Adventurous travel is complex and transformative. Hitting the road throws us into new roles and situations where we must expand who we are. Bringing these new perspectives into ourselves can be intense, and we find ourselves needing to understand both why we travel, and how we can travel in a way that feels right. This page archives all the philosophy pieces on the site- first the “Why,” then the “How.”
WHY TRAVEL?
Pieces about the transformation and life-force that chasing the real world can bring.
- Tajganj Reflections: On connection to the human experience: When we come back to a destination we’ve already visited, we can reflect on how we have changed since then, and what we have gained. [Dec 2020]
- The can-do spirit of the real world: Moving plants, and getting a grip on the can-do spirit of the city, in Dakar [Mar 2019]
- Returnee Diaries: Thoughts on coming home: On the roles we play at home and abroad, and the unsettling transition from Zambian summer to Michigan winter [Dec 2018]
- A Meditation on MacGyver (and his cousin Jugaad): Not only a character or a word, but a concept, a guardian angle, a critical way of life to learn in the Real World [Feb 2018]
HOW TO TRAVEL
Pieces delving into the mindsets and approaches that make for memorable, responsible, open-eyed adventure.
- The Dirtbag Peakbagger Wishlist: Learn where you can climb seriously high mountains with little money and no skills. [Jun 2021]
- Friends don’t let Friends be Voluntourists: Don’t spend time and money, and feed into a bad system, ultimately to learn a depressing lesson about the way the world works. Learn that lesson by reading this. [Jan 2021]