Home
Essays
Photos
Films
Trips
Travel Best
About
Best Of
All By Date
All By Place
2016
August 14, 2016
Waking sleeping bison
Backpacking the Trans-Catalina Trail across California’s Catalina Island with a new backpacker.
August 1, 2016
Wonderland of Rocks
Hiking over massive granite monoliths in Joshua Tree National Park’s most notorious backcountry.
July 18, 2016
Unbreaking my leg
Attempting Tomales Bay kayaking and Kings Canyon backpacking trips while recovering from a broken leg.
April 18, 2016
Hanging by a wire
My hiking and paddling trip across New Zealand’s South Island takes a miserable turn.
April 11, 2016
Friends in high places
Forming a fellowship while hiking over four mountain passes in New Zealand’s Arthur’s Pass National Park.
March 30, 2016
An authentic Kiwi adventure
Hiking over New Zealand’s Waiau Pass and packrafting the Waiau River’s narrow whitewater gorges.
March 14, 2016
Surviving thru-hiking boot camp in New Zealand’s Richmond Range
Backpacking the Richmond Alpine Track, one of the most difficult stretches of on-trail hiking in New Zealand.
February 18, 2016
Packrafting New Zealand’s Marlborough Sounds
Heading out on an epic hiking and paddling adventure across New Zealand’s South Island.
January 9, 2016
How Delta Airlines tricked me into spending the holidays with my favorite people
My quest for an airline’s highest elite status ends with me visiting my best friends, all over the world.
2015
November 16, 2015
Packrafting the High Sierra
How a bit of imagination transformed a high-altitude backpacking trip in Ansel Adams Wilderness.
August 10, 2015
Paddling to the Fox Box Bar
A kayak-camping trip with ten friends on Santa Cruz Island in California’s Channel Islands.
July 30, 2015
God’s dream
Reaching the End of the Earth on the Camino de Santiago.
July 23, 2015
Pile of burdens
Trying to come to terms with why I’m walking the Camino de Santiago.
July 10, 2015
Bending time
How the sheer length of the Camino de Santiago changes the way people live.
June 10, 2015
Blisterland
Learning from blisters and the fleeting nature of relationships on the Camino de Santiago.
May 28, 2015
To the End of the World
Hiking the 540-mile Camino de Santiago across Spain with an inspiring group of friends.
May 13, 2015
Can travel change you?
Speaking to high school students about the value of authentic travel before a 540-mile hike across Spain.
2014
December 21, 2014
Appalachian Trail bachelor party
My brother and I hike 30 miles on the Appalachian Trail before he heads off to his wedding.
November 28, 2014
Savoring Hong Kong
Eating the best food in Hong Kong, while exploring the city’s generational political divide.
October 20, 2014
Umbrella Dreams: Fighting for Hong Kong Democracy
Filming a documentary short about students fighting for democracy at the Occupy camps in Hong Kong.
October 14, 2014
Dining and diving, deep in the Yucatán
The only thing better than cave diving in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula is eating the mouth-watering cuisine.
October 5, 2014
Dancing for Mexican Independence
A Mérida medical student guides me through Mexican Independence Day.
September 29, 2014
The wonders of the world, all to myself
How I saw ancient Mayan cities, Egyptian temples, and other world wonders without pesky tourist crowds.
August 20, 2014
Bolivia’s mystical energy
A visit to the pre-Incan ruins of El Fuerte de Samaipata, Bolivia.
February 2, 2014
Mission Iceland: A Tale of Two Brothers
Two brothers search for eternal life in the Icelandic wilderness during what may be the last time in history anyone is able to see all of Iceland’s natural, untouched beauty.
January 21, 2014
Climbing into the worst weather in America
Summiting New Hampshire’s Mount Washington in winter.
2013
August 8, 2013
A rather British day
A one-day, whirlwind tour of London with two quirky British friends.
July 21, 2013
Journey to the center of the Bohemian brew kettle
Taking a beer breweries road trip in the Czech Republic’s quirky South Bohemia.
March 29, 2013
The road to the loneliest castle
Exploring medieval towns and lavish castles on Germany’s Romantic Road.
February 22, 2013
I can’t wait to get my face burned off!
Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Prague.
February 9, 2013
Hurry, turn left at the fountain!
Getting lost in Portugal’s Duoro Valley, the birthplace of port wine.
