I recently discovered the pleasures of long-distance hiking (I have always enjoyed day hikes) and completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2019. I hope to add the Pacific Crest Trail, Camino de Santiago and some other long trails in the future.
Try This Free Tool to Plan Your Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike or Section Hike
What Is the Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Planning Tool? It’s a free Google spreadsheet I made with all the major Appalachian Trail waypoints or points of interest, with a lot of extra information and some cool filtering and planning options. I’ll explain all of those later, but offering some background first might be helpful. I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2019 (see my
Comparing My Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hikes
In 2019, I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) and in 2022, I thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I wrote summary posts for both of those hikes and I thought it might be interesting to do a post comparing my experiences on both trails.
Try this Free Long-Distance Hike (Thru-Hike) Tracking Tool
I created a spreadsheet to track any long-distance hike. Here's what it can do and how you can use it for your own hikes for free.
I am always on the hunt for tips and tricks to travel better (find cheaper flights, stay safe on the road, etc.)
Digital Camera Buying Guide: Everything You Need to Know
Buying the perfect digital camera is tough because there are so many good choices. Here is everything you need to know to make the best purchase.
What to Pack: The Ultimate Travel Packing List and Custom List Generator
Travel packing depends on your lifestyle, your destination, your planned activities and the amount of time you will be traveling. Here is a comprehensive travel packing list with 300+ items that should cover most travel situations. The idea is not to pack every item listed here but rather to create a customized list for each trip you take, while hopefully getting occasional “oh, I didn’t … [ Read more ]
Staying Connected in Japan: Phone and Internet Options for Your Trip to the Land of the Rising Sun
I’ve lived a year in Japan and visited multiple times since then. I really love the country, its people and the culture. But, while Japan has long been considered an example of high-tech progress and advanced mobile communications infrastructure, the reality on the ground is quite different, at least from a foreign visitor’s perspective. In fact, while they practically give away prepaid SIM cards in … [ Read more ]
I'm an avid reader and I like to collect quotations that inspire or educate. I do that for my business site and I do it for travel as well. I actually have collected a great many quotations but I have only recently started adding them to the site so check back regularly for more.
Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
Henry David Thoreau
Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.
Henry David Thoreau
We should come home from adventures and perils and discoveries every day with new experience and character.
Enrique Peñalosa
An advanced city is not one where even the poor use cars, but rather one where even the rich use public transport.
As I explore my own digital nomad life, I learn useful tips and tricks to be more effective and efficient.
A Guide to Buying Health Insurance for Expats in Thailand
Looking for health insurance in Thailand? Read this unbiased guide to help you make a more informed choice and hopefully save you time and money. There are NO affiliate links or recommended agents/services. Just one simple expat sharing the research he did in hopes it will be of some value to you.
What Every Traveler and Digital Nomad Needs to Know about Passwords
Last Updated: October 13, 2023 (originally published December 6, 2019) A password is often the foundation which supports your digital privacy efforts. The way you approach passwords, as with everything privacy related, is a tradeoff of convenience and security. The key things to understand about passwords are their strengths and weaknesses, how to store and use them, and how to create good ones. It’s also good to … [ Read more ]
150+ WordPress Plugins to Take Your Blog to the Next Level
You are probably using some WordPress plugins already, but perhaps you are missing out on some others that can improve your site and blogging skills considerably. That’s understandable since there are so many thousands to choose from and since there are some great plugins that do things you didn’t even know you might want to or be able to do. Here is a list of … [ Read more ]
I am mildly obsessed with street art and try to get photos of it everywhere I go.
Street Art: Taichung, Taiwan (Comics Alley)
Taichung has two unique spots with many good street art images. This is one that is generally called Comics Alley (Painted Animation Lane, 動漫彩繪巷) as all the art is focused on various famous comics (manga) and animated shows or movies (anime).
Street Art: Taichung, Taiwan (Rainbow Village)
Taichung has two unique spots with many good street art images. This is one known as Rainbow Village (彩虹眷村).
Street Art: Taiwan
Here's a collection of street art photos I took in various places around the country.
There are many great blogs out there for eye-candy and useful information about travel destinations so I don't focus on this very often, but I do have a few hopefully useful posts, including my budget breakdowns for Central America and South America
Taiwan Travel Guide & Tips: Overview
I spent 24 days in Taiwan in late 2023 (November and December). If you're planning a trip there, this series of posts may help with your planning. This post provides a general overview of the country and places you might want to consider visiting if you have the time.
Taiwan Travel Guide – Taipei
For many travelers to Taiwan, Taipei is all they see and do. I think that's a mistake, but it's understandable. There is a lot to see in and around Taipei to keep you busy for a week or more. This guide will help you plan a great trip.
Taiwan Travel Guide – Taipei (Nearby Areas)
Taipei is a big city with a lot to keep you busy, but there are also some great things to do and see not far from the city. Here are some of the ones I recommend.
Over the years I have studied Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and Thai. I don't write frequently on this topic, but I do run two resource sites, one for learning Spanish and one for learning Japanese. I also have written a very extensive overview of how to learn a language
How to Create an Anki Deck from a Google Sheets Spreadsheet
Last Updated: July 18, 2020 I have used Anki for years. It is a very popular and powerful program with an active community. Although one of Anki’s most useful features is the ability to download study material created by others in the community, you will probably want to create your own study materials. You can do so by creating new entries directly in Anki, but if … [ Read more ]
Thoughts on Learning the Thai Language after One Year
“Everyday, Thais see me studying Thai, reading books in Thai, writing Thai, etc. And they always ask, ‘is it fun to learn Thai?’ And I tell them, ‘NO, it ain’t fun and it hasn’t been fun even a single day of learning this language.’ In fact, early on I’d rather have teeth pulled without anesthetic any day of the week than invest more time studying … [ Read more ]
