The first day of a trip is always a slightly exhausting leap into a new world. Jumping from the security of home (even borrowed homes, as I’ve been aggressively couch-surfing for three weeks) into another life of bags and gear and rope and bicycles and buses and ferries - it’s an exhausting prospect.
Luckily, some happy […]
It’s past midnight, and I’m still up, trying to learn how to re-size photographs on my camera and digging up American dollars in old wallets. I haven’t slept in my own bed in over a month, and won’t be back in my apartment until February. So why am I insisting on rattling my own cage […]
Well, after humming and hawing for months, I’ve finally taken the leap and planned the departure date for my Pacific coast adventure. It’s amazing how challenging it is to make a commitment - but I feel almost relieved to have set my plans firmly. Now I really feel like I’m flying off a cliff without […]
My hat’s off to another heroine of the 20th century: Peace Pilgrim.
Born in New Jersey, this pacifist started walking across the United States in 1953 and continued for 28 years (walking over 25,000 miles before she stopped counting). Travelling without money or possessions beyond what she carried in her pockets, Peace Pilgrim called for “international […]
If I could grow up to be as cool as Grandma Gatewood, I would consider my life well-lived. Long before the days of “low-impact tourism” and “sustainable travel”, this woman was knocking back one of the toughest trails in North America without a scrap of fancy gear or high-tech equipment.
Emma Gatewood (known as “Grandma”) […]
It’s true, I’m a terrible speller. I blame this weakness on my uneasy suspension between British English, Americana, and le français de Quebec via Southern Ontario. Whatever the excuse, this realization is a blow to my delicate ego, as I spent years thinking that I was sharp with words of all types.
But today, I […]
24 chickens, a two-legged dog, a wood-burning stove…it’s not an elaborate joke, it’s just another adventure in the life of Rita Golden Gelman, writer and self-described “modern-day nomad”. The author of Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World , Rita kindly honoured me with a fabulous phone conversation about her adventurous […]
Welcome to the first installment of “The Fab List”, a semi-regular feature that will list some of my favourite places, people and things.
Let me clarify: these lists are in no way scientific, comprehensive, or objective. You will probably not learn anything by reading them. You may not even be entertained. However, such is the […]
In my quest to be a better (happier, self-sufficient, less blister-prone) traveller, I’ve gradually learned that enjoyment while on the road exists in a direct relationship with the amount of crap you choose to carry on your back.
Recently, I’ve discovered the semi-revolutionary notion that all (and I mean ALL) your travel gear can be carried […]