Featured Traveller: Michael Velotta – BJJ Globetrotters
Michael Velotta BJJ
Age: 43
Belt: 1st degree Black Belt
Profession: Physical Therapy Assistant in an acute care hospital
How many years in BJJ: Oh gosh… almost 24 years now?
Other martial arts: High school wrestling, Muay Thai, Boxing, and a little bit of Sambo. Oh, and now a little bit of Irish Collar and Elbow Wrestling (Thanks to Ruadhán MacFadden for making that happen!)
Where do you live: Currently living in Madison, Wisconsin
Where are you originally from: Southern California
Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I’m an avid woodworker. I have my own wood shop in my basement, and I play Dungeons and Dragons like it’s still the 80s and it’s cool… hahaha.
Michael Velotta BJJ
Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
When I first joined the US Army, in 1999, my first duty station was Bamberg, Germany. I’d only been outside the country to Mexico before that, so I had ZERO traveling experience. But when I got to Germany, the wanderlust hit me HARD. Since then, I’ve been to just about every Western European country and most of the East as well. As for training, I find that almost everywhere I travel to, there’s Jiu Jitsu in some form or another. For me, THAT’s the common language. I can speak the language of grappling to anyone.
Tell us about your most recent trip and your upcoming trips – where have you been and where are you going?
My most recent was probably one of my greatest trips ever. I was lucky enough to get a last-minute ticket to the 50th Globetrotter Camp in Heidelberg, Germany. It was such an amazing atmosphere, with some truly great Jiu Jitsu instruction from passionate and skilled BJJ coaches from around the world. The whole experience was completely unreal, and I met so many great people!
My next trip is coming up in September; I’m heading to London and Belfast, Ireland with some of my fellow Jiu Jitsu Brotherhood instructors from across the U.S., mostly for a vacation, but also to get some great training in!
Michael Velotta BJJ
What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
This list would take all day for me. So I’ll try to keep it simple. Getting out of the humdrum of the normal daily grind, getting on a plane and landing in another country… you simply can’t beat that feeling of exploration and excitement! As soon as I leave the confines of that airport, it’s an open map to whatever destinations I want. I love experiencing other cultures, other coastlines or mountains, other languages and foods. Whether I’m there for business or for fun, it doesn’t matter; the next new experience is just around that corner.
Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
Another long list that I’ll keep short. I’ve eaten the best fish and chips in my life at a gas station sitting across the street from an amazing, ruined castle on the coast of Ireland. Castle-hopping with friends along the Neckar River while at the 50th Globetrotter camp to do research for a book I’m trying to write. Meeting so many talented and amazing people around the world, each with something interesting to share, or teach you… I could list a thousand more great experiences!
Michael Velotta BJJ
What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
That’s an interesting question actually. Probably one of the most surprising experiences I’ve had while traveling is learning just how tiny my known world was before I traveled. In life, you gain knowledge and you grow by doing, by seeing, by experiencing. And until you actually step out of your comfort zone, and change your comfortable little personal environment, you don’t really have a grasp of what life is like, globally.
Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Most definitely. Any trip I think I want to do, I plan months in advance. I start checking all the best flight apps, I start comparing locations and costs, and I start planning what I’ll bring so I can travel as light and condensed as possible. That way, when the time comes, I can just go for it instead of being stuck on the fence about it. Doing it this way has really helped me to actually be able to plan on short notice as well. I know all the tricks of the trade – travel is a passion for me, not just a hobby!
If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Be open to new experiences. If you think you want to try something, TRY it. If you want to go somewhere, but aren’t sure, just DO it. “I can’t do it because (insert all the lame excuses we tell ourselves because we’re afraid here…)” and you WON’T end up doing it because you already said “I CAN’T”…
Follow your heart, follow that adventurous spirit inside you… and your feet will come along for the ride!
Michael Velotta BJJ
