My year of travel has been fun-- and frivolous. I've learned a lot about different parts of the world, met many people, had my eyes opened. But it has begun to feel very self-indulgent. Apart from me and the people who take my money, who benefits? I always talked about doing aid work overseas. As … Continue reading Travel with a Purpose
Eighteen states, two provinces and 13 thousand kilometres driven-- I would call that a pretty good road trip! Here's what I learned. Are you making time or having fun? Is it about the destination or the journey? On my travels, there were times when speed was the requirement. A delay due to food poisoning meant … Continue reading Two months on the road: Advice for a road trip.
People ask what it's like to drive so far on my own, so this is what an ordinary day on my US road trip looked like. I woke early in an A-frame cabin by the Belle Fourche River in Hulett, Wyoming, and was out by 7:30; after months of travelling everything in my bag is … Continue reading Perfect Imperfect Travel Day
New Orleans is a city of indulgence and celebration. Bourbon Street is a touristy extreme, but the same feel, perhaps slightly more restrained, can be felt throughout the city. Perhaps it's the French roots, or the tropical climate, but whatever the reason most who live or visit here embrace it. Every event demands a parade. … Continue reading Crawfish and Beignet: Eating my way through New Orleans
Sitting in Jackson Square in the French Quarter of New Orleans, I kept seeing it: groups of people wearing the same colour T-shirts. At first I thought it was what I'd seen in Mystic last month, a group of young women who all bought the same souvenir shirt and then put them on in the … Continue reading We’re with Her: Destination Friend trips
The tickle I tried to ignore turned into a sore throat, quickly followed by congestion and a cough. In the six months I have been on the road in 2019, this is the first time I have been sick. I tried to prevent it. I was travelling with family and one sister fell sick a … Continue reading Sick and Tired: Staying Healthy on the Road
We landed at the Helsinki airport at Midsummer and took a taxi. As we went through suburbs and then the city, everything was clean and spacious, but somehow odd. Then it struck me: there were no people. On a Saturday evening, there was no one walking, and no cars moving. It was eerie, like being … Continue reading Kesämökillä: Finnish Cottage Culture
The travels have been busy, and I've been with my two sisters and niece, as well as many relatives in Finland. So no essay this week, but here are some of my favourite pictures from St. Petersburg, Russia. Where else could this be but Russia? As in many other places, I was stunned by the … Continue reading St. Petersburg, Russia, in Pictures
I've hear it several times, from different people as I talk about travelling. "I'd love to go," they say wistfully. "But I don't have anyone to go with." After years of travelling with my partner, my family, or friends, this year I have discovered travelling solo. Much of it is not by choice, as it … Continue reading Traveling Solo or with Somebody?
I lost track of how many times the trip counter has turned over- I thought it was three, but I checked and it is 5. Calculating, it is 5,300 km (3,300 miles) so far, and the road trip is only about a third done. Before the last two weeks, all my brave travels have been … Continue reading Road Trip!
Brave Travels 