Author: Gretchen

How to eat vegetarian while traveling

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My first foray into eating a vegetarian diet was in college. My vegetarianism lasted about a semester and ended with a bacon feast. Given the limited vegetarian options available in the dining hall, and my sub-par cooking skills, it’s no wonder I didn’t make it past finals week. Fast forward a decade and I decided to give vegetarianism another chance. I was midway through an around the world backpacking trip, and going meat free seemed like a fairly easy choice. Southeast Asia offered plenty of vegetarian street food options, and I wasn’t too keen to eat meat after seeing fly-covered carcasses in outdoor markets, sans refrigeration. Add a general preference for vegetarian food plus concern for the environment and the weird realization that some people in Vietnam ate dogs, but kept pigs as pets… deciding to go meat free was easy. Here’s a few tips for surviving a long term backpacking trip as a vegetarian: Know your local cuisine Depending on where you go in the world, eating vegetarian could be super simple (India) or …

Road Trip: San Francisco to Vancouver

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Renegade camping, forest trails and secret swimming holes After spending nine months circumnavigating the globe, it only took a few weeks at home before the open road started whispering my name again. When a friend hopped over from Australia for a visit, it was all the excuse I needed to throw my camping gear in the car and head out in search of adventure. Our first stop was Outside Lands music festival in foggy Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Summer music festivals are pretty high on my list of fun things to do, and with headliners like The Who, Metallica and Alt-J, the good vibes were in full swing all three days. Other favorite sets from the weekend included Khraungbin, Foxygen, Maggie Rogers, Sofi Tukker, Temples, Real Estate and Bleachers. With our heads still in the clouds, we headed south for a quick dip into Big Sur. Since access via highway one was closed for the season due to winter storm damage, this magical stretch of coastline was practically empty. It felt like we …

Photo credit: Fabian Von Holzen

How to stay fit and healthy while you travel the world

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After four months of backpacking around Europe and Southeast Asia, the truth was staring at me in the mirror. Were those dimples on my thighs? Yikes. Thanks to a budget backpacker diet that consisted mostly of rice, noodles and fried street food, I had lost lean muscle definition and gained flab. With kale salads, green juices and Whole Foods a far off dream, I knew I had to find a travel lifestyle that was both healthy and sustainable. After all, when you’re on a long term backpacking trip around the world, indulging like you’re on a short-term vacation isn’t doing your body any favors. Over the next few months, I tested out different strategies with the goal of feeling great while traveling. The changes weren’t instant, but I gradually found myself feeling stronger, leaner and more energized. The following eight ideas are my tried-and-true methods for staying fit and healthy while backpacking around the world: 1. Eat fist-sized portions I’m the last person to ever support depriving yourself of food when you’re hungry. Nope, a girl’s gotta …

Why I decided to keep traveling

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‘Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.’ -Rumi

When I arrived in Bali in early January 2017, I planned to spend five weeks exploring the island of the gods. Little did I know, but my experiences in Bali would change the course of the next year of my life, inspiring a last-minute decision to cancel my return ticket back to California.

That time I ate rat, or 2 weeks of motorbikes, mountains and mayhem in Vietnam

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When my best friend showed up in Vietnam, I knew it was going to be a wild ride. We had fourteen days to cover the country from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and an ambitious itinerary of city-hopping, mountain climbing and cultural exploration planned.

Possibly to make up for a childhood of picky eating, Ian is now a total foodie and couldn’t wait to try the insects and blood soup Vietnam is famous for, while I, on the other hand, had no intention of eating anything more adventurous than pate in a banh mi sandwich. Unfortunately, my worst fears were realized when…but wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.

8 important lessons I learned from traveling the world

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As I contemplate the last four months of world travel, I realize I’ve learned a lot from the experience of backpacking across Europe and Southeast Asia. I’ve discovered places that eclipsed my wildest imaginings, explored modern cities and ancient ruins, watched sunrises and sunsets with newfound friends, climbed literal and figurative mountains and stripped away layers to reveal a stronger, smarter and braver version of myself.

I know I’ll want to remember a few of the lessons I’ve learned along the way, so here’s eight of the important ones…

Too broke to travel? 7 travel hacks to get you there sooner

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At least once a week, somebody tells me “I wish I could travel too, but I don’t have the money.” Well, guess what?  It’s a lie. Stop telling yourself this convenient story and get out there and start exploring the world. As I write this, I’m cozied up at a hip cafe in Canggu, Bali eating divine vegan food. I drove here on a motorbike I got for free, five minutes from the surf/yoga camp I’m staying at (also for free). This afternoon, I’ll drop in at a discounted yoga class before meeting friends for sunset at the beach. All together, my awesome day will cost less than $15…and it could even be free, if I chose to take advantage of the restaurant back at the camp (but I have a weakness for trendy eateries, which Canggu is overflowing with). So, without further ado, here are seven resources to help you stretch even a small amount of cash into months or even years abroad: Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOFing) Browse hundreds of listings from organic farms …

Pinch me, I’m dreaming…twelve days exploring magical Myanmar

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As 2016 came to an end, I hopped from Vietnam to Myanmar (formerly Burma) to explore this incredible country where ancient tradition is just beginning to meet the modern world. Due to an ongoing civil war, much of the country is still off-limits to foreigners, but a bourgeoning tourism industry and recent democratic elections indicate things are changing rapidly. With cheerful shouts of “Min-ga-la-ba!” (hello) echoing down every street, the friendly and optimistic Burmese people are the true gem of this beautiful country, which sits between Thailand, Laos, China, India and Bangladesh. Myanmar is a diverse place. The country is home to more than 100 ethnic groups, although almost 98 percent of the population identifies as Buddhist. Indeed, there are nearly 500,000 buddhist monks in Myanmar. Whether you are shopping in a bustling market or visiting a temple, the sight of the monks’ saffron robes is a common one. Here’s a few of my favorite photographs (and memories) from the twelve days I spent in beautiful Myanamar. I expected that watching the sunrise over the thousands of ancient …