After two weeks in the bounty of Cape Town, South Africa, I can safely say I’ve arrived home.

The depths of jet-lag got me out of bed just before dawn. I’ve fired up my laptop and I find myself typing amidst a flickering orange hue of a fire to my right; my two huskies lying at my feet. If I crane my neck enough, I can see dawn chasing off the blanket of sub-zero night, just enough to backlight the jagged profile of Montana’s Tobacco Root Mountains. If I lived anywhere else, I probably wouldn’t unpack my bags.

My fingers seem to take on a life of their own, dancing across the keyboard as if they were talking to me, rather than me creating words with my fingers: “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”

It seems as if my fingers possess a deeper knowledge of life than I do. Who knew?

When I read that quote, again and again, it begins to sink in. Traveling is sometimes reduced to ticking off destinations, getting stamps in your passport, obtaining trophies; even conquests to bring home and brag to others. To me, this defeats the entire reason to travel. To travel is to experience the world, to learn about the world and the many people we share it with. As a result — one can only hope — we learn about ourselves in the process.

These previous two weeks have been an outpouring of love and generosity from friends I thought I would never see again. In 2009, I left Korea when my teaching contract was finished. It also meant I was leaving those I had grown close to in my time there. It’s a common plight of ESL teachers and travelers alike. However, three years later, I found myself sleeping in their Cape Town loft, reunited.

This trip’s worth cannot be measured by mileage, souvenirs purchased or seeing those guidebook “must-see” sites. The value is found in the moments. The split-seconds when your heart flutters, when you’re overcome by thankfulness, the pang of insight, or when you connect with someone unexpectedly. Any trip, then, becomes memory grounded in whisps of lingering moments. It will be a fleeting fraction of real time that electrifies your cortex, returning you to the place and moment. The taste in your mouth becomes the revered wretchedness of three-year-old kimchi, the hardened earth under your feet is now flour-soft Boracay sand, or the feel of shade on a hot day takes you outside the former Race Classification Appeal Board building on Queen Victoria Street in Cape Town.

Cape Town is one of the few cities on earth founded by a company, rather than “discovered” and claimed by a country. The Dutch East India Company established the colony as a refueling point along the sailing route around the southern tip of Africa. Cape Town started as a large scale farm — the Company Gardens — which restocked the ships docked in the waters of Table Bay. Soon, the company began enslaving people from Indonesia and Madagascar to meet the demand of the quickly growing colony. Slavery was established.

Of course, I didn’t know any of that before taking an impromptu walking tour of downtown Cape Town. Generally speaking, a walking tour of a town, any town, won’t be one of those incredible, awe-inspiring stories that transports you back decades later. Lucky for us, a good friend of our hosts, a successful guide in his own right, volunteered a day of his weekend to show us around. It was a wonderful gift. From the Castle of Good Hope to District Six, we heard the good, the bad and the heartbreaking events that occurred within a few square blocks of downtown.

We strolled passed a brightly painted Dutch-style building, one of the oldest in Cape Town, now the Iziko Slave Lodge. The building is a museum that exposes its original purpose: housing slaves before they were to be sold.

Down the block from the slave lodge stands a rather ordinary stone building. Bookended by generic ’70s modular architecture, the building gave off a former-governmental-structure vibe. Any other day I would have wandered right on by without giving a whisper of thought. On this day, that building became the moment.

The grey blocks making up the exterior were shaded and weathered, just another old building blending in with modern city life. We stopped in front of it, next to a bench and nearby plaque. I began to read:

In the 1960’s, a room in this building was the scene of formal hearings of the most bizarre and humiliating kind as ordinary people came before an appeal panel to argue about what “race” they should be labeled. Between 1950 and 1991, apartheid’s Population Registration Act classified every South African as belonging to one of seven”races” — and accordingly granted or denied them citizenship rights on a sliding scale from White (full rights) to Bantu (with the fewest). The classification was subjective and families were split apart when paler or darker skinned children or parents or those with curlier hair, or different features were placed in separate categories.

I looked closer at the bench and brushed away some dust: Whites Only. Perhaps six feet away, on the other side of the building’s entrance, was another bench: Non-Whites Only. Apartheid suddenly blindsided me; a heavy weight on my chest. It became real.

I could tell my wife’s realization, similar to mine. We looked at each other, our skin extra pale from the northern hemisphere winter, then to the group — all with deep-hued skin tones. It was just 21 years ago that we would have been forced to sit apart; forced to live separately. The quiet of realization rang like a gong inside my head. This was their life. Aside from their accents and superior style of clothes, the difference in our skin color hadn’t even entered my mind until now.

The moment.

Apartheid was the official policy of racial segregation practiced by South Africa’s government that included rigid political, legal and economic discrimination against non-whites. This officially came to an end in 1992, a mere 21 years ago. This discrimination has touched everyone I shared the sidewalk with. It has touched our friends’ lives. In many ways, this still is our lives.

I attempted to wrap my mind around it: If, by chance, I had met these people I have come to love while we were in junior high school, it couldn’t have happened — wouldn’t have happened. How have such generous, giving and thoughtful people escaped such evil to become beacons of light. Why don’t they hate me? The only possible answer is love and kindness. Sharing of love and kindness is more powerful than anything in the world.

My heart broke, and still does, for an entire people. Yet, simultaneously, I am comforted that our world, for the most part, is heading in a better direction.

I can easily say life would not be nearly as rich nor as beautiful without my Cape Town family. For two weeks, everyone there gave us so much of themselves, their time and their grace. They invited us into their homes, cooked and shared stories. Our friends are love, they are all that is good within the Rainbow Country.

Yes, we are different and that’s okay. In fact, that’s great. It makes the rainbow all that more beautiful. I really am the richest person in the world.

By Jon Wick

[Non-Whites Only Bench by KNewman1/Wikipedia]

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, teaching in the Technical Communication department of Montana Tech and moonlighting as the owner of 5518 Designs. Between work, play, and his recent adventure into roasting coffee, Jon squeezes in family time on the trails with his wife Cassie and pair of huskies.  Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickProject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post Living In The Face Of South Africa’s Apartheid appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

Travel is sexy. I know it. You know it. Hoff knows it. It’s time to find out why.

Today, on July 10, 2012, The Expeditioner headquarters has marked the birth of “Travel is Sexy Day.” In addition to a day’s worth of sexy travel writing from our own sexy staffers, we are blasting Right Said Fred out the office windows while keeping an eye on the Twitter conversation. Continue to tell us why you think travel is sexy by tagging your tweets with #travelissexyday.

Here are some of the highlights so far:

Blackout dates. #travelissexyday

— Aaron Ogg (@AaronGroupTour) July 10, 2012

In honor of #TravelTuesday & apparently #travelissexyday consult our list of the most alluring beach honeymoon spots: ow.ly/c9ec5

— USNewsTravel (@USNewsTravel) July 10, 2012

Is that a lonely planet in your pocket or are you just excited to be checking into the hostel? #TravelIsSexyDay

— Luke Armstrong (@lukespartacus) July 10, 2012

@CaptainandClark @TheExpeditioner I’m celebrating #TravelisSexyDay by filming “A girl, a guy and a @Scottevest.”

— Luke Armstrong (@lukespartacus) July 10, 2012

Head to Krakow to find the sexiest women in the world – You’ll come back with Polish Fever bit.ly/LMsqUV #travelissexyday

— Blog Me Travel (@BlogMeTravel) July 10, 2012

#travelissexyday …and I know it… :-)

— JD Andrews (@earthXplorer) July 10, 2012

Flagging – Your guide to shagging your way around the world: tntmagazine.com/news/travel/fl… #travelissexyday

— TNT Magazine(@tntmagazine) July 10, 2012

This #TravelTuesday is also #travelissexyday. Who knew getting sexier could be so much fun?

— Intelity (@Intelity) July 10, 2012

i dig a man with a well-stamped passport #travelissexyday :-)

— Megan Lee (@peglegmeg) July 10, 2012

Cool! RT @theexpeditioner: I’m loving that #travelissexyday is the top trend on Twitter right now (for me at least)! twitter.com/TheExpeditione…
 

— Downtown Traveler (@downtowntravel) July 10, 2012

Ouch! Is this why NZers hate Aussies? @morrisbryant “Accents are sexy, unless you’re from New Zealand, that is. #travelissexyday”
— TheExpeditioner (@TheExpeditioner) July 10, 2012

Why do travellers intra-date? Because we’re top of the food chain in the attractive qualities scale. #travelissexyday

— Dylan Lowe (@TravelingEditor) July 10, 2012

we do agree! “@ACoupleTraveler: @CaptainandClark Definitely all the different food you get to sample everywhere! #travelissexyday”

— Chris & Tawny (@CaptainandClark) July 10, 2012

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes ski-bikes. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and recently completed his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon squeezes in time to write his first book, A Trip Worth Dieing For, between projects at 5518 Designs. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickProject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post [Twitter Watch] Why Do You Think Travel Is Sexy? Highlights From #travelissexyday appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

Sometimes we get caught up planning out our next epic adventure to exotic lands and far-off cultures, driven, in part, by eating extraordinary cuisine, meeting those that call the corners of earth home and seeing sites one has only heard about. This idea of exploration reaches out its age-old fingers to pull in even the most seasoned travelers. It is less often, however, that our very own backyard becomes the vision of these dreams.

