While we have lots of grand plans for foreign adventures, the first two months of our gap year have actually been spent returning to familiar places and surrounding ourselves with family and friends we don’t get to see enough of: The granite ridges of the Sierra re-kindled our love of the wild and sparked reflection on several pivotal backcountry trips in our...
Despite its petite size, the Netherlands packs an enormous cultural punch. Its architecture, cityscape, and history are so unique. Below are some of the engaging, thought-provoking, informative cultural exhibitions we visited in our time there: Museum of the Canals (Amsterdam): This newer museum is housed in a double fronted townhouse on Herengracht, right in the...
As a Dutch-American who has visