Featured Traveller: Charles Harriott – BJJ Globetrotters
Let’s start out with some quick facts about you…
Charles Harriott BJJ
Age: 32
Belt: Black
Profession: Wandering Jiu Jitsu instructor and Airbnb Host
How many years in BJJ: 10 or 14 years, depending on when you start counting
Other martial arts: Tae Kwon Do, American Kenpo, Universal Martial System, and Judo
Where do you live: Technically Gainesville, FL, USA (really out of a backpack)
Where are you originally from: Boca Raton, FL USA
Other fun or curious information you’d like to share: I studied physics in university, was president of the UF Breakdance club and Hip Hop Collective (I actually got deep into BJJ after a breakdancing knee injury), enjoy origami but can only make two things, and love long walks on the beach, lillies, and summer sunsets.;-)
Charles Harriott BJJ
Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
I always loved travelling, but had never really done it beyond a few weeks for vacation or studying abroad back in college. I’ve always been taking little road trips around Florida to train at different gyms since I was a white belt. Visiting open mats appealed to me more than training, because then you’d get to roll with everyone. Over the years this grew into visiting gyms further and further from home, or finding a gym while on vacation or traveling for work.
A few years back, I planned a 3-week trip that used all my vacation time to go to Los Angeles, Japan, London, and the Netherlands. Training in Japan, as well as training and competing in England, really affected me. It kind of opened my mind to the possibility of doing this for a longer time. In Japan, I saw an old friend from home, John Hommel, but the real lightbulb moment was meeting Jose and Miharu. I didn’t know them, but they put me up in their house and treated me like family while I was there. Next, in England, another friend from home who had moved there about 8 years prior, Alain Pozo, took me on a whirlwind tour of gyms. This really gave me the bug. Training, getting on a train, eating some food, then training again at the next gym. I loved it.
I went back home to my job and got my black belt shortly after. The feeling marinated for a while. Then I found myself in a situation where I had the freedom to actually do it. I sold a lot of my things, and gave away and lent even more. Then I took the plunge and hit the road on 14th Feb 2018.
Tell us about your most recent trip and your upcoming trips – where have you been and where are you going?
I just finished a road trip with Chris Veilegaard through Denmark and Germany. Traveling by car is really different and fun. Next up is Milan, Mantua, and Vigevano (Italy), followed by a week in England and a further week in Ireland.
Charles Harriott BJJ
What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
Meeting people and learning what aspects of their city and country they’re proud of. The food! Seeing how different cultures do the same thing. Natural landscapes. And museums.
Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
1. Hanoi, Vietnam on Ho Chi Minh’s birthday. I’ll hand it over to my Instagram post from the day!
“I am going to miss #hanoi and #vietnam in general. Our last night in hanoi, @hugsandsalsa(Lorna) and I were just walking down the street looking for a place to eat dinner. We came upon a large group eating and drinking. They signaled us to join and gave us some Vietnamese Whiskey as well as some ginger lemongrass duck meat. We struck up a conversation via Google translate and eventually figured out they were celebrating Ho Chi Minh’s birthday and would not let us drink beer on such an occasion. They taught us how to cool and drink the whiskey in the local way with a ladle and ice in a bag so that the whiskey doesn’t get watered down. The whole scene was amazing.”
2. Danimal BJJ Kaohsiung (Taiwan)
I taught a seminar here, and at the end Dan surprised me with the news that they have a tradition that the instructor rolls with everyone in class: sub-only, no time limit. So I had 21 people to roll with, starting with Dan, who is a monster with whom I’d been having absolute wars all week. He tapped me the first day I was there and we’d been stalemating ever since, with the arms race of counters and new strategies in full effect. So Dan and I end up going about 8 or 10 minutes and are both slowing down a little as we crash into the wall and have to reset. I dive in and catch a desperation heel hook. This is still the only time to this day I have caught Dan. However, there are still 20 people left…
I go on and, about 5 people in, I get tapped by Ryan (a strong blue belt at the time; now purple). The second I tap I realize I really have to pee. So I ask for a break and run to the bathroom, then I’m back in there feeling refreshed. I work my way down the ranks and finish with Pan, a 120+ kg monster white belt I’d rolled with a few days earlier and had had a hard time dealing with fresh. I can barely stand at this point, so pulling guard was not a good idea. I get crushed and passed and then it is arm triangle city. So I finish my gauntlet at a respectable 19-2.
