Passport Chronicles

12/01/2017

"Americans tend to travel alone, but they travel only so they can find new people to talk to about America. You will never hear an American ask "where are you from?" If you think that's what you've heard, you're wrong. They were just talking about how expensive it is to get a drivers' licence in Delaware."

I'm pretty guilty of the above... Except most conversations now revolve around the President of our beloved country.

Travelling at 19 is wild and innocent. But one day you turn around and you're no longer 19. You're just travelling with people who are.

15/12/2016

Looking for some travel inspiration? Check out this epic post on UNESCO heritage sites from Peanuts or Pretzels

Liz and I are nuts for history, culture, architecture...and nature's beauty. That's why we love travel! And for us, UNESCO World Heritage Sites are some of the most beautiful and amazing places to visit all

03/07/2016

Crete senesi between Sienna and Montalcino. Excellent for Vespa riding.

01/06/2016

Towers of Paine seen from Valley Frances in Torres del Paine National Park. Most people know that you can hike to the base of the towers, however you can also get a really good view of them from the French valley as well.

24/05/2016

in sporting the traditional bowler hat.

12/05/2016

Those milky waters of Torres del Paine, ... Most enjoy during the summer months, which is the inverse from the northern hemisphere. One of the best times to go is during the spring (October) or fall season (March or April) when there are less and visitors on the .

28/01/2016

My girlfriend sent me this this morning...

01/12/2015

Sorting through pictures I took in Patagonia. This was taken at sunrise on my hike up to see the towers of Torres del Paine. It reminds me of the logo for Patagonia apparel. I guess that makes sense.

30/09/2015

The Tuscan Country Side by Vespa.

Two weeks flying (compared to a bike) through Tuscany and I have to say, I'm addicted. Food, wine, landscape, sun, gregarious people who use their hands a lot to talk - no wonder Tuscany is always one of the highest visited regions in Europe.

16/09/2015

I made it to Florence!

Florence is a city for art lovers. Birthplace of the renaissance movement and home to the towering and intricately designed Florence Cathedral and the even more famous David by Michelangelo.

Next up, to Rome by Vespa through Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio.

05/09/2015

After finishing the Tour de Mont Blanc, I got back on the road at a slightly reduced pace. I averaged slightly more than 30 miles a day for the first five days (I was averaging around 50 before the TMB). I crossed over the St. Bernard pass, which separates Switzerland and Italy and is the etymological source of the dog breed. Then, I passed into the Aosta Valley, which is dotted with castle fortresses set atop forested cliff sides.

After the Aosta Valley came a long stretch of flat and busy roads through Pavia and Piacenza, a more industrial part of Italy. Although, not the most beautiful part of the journey thus far, it allowed me to start riding at a healthier pace. I've been averaging 63 miles per day for the last three days. I've basically been doing two stages out of the guidebook instead of one.

Yesterday, I passed over the Apennine Mountain range to reach Aulla and, I have to admit it, I'm pretty beat. To reach Florence at the scheduled date on Sunday evening, I'll need to complete another 100 miles. Afterwards, my human powered journey is over and I hop on a Vespa to ride into Rome.

01/09/2015

Stats on the tour:
110 miles, the length of the tour
8,743 ft. the highest point on the tour
6 miles in ascent
6 miles in descent
7 to 12 days the normal time it takes to complete the tour
20 hours, the time it takes the best ultramarathon runners to complete the entire circuit.
3 countries visted on the tour: France, Switzerland and Italy.

19/08/2015

11 days on the road.
492 miles biked.
4 spokes broken.
0% success rate in fixing spokes.
1 train ride of shame.

16/08/2015

Lods, France. One of the best things about a bike tour is being able to see all of these small towns that normally get skipped for bigger cities on the tourist circuit.

15/08/2015

Made it into Switzerland and the view... not too shabby.

12/08/2015

6 Days on the road.
335 miles in total.
15 mile detour due to wrong turn.
1 Rack broken and fixed with electric tape and zip ties. Actually, it happened when I fell on the second day, but I didn't realize it until yesterday.

09/08/2015

3 Days on the road.
180 miles biked so far.
1 pair of sunglasses lost.
1 accident had - bike rack bent, but mostly my pride was damaged.
2 butt-cheeks that I ice nightly.

04/08/2015

Gearing up for my next adventure. From Brussels to Rome: 800 miles biking, 110 miles hiking and 550 miles by Vespa.

30/07/2015

A monk contemplates the view from the top of Adam's Peak in Sri Lanka. Just after sunrise, the mountain casts a very triangular shadow, which is odd considering how irregularly shaped the mountain actually is. The Buddhist explanation is that it is not actually the shadow of the mountain, but the physical representation of the triple gem (kind of like a Buddhist Holy Trinity).

22/07/2015

80 days and 82 summits. Another day, another summit for this guy.

After climbing 222,651 vertical feet, cycling 326 miles, and notching another 275 miles on foot in just more than a month, Ueli Steck, a 2015 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, enjoyed an ...

15/07/2015

10 ways to make your trip to China more awesome and less boring.

A prime selection of adventurous tourist attractions in China. 1) Walk the Plank Road in the Sky on Mount Hua. 2) Eat something weird on Wangfujing street..

12/06/2015

Hey, at least we smell like freedom.

Americans are apparently "plump," "jumpy," "travel in groups" and "think they own the world," according to bystanders from other countries. Oh, and they go to M

10/06/2015

My favorite national motto, "We seceded, where others failed."

Photographer Léo Delafontaine is visiting micronations throughout the US, Europe, and Australia, and this is what he has found so far.

30/05/2015

Le ghetto burger in Chamonix, France - literally the last place in the world I expected to find a burger down on its luck.

20/05/2015

To those adventurous enough, Petra (the treasury from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) is literally empty. Due to the conflicts in Iraq and Syria most tourists have avoided this "seventh" wonder of the world even though it's located in the relatively calm Jordan.

The problem with the Seven Wonders of the World is… they are usually packed with tourists. But, due to ISIS and Middle Eastern issues Petra in Jordan, is empty. Which means: GO. NOW.

13/05/2015

Chacaltaya Mountain, Bolivia. 17,785 ft. First try at black and white.

07/05/2015

The coast of the Indian Ocean taken from a Lighthouse in Sri Lanka.