Sheesh, I am back home after one of the busiest and most exhausting trips I have ever been on. It was over 18,000 miles of flying across 40 plus hours in the air, followed by more than 50 hours of driving on rural dirt roads. That was roughly 100 hours of pure travel time squeezed into just two weeks. Insane. Outside of Naadam, the thing that stood out to me most was the people. Specifically, the nomads. Living in yurts on vast land they do not own, these families look after

A 1 hour flight, a 2 hour layover, a 13 hour flight, a 14 hour time change, 3 hours in a taxi, 3 days in Japan, and another 6 hour flight. Finally, we landed in Mongolia. There, we met our guide and driver, Tessa, which translates to Snow Candy. Tessa runs tours every week, mostly in southern Mongolia down in the Gobi Desert. A previously devout Christian, Tessa saw his world change completely a few years ago when he met with a shaman who told him he was chosen to be a shama

Today is Day 100 of 100. The work is officially done, the results are in, and tomorrow morning I’ll board my flight, go meet Daniel in Houston, then set off on this journey. Last year, I hit my highest weight of 179 lbs. By cleaning up my diet, cutting back on alcohol, and getting back into the gym, I dropped down to 165.5 lbs before starting this 100 day plan. I knew I needed to do more. I planned a rigorous training plan to compete in Mongolia’s Festival of Manliness that

Going back about a year ago, I remember I was shopping for pants. I grabbed my usual size, 30x30, and they were just too tight. Embarrassed, I asked my buddy to grab a bigger size. As he handed me the new pair, he said, “Going up one size is okay, but when you go up two sizes, you have to worry…” I tried those on… and they were still too tight. Somewhere along the way, I had gotten fat. I’m not sure if no one really noticed or if they just didn’t say anything. In fact, people

On March 5th, while wandering through Guatemala, a sobering thought hit me one morning: What if I just booked a last-minute trip to Antarctica? Two hours later, the confirmation email was in my inbox. Without really much knowledge of the trip others than I was going to Antarctica and would have hit all 7 continents What followed was a marathon of travel to reach Ushuaia before the boat left on March 10th. Guatemala to Panama, then Buenos Aires, and finally landing in Ushuaia,

I left for Japan in the middle of the NBA playoffs. Even across the world, I didn't miss a game. I'd wake up early to catch tip-off at 8...

We pointed the bow toward Great Harbor on Jost Van Dyke , one of the most visited ports in the British Virgin Islands. Cruise ships...

Our next stop Coral Bay Garden, where we set up anchor in the evening and slipped into the water for a twilight snorkel. It turned into a...

Today is the day, We'd start by catching a ferry from St. Thomas to the British Virgin Islands, where our sailboat—and the real...

Research, Island Style I arrived a few days early in the U.S. Virgin Islands to get ahead of any last-minute hiccups before our sailing...

Since I was a kid, I’ve dreamed of sailing from one country to another—no captain, just me and the open sea. Back in high school, with...

The sun beats down with relentless force, scorching any remnants of life. Wind lashes against my face, hurling sand like tiny needles....

After accepting a new job, I packed up my stuff, and my dog and I jumped into my dark red Hyundai Sonata, windows tinted so dark you...

It’s about that time again. I’ve been back in Austin through the winter. The temperatures are rising, the stress from work is piling up,...

Lamb and fish soup, fairytale landscapes, and more beautiful blondes than I could talk to. Welcome to Iceland. I had just three days...

I’d always heard about the glowworms, those eerie, brilliant little creatures that create light to fool it’s prey thinking the ceiling is...

Copenhagen holds a special place in my heart. My boxing coach, before he passed, always told me, “You’ve got to visit Copenhagen.” He...

Windows down Smell of the ocean in the air Music turned down to a hum The only noise is the sound of the waves crashing Sand in my beard...

The Pie Festival If you know me at all, you certainly have heard the “Pie Story”, a story that has stretched the last 20 years. If you...

I have been flying out to Seattle monthly for work. I kept telling myself that I’ll get down and explore Oregon for a couple of days....

Governor is in the back seat, I have the local country station on but low enough where I can still hear the rain pounding on the...

I was stuck in my one bedroom apartment in a brand new city during a country wide pandemic, COVID. For months this went on (still going...

It all started when I was 8 years old. I was working for my uncle cleaning used vacuum cleaners, preparing them to be sold. I was making...

My feet sat bare pressed against a three foot long cold metal plank extending from "suicide bridge", 469 feet above a shallow stream of...

Just like anything in life the journey is far more rewarding than the destination, I find this especially true with traveling. Being...

Everyone always ask what my favorite destination has been, and oh how I grow tired of that question. Destinations can be so wildly...

When I tell someone I joined the Peace Corps and will be serving in Namibia I get the same three questions every time 1. Where is that?...

The two most expensive parts of traveling are accomodations and flights. Below is my journey on escaping cost for accommodations and the...

When I was about 15 I developed my bucket list of things I wanted to do before I died. While I have been working hard to cross items off...

One thing I have always noticed about myself was that I don't explore neighboring cities enough. I wanted to change this so I drove about...

When I was 18 I spoke with a college advisor who casually mentioned he joined the Peace Corps years ago, ever since then I have...