Featured Traveller: Liadain O’Driscoll – BJJ Globetrotters
Let’s start out with some quick facts about you…
Name: Liadain O’Driscoll – BJJ Globetrotters
Age: 33
Belt: Purple
Profession: Technical writer
How many years in BJJ: 6
Other martial arts: MMA until I detached a retina in a fight.
Where do you live: Cork, Ireland
Where are you originally from: Baltimore, Ireland – a beautiful fishing village on the south coast which I encourage everyone to visit.
Other fun or curious information you would like to share: In a previous life I played in several metal and hardcore bands. Besides my day job I work for the Irish Open Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championships, who run the biggest competitions in Ireland. When I’m not on the mats you can usually find me on my yoga mat or indulging my other obsession – knitting.
Liadain O’Driscoll – BJJ Globetrotters
Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
I got bitten by the travel bug the same year that I started training. I took up MMA and BJJ at the start of 2012, and later that year I had my first big trip outside Europe, when I spent a couple of weeks in Peru. I didn’t train on that trip, but it fuelled my desire to travel more, which coincided with me wanting to work less and train more. I went to Thailand for two weeks a couple of months later and spent a week travelling the north of the country and then a week training at Phuket Top Team, and within a couple of days of landing there my plans were hatched. In 2014 I left my job to train full-time in Thailand for a year, which was a crazy experience. Since then I’ve trained in some amazing places, including Tristar in Montreal and Mjölnir in Iceland, and I’ve competed all over Europe.
Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
My last big training trip was about a year ago, when I spent five weeks in Thailand and Bali. I haven’t got anything major planned for the short to medium term now, but Mongolia and Brazil are high on the list of must-dos when I do get back to travelling.
Liadain O’Driscoll – BJJ Globetrotters
What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
The opportunity to get exposure to coaches and styles that you wouldn’t get at home is a big one for me. Especially coming from Ireland, where we don’t have a wrestling culture, being able to spend a year training under a high-level American wrestling coach was invaluable for me. Other than that, I love seeing new places, meeting new people and building up a network of friends and acquaintances all over the world.
Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
Spending my Christmas Eve at nogi class and then going swimming at night on a tropical beach. Rolling with Cris Cyborg. Drilling in the gi with Tiffany Van Soest. Competing on a beach. Eating deep-fried Magnums every day for a week.
What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
Being asked if I was on steroids was a good one! Also the amount of high-level black belts and MMA fighters you see on Tinder who you know full well have a wife or girlfriend at home. My screenshots folder is a world of trouble.
Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Not entirely – I’m probably somewhere in the middle between budget and luxury. I do tend to book flights a long time in advance, but that’s more because I like having something planned to look forward to than out of budget considerations. Airbnb has been a godsend the last couple of years though – I’ve made trips that I never would have been able to afford otherwise and stayed in some really nice places.
If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Tea tree oil is a godsend for fending off staph. Also, never underestimate staph.