On March 1, 1872, U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant signed the Act of Dedication, turning the boiling mud, deep canyons and explosive geysers of Wyoming into the world’s first National Park — a little place you might know as Yellowstone. Since then, America’s National Park System has blossomed to include 58 unique and equally awe-inspiring parks and has been the blueprint for preserving lands the world over.

There is a very reliable statistic floating around somewhere that says something like 438% of the visitors to these parks venture less than 4 inches from the metal wombs they arrived in. (Okay, maybe not, but you get what I mean.) Thus, they only scratch the surface of what these irreplaceable treasures offer: mountaineering North America’s tallest peak, shooting the rapids in the “grandest” of red-rocked canyons or simply gaining inspiration on banks of a water-filled volcanic caldera.

Recently, I opened my wobbly curbside mailbox. Ivory doves emerged as a lone spear of sunshine illuminated the title of the book I now hold. In my hands was the key to comprehensive engagement with the entire National Park System: Your Guide to the National Parks: The complete guide to all 58 National Parks. I haven’t put it down since.

I have yet to read a more comprehensive and detailed compilation done on the National Parks. Perhaps there are too many parks, with too much to do, and too much to say about each. Mind you, there needs to be a pretty high degree of awesomeness for a place to rise into the National Park ranks. Maybe the void of guides to all the parks is due to a lack of people brave enough to dive into a project of this magnitude. The speculation can end thanks to Michael J. Oswald.

I was lucky enough to track down Michael before leaving on his cross-country book tour from the driver’s seat of a (recently) broken-down school bus to ask him a few questions. He shared his insights on making the transition from traveler to travel writer, where everyone should eat lunch and his take on Snuggies.

The Expeditioner: This is your first guide book. What possessed you to create a 704-page publication on every one of the National Parks? You didn’t want to tackle anything a little less, um, massive?

MJO:  A magician never reveals his tricks. The doves are my little secret, but I’m happy to reveal all the secrets of Your Guide to the National Parks (YGNP). The pithy response is that brevity isn’t exactly my thing. With that said, only a hypocrite would leave it at that.

The real genesis of YGNP came from a long line of exceptionally poor, or at the very least, rash decisions. In the span of about a year, I left my job as an electrical engineer in search of a more emotionally rewarding lifestyle. So long cubicle with Western-style saloon doors, 9-5, paychecks, benefits and pension plan.

I set off to explore the parks in February 2009. I ventured into the park system once before, which stirred something inside me that has always existed. I began to think there could be something more significant between the park system and me beyond that two-week fling. Sleepless nights. Forgetting to eat. Six-hour phone calls repeating, “I love you more. No, I love YOU more.” All the signs were there: solitude, majesty, peace and adventure. It struck a chord with my soul. I felt at home. I fell in love.

Naturally, I was compelled to share these feelings with others. Forty-eight parks, 50,000 miles in my trusty VW, countless hours in front of a computer screen and you’ve got YGNP. It’s roughly four years of my life in 704 pages.

The Expeditioner:  For those fellow travelers attempting to follow their own dreams of getting published, can you take us through the process? From concept to publication; traveler to guidebook publisher?

MJO: I’ve learned a ton during this project. The concept is simple. I was very familiar with many of the already published guides on the parks, but each left me wanting more — none seemed to quench my curiosity nor are truly comprehensive. In fact, they typically aren’t particularly good beyond the motor tourist type. But, when I picked up James Kaiser’s Acadia, The Complete Guide, I found my inspiration.

Research was the fun part. My car (50,000+ miles), bikes (thousands of miles), kayak (hundreds of miles) and legs (more than 1,000 miles) received extensive use. On average, I’d say I spent about one week in each of the 48 parks I visited (the other 10 were bypassed due to small visitation rates, high cost to visit, or a combination of both), and some parks received much longer stays than others.

Reality dictates that Congaree National Park in South Carolina doesn’t require as much time as, say, Grand Canyon. Those larger parks like Yosemite, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon, I visited during each season to understand the differences in visitation and activities available throughout the year. It was a long, fairly well thought-out process, and I loved every minute of it.

After I wrote and designed the first section on Acadia National Park, I stuffed the draft in my panniers and set off on a 10-day bicycle and backpacking trip around Lake Michigan and Isle Royale National Park. I found myself analyzing the template each night in my tent. By the time I was heading back to my hometown of Manitowoc, Wisconsin (sailing across Lake Michigan on the S.S. Badger car ferry), I had my design locked in and was ready to move forward with the rest of the parks. After something ridiculous like 10,000 hours in front of my computer, I took my hands off the keyboard and mouse and called it a book.

Then I tackled the printing and distribution side — a bit of leg work. The printing turned out great. However, distribution was a harder nut to crack. There needs to be a significant amount of trust between the publisher and the distribution. All the large independent distributors want publishing houses that produce at least five books each year, and that’s simply not me. At the end of a fairly extensive search, I signed a two-year contract with Cardinal Publisher’s Group in Indianapolis — no small feat as I have a terrible time signing a cell phone contract.

The last step was to begin implementing the marketing portion of my business plan. Which, well, here we are.

The Expeditioner: And doing pretty well at it, too. Now that you’re officially an author, what are you most proud of? What are some reactions you’ve see about the book?

MJO: The initial reception of my work almost always takes one of two forms of disbelief. I either get, “WOW!” or “Oh my God, this is incredible!”, to the other side of the spectrum with a comment such as, “There’s no way you did this on your own.” Both are equally flattering. One of the most satisfying reactions came during pre-press. Many of the pressmen and cover folks wanted to page through it long before ink touched paper. That was a pretty good feeling.

I have to say that I felt the most pride when I first saw my work on a bookshelf. However, I think the pinnacle of proudness will be when I see dog-eared copies of YGNP start showing up on peoples’ dashboards and coffee tables.

The Expeditioner: That won’t take long. Actually, there’s already a dog-eared copy sitting on my coffee table. When I paged through the book, one of the more impressive aspects is not just the breadth of information, but its depth. You’ve got top sights, sample itineraries, history, weather trends, maps, fun facts — it’s pretty incredible. What is your reaction to those that say, “There’s no way you did this on your own!”?

MJO: Copy and pasting! Ha! No, simply put, it was a lot of work. I spent nearly two years sleeping mostly in my car and tent, traveling from park-to-park, scribbling my thoughts into journals and collecting testimonials from park rangers and tourists. After the “research” phase, I took a seat at my computer and barely left that chair for the next two years.

Looking back at it now, it sounds completely insane. I literally spent all day, every day for two years sitting at my computer plodding along on this incredibly ambitious project. I think I just convinced myself I really am nuts.

The Expeditioner: I have to ask about the backward spine? Did you plan that? F-up? Marketing genius?

MJO:  You don’t have to ask. I’d like to think of it as a Steve Jobs-ian marketing move on my part. Kids across the globe aren’t going to feel cool unless they’re toting a book with spine text that’s 180-degrees from the norm! So, when that catches on, you’ll have me to thank.

My goal was to destroy all the unflattering stereotypes surrounding work of self-published authors. I still think that goal was reached, but it’s disappointing to screw up something as obviously visible as the spine text. The fact of the matter is that it’s one of those oversights and a major bummer. (My editor, Derek, took it harder than I did, even flipping the book upside-down on his bookshelf so it looked right.) The good thing is that it doesn’t ruin the experience at all. Let’s just laugh and say it makes the book stand out on bookshelves a little bit, but it will get fixed for the next print run.

The Expeditioner: The Stone Road Press marketing strategy: flip the spine — brilliant. Let’s get to some top spots. Top 5 places you’ve eaten lunch and top 5 places you’ve slept?

MJO:

1) I love any lunch in the backcountry, but they’re mostly uneventful and alone. So any backcountry spot would be my #1. Beyond that, let’s see . . .

2) Grinnell Glacier (Glacier National Park): Glacier National Park is a lunch paradise, really.

3) Power Tower Island (North Cascades National Park): It’s a short paddle to this island inhabited by friendly deer.

4) Zion Narrows (Zion National Park): I’m not sure what mile I dined at, exactly, but I do remember freezing the entire hike through the Virgin River much of the way. Around noon, the sun crept above the canyon, slowly warming us as we ate our lunches. It was simply amazing.

5) Wild Cave Tour (Mammoth Cave National Park): After hours of crawling through narrow passages, we reached the “cafeteria” — dirty and sore — where we enjoyed a small lunch before returning to the depths of the cave.

And where I’ve slept . . .

1) In the Great Smoky Mountains with friends: Wandering — even in the midst of so much natural beauty — can get lonely on your own. The three of us spent the evening in a hot tub enjoying brews while discussing the region and life.

2) The rim of Crater Lake (Crater Lake National Park): In winter, snowshoes or cross-country skis unlock one of the best vistas in the country to campers who don’t mind spending the night in the cold.

