The Poor Man’s Guide to Europe, 1950s Style

When I first stumbled across The Poor Man’s Guide to Europe at the used book sale, I almost didn’t give it a second glance.

Sure, it was only $2, but who needs travel advice from sixty years ago?

Ah, but how was I wrong!

Backpacking with a Duffel Bag

You need a backpack to go backpacking, right?

Not necessarily, as it turns out.  Sometimes a duffel bag will work just fine.

I wanted to do some backwoods camping last winter, but I didn’t have a large enough pack to carry my massive winter sleeping bag and all of the other stuff I’d need to survive the night.

Learning to Travel the Hard Way

I HAD NOT been home from Iraq more than a few weeks and already things were not going so well.  

It was late 2006, and I had returned to my little hometown in northwestern Wisconsin eager to reunite with friends and family.  But within weeks, all my friends had gone off to distant colleges, and suddenly my small town felt very big and empty.

Worse yet, a girl I had fallen for no longer wanted to see me.  We had met six months earlier while I was home on leave and written each other ever since.  But she was the sister of a friend of mine, and after he found out we were spending time together, both relationships unraveled.

While escorting supply convoys across Iraq, I had often dreamed about a magnificent solo car trip through the American West, out to California where I could get my feet wet in the Pacific.  I would see all kinds of amazing places and meet all kinds of great new people.

Bannack, Montana

In the summer of 2012, I participated in a history field school in Montana.  These are a small sample of the images I captured on that trip.  They were all shot in or around the ghost town of Bannack, the first territorial capitol of Montana.

The Village Tourism Forgot

RIO NEGRO HAS all the makings of a great ecotourist destination: A secluded location, generous hosts, spectacular waterfalls, protected forestland, and a plethora of hiking and camping opportunities.

Its problem?  No tourists.

DIY: A Simple, Roomy Travel Bag

While browsing Pinterest, I came across an interesting bag designed by Kyle Mosholder of D’Emploi in Brooklyn.  Essentially, his project takes a standard U.S. military top-loading duffel bag and reduces its (quite massive) volume to a more manageable level for everyday use.  It’s a fun and cheap bag to make.

Images from Rural Honduras

In January 2014, my girlfriend and I traveled to Honduras with Farmer to Farmer, a small Wisconsin nonprofit working in Honduras and Guatemala “to support peace and cross cultural understanding.  Representatives from Farmer to Farmer met with their coffee growers to see how they were doing, as well as to negotiate a contract for the next season.

Bicycle Touring Without the “Right” Gear

Going on your first bicycle tour, even a short one, can seem a little daunting. There’s just so much stuff you’re supposed to buy.

Want a bike rack?  That’ll be $20-$45, plus the cost of installation.  How about panniers to haul all the stuff you’ll be brining?  Add another $50-$120.  Need some padded bike shorts?  That’ll cost you $35-$70.