From July 21 – July 26, 2022, Sarah and I hiked the Top of the Chinese Wall in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. We started at Benchmark Trailhead, traversed the Wall from south to north, and finished at South Fork Trailhead after crossing Headquarters Pass. We made some navigation errors. This guide should help you do better….
Author: Sterling Laudon
We frequently get asked about our coolest travel experiences and favorite countries. They are great questions. But there’s a question that leads to better stories: “What’s the worst thing that happened to you?” If you want to get off the beaten path, eat like a local, and explore beyond modern Western countries, you need to…
In the last two years, Sarah and I visited 40+ countries. In a completely unscientific process, each of us ranked our top 10 favorites. After averaging both lists, we determined our top six favorite countries. #6. Oman Oman is one of the least densely populated countries in the world. With most people living in or…
San Agustín is famous for its pre-Columbian archaeological sites. The San Agustín Archaeological Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a main draw to the area. There are also some impressive waterfalls nearby, including the tallest uninterrupted waterfall (400m) in Colombia—Salto de Bordones. Unfortunately for independent travelers, most of the interesting sites are beyond…
Having spent a dozen summers in the Yukon (and zero winters), this is a road trip guide to traveling in the territory. About the Yukon Thirty-six thousand people live in the Yukon and about 25 thousand of them reside in Whitehorse, the capital. The Yukon covers an area larger than California or Sweden, meaning there…
Before we started traveling around the world, Sarah and I signed up for 14 credit cards worth 710,000 airline points. The big three airlines (United, Delta, American) sell intercontinental flights for 17,500 to 45,000 points, meaning we roughly obtained enough points for 20+ intercontinental flights. Alternatively, the points could have been used for 80-90 domestic…
Jebel Akhdar is a lush mountainous area in Oman, reaching almost 10 thousand feet in elevation. When temperatures are blazing, Jebel Akhdar is an escape from the heat. Slopes of Jebel Akhdar, aka the Green Mountain 4WD only. The road to Jebel Akhdar is extremely steep—so steep that only 4WD vehicles are allowed to pass….
After completing the journey from Amritsar Bus Stand to both the Wagah border (India/Pakistan) and the Amritsar airport, this article provides directions for both. Most of this information is available through some Googling, but it was a pain to muck through TripAdvisor forums and conflicting online information. Both journeys are easy—and cheaper than a taxi….
Mix France and Hawaii together and voilà: Reunion. Three hundred miles east of Madagascar, Reunion is a department of France with similarly excellent cuisine and a 35-hour work week. The island contains an active volcano, world-class hiking, black sand beaches, and a tropical island attitude more like Maui than Paris. The Cirque de Mafate Highlights of…
For three weeks in Madagascar, Sarah and I traveled with friends serving in the Peace Corps. Luckily for us, they did most of the hard work of planning and speaking Malagasy. With their help, we created this guide for future travelers. Averaging 52 km/h is optimistic Our route. We crossed the country from east to…