3) In a rental jeep (outside Haleakala National Park): This was my first time sleeping in a car — a skill I’ve since perfected. That move saved enough money to travel the other islands bump it into this list.

4) Lane Cove (Isle Royale National Park): Lying in a hammock as the sun set across Lake Superior . . . enough said.

5) A Burger King in London, England. Long story . . .

The Expeditioner: I won’t ask. Let’s get serious here for a second, would you agree that besides the Snuggie, the National Park System is one of the greatest things America has given the world?

MJO: Most definitely. An image of a person sporting a Snuggie on top of Yosemite’s Half Dome would be enough to make any country envious.

The Expeditioner: So what’s next? I heard something about a school bus tour?

MJO: Yup! I’ve purchased an old school bus, which will be transformed into the Stone Road Press Tour Bus. Any artists wanting to help out with the exterior are welcome to have their way with it. But that’s just part of the marketing plan. I mailed out copies of my book to all the Flickr contributors, celebrity types, book review outlets, bloggers, and I have have also engaged several local media markets.

I’m getting excited about the tour. I’ll be updating all the book’s media outlets as I start piecing more plans together. Those include: The Stone Road Press website, Facebook page and Twitter feed (@stoneroadpress). YGNP is presently available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. E-books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and coming soon to a few more outlets.

The school bus just completed an extended stay at a mechanic to get “road-trip ready,” and I asked, “How many books is it going to cost me?” He wasn’t having it, but the goal right now is to at least break even, keeping me afloat until I can get my next title ready. Who knows if it will work? I’m hoping to at least cover any additional mechanical work.

By Jon Wick

[Your Guide to the National Parks: The complete guide to all 58 National Parks via Amazon]

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes ski-bikes. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and recently completed his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon squeezes in time to write his first book, A Trip Worth Dieing For, between projects at 5518 Designs. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickProject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post National Park Nomad: Q & A With Guidebook Author Michael Joseph Oswald appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

It’s really no secret that the airlines have perfected the art of gauging, devaluing the passenger, and poetic complacency. Perfected in the most beautiful sense. For example, how often have you tolerated the unpredictable ebb and flow of prices, paid far too much for a flight, endured the meaningless airline traditions (the small end goes into the big end) and then wedged yourself into a toddler-sized seat between two people that could be members of the New York Giant’s offensive line? Experience indicates the answer: every time you fly.

The brains behind it all are likely sitting back, feet crossed on a mahogany desk, conducting their symphony of suspended belief. It’s a beautiful composition of deferring passenger hatred by releasing tasty little morsels of harmony with pinpoint precision —  just enough information about airline modernization to seem believable, just the right amount of dreamy looking cabin photographs, and all released at just the right time. This work of art climaxes into a flawless creation of fabricated innovation that the Xanax-riddled public salivates for. Unless you happen to live in the fictitious country Jimmy from accounting created to advertise the first order of 397 Cloudliner Sky-Limos, you will no doubt believe all that empty incredible innovation will come to an airport near you — and soon, very soon.

But it won’t. None of the hypersonic, supersonic, dream, or superjumbo-anything will make it anywhere, much less your way, anytime soon. And therein lies the beauty. Here’s to you airline industry for giving us vapor to believe in. You’ve given us hope that we can tolerate the debacle of modern-day flying until we are all boarding planes on rainbows and sitting in unicorn saddles for the three-minute Trans-Pacific flights.

I have only imagined how pleasurable my economy class seat will be in one of the many incredible new models of aircraft that are due to take the skies soon, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The cavity searches you experienced in security will fade from your memory when you and about 524 of your friends squish relax under the calming LED lights installed in the body of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Just imagine . . .

This author will happily keep forking over double, sometimes triple, what he should to keep these brilliant dreams of enjoyable air travel well beyond our reach. Otherwise, how else would you tolerate your next flight?

[Luxurious business class seats in the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner by mya/Flickr]

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, A Trip Worth Dieing For, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post Exclusive: Airlines Attempt To Improve Industry By Purchasing Rainbows And Hiring Unicorns appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

Music is a perfect example of transcendental beauty ripe for a photography contest. Ask people why music is important and you’ll likely be greeted with some pretty outstanding responses: It’s my sanctuary, it cleanses my soul, it’s a universal means of connectedness, music is an outlet for my heart and it’s the color palette that paints life. As eloquent as we are as communicative beings, there are some things in the world that require words larger than what we have — so we rely on pictures. This reason could be one of the main reasons why this month’s photo contest was one of the best.

Our winner comes to us from the streets of Venice, Italy. Our congratulations to photographer Kevin Thornhill, who shot this beautiful candid with his Nikon D7000. Despite the musical theme, our subject isn’t making anything of the sort — the music making seems to be entirely internal. It’s his eyes — they appear to be in quiet reflection or contemplation or transported to a far-off land in a far off time. Kevin probably explains it best: “I decided to aimlessly wander around the city looking for life and came across this scene of serenity.”

Serenity, that could definitely be the adjective I’m looking for. Congratulations to the Venice Violinist, our January travel photography contest winner. Kevin has an incredible bank of photography over at Kevin Thornhill Photography and on his Facebook page.  Be sure to check out the rest of Kevin’s shots to add a bit more serenity to your busy day!

Our next contest theme is “In The Dark.”  It’s another great theme idea that celebrates the special moment when everything in those difficult low-light photos begins to dance beautifully together. We can’t wait to see this month’s submissions,  head over to TheExpeditioner.com Flickr Group to see all the sweet shots posted by The Expeditioner Nation.

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, Death is a Trip, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post The Expeditioner’s “Music” Photo Contest Winner: Venice Violinist appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

Now that La Nina has finally reared her head onto America’s northern Rocky Mountains, I’ve been rejuvenated to wax my skis in anticipation of escaping all those mind-numbing groomer runs and finding some powder. Really, La Nina? WTF? With a recent system blanketing western Montana — we’re talking like one of those uber-beefy, 14-inch thick, quilt-like blankets (if you know what I mean) — I grabbed my fat skis and headed to Big Sky Resort.

It was purely a research trip to follow a lead that has been sitting in my e-mail for a few weeks now (Matt, I had a reason for waiting, I promise). It had nothing to do with the recent dump, nor anything to do with Outside Magazine naming Big Sky as having the season’s best new glades in the country. It was all research. All of it.

I was sure researching as I rode up the Ramcharger lift to see what these new runs were all about. Andesite Mountain is the overlooked stepchild in the shadow Lone Peak — the striking, pyramidal summit and gnarly terrain Big Sky is known for. It’s time for Andesite to step out of the shadow, because it now has some of the best tree skiing on the property. Booking runs through delicate powder and beautifully-spaced trees on Wolf Den and Coulter’s Hell changed my attitude from, WTF, La Nina!?, into a Cheers to you, La Nina!

But keep in mind, it was all done in the name of research. My conclusion? I had a sneaking skepticism toward the Outside article — it just sounded too much like a paid advertisement for the resorts included in the piece. Though, now that I’ve experienced the new steep ‘n deep tree runs at Big Sky, I can confidently say there’s truth to the Best New Glades honor.

This also peaked my interest to dive a little further into their list. It includes all the usual suspects, though some of the insights may have you looking at your favorite resort a little bit differently. For the East Coasters, Sugarloaf in Maine was named as having the best new trails, while Vermont was cited for having some of the best deals (specifically, Mad River Glen and Sugarbush). More importantly, check out Taos, New Mexico, for the best spring skiing — which typically involves a spring party — or you could simply head to Vail, Colorado, to experience their honor of having The Biggest Party.

All I ask is that you party in the name of research.

[Big Sky Lift by Jon Wick]

[The 25 Best Ski Resorts of 2012/Outside Magazine]

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post Where To Ski This Winter (Now That It Has Arrived) appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

I’m crazy for pictures. You put a picture of a cheeseburger in the menu of a five-star restaurant and that’s what I’m ordering. Screw the caviar, unless there’s a picture, it’s losing out to the photo option. Apparently, my quirkiness also works for travel. In particular, I recently came across a photo essay of Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market that really made me regret not going there last time I was in the Japanese capital. I’ve always wanted a 5 a.m. photo of myself with a 100-pound tuna. Who doesn’t, right?

For the world famous fish market, the March 11 earthquake and resulting tsunami was particularly devastating. Let’s just say it took time to return to some normalcy: several weeks before visitors started to return and several more months before the notorious hordes of tourists came back.

Though the hectic fish auction located in the inner market (Jonai Shijo, which tourists are allowed to enter after 9:00 a.m) and the overlooked high-end melon auction in the outer market (Jogai Shijo, which opens at 9:30 a.m.) are usually considered the main attractions by visitors, I beg to differ.

It’s actually the stupidity of the tourists that may be as interesting as anything going on with the seafood. CNNGo recently reported that “visitor antics [were getting] out of hand.” What does that look like exactly? Click here to see a (fairly embarrassing) video example documenting some of those “out of hand” actions, including visitors riding on the back of the machines as they were transporting goods around the market, people taking photos while licking the fish and tourists putting their grubby hands on the goods.

