exploring – Page 30 – VirtualWayfarer

BackpackingNovember 24, 2011November 24, 2011

Diving In Feet First – 36 Traveling Boot Photos From Around the World

It's Thanksgiving back home, probably my favorite holiday of the year. It's a holiday about people, about coming together, and about taking a moment to focus on all that is positive in our lives. The people, the opportunities, the friends, the family, and yes, even the challenges. As I reflect on …

BackpackingNovember 15, 2011November 16, 2011

Adventure Travel: Caving Deep Beneath Budapest – My First Brush With Claustrophobia

Claustrophobia is a scary thing. Well, it ought to be it ends in phobia, right? Luckily it hasn't ever really been something I had to worry about. Granted, I come from Arizona where we're famous for our wide open sp…

BackpackingNovember 10, 2011November 26, 2014

Renting A Rowboat and Expecting a Luxury Cruise Ship – Let’s Talk Budget Airlines

It happened again, I posted an update about an upcoming flight with a budget airline and before long had messages from several friends and readers telling me to be careful or suggesting I book with a traditional airlin…

BackpackingNovember 7, 2011October 31, 2011

Revisiting 17 of My Favorite Photos From My 2007 Europe Trip

September 11th 2007 I caught a plane to Europe with a one way ticket and and the butterflies of uncertainty fluttering away in my chest. What followed was a three month trip that started in Scotland and wound its way do…

BackpackingOctober 31, 2011October 31, 2011

In My Father’s Footsteps: Photos of Dad’s 1970 visit to Granada Spain and My Shots From 38 Years Later

I have the great fortune of coming from a family of travelers. I crossed my first international border before I could walk and have continued to feel the drive to explore ever since. As I pave my path through life it's …

BackpackingOctober 29, 2011October 29, 2011

A Quick Metro Rant – Basic Information Everyone Seems to Have Forgotten

Photo by Stignygaard Life is full of unspoken rules. These rules can be hard to figure out if you're an outsider. Yet, when followed they tend to drastically improve the flow and efficiency of group activities. When violated, you not only risk drastically reducing the system's efficiency, but als…

BackpackingOctober 26, 2011October 1, 2012

Five of My Favorite Travel Videos From Around the World

Over the last few years I have been lucky enough to travel to some pretty amazing places. A few years ago I decided that photos alone were not cutting it. So, I picked up a video camera and started shooting. It's been…

BackpackingOctober 16, 2011October 16, 2011

Etiquette Be Damned. Stop Asking, “Do you speak X language?” It’s Rude and Pointless.

In a previous post Learning Danish – Surprising Realizations I discussed my evolving relationship with Danish. One of the things I didn’t discuss was the surprising advice I received from Danish friends regarding one …

BackpackingOctober 11, 2011October 11, 2011

How “Howdy” Has Made Me A Better Traveler – Considering Cultural Identifiers and Their Value

Each time we interact with a stranger there’s a significant amount of uncertainty. When that interaction occurs between people from different backgrounds, cultures, and languages that level of unknown is magnified sign…

BackpackingSeptember 11, 2011

Beer, Subways and Hedgehogs

A quick update - things have been pretty hectic here. I started classes last week and was delighted to find that most of the reading was engaging, relevant, and genuinely interesting. Both of my professors seem to be f…