. While hitchhiking around Northern California and Southern Oregon recently, I encountered dozens of nomads thumbing rides on Highway 101, pitching tents under bridges or parking their vans in unused parking lots for the night, cooking organic vegan food on propane stoves, and wandering around towns with small scissors hanging Continue Reading
Who picks up hitchhikers?
. When I tell people I’ve been hitchhiking around foreign countries for the last two years, I’m often met with the response “Really? That works? People actually stop for you?” It works quite well, in fact, so I’ve written this article to give the non-hitchhikers out there an idea of Continue Reading
Norway: Living on Excess
Every August, a number of hitchhikers from around the world gather somewhere in Europe to meet new friends, reconnect with old friends, and celebrate the life of freedom that they have discovered through non-consumerist travel. The location of each Hitchgathering is decided whenever somebody suggests a good spot that fits Continue Reading
Kyrgyzstan Chapter 2: Hospitality and Generosity
Kyrgyzstan, the land of hospitality. A place where simply walking down the street with a smile earns you invitations into people’s homes for shared meals and accommodation. A place where nobody worries that you might be a psycho killer or a robber because you’re a guest to their Continue Reading
Kyrgyzstan Chapter 1: Initial Interactions
Background Traveling in Kyrgyzstan was an experience completely different from anywhere else I’ve been. I mean, not just a cliche “they have different architecture and good food” kind of unique, but this country added a whole new level to my understanding of how people live in this world. Being Continue Reading
Adventure Travel Interview
This interview was given to me by Sanja, Nina, and Naomi as a project for their tourism class. They contacted me via couchsurfing and asked if I would answer some questions for them. It was a great way to reflect on my thirst for adventure, so I’m posting it here for the world to see, understand, Continue Reading
April Showers Bring May Powder
5:15 AM, Friday, April 29, 2016. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!! “Oh shut the…….$@#&! Wake up!” I rifled through the blankets, struggling to find my phone in the dark to make that horrible noise go away. Having already hit the snooze button twice, I was running late. Lazily, Continue Reading
First Impressions from Gudauri
I stumbled across the border into Georgia without a clue what I was getting myself into or how to even get to Gudauri, the resort town in the Caucasus Mountains in northeast Georgia, where I was going to be a ski instructor for the winter. I’m not talking about Atlanta, Continue Reading