Astra Lumina at Anakeesta in Gatlinburg

Astra Lumina at Anakeesta in Gatlinburg

I truly had no idea what to expect from Astra Lumina at Anakeesta in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Few people did. After all, the enchanted night walk is the first of its kind in the United States. At one bend in the trail, I could look down at the busy lights of downtown...
How Vagabonding (a Book by Rolf Potts) Changed My Life

How Vagabonding (a Book by Rolf Potts) Changed My Life

This is a post about how the book Vagabonding by Rolf Potts affected the trajectory of my life. Rolf recently released an updated version of Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (along with another brand-new book) that has just hit...
What It’s Like to Study Kung Fu in China

What It’s Like to Study Kung Fu in China

In the fall of 2007, I went to study kung fu in China. The experience was one of the strangest and most painful of my vagabonding travel adventures. If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to study kung fu in China (specifically, Shaolin in the place where it...
Gearing Up in Kathmandu for Trekking

Gearing Up in Kathmandu for Trekking

Gearing up in Kathmandu for trekking in Nepal wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as I had fantasized. But having just left Thailand during one of the hottest months (April), I was dreadfully unprepared for mountain weather. Looking down at my shorts and flip-flops, I...
Getting Ready to Trek Alone in Nepal

Getting Ready to Trek Alone in Nepal

My three days of getting ready to trek alone in Nepal went something like this: Blunder around Kathmandu to get a feel for the city Talk to experienced people, buy an Everest map, and plan a trekking route Book a flight to Lukla (the airport nearest Everest National...