple of dollars for food”
she did not hesitate to open her heart and her hands to give him what he needed

and a little while later he came back

he had a bottle of Coke in his hands
and I remarked that he had purchased a Coke to drink

and he replied, “I bought a hot dog, too.”
and he said “thank you.”

he remembered the nice lady
who gave him a couple of dollars
and he came back to say “thank you”

and I learned something from Kat
and from the man
and I won’t always be so cynical, so fearful
so unlike Jesus

the next time the man asks
“do you have a couple of dollars…?”