January 24, 2013
A royal Christmas miracle
Celebrating Christmas Eve at four Portuguese castles — and a gas station.
January 21, 2013
Powered by Fado
Road tripping Northern Portugal.
2012
November 29, 2012
Becoming Russian
Eating shashlik and being boiled alive in a bathhouse at a Russian dacha.
October 13, 2012
Prancing on rooftops
In St. Petersburg, Russia, every night can be New Year’s Eve.
September 29, 2012
Cycling like a Russian
A tireless Muscovite takes me on a marathon Moscow bicycle tour.
September 10, 2012
A mysterious Russian soul
An anthropology student shows me the best animated film of all time — and a glimpse into the Russian mind.
September 6, 2012
A palpable history
Exploring Russia’s past in a famous McDonald’s, the Moscow Metro, and a Cold War bunker.
August 27, 2012
In post-Soviet Russia, friends make you.
Finding friends in Moscow is easy when you make an effort to live like a local.
July 24, 2012
Off to see the ukulele-playing Wizard
Hiking to the Mount Whitney summit, the highest point in the continental US.
April 16, 2012
Water in the desert
A four-day backpacking trip through Death Valley’s Marble and Cottonwood Canyons.
April 9, 2012
Cruising Nubia to Egypt’s grandest temple
A guided, return trip to Egypt highlights the country’s growing political problems.
April 1, 2012
Ditch the guide
Why you should fire your tour guide and lead yourself through Israel and the West Bank.
March 25, 2012
Gummy penguins for breakfast
How not to take my eight-year-old nephew, and other newbies, on a first-time backpacking trip.
February 17, 2012
Drunken horses
A romantic comedy in Lìjiāng and Dàlǐ, China.
February 14, 2012
A battle of wills
Trekking China’s Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the world’s deepest canyons.
January 11, 2012
Chinese propaganda, in miniature
Have you ever missed a flight and ended up at Genghis Khan horseback battle reenactment?
2011
December 28, 2011
Climbing karsts
Rock climbing and Taylor Swift in Yángshuò, Guăngxī, China.
December 17, 2011
Crouching Tiger, inscrutable Mandarin
How my wish to become a flying martial artist came true in rural China.
December 13, 2011
Dining with strangers
How I left my virtue at Huangshan, China’s Yellow Mountain.
December 6, 2011
Shanghaied
Sucked into an elaborate tea ceremony con in Shanghai, China.
September 25, 2011
How I became a Japanese teen heartthrob
Examining Japan’s obsession with cuteness.
September 14, 2011
From omikuji, a bad omen
A visit to Tokyo’s Meiji Jingu Shrine during the Japanese New Year.
August 24, 2011
Kayaking for Independence
A July 4 sea kayaking-camping trip on Catalina Island.
August 2, 2011
Easy is boring
Skiing to remote Ostrander Ski Hut in Yosemite National Park.
July 26, 2011
The lost magic of an ancient empire
Cycling through Cambodia’s Angkor, the world’s biggest religious complex.
May 29, 2011
Did Pizza Hut win the Vietnam War?
Bicycling to the Cu Chi Tunnels and War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
May 18, 2011
A Vietnamese Christmas Eve, sort of
Cycling up Vietnam’s Hai Van mountain pass toward an ancient Hindu temple complex.
May 10, 2011
Cycling through Golden Turtle God country
Encountering magical turtles and afterlife-destined motorcycles on a bicycle trip in Vietnam and Cambodia.
March 28, 2011
Leaving a revolution behind
Saying goodbye as Egyptian revolutionaries protest on the eve of an important referendum.
March 23, 2011
Shakira, Mohammed, and me
Seeing post-revolution Egypt’s most stunning pharaonic monuments without tourists.
March 17, 2011
Welcome to the New Egypt!
Backpacking through a revolution in the Land of the Pharaohs.
March 13, 2011
Like hiking through molasses with a meat grinder in your stomach
Two brothers fight food poisoning while filming their trek to Nepal’s Everest Base Camp.
March 8, 2011
Never stop hiking. Never stop filming.
How two brothers managed logistics while filming themselves hiking in Nepal for 17 days straight.
March 5, 2011
Mission Everest: A Tale of Two Brothers
Two brothers tackle the trek to Nepal’s Everest Base Camp and film the entire adventure.