Though the market is marketed as a destination to visit, the fact remains that it is purely a working market. In other words: don’t be a dumb ass. For a month in 2010, the market was completely closed to visitors because of these shenanigans. Luckily, my 5 a.m. photo with a tuna is still a possibility today. Currently, auctions are available to the first 120 visitors, on a first-come basis, beginning at 5 a.m. The market opens completely at 9 a.m, hours after the auctions have concluded.

And if you are going to be a part of early morning crowd, behave yourself and grab your camera. It is, after all, one of the busiest and most visited food markets in the entire world.

[Tsukiji Market by Fransisco Atunes/Flickr]

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post I Wish Annoying Tourists Would Leave The Tsukiji Fish Market Alone appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

As 2011 wrapped up, things got a bit nostalgic around here. One of our recurring posts — as you may have noticed springing up at the beginning of each month — is the winning photograph chosen from our travel photography group at Flickr. Besides being one of the most kick-ass photo groups on Flickr, it is also a really awesome experience — for me at least — to go back and see the caliber of talent, all of the incredible shots and all the travel experiences right here from my finely-molded desk chair. It is the essence of travel through pictures that we created the group, and what we’ve seen submitted to the group blows our minds.

Below, we’ve provided the links to each of the winning posts from 2011. For those interested in the entire breadth of our photography winners, just click here for all the past winners.

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About two years ago we created the group as a platform to help our readers share their photography from all over the world. In that time, we’ve begun a few forum discussions regarding travel and photography, helped a few photographers get published through our themed contests each month and seen some absolutely stunning shots. Just another day at the office, right?

For those of you new to Flickr, the site allows you to upload digital photos, videos and graphics. You can also make new contacts, join themed groups you are interested in or lose a few hours in the wonderland of photos found there.

There is a trial account, free of charge, in which you can upload a maximum of 200 photos. But that wouldn’t cover the last road trip you took, would it? Otherwise, for $25/year, you can become a “Pro” with unlimited storage. And it doesn’t matter if you have a disposable or a professional camera — come one, come all.

The Expeditioner group is aimed at travelers from every walk of life. As is the mission for the site, we urge others to travel; to inspire people to want to book a flight right away and head off somewhere in the world. We hope that you enjoy this look back at the amazing travel photography we featured from 2011. We sure did.

January: A Thai Pier Perspective

February: The World in Black and White

March: Montana’s Winter Streets

April: Finding Uniqueness on London’s Tower Bridge

May: Hanoi Eatery

June/July: Classic Western North America 

August: Rural India

September/October: South American Warmth

November: Cuzco’s Inti Raymi Festival

December: Japanese Snow Bikes

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post Year In Review: The Expeditioner’s 2011 Travel Photography Contest Winners appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

Having just received my brand new passport in the mail, I flipped through the blank pages and saw endless possibilities. The stamps are gone, the airplane tickets are yet to be purchased and the stories not yet told. What will the future be for this little document? And what’s in store for the awkwardly-photographed owner of it? Perhaps, this is the time to finally leave my stamp on this world by becoming the greatest traveler in the history of the universe.

Okay, so that may be a bit out of reach for me at least. I mean, I’ve got a dog to care for; she’s not much for air travel. But those stories — those possibilities — have been recognized by a long line of people throughout the history of, well, the universe.

So, in true Expeditioner fashion, we offer you the inspiration to venture into the world. Jenna and I have teamed up to ransack The Expeditioner’s in-house library. Our results have become the ultimate list ever created: The greatest travelers of all time.

Before you start to carve up those we’ve deemed “the greatest,” just remember, there are still stones unturned.

Without further adieu, in no particular order, we present to you the greatest travelers in the history of the universe.

1) Christopher Columbus

The Italian navigator/explorer is probably the best failure in history. The first explorer to sail across the Atlantic in search of Asia, he fell a bit short when he ran into the Americas.  Not only did he pave the way for European exploration there, he was also a very astute businessman, giving the natives yellow fever, measles, typhoid (among others) in exchange for syphilis. Not sure who fared better in that deal.

2) Reid Stowe

This intrepid traveler recently completed the longest, unsupported voyage at sea in the history of mankind: 1,152 days aboard his schooner Anne (shattering the previous record of 1,067 days by a Norwegian ship in the 1890’s). It takes a special kind of person to sail solo for three years and not return having conversations with fish, but Stowe is both a dreamer and a romantic. “I was never lonely once in the whole voyage,” he said. “Being alone in the wildness and beauty of nature is an enlightening experience.”

3) Kira Salak

Her resume includes traveling solo to almost every continent including Madagascar, Borneo, Rwanda, Burma and the Democratic Republic of Congo; named 2005 National Geographic Emerging Explorer; first to kayak solo 600 miles down West Africa’s Niger River; first woman to traverse Papua New Guinea; Ph.D. in English; Author of three books; but most importantly, she has been called the “real-life Lara Croft.” ‘Nuff said.

4) Cat Videos

Ahhh, yes, the rigorously tested technique to ensure your Youtube video travels to all reaches of the internet: insert “cat” in the title. Seriously, you ask? Yes. They consistently have had views in the millions. Some, such as the beloved “Funny Cats” are blessed with over 62 milion views.

That’s a lot of people in a lot of places streaming rambunctious kittens and clueless felines into their homes. My take? Sure, it’s cute. Cats are adorable and they do amusing things. But 62 million? President Obama’s illustrious speech after winning the presidency on November 4, 2008, has brought in just over 5.6 million views. Inspiring and encouraging, it triggered a dormant feeling of patriotism across the United States, but no cat. Cold, hard proof that any political speech will reach more people if a kitten stumbles off the podium.

5) Sylvia Earle

Dubbed “Her Deepness” by such publications as The New Yorker and The New York Times, Sylvia is not only one of the world’s leading oceanographers — logging over 6,000 hours underwater — but she also holds the record for the deepest solo dive ever: 380 meters (1,250 feet) down. At 76 years old, Ms. Earle is still the chief steward of ocean conservation and founded three companies that design and build deep-sea submarines for ocean research. Groovy.

6) Waldo

Whether at a beach, banquet, museum, circus, mall, grocery store or ski resort, Waldo has the audacity to assimilate with the local inhabitants of his travels while simultaneously being persistently searched for by wanderlusting whippersnappers at bedtime across the globe. Waldo also maintains a composed, calm demeanor despite the claustrophobic, crowded situations he frequently finds himself in. For hygiene’s sake, let’s hope that this famous traveler has more than one change of that red and white striped shirt in his backpack.

7) Dwight Collins

How would you like to spend 40 days in an 850-pound, 24-foot tube-shaped boat outfitted with little more than freeze-dried Fig Newtons? This guy was down with the idea, and succeeded in making the fastest human-powered crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Peddling his rig an average of 19.5 hours a day, Collins battled sea-induced ailments like boredom, sleep deprivation and curious 12-foot long sharks. On the completion of his journey in Plymouth, England, Collins tossed a champagne bottle into the sea with a note inside reading: “To whoever finds this bottle — may you have the courage to pursue that which means the most to you.” Spoken like a true Expeditioner.

8) Will Steger

New Zealand had Hillary, the English had Mallory, and Americans have Will Steger. Strong advocate for the global climate crisis, Steger has spearheaded multiple expeditions across both the North and South Poles. His first trip involved him leading seven men and one woman across the North Pole by dogsled without resupply.

After 55 days of minus 70-degree temperatures and grueling work, six members were able to complete the crossing. As if that wasn’t enough, several years later, Steger embarked on a 220-day journey to traverse Antarctica — on foot no less. The International Trans-Antarctic ’89-90 Expedition team of six used both sled dogs and skis to complete the journey, battling the very limits of human endurance. Think about that the next time you’re zip-lining through the Costa Rican jungle.

9) Michael Palin

Starting his career as a member of Monty Python, he reinvented himself as a traveler. Proving there’s still hope for many of us. This guy accepted the BBC’s challenge to travel around the world in 80 days, Jules Verne style. He finished the adventure in 79 days 7 hours (airplane-less), which became a television series; pretty much pioneering the concept of getting travel into people’s homes.

10) Rolf Potts

The Jesus of traveling on a budget, he is probably best known as a true vagabonding advocate with his first book, and his more recent book sticks it to another traveler on our list: Marco Polo Didn’t Go There: Stories and Revelations From One Decade as a Postmodern Travel Writer. He also has a tendency to travel the world with no luggage: an airliner’s fantasy passenger.

11) Arctic Tern

And you thought Aunt Edna’s efforts to avoid winter ruled. This little guy is the king of all migrators. They spend their first summer in their breeding grounds in the Arctic, and when it gets a bit too nippy, they head south to their “wintering grounds” in Antarctica. These dudes chalk up roughly 45,000 miles annually under their own power — the human equivalent of walking to Jupiter.

12) Xuanzang

This Chinese monk basically went on the mother of all pilgrimages in search of the origins of Buddhism. Not only did he travel through China, the Indian subcontinent and Afghanistan, he found time to document it all, making him one or the world’s first real travel writers.

