About Hank Leukart - Without Baggage

What is Without Baggage?

Without Baggage is an online travel magazine, written by me, Hank Leukart.

The world is full of different kinds of travel writing. There's travel writing covering boring logistics ("The [hotel's] mostly white rooms are spacious and cheerful,") full of superlatives ("[Bali is] one of the most beautiful, peaceful, and intoxicating places on earth,") and infused with clichés ("Getting there is half the fun.") Some reads like a diary, chronicling daily minutiae. Some reads like an exaggerated movie plot.

Travel writing can be better. In Without Baggage, I write short, personal essays about the bizarre adventures and interesting people I encounter as I travel around the world. Sometimes the essays are funny, sometimes they're sad, and sometimes I get distracted and write too much about eating blueberries and Belgian waffles. But, all of the stories are true.

You'll find that I, too, sometimes mistakenly write stuff that's boring, superlative-packed, or cliche-ridden. But it's always unintentional, and you're welcome to e-mail me and make fun of me when I do.

What does Without Baggage mean?

When I travel, I try to carry as little possible and avoid having a set itinerary. The less weighing you down, the more you can do.

Hank reads a book while sailing down the Congo River in central Africa.

Who is Hank Leukart?

Hank Leukart, the personality behind Without Baggage, is a Los Angeles-based freelance television producer and journalist.

Hank has worked as a producer on the television show "Big Brother" for CBS Network Television, "Top Shot" for the History Channel, and "Pitchmen" for the Discovery Channel. Hank wrote and published The Doom Hacker's Guide (Henry Holt/MIS:Press), a 300-page book about the seminal computer game, Doom. Hank and the book were featured in many major publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, and People Magazine.

Hank earned his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, where he wrote over 130 pieces for The Dartmouth newspaper, and authors Dick Lehr and Mitchell Zuckoff referenced him in the book Judgment Ridge for his journalism work at The Dartmouth. In the past, Hank also has written many articles and essays covering travel, technology, and the arts for publications including The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Computer Gaming World, Computer Player, NetGuide, and Games Domain Review.

Hank has traveled to over 120 cities in over 20 countries while writing Without Baggage — including places such as Alaska, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Botswana, Brussels, Chilean Patagonia, Costa Rica, Delft, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denver, Edinburgh, Ecuador, Florence, Honduras, the French Pyrennes, the Galapagos Islands, Glasgow, The Hague, Las Vegas, Laos, the Loire Valley, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Southern Mexico, Miami, Montreal, Puebla (Mexico), New England, New York, Normandy, Northern Thailand, Paris, Rome, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, South Africa, Toulouse, Southern Utah, Washington DC, and Vancouver — but there's still ten lifetimes of destinations left to explore.