January 12, 2011
Paragliding above the Arabian Sea
A flying experience in Varkala, India rejuvenates two backpackers.
January 8, 2011
The guru of hugs
Seeking a life-changing hug and the secret to life from India’s most famous female spiritual leader.
2010
December 29, 2010
In India, anything is possible
The Kerala Backwaters turn out to be a relaxing, alternate-universe India.
December 22, 2010
India, I hate you. India, I love you.
A tiger prevents me from killing an Indian taxi driver.
December 17, 2010
Entranced by the world’s most beautiful symbol of eternal love
Sunrise and sunset at the Taj Mahal.
December 12, 2010
The train to the Taj Mahal
Chaos surrounds train ticket purchases in Delhi, India.
December 11, 2010
Satiating bloodthirsty Kali
Witnessing mass animal sacrifices in Dakshinkali, Nepal.
December 8, 2010
Until we meet again, Joshua Tree
Learning not to attack but to revere, while searching for Joshua Tree’s eight hidden palm oases.
October 20, 2010
My never-have-run-out-of-gas record still stands, technically
An Alaskan packrafting trip leads to a driving adventure.
October 11, 2010
Hello, impassable waterfall
Hiking Windy Pass from Cantwell to Denali National Park’s Refuge Valley.
September 27, 2010
One step toward a dream
Packrafting the Sanctuary River in Denali National Park.
August 31, 2010
A whistle stop, Alaska-style
Hiking to Spencer Glacier in Chugach National Forest.
August 29, 2010
Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads
Bush planes, ATVs, trains, and packrafts are often the only way to get around Alaska, the U.S. state with the fewest miles of road.
August 4, 2010
Cycling the Arm
Bicycling Anchorage’s Coastal Trail, Lost Lake, and the Turnagain Arm.
June 26, 2010
Where days last forever
Exploring the Land of the Midnight Sun.
June 23, 2010
Playing adults
Hiking the Chelan Lakeshore Trail before a wedding.
April 1, 2010
Meeting the Yosemite Oracle
A renowned rock climber gives some life advice.
March 30, 2010
Learning to levitate
Taking a Yosemite climbing class with a 19-year-old, rock climbing heckler.
March 28, 2010
The world’s smartest bear strikes again
Making friends in Yosemite.
March 26, 2010
Living amidst rock climbing history
Moving into Yosemite’s Camp 4.
March 24, 2010
Living Yosemite
After climbing Half Dome, I can’t bear to leave Yosemite.
February 23, 2010
A surreal, Native American dream
Tracking down vanished Indians in Mesa Verde National Park and Monument Valley.
February 20, 2010
Snowpocalypse!
A blizzard interrupts a visit to Canyon de Chelly National Monument.
February 18, 2010
Becoming Indiana Jones
Discovering ancient Indian ruins on the steep rim of Arizona’s Sycamore Canyon.
February 17, 2010
The Indian Unit, revisited
Trying to one-up my middle school teachers by taking an Indian ruins road trip through America’s Southwest.
January 29, 2010
Falling in love with a teenage vampire cardboard cutout
Trying to understand the
Twilight
phenomenon on a Forks, Washington tour.
January 28, 2010
Twilight, ironically
Exploring Forks, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula, the setting of a teen vampire novel.
January 22, 2010
How I came to believe in Santa Claus
Brothers face the hardest single trekking day of their lives, snowshoeing up the Grand Canyon’s North Rim.
January 14, 2010
Hiking in Santa Claus’s bright celebrity spotlight
Trekking the Grand Canyon as Saint Nicholas turns out to be a full time job.
January 12, 2010
Santa Claus snowshoes the Grand Canyon, rim to rim to rim
Brothers tackle a classic trek with magical, holiday cheer.
2009
December 15, 2009
Skating by
Understanding the post-feminist ethos of roller derby.
December 8, 2009
My 61-year-old mom is totally extreme
San Francisco day trips to Muir Woods, Point Reyes National Seashore, Año Nuevo State Reserve, and Santa Cruz.
November 21, 2009
Searching for the perfect coffee shop
A lifelong quest for caffeinated nirvana.
October 15, 2009
Two nostalgia-filled, cryogenically frozen National Parks
Visiting the Grand Canyon North Rim’s Cookout Experience and Yosemite’s Wawona Hotel Lawn Barbecue.
October 4, 2009
Flat Stanley survives the Utah desert and learns Navajo
A boy made of paper, and five other hikers, traverse Buckskin Gulch’s Middle Route.
October 1, 2009
Flat Stanley escapes a flash flood in Buckskin Gulch
Hiking the world’s longest slot canyon with a boy made of paper.
August 16, 2009
Moonwalking Telescope Peak
Hiking at night to Death Valley’s highest point.
June 4, 2009
Jumping off the Bridge to Nowhere
Bungee jumping in the San Gabriel Mountains.
May 27, 2009
Let’s go fly a kite
Reenacting
Mary Poppins
at the Korean Bell of Friendship.
May 21, 2009
4,200 miles on Pacific Coast Highway
Three PCH road trips lead to Redwoods, San Francisco, Hearst Castle, and new lives.
May 14, 2009
Buggying and boogying to a new life
Traveling over sand dunes and on a remote logging road on Pacific Coast Highway.
May 12, 2009
The highway of life transition
A travel guide to three Pacific Coast Highway road trips over seven years.
April 20, 2009
Revealing Area 51’s secrets
Hiking up Tikaboo Peak and witnessing a UFO near a mysterious military base.
April 16, 2009
Searching for UFOs near Area 51
A travel guide to America’s most mysterious military base.
March 10, 2009
When I woke up, my teeth were gone
Reluctantly growing up and visiting Walden Pond.
March 2, 2009
Thoreauback
An unnerving drive through rustic New England to a five-year college reunion.
February 21, 2009
Separated by the Red and Blue Lines
A slapstick AirTrain comedy, ice skating, and Alcatraz in San Francisco.
January 29, 2009
A Patagonian ghost story
Brothers face their deepest fears in Chile’s Valles de Frances.
January 20, 2009
An expanded, icy-cold definition of adventure
A father takes his teenage daughter on a final trip to Patagonia.
January 15, 2009
Adopted by Kiwis in Chilean Patagonia
Hiking the Torres del Paine Circuit on another family’s vacation.
2008
November 30, 2008
How to fly without photo ID (still)
The TSA’s wacky security precautions have become even wackier.
November 9, 2008
The travel gods generously deliver orange, alien taffy
Visiting The Wave, a sandstone formation near the Utah-Arizona border.
November 2, 2008
The fakest place on Earth
Why Las Vegas is a horrible place.
October 15, 2008
Unresponsive diver! Call for pizza!
Becoming a certified Rescue Diver.
September 26, 2008
In Honduras, a perfect moment
A romantic plan culminates.
September 24, 2008
Honduran chickens save the day
Cartoon poultry guides stomachs and wallets in Honduras.
September 22, 2008
How to win your ex-girlfriend back (in Honduras)
A Central American love story.
August 19, 2008
Held captive on a ship with delicious waffles by Celebrity Cruises
It’s harder than you think to leave Celebrity Cruises.
July 24, 2008
A Backwards, Morally-Ambiguous Fairy Tales slumber party
A hilarious story-telling game fuels the end of a long trek.
July 20, 2008
Saved by the sun
A sparkling, clear day follows our worst day on the West Coast Trail.
July 13, 2008
Every hike has a worst day
Lighting a fire on a West Coast Trail beach in a rainstorm is not easy.
July 9, 2008
Trekking the Graveyard of the Pacific
Brothers tackle dangerous surge channels on the West Coast Trail.
May 31, 2008
Thank God I’m mannequin-sized
Losing a tuxedo and a friend in a single weekend isn’t easy.
May 16, 2008
Bicycling to nowhere
The peculiarity of studio cycling and Los Angeles gym culture.
May 8, 2008
A desert sea at the world’s end
The Salton Sea is an ocean in the middle of a desert, and it’s not the only sign of the world’s end there.
May 2, 2008
An honorary citizen of Disneyland
How to visit Disneyland alone.
March 21, 2008
No, seriously, there’s something magical about Disneyland
Disneyland is more romantic than you think.
February 6, 2008
Stalking a solitary leopard
The rich reward of looking for a leopard is not what you’d expect.
January 29, 2008
Goodman, my good man! What is that zebra doing?
Witnessing a zebra birth in Botswana, Africa.
January 12, 2008
Free at last
Learning about South African apartheid on Robben Island.
2007
October 28, 2007
Life simplified
Hiking in Joshua Tree can be rejuvenating if you can remember to bring matches.