I love this gym and everyone there. A few days later, I ended a dance battle at the bar they own on the ground floor. It was also off of Dan’s recommendation that I even got a small sponsorship deal with Globetrotters, and an opportunity to teach at the Summer Camp in Heidelberg. So you could say that without this first visit I wouldn’t be living the life I am today. Much love to all you guys – I will be back this year.
3. All the camps. I’ve been to three types of camps, and they were all different and all amazing.
Craig Jones’ Heel Hookers Camp
It was amazing to see so many people together that all want to play heel hooks. Usually I have to ask and make sure I won’t be viewed as some sort of monster. However, here I was among my people. On a professional level, to see how Craig was able to fill an entire week with twice-a-day sessions focusing just on the heel hook was amazing. It helped my understanding of not only the technique but also interesting ways to drill and improve them.
I made a lot of friends and had a great time.
Ballaton Summer Camp
This was the most intense of all the camps. It was packed with black belts and pretty much all the killers of every belt level from ZR Team Europe. There were three sessions a day and I went to all of them. All the rolls were hard, and for some reason all the 220lb /100 kg + purple and brown belts wanted to roll with me. I never say no to a roll, so every day was war! This camp defined #everydayporrada. However, it was also fun. Intense fun, but fun. I ate so much food and yet still finished the camp weighing less than I have at any point since high school.
Globetrotters Camp (Fall ‘08)
This camp was a game changer for me. The focus was on Jiu Jitsu, but more so on fun. As a new instructor, I was terrified and didn’t want to screw up. After meeting Priit Mihkelson, Jeff Knight, and some of the other instructors, it was clear the level of instruction was very high. On top of this I met Chris Paines, who promptly asked me to darce him if I could in a roll. I was scheduled to teach a darce class the very next day.
After 30 minutes of trying, I couldn’t. I went back to my room and went over my seminar obsessively and made sure it was as bulletproof and as polished as I could get it. When it was my time to teach, I was in awe of how many people showed up. It went really well, and when I was done I received loads of positive feedback. The whole camp was amazing, with everyone just freely doing their own thing. I got to pay Dungeons & Dragons for the first time, then go on a pub crawl, and then I was gifted a stuffed sloth. I love Globetrotters camps.
What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
How kind and helpful most people are. You hear on the news and social media about the bad ones; how we as people are so different and just can’t get along. However, in every country I visit, the strangers and people I’ve met have been so kind and helpful.
From the random elderly women who guided me through the Osaka Kansai subway system despite my incredibly basic Japanese, to all the various people who helped me when I injured my knee in Germany (Chris, Craig, Ivo, Sven), to great people in Georgia, the Carolinas, and Montana that treat me like family whenever I come to train.
Everywhere on Earth has awesome people, and we really aren’t all that different. This is what I love about Jiu Jitsu. When you’re rolling there are no politics; it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, black or white, liberal or conservative, we’re there in that moment trying to submit each other. To outwit each other and have fun playing human chess.
Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Yes, go somewhere that you can matsurf. That takes care of lodging. In terms of training, take just nogi gear or a travel gi (I have an Origin Warrior that is super light and a Globetrotters travel gi).
Make sure you know the bag policies for airlines in Asia, Europe, and the USA, as they all tend to be different. Once you know the policy, you know exactly how much you can bring without having to pay any extra for it. Also, always check in as early as possible so you can avoid the sneaky fees from discount airlines.
In Europe, check the saver fares. Especially in England, book your trains early! The price really climbs dramatically the closer you get to the date. For something like Flixbus you can procrastinate a bit more, but keep in mind that the price increases a lot within the final hour before they leave – even if they’re not highly booked. For all of these, get the apps.
Don’t forget to get your train tickets validated in Italy or Germany. The fine is €50+, and they don’t care if you are a tourist/traveler.
In general, plan ahead! Sometimes I don’t and it almost always costs more. You pay a premium for flexibility.
If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
- Charging cables are worth their weight in gold. Have backups.
- Spring for the local SIM card, if only for the GPS.
- Always try to call the gym you’re visiting to make sure the info on the website is up to date.
- If possible, matsurf and make friends with a local before or while you’re there. Things are more fun and people are interesting.
- Say yes as often as possible. These adventures are more fun when you step outside your comfort zone.
- Kinesio Tape, antibiotics, and Ricola.
- If you’re buying soup, make sure the water is boiling!
“Treat everyone you meet like they could be your new best friend.”
From Christian, but it serves me well.
