Adventures
From Montañita to Baños, and the Art of Suffering
Montañita, September 1, 2016 I woke up around 5 PM, my entire body feeling like I had been beaten with a club. I had spent the last few hours sleeping on and off, in between waking and throwing all the covers off because of my high fever, then waking up again freezing to try and […]
From Guayaquil to Montañita and into the Great Unknown
The cab raced through the darkened streets, pausing only now and again to roll one way or the other to avoid a pot hole or swing around a traffic circle. It was 2 AM, and almost every storefront lining the street was dark, their metaled and graffitied doors closed until the next morning. All of […]
Batumi marks the spot.
After thousands of miles, 15 countries, and 114 days, I am in Batumi. After thousands of miles, 15 countries, and 114 days, I am in Batumi. #georgia #batumi #cycling #biketrip #biking #travel #traveling #gopro A photo posted by Dani Bradford (@lonerucksack) on Jun 17, 2015 at 10:47pm PDT
Journal
The Art of Lone-liness
Cape Town 2012 There’s a certain spot in Cape Town where the road suddenly dips and there she is— the Mother City spread like a carpet to the sea, Table Mountain looming in darkness and the city aglitter. In October 2012, I crested that hill for the first time, windows down and the summer breeze […]
Still Alive
For the last 333 days, I’ve been hunkered down in Baltimore, USA, after falling into a full-time job by accident. I wasn’t looking for anything permanent, just something temporary to make some money while I was in town last year for my sister’s wedding. “We have an opening at Under Armour for an Interactive Designer, […]
Hand-Drawn Type, Stephen Hawking, and The Theory of Everything
I recently watched The Theory of Everything, and if you haven’t had the pleasure, I highly recommend it. The movie is based on a memoir Stephen Hawking’s first wife, Jane Wilde Hawking, wrote called Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, an updated version of a previous memoir she had published in 1999 called Music […]
Gear
Gear Check: Epic Wipes, The Massive Wet Wipe
Every adventure traveler has their own red-point for cleanliness— as a conversation starter, I like to ask this of fellow backpackers. Last week a guy in Ecuador told me his is taking a shower every day, he doesn’t care where he’s staying or if his clothes are clean, but he needs to bathe at the end […]
The Four Things You Need for Navigation on a Long Cycling Trip
I could barely keep my eyes open as I wandered down the long corridor through the airport in Lisbon. Would my bike be waiting for me at the baggage claim? I had been traveling for 35 hours, and before that, had been up late the night before having a minor panic attack thinking about the […]
How to Dress for Cold Weather Backpacking, and What to Bring
For Thanksgiving this year, I’m doing something a little different. I’m heading to Dolly Sods, West Virginia, USA for a cold weather backpacking trip with one of my friends. Dolly Sods has one of the most varied temperature ranges on the east coast due to its range of elevation and geographical location, and I wouldn’t […]
Guides
The Ultimate Guide to Developing Country Transportation
One of the challenges of backpacking in developing countries is land transportation— knowing what’s safe, what’s reliable, and how it varies from country to country— even city to city. One of these best things about adventure travel is learning how to let go of all assumptions, taking calculated risks, and realizing all the discoveries you’ve […]
Traveling Solo Talk at REI on 3/23
Hello adventurers! I’ll be making a presentation with Hostelling International on Traveling Solo at the REI in College Park, MD on March 23rd at 7 PM. From the inexperienced to the well seasoned adventurer, it’s going to be a good time. I’ll have just gotten back from the Amazon, so I’ll have some epic content AND […]
How to Get Your Bike Around the World
One of the biggest challenges on any trip when there’s equipment involved is “how do I get it there?” Exactly one year ago, before starting my cycling trip across Europe, I was asking myself the same question. I assumed at first I would just ship my bike from the US to Portugal, pick it up […]