October 21, 2007
Staying 18 forever
Pop punk rock stars inspire eternal youth at their intense rock concerts.
August 31, 2007
Conquering Mordor
Crossing a glacier in the Alaskan wilderness is harder than it looks.
August 29, 2007
Bear ye! Bear ye!
Avoiding bears in the Alaskan wilderness requires impenetrable canisters and creative chanting.
August 28, 2007
Accepting wet feet
A harrowing attempt at crossing the McKinley River in Denali National Park, Alaska.
May 13, 2007
The world’s best French toast for the world’s most popular people
Los Angeles may be full of shallow sycophants, but a few things make it palatable.
May 4, 2007
Kicked in the head
Things go horribly wrong at an enormous music festival.
2006
July 9, 2006
Fallen soldier tourism
A fake cemetery fits perfectly in Southern California.
May 22, 2006
Between the real and the imagined
Exploring a faux-Bavarian village in Washington State.
May 16, 2006
An Italian grinder ruined my life
The thought of sandwiches while hiking make happiness impossible.
May 12, 2006
Why you should love high gas prices
Counterintuitively, high gas prices are good for you.
May 4, 2006
Why isn’t there an apostrophe in Hells Canyon?
A boat’s motor fails in North America’s deepest river gorge.
May 2, 2006
White bug gunk in the Yakima Valley
Rural Washington is both beautiful and buggy.
April 26, 2006
The closest you can get to the moon
The astounding scenery around Mt. St. Helens tells a story of a horrifying natural disaster.
April 25, 2006
Noble Knob’s bad luck and a volcanic disaster
Owning a car isn’t necessarily enough to get to Mt. St. Helens.
April 14, 2006
Where is the Third World and should I worry about space shuttle foam on the way there?
Does the phrase “Third World” mean anything?
April 3, 2006
Don’t miss these seven out-of-the-way Northern Thailand must-sees
Visit Thee Lo Su Waterfall, ride a motorcycle, see a political protest, and more.
March 30, 2006
Three things the U.S. should learn from Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia teaches us about the environment, transportation, and poverty.
March 29, 2006
They chose the “slow boat”
All choices are bad choices on the Mekong River.
March 27, 2006
Hunting the elusive and exotic Thai rope elephant
Hunting elephants in Thailand, even souvenir elephants, isn’t easy.
March 26, 2006
Five things Southeast Asia should learn from the Western world
The environment and customer service are some of Southeast Asia’s challenges.
March 25, 2006
I chose the “speed boat”
Using a machete to repair a speed boat in the Mekong River.
March 24, 2006
Poppy farms and heroin in the Golden Triangle
Getting lost on a motorcycle near the Burmese border.
March 22, 2006
Be careful which backpackers you wish for
Picking friends while backpacking is harder than it looks.
March 21, 2006
You’ve never seen something so horrifically bad, yet so terrifically good
Dancing Asian Ladyboys are so bad they’re good.
March 19, 2006
Yes, I rode on an elephant. You can stop asking now.
Fulfilling a tourist cliche.
March 16, 2006
I’m never leaving Thailand. Ever.
Some people go on vacation and never come back.
March 15, 2006
An ice machine in the Burmese-Thai jungle
Western cultural imperalism gone awry.
March 14, 2006
The best food you’ve ever had for 89 cents
Thailand’s very high taste-to-price ratio.
March 13, 2006
Khawp Kuhn
Learning to say, “Thank you.”
2005
December 21, 2005
Jenny from Nordstrom, you’re my hero!
Nordstrom’s excellent customer service helps avoid a dating disaster.
October 5, 2005
The I’m-Not-Driving- in-the-Correct-Direction Drinking Game
You can’t turn left in San Francisco. Ever.
September 21, 2005
How to play Jotto
Learn how to play the best travel game ever invented.
August 8, 2005
Penis envy
Why spam makes me insecure in Italy.
August 4, 2005
Traveling alone
Questioning the need for travel buddies in the Netherlands.
August 2, 2005
Flossing in the Queen’s palace
A family-loudness competition commences on a flight to the Netherlands.
2004
January 8, 2004
Visiting the past
Remembering the past in Normandy and Seattle.
2000
August 8, 2000
A visit to Bill’s house
Experiencing an intern donut with Bill Gates.