13) Captain James Cook

Cook likely discovered more of the earth than anyone else, circumnavigating the globe twice and charting damn near every inch of it. Though known as having a bad temper, his logs indicate a genuine interest in other cultures. That is, until he was clubbed to death in Hawaii. Regardless, his philosophy of going “farther than any man has been before me,” should be inspiring to us all. Just watch your back in Hawaii.

14) Mark Twain

The pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn fame, the book’s widespread reading and criticism has provided an opportunity for people to contemplate the nature of differences and freedom — the ultimate theme of traveling, really.

15) Jack Kerouac

His influential book On the Road details spontaneous road trips across America in search of, well, anything.  It not only defined the Beat Generation, it showed you raw America and added to the lure of road tripping. I’ve heard it described as an American version of The Odyssey. That’s pretty good company.

16) The Tarahumara Tribe

Barefoot running shoes may be marketed as a new technology designed to make your feet look suspiciously like those of a gorilla, but the Tarahumara or “Running” people in the northwest canyons of Mexico have been jogging sans-Nikes for 500 years, and they make a marathon look easier than an amble from your Laz-E Boy to the fridge.

It’s said that one particularly ambitious tribe-member completed 435 miles in two days — the equivalent of running from New York to Cleveland. What’s the secret? Among other things, homemade corn beer called tesguino is purported to aid in the phenomenon. The Tarahumara: Putting armchair travelers to shame since the 1600’s.

17) Santa Claus

The jolly old fat man has an army of “elves” that trick out his “sleigh” so that he can travel to every house in the world on Christmas. Imagine what the airline industry could save by way of fuel costs if they just employed a few reindeer.

18) African Wildebeest

These animals are a part of the dwindling great migrations left in the world. The spectacle includes 1.5 million wildebeests migrating about 1,800 miles annually, from the Serengeti plains to Kenya, in search of some grub. Never, ever, complain about your two-block walk  to the store again.

19) Bill Bryson

No, Bill didn’t finish hiking the Appalachian Trail in his book A Walk in the Woods, and he’ll be the first to tell you how damn hard it was. This uppity writer has made traveling more doable than anyone in history, and he’s not so bad at telling about it all either.

20) Anthony Bourdain

This snarky s.o.b. is a chef, author, drinker and traveler that holds the Travel Channel’s scrotum in his back pocket. He has made travel cool again through his shows No Reservations and more recently The Layover.

21) Sir Edmund Hillary

Hillary is fond on standing on things. He reached both poles, the top of New Zealand’s highest peak, and in 1953, he was the first to stand on top of the tallest mountain on earth:  Mt. Everest. In fact, the most famous picture taken on the summit is that of his Nepalese Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay. Apparently, Hillary was standing on top of Norgay, but that was eventually Photoshopped out.

22) Lewis and Clark

These guys are America’s ultimate pioneers. A government-funded exploration of the American frontier sent them into, well, no one knew at the time. Two years later, with the ass-saving skills of Sacagawea, they walked out of the wilderness as the gnarliest travelers on the continent.

23) Yuri Gagarin

I’m not sure we’ve seen the true impact of Yuri’s travels quite yet, since space tourism is still considered a joke. He was shot into outer space in little more than a tin can in 1961, beginning his reign as the man who took the greatest leap into the unknown since Columbus. Ironically, he died in a crash on a routine training flight in 1968.

24) Ibn Battuta

This traveler provided the world insight into the Muslim world of the time. The 14th-Century scholar survived muggings, pirate attacks and hiding in a swamp for weeks without food to travel in over 44 countries — from Shangai to Timbuktu. And you thought your last pass through customs was tough.

25) Marty McFly

Three words: DeLorean time machine. The talented skateboarder and wicked lead guitarist of the Pinheads, McFly broke into the world of travel during his accidental trip back to 1955 at the age of 17. While other teens are more engulfed in the world of acne prevention, Marty manages to get back to 1985—1.21 Gigawatts!—with side trips to 2012 and 1885. I’d like to have his frequent flyer miles.

26) Marco Polo

While working for the great Kublai Khan, Polo took off on a 24-year ramble through Asia. He came home to a war, was imprisoned and used that time to dictate his journeys to his cellmate. Unfortunately, he also spent that time inventing that annoying call-and-response game still used by children in every backyard pool to this day.

27) Vasco DeGama

DeGama can really only claim navigating a rickety old ship around the Cape of Good Hope and opening up European trade with India . . . in 1497 . . . without a GPS. His trek from Lisbon, Portugal, to Calicut, India, and back is a longer distance than the entire equator.

28) Flat Stanley

Stanley, a paper cut-out of a boy, is used in elementary schools all over America to teach geography and culture. The premise: Send your Stanley to someone; they report back to the student, writing in Stanley’s diary and taking pictures of his time there, before sending him on to someone else. Makes you wonder what kind of shenanigans ol’ Stan isn’t sharing with his diary.

29) Charles Darwin

In our mind, this dude’s undying curiosity overcomes his ship’s sissy name: the Beagle. Really, Chuck, a Peanuts reference? His studies took him across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, most famously to the Galapagos Islands while developing his theory of natural selection. Often overlooked are his explorations through the Peruvian desert and Argentinean plains. Darwin is a bad-ass traveler that changed the way we looked at the world from then on.

30) Sir Richard Francis Burton

Considered the first modern anthropologist, his motivation was understanding how communities operate. While most of us struggle using our native language, Burton knew 30 languages and is probably the closest human to fluently speak monkey. True fact, that’s what happens eventually when you end up devoting your life to wandering the world.

By Jon Wick and Jenna Blumenfeld.

About the Authors

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

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Jenna Blumenfeld, (Jenna Ogden Blumenfeld when she’s in really big trouble) hails from the wee state of Connecticut. Although her childhood dream of becoming a bug doctor — with a specialization in ladybugs — has gone unfulfilled, she is content writing about travel, cuisine and culture. A vegetarian, she currently resides in the food hub of Boulder, Colorado. You can see examples of her fine cookery at OvenZest.com.

The post The 30 Greatest Travelers Of All Time appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

The world is ripe with parties and festivals, each with its own unique flavor of the local culture, cuisine, love and dance. This month’s photo contest, chosen from our Flickr group, was a celebration of travel through partying.

Our winning shot comes from the Inti Raymi Festival in Cusco, Peru. This festival of the sun has deep roots celebrating the Incan god Inti. The festival also celebrates local police and their longing looks at beautiful paraders as they pass by. Well, that may not be completely true, but this shot captures just that.

Let’s imagine for a second: You are heading to the next bar, propping up your overly-inebriated friend who will not take off their new Luke Armstrong mask. You are enveloped by the atmosphere, the dress, and the revelry. You look up, meet a pair of eyes, and the world comes to a screeching halt. Oh, you know what I mean . . .

Party on Jessie Reeder, and congratulations, your shot is our November travel photo winner. Be sure to check out her incredible gallery of shots from all over the world at her Flickr page.

And if you’ve got, say, a week to kill, visit her blog: Little Bark Photography. Seriously, you’ll thank me.

Our next contest theme is “Winter.”  Whether you hibernate or embrace, sleep or ski, this season is a jackpot of fantastic shots. We can’t wait to see our group’s submissions.  Be sure to head over to TheExpeditioner.com Flickr Group, in between rounds of egg nog, to see the growing bank of photographs posted by our readers and fellow travelers.

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post November Photo Contest Winner: Cusco’s Inti Raymi Festival appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

The Gas Buddy app is no secret to the world of road trippers with smart phones. It’s a gracefully simple idea: Travelers update current gas prices as you see them so drivers can find the cheapest gas. It’s beautiful — the collective travelers’ middle fingers in the direction of rising gas costs. In fact, this is the epitome of benefiting from the connected world we find ourselves in.

But I’m a skeptic, so I ask: Is it really saving me money? I always have a pang of uncertainty when dealing with trendy little trinkets like this. Gas Buddy, you need to prove your worth to me.

This past June I loaded up my Kia and headed to the Pacific Coast Highway; Destination: San Francisco. The journey was roughly 2,000 miles round-trip; the perfect opportunity to gather the evidence the logical lobe of my brain yearns for. Is Gas Buddy some God-send, saving us up to five martinis worth of gas per road trip? Or is it another addition to the other useless apps gathering dust in the recesses of your smartphone. On top of that, how much cost difference can there be within a manageable distance? Would that offset the shenanigans of time wasted searching for a 7-11 tucked inconspicuously behind a Costco megastore?

Answers to all these questions are simply a road trip away (as are so many in life).

Before I simply regurgitate numbers from my journal, it would behoove us to set some parameters to at lease give this micro-study some degree of credibility.

Given that gas prices constantly change in prices, I decided to keep all the data relative to the relative area I found myself in — a few miles, let’s say. The fill-ups I did not record in my journal had no difference between existing prices and Gas Buddy prices. I also decided that the actual prices themselves had no real bearing on the benefits of the study — it’s all relative — so they were not recorded. Just keep in mind that driving in California is no cheap hobby.

Buckle your seatbelts, data junkies:

• Coer d’Alene, ID: saved $0.15/gallon on 10 gallons: $1.50 saved
• Florence, OR: saved $0.03/gallon on 5 gallons: $0.15 saved
• Brookings, OR: saved $0.13/gallon on 5 gallons: $0.65 saved
• Eureka, CA: saved $0.05/gallon on 6 gallons: $0.30 saved
• Modesto, CA: saved $0.15/gallon on 5 gallons: $0.75 saved
• Vacaville, CA: saved $0.06/gallon on 6 gallons: $0.36 saved
• Winnemucka, NV: saved $0.05/gallon on 6 gallons: $0.30 saved

The total amount saved by using the Gas Buddy app comes to a whopping $4.01. In the grand scheme of things, that’s a pretty laughable amount  — four measly bucks, roughly a gallon of gas.

Is it worth it? That’s for you to decide. In my experience, I would say yes. Navigating Gas Buddy never takes more than a few seconds and the alternative gas stations with the better prices are never more than a block or two away. And there’s always that little pang of victory when you are pumping gas that’s pennies cheaper than your neighbor.

After sitting in a car all day, it feels good knowing that you have about 30 cost-free miles from that $4 you save. I think mine came somewhere near the Sonoma County wine country or in Redwoods National Park. My wife likes to think her free miles were exchanged for the coastal lighthouses and epic camping near the beaches.

Regardless, it’s my $4.01 and I got to choose exactly how I wanted to spend it. That’s gotta be worth something.

[Photo of Gas-Food by brianwallace/Flickr]

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post How Much Money Do You Really Save Using The Gas Buddy Phone App? appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

What makes a place? Is it the food, the drink, the clothing? The winning shot from this past month’s Flickr photo contest suggests a definitive answer: people.

Though culture can be defined by so many things, it is passed on and embodied by those within. Congratulations to Filippo Tafi and his wonderful shot of a Peruvian family relaxing outside their home. I am sad to admit I have not been to the South American continent yet, but with shots like this that illustrate the warmth of people from that part of the world, I can’t wait to go.

The smiles, waves and vibrant colors juxtaposed with earthen hues is that one shot, one out of the 3,000 shots you (or maybe it’s just me) take on trips, that make the hundreds of blurry throwaways worth the effort. A great moment in time, even if it was only a moment. You know, I already feel welcomed to Peru because of this shot alone.

For those of you who wish to check out more of Filippo’s shots from all over the world — he’s quite traveled — click here to access his photostream. Thanks for the great shot!

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The time has now come for some good, old-fashioned debauchery. Yup, I’ve circumnavigated The Expeditioner’s ethics department to announce our November Photo Contest: Party!

Each culture, each trip, each locale has its unique way of letting loose. Whether it’s having two too many on a plastic stool on a street corner of Hanoi or raging the streets of Antigua (ahem, Luke), this month’s contest is for all you that seek the world through partying. Just head over to our Flicker group and join us, then head to the November contest thread and submit your partying shot for a chance at having your photograph featured here, if front of our nearly 8 million hourly readers!

*This is the point where I add a disclaimer to keep from getting this contest yanked: No tasteless shots — you know what I mean.*

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post The Expeditioner’s October Travel Photography Contest Winner: South American Warmth appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

It’s time to get that department store flashlight out of your face and stop telling those wussy tales of pretend ghosts around the campfire this weekend. These are the real deal, and as Matador says, it’s time to “sack up” and be a haunted house ninja this Halloween. This is seriously creepy stuff. I’d rather just lumber off into a candy bar induced coma and hope the spirits don’t wake me. But, who wouldn’t be kind of curious . . . Here are three of my favorites, and one of my own that didn’t make their list.

1) Stanley Hotel (pictured)

This scenic mountain escape just outside Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado has a wonderfully eclectic array of amenities along with their other-worldly visitors. A prankish child seems to enjoy tickling the visitors of room 418 and shaking their bed in the middle of the night. Room 401 includes chocolates on your pillows, a mini-bar and a spirit that will brush against you and breathe in your ear. No worries, though, when you’re ready to get the hell outta there, the dead chambermaid will help you tidy up a bit before you go screaming out the door. Yeah, it’s no wonder this place was the inspiration behind Stephen King’s The Shining.

2) Rose Hall

The daughter of a voodoo priestess moved to Montego Bay, Jamaica, after marrying and consequently murdering him and her next two husbands before being found smothered to death in her bedroom. Likely because of those crazy voodoo genes, her spirit escaped during the burial and now runs amuck sometimes seen as a face-like blob in her own bedroom mirror.

3) Woodchester Mansion

Englanders surely know of the still unfinished mansion from the 1860’s. A cellar ghost and see-through girl complement the gargoyled exterior. It is the chapel that you should head if you want the heeby-jeebies; be alert for rocks that have a tendency to get thrown around . . .

4) Original Springs Hotel

This Illinois hotel has the mineral springs to cure all kinds of ailments, but since a number of deaths on the property, spirits are often seen curing their boredom. The staff seems to steer clear of the second floor wing once the sun sets; sounds often come from the empty and locked guest rooms. They may likely be from the “woman in white” who has been seen meandering through closed doors.

[Photo: At The Stanley Hotel: Orbs? Dust? by Gudlyf]

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post Get The Bejezus Scared Out Of You At These Real Haunted Houses appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

I came home last week to see my wife ripping through some reviews of hotels in New York City. That’s something I just don’t do, spending an evening scouring reviews, I don’t put that much stock in them. I think we’re all aware of the rating system rumors: Hotels employing specialists to spend hours scouring cyberspace in order to write inflated reviews or their hiring of gremlins to increase site traffic and the resulting SEO.

Our conversation went a little bit like this:

“Sweetheart, I have been eagerly awaiting seeing your beautiful face since you left for work this morning.”

“I think I found a place for us to crash in New York. Shit, it’s expensive there.”

“How long have you been reading reviews, my sweet little petunia?”

“These two places are in our price range. So I’ve got TripAdvisor and Hotels.com both up. This place has more, better reviews.”

“So what? Seems to me this hotel is doing a better job of writing their own reviews than this hotel? You look especially radiant today.”

“Generally, I just get a better vibe from these reviews.”

Another spirited round of attempts to crack into my wife’s thought patterns ensued. But in this case, I think she made a good point. I began to wonder how people judge or create meaning through recommendations from a faceless, anonymous being (probably the crux of the internet in general, but that’s another story). Despite knowing those gremlin rumors probably exist, why are we still looking at how many stars a hotel receives (or are we)?

I think many travelers knee-deep in the reviews of hotels of, let’s say, Hong Kong, will relate to the “I get a better vibe” statement. It’s not just a blase statement or gut feeling. Getting a good vibe from reviews might be exactly the reason for their existence.

Let’s pretend for a second that vibe equals credibility, and credibility equals believability. One does not create credibility for oneself — it is the receiver of the messages that constructs or designates credibility. In writing, credibility could mean avoiding ambiguities, poor grammar, misspellings — you see what I mean. That way, the reader of your words thinks of them as more believable (something I may or may not be doing at this very moment). In life, your appearance, confidence, eloquence, etc., all affect the credibility you are trying to create. If messages and meanings don’t add up, or they are contradictory, credibility suffers.

Neither credibility nor believability equals reality. That’s for you to decide.

Let’s apply this to hotel ratings, because slapping a few stars or labels on something doesn’t create credibility (or does it?). Through the countless reviews I’m sure my wife reads, there are themes or patterns that likely exposed themselves. She likely sorted through each of those reviews to find the underlying quality between the hotels. That is how I digested her comment regarding the better “vibe” she got. Remember, all this is subjective.

A recent piece in Budget Travel sorts out some of the top rating systems, concluding that consistency is the real issue. Five stars on one system might equal two on another, or vise versa. The top rated systems according to the article were private-company rating systems like AAA or Forbes Travel Guides because of “independent ownership, consistent criteria, and anonymous inspectors.”

Hotel booking sites, such as Hotels.com, come next and should be used in conjunction with other systems (which was my wife’s method, might I add). Another system, user-generated review systems such as TripAdvisor, has a tendency to expose the biases of the user. If you are aware of this, it can be useful based on the sheer volume of reviews. Lastly, stay away from government-run rating systems. These are typically unregulated and self-interested.

Bottom line: Do some homework and cross-reference a few sources. See what kind of “vibe” you get. It might make or break your next trip.

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post My Problem With Hotel Ratings And How To Use Them Effectively appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

It seems as though the brilliant minds that came up with the nearly pointless pre-flight safety speech have continued to devolve into the realm of customer non-service since I last boarded a plane. On my recent flying escapade around the U.S. to visit family, I couldn’t help but be constantly reminded of this.

As a result of another round of lackluster air travel paired with a predisposition to imagining myself ruling the world, I’ve compiled a list of suggestions that would immediately gather worldwide support and likely pull the entire industry out of bankruptcy.

1) Bring Back the Cool

Would it kill you to pump some Eye of the Tiger or the theme to Rocky as people got off the plane? How about the dude who screams goooooaaaaalllll for the Spanish soccer broadcasts doing the boarding calls? And the gangway: it sucks. People look like their marching to known death through a sterile metal vaginal canal.

Honestly, no one wants to feel like that. How about some color on the walls or maybe sprinkle in a some live music? Coolness doesn’t even need to serve a purpose; it just needs to be cool — full-body costume requirements, glow sticks and in-flight photos available for purchase at the wet bar. Oh, and the introduction of the flight staff would now be modeled after the Chicago Bulls pre-game routine.

2) Eliminate the Middle Seat

There’s just no good reason this seat should exist, nor is there anyone that prefers this seat. It ruins the experience for the entire row. Read this Forbes article discussing the profile of a middle-seat preferer, and you’ll see that the only logical answer is to do away with the seat completely.

The new arrangement doesn’t even matter, as long as you only have to deal with one person spilling into your seat and taking over your armrest, figuring out how to take over the armrest yourself, and avoiding the annoying game of “my knee goes here.”

3) Total Transparency

Airlines need to figure out a way to create a handout for every passenger with everyone’s name, picture, occupation (the zodiac sign of that attractive flight attendant — male and female) and any other interesting facts that might warrant a conversation. If professional baseball teams can do this for every game of their ridiculously long season, one would think airlines could follow suit.

How many times have you been stuck in a conversation you wish never happened? Small talk sucks, and if you’re planning on being the loud talker on the night flight, you get relegated to the soundproof booth, next to the now oversized lavatories in the rear of the craft.

4) Reclining Your Seat Is Now Totally Forbidden

Everyone has been the recipient of a jarring recline, throwing your laptop, book, knees or coffee into your chest — usually a combination of all four. By the time you figure out how to type — for example, this post with your head tilted 45 degrees to the left and in a T-Rex-like arm position — it is time to stow all electrical devices for your approach into Cedar Rapids.

Imprisonment and a $569 fine is not too harsh. If you disagree, I propose this: If you choose to recline, you are accepting the full cost of the ticket paid by the person sitting directly behind you (plus the $5 for a coffee at the gate just for your troubles).

5) Quit Dealing With Idiots

Reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, at anytime — and actually do it. How many times have you been in line behind someone barking orders at the ticketing counter employee about a flight delay while everyone else within earshot fights the gathering urge to punch the person? Yes, if you act dumb, and make flying dumber for everyone around you, you will not be allowed to fly. Period. Go home, get a long pointy hat, and sit in a corner for 10 minutes.

I’m not giving flight attendants an excuse, they are way too cranky and rude, but if you take a look at the degree of doucshbaggery they are forced to deal with on an hourly basis, I’m surprised that anyone wants to be a flight attendant anymore. The entire flying atmosphere would improve if we started hearing, “Sir, I’ve tried to tolerate your idiocy, but I cannot do so any longer. You are no longer allowed on this flight. Please head over to the United counter to reserve a flight with an airline appropriate to your behavior, like Delta.” (Just kidding Delta, lots of love to you.)

5) Pilot High-Fives

No longer are we lowly passengers accepting the gaping rift that exists between us and the pilots. I understand that you need to fly the frickin’ plane and all, but we would feel a little better about things if we saw an actual human being in the cockpit rather than some incomprehensible voice when we get to cruising altitude. You are now required to welcome all passengers with a high-five as they board and are required to attempt two jokes while in flight. 

6) Stop Using the Word “Pre-Board”

It is stupid.

[Photo of Lena by Yooperann/Flickr]

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post My 6 Ways On How To Fix Air Travel (And Eliminate Its Suck Factor) appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

For the August photography contest over at our Flickr group, we sought out shots of what you defined as rural life. The submissions we receive every month never fail to amaze. More impressive than their locale is the spot on rural-ness of each shot. This month’s entrants were from all over the globe: Namibia, Vietnam, Colombia, and the winning shot from India.

Monica Forss’s dynamic photograph from Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India, has the essence of rural running through each pixel. A man, downtrodden after 18 hours in the field, now turns his attention to the herd. He looks at the camera, proudly, after telling Monica an oral history of his ranchland. The ruins behind him were that of his great grandfather’s home built by the sweat of his brow in the year 689. Okay, so I made that entire story up, but that’s the beauty of the shot — it creates a story, a place, a life.

Congratulations, Monica, and thank you for your wonderful submission. More of her amazing travel photos from all over the world can be found here.

September Contest: South America

From Cape Horn in the south to the Galapagos Islands, Andes, beaches, jungles, Carnival . . . we mean everything! Submit your shots of South America here.

We are going to try to tweak the photo contest procedures a bit this month, giving our Facebook family a voice in the voting process. On Sept 26, submissions will close and the top finalists will be posted on our Facebook page. We’ll then ask readers to “Like” their favorite photo and the shot with the most votes will win.

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post The Expeditioner’s August Travel Photo Contest Winner: Rural India appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

This “Beach Week” thing has gotten a little out of control. Matt brought someone’s Chihuahua to work and they’ve been wearing matching Hawaiian shirts for two weeks now, Jenna purposely burnt herself at the tanning bed to prep for some kind of destination post, and Luke has been the shirtless dude passed out in the corner of the breakroom for the last few days. Although the shenanigans aren’t that alarming — it’s actually par for the week around here — it’s the fact that there isn’t a grain of sand within miles of these characters that seems odd. It led to a random thought: beaches may be only half of the lure to . . . beaches.

They seem to be the hook — the opening act that reels you in to the rest of the show. Chilling on a beach for a few weeks is often what the doctor ordered, but the intangibles are what create the experience. I started sifting through various sites in an attempt to develop this thought, when I came across a Budget Travel article on the best islands in the world. Islands, not beaches. The beach descriptions are buried farther down the text. That isn’t to say the beaches should be passed by, but it’s actually the opposite: The beaches are the feeders to the other incredible attractions.

In Bali, for example, the beaches are world-renown, but it’s the spirituality of the island that draws out the traveler in us all. I would head to Mount Agung, and the three Hindu temples at the Besakih, an area that sees regular processions of locals up the volcano’s flanks. Then head to the fine white and black sand of the beaches for some surfing, scuba diving or just plain lounging.

Over 2,000 years of Greek, Roman and Turkish visitors were drawn to the volcanic island of Ischia, in the Bay of Naples, because of the therapeutic hot springs found there. Before heading to the coast, pamper yourself with massages and mud wraps from one of the 22 thermo-mineral pools sitting near the beachside spas.

But, if self-indulgence isn’t your thing, head to Penang, the capitol of Malaysia’s cultural food scene. Choose one of the Georgetown street vendors if you must, but make sure you get to the Ayer Itam marketplace. They’re selling the best in fusion cuisine. Grab either lor bak (deep-fried marinated minced pork served with a chili sauce); lok-lok (skewered seafood, meats, and vegetables); or ikan bakar (grilled or barbecued fish marinated in spices and coconut milk, wrapped inside banana leaves, and grilled over hot coals).

Of course, you can always “pull a Luke” and head to Key West, Florida. This island utopia is hallowed ground for Jimmy Buffett, his loyal Parrotheads and the philosophy of Margaritaville. Be sure to hit up the “Duval Crawl,” a group of bars housed in early 20^th-century buildings that line Duval Street.

And rest assured, if you end up shirtless and passed out in the corner of The Expeditioner’s breakroom, we’ll take good care of you (and we’ll be sure to write a post about you, too).

[Photo of Tahah Lot, Bali by Mikaku/Flickr]

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post Beyond The Beach: 4 Islands You Need To Check Out appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I’ve got those Hollywood ad campaigns pegged: A sweeping shot of an unimaginably beautiful beach fades in from black. You picture yourself lying on a chaise lounge, toes in the warm sand, drinking from a freshly cut coconut. The picture quickly becomes a backdrop for some cliché catch line such as, “the most beautiful white sand beaches in the world awaits.”

Yup, I’ve figured it all out, and here’s the secret: It’s Boracay, Philippines. Yes, Boracay is all of those pictures. It’s that powder soft sand, the umbrella in your daiquiri. It’s everything that every beach in every part of the world wants to be. Boracay is the sailboat silhouetted against the fading auburn sunset, the green leaves stretching over the aqua waters and cobalt sky. The best part about this entire tropical dream, you’ll be the first person in your crew to know about it. If you make it there.

“Nah, forget Bali, man. Too built up — you wouldn’t like it.” Reagan has been places, and when he talks destinations, I tend to listen. “Boracay. That’s the best beach I’ve ever been to. You’d really dig it, man. Romance your girl a little there.” His dancing South African tempo was making the island oasis sound irresistible; my flight was practically booked.

* * *

Manila, at first impression, is an unkempt and threatening sprawl of a city. “Pearl of the Orient” it is no longer, barely a shadow of its former self.

One step off of the gangway proved this to be true. In stark contrast of the two previous airports we passed through — from gleaming Incheon, outside Seoul, Korea, and uber-modern Hong Kong — Manila reeked of better days long gone.

Sixteen hours of air traveling rested heavy on our eyelids. The dank air slouched our shoulders and the sterility of fluorescent lights accented a brownish film coating every surface. Customs was little more than a formality. After seeing the money exchange was closed well before our 3:00 a.m. arrival, my wife and I were backpacking our way to a line of four-wheeled predators waiting to take us to our hostel.

“Sucat? Ah, yes. Five dollars. I’ll take you.” We jumped in the back seat of the taxi, straddling our packs. The driver, so eager to get us, now stands near the passenger door quietly talking to another driver.

He hops in, turns his meter on, and bolts away from the curb with concerning acceleration. I rolled down the window in order to stay awake and get some kind of respite from the increasingly oppressive heat and my own increasingly apparent body odor.

Very soon I noticed the bright lights of the airport giving way to dim street lights and then dark roads. My guard rose with sight of every lightless street corner.

“This very far away from the airport.” I ignored his backhanded negotiation, but he continued. “Sucat Road is ten dollars.”

“No, you said five dollars.”

“Very far from the airport. Ten dollars.”

“I talked to the hostel before leaving; it is a ten or fifteen minute taxi ride. Taxis from the airport should be no more than five dollars. That’s what I’m paying you.”

Slowing, the driver turned down an completely unlit alley. Curse my vivid imagination; my mind started filling with pictures of missing persons reports back home on the Montana news channels. Outside, the sounds of footsteps and childrens’ screams were uncomfortably close. They sounded far too close to escape tactics from a horror movie. This is what the goddamn guidebooks warned me about: Another set of stupid white tourists in a place they shouldn’t be. Nothing good could happen.

Another shout pierced the night breeze.

I looked at Cassie sitting stiff next to me, her tired eyes wide. I could tell she sensed our increasing vulnerability through her exhausted state. Before she had us dead and ravaged in some ditch, she turned toward me with an its-ten-frickin-bucks-just-give-him-the-damn-money look in her eyes. I somehow felt the same way.

We pulled to a stop next to a wrought-iron gate silhouetted by a flickering white bulb attached to a nearby palm tree. The hand-painted hostel sign was hard to make out through the darkness and foliage, but it was there. I tossed the USD$10 towards the front of the taxi and we left before the driver could open his door. It sped off into the darkness.

The corner of screen was pulling away from the rickety wooden door. Aqua-colored trim and lush plants stood against the dark wood of the lobby walls; the bright lights were a comforting sight.

“Hi, I’m Jon. I should have a room reserved for two nights.”

The young girl behind the bamboo counter looked up from a small television. “Oh, hello Mr. Wick. I wondered when you would arrive, but we are all full. Some other travelers decided to stay longer. So sorry.”

“What the fu–?”

“No problem. We have another building close by. They have plenty of room. Emmanuel will walk you there.”

Eighteen hours of traveling and sweating the equivalent of Lake Michigan; we’re tired, hungry, and now I’m forced to walk my wife down another rape-ville Filipino back alley because my reservations were bumped for some douche who just decided to stay a little bit longer? You’ve got to be kidding.

Apparently Reagan left Manila out of his tropical descriptions.

The other hostel was a charming infestation of cockroaches and plastic mattresses. We managed getting through the night by passing out on a layer of strewn clothes between us and the plastic. Holding each other, we hoped the door’s lock was secure — those three dudes watching a western movie in the lobby were awfully suspect.

Manila. The raw energy, intimidating gawks, and oceans of jeepneys — a uniquely communal army of wildly painted, wartime jeeps — are enough to turn anyone away. Endure — no, survive — the necessary evil of navigating this gateway city and your reward is a week of beautiful on the greatest beach in the world.

***

Somewhere between the dark streets of Manila and the sandy beach path, we passed into our very own world of Narnia. The pictures Regan described were no longer images in my mind, conjured up from those I’ve seen on television; they were underfoot. Palm trees gracefully reached to the heavens from sand the hue of fallen snow; so white it takes a moment for your eyes to adjust. The vibe was so chill it was nearly horizontal; cool enough to make Jack Johnson feel at home.

The yang to Manila’s yin was brilliant.

A sand boardwalk paralleled the waves in both directions. Restaurants, massage therapists, dive companies, and beautiful island goddesses waited to accommodate any way they could. The restaurants served meals on tables in the sand and fruity concoctions under the shade of palm trees, while your mind settled down somewhere close to a million miles from anywhere.

Despite the sensory ecstasy of a new destination, I noticed something missing; a void of something I had only recently become accustomed to: hordes of people. This is supposed to be the high season, I thought. Am I on to something here?

The setting sun marks a time when the beach undergoes a ritual of transformation. Restaurant tables spill from buildings onto the sand. Each restaurant offers its unique flair of accent lighting: tea lights on the table, rope lights wrapping the trunks of nearby palms, and decorative lights hung from the above canopies. Reflected sunset off the waters cast soft orange tones about, while hidden speakers produced soft rhythms dancing on the sea breezes. It was romantic, it was hip, and it was fun.

Still something plagued me. Why isn’t there tour bus after tour bus pulling up to the line of concrete mega resorts? Where are the multitudes of spring breakers? There is this heaven on earth right before my very eyes — without a doubt and without the crowds. Most importantly, without anything that tarnishes the very reasons we seek destinations like this.

The sirens song of water is truly irresistible. The sand tugs childhood fantasies of sandcastle building until you act on them; then realize you’ve been digging a hole for the last ten minutes. The breezes dance over your skin to butterfly kiss sun-drenched cheeks. Here, your soul can’t help but let life’s complexities roll off your back and out with the changing tides.

Boracay is hiding in plain sight. It’s an island paradise disguised as, well, an island paradise. The unnerving prowl of Manila is only a small price to pay. One week among true paradise and Boracay became the new standard against which all future island trips will be measured.

Thank you, Reagan. I never doubted you for a minute.

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post Boracay: The Light At The End Of Manila appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

“Inspiring Vistas” really couldn’t be a more loaded theme for our summer photography contest, and the submissions were truly everything you would imagine. More than an Indonesian volcano, a view of  Hawaii from the air, or the longing of young cowboys at a rodeo, it is the colors of Canada’s Kananaskis country that inspire us the most. Congratulations to David Richeson and his shot, “FancyColor – Interlakes Kananaskis”, the winner of our “Inspiring Vistas” contest.

The photo’s caption echoes our sentiments when reviewing the entries: Crazy colors with a few drops of rain and a nice reflection = breathtaking. Does a picture ever really give you the same feeling as really living it?  I still get a warm feeling from this one.  I’ve been lucky enough to spend some time in, what Matt called, “Classic western North America,” and I have to say, it gives me the warm fuzzies too.

Well done, David. Please check out David’s photostream for more incredible shots, but to move that warm feeling into more of a mindblowing state, visit his visual design website showcasing his work in photography, animation and drawing. Mindblowing, I tell you.

For next month’s contest, we’re leaving the cities of the world and going country. Post your pictures of “Rural Life” in our Flickr group thread for your chance at a feature post on the greatest travel website in the history of the universe.

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post “Inspiring Vistas” Photo Contest Winner: Classic Western North America appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

Everyone wants to be cool, but those hipsters got it all figured out. In fact, hipsters are what cool people call cool. On my recent jaunt to San Francisco, I tried to nail down the reasons why. The fashion? The state of mind? The trust funds?

Certainly, the neighborhoods and shops that draw hipsters foster an increased essence of hipsterism. If you ever find yourself in skinnier jeans than your girlfriend, or even if you’re a wanna-be with an affinity for indie rock and mumblecore films, make sure you visit these spots welcoming both the rookie and seasoned hipster.

Hipster 101 tells you to head directly to Haight Street — it’s known locally as hipsterville. This storied neighborhood — once home to Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, and Jimi Hendrix — is now an area of vintage shops, eclectic restaurants, and a cacophony of street life. There, you will find two venues recently named by Let’s Go as “hipster kindergartens for SF newbies.”

The only thing missing from one of their choices, Red Vic Movie House (1727 Haight St.), is hipster pretension. Still worker-owned and operated after 30 years, you can lounge in their signature couches and snack on organic treats while you watch a movie you’ve likely never heard of.  Since it was opened by a few friends who loved movies and who decided to get together to run their own cinema, the thick love of movies makes any degree of hipster feel at home.

Only blocks away from Red Vic, Amoeba Music is less a music store than it is music Neverland. Music from every corner of the world, a full document of staff recommendations, and full live shows envelop you only steps down your  first corridor. Maybe I was lucky the day I wandered Amoeba’s boulevards; I was a few hours away from meeting RuPaul at a signing.

Before you go, newbie, just note it is no longer recommended that one use the word “cool,” if you are going to be dabbling in this sub-culture. As Robert Lanham, author of The Hipster Handbook notes, hipsters would instead say “deck.” And being cool typically doesn’t involve taking pictures of the Haight/Ashbury street signs — that’s where I veered off the path of deck-ness. Don’t say we never tried to help.

[Hipsters in SOMA by .melanie/Flickr]

By Jon Wick

About the Author

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com. (@ExpedJon)

The post Visit These San Francisco Hot Spots For The Wanna-be Hipster In You appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.