Vietnam on a Motorbike: 27 Tips for the Perfect Ride
Riding a motorbike 1666 kilometers (1035 miles) through the vast countrysides of Northern Vietnam was one of the most rewarding travel experiences I’ve ever had. Breathtaking vistas of layered rice terraces, wandering water buffalo, blissful and generous people, authentic local cuisine — it all felt too amazing to be real. I was living out an […]
Hanoi, Vietnam: A One-Day Budget Guide
Hanoi is a swirl of sweet chaos. Motorbikes dart through the streets like schools of buzzing fish. Steam, smoke, and alluring aromas pour out of restaurants and onto the sidewalks. Art, music, and memories of war reverberate everywhere, and I felt it all the moment my boots hit pavement. Exploring Hanoi on a budget […]
Trekking Chile’s Torres del Paine: A Six-Day Guide to the ‘O’ Circuit
‘O’ Circuit Overview I’d heard rave reviews about the stunning beauty of the ‘O’ Circuit, but I wasn’t prepared for it to take me to a transcendent new world. Towering granite spires, sprawling glaciers, breathtaking mountain passes, intense and ever-changing weather — I experienced it all on every step of my six-day journey. Trekking […]
My 10 Favorite Travel Blogs for 2019: The Best of the Best
Do you ever spend late nights staring into the bright glow of a computer screen, searching for inspiration through the adventures of other travelers? I do. Quite frequently actually. I’m obsessed with travel blogs that excite me and it’s keeping me up past my bedtime. No, I’m not talking about ogling over Instagram models stretched […]
Solo Travel as a Couple: How We Pull It Off
Yes, it’s true. Keri and I are a loving couple who would rather travel the world separately. December 24th, 2017. This was the day we kissed each other goodbye and flew to opposite sides of the world. We’d been traveling together for three months at that point, and we were ready for the adventure to […]
Trekking Gear — The Essentials
You’re at the complete mercy of Mother Nature when trekking into the wilderness. Volatile weather, sparse water sources, steep and brutal terrain — its all a fact of life in the unpredictable back country. Harsh conditions will test your resilience and push your gear to the limits. If you’re trying to put together an effective […]
Chengdu’s Wenshu Monastery Neighborhood: A One Day Budget Guide
I’ve just returned from the Wenshu Monastery neighborhood, and I’m already itching to go back. When I arrived two days ago, I did so with no expectations and zero research. I simply dropped my bags at the hostel and started walking. Bustling markets, fragrant Sichuan cuisine, fascinating people, ancient history, and a vibrant culture — […]
What I’ve Learned During My First Six Months Creating a Travel Blog
Like countless other travel bloggers, I’ve come to see that creating and maintaining a blog is far more demanding than I first thought. I started this website knowing that I loved to travel, write, take photographs, and use the internet, but I didn’t know much else. I stepped into the world of travel blogging […]
Fostering Pets Abroad: Kittens Have Taken Over Our Apartment
I awoke before sunrise this morning to the frantic skittering of little paws sliding across the slick laminate floor of my apartment in Chengdu, China. I pried open my eyes to a brief flash of fur zooming across my bed and over my nightstand. In the distance, someone was stripping the dead leaves off […]
The Tenacious Travel Bodyweight Workout
When caught up in the exciting and unpredictable throes of travel, it’s quite easy to push personal fitness to the back-burner or neglect it completely. I get it. I’m living and breathing proof. I’ve pulled hazy all-nighters at Peruvian casinos. I’ve ingested frightening amounts of grease-soaked street tacos under the buzz of flickering Mexican streetlights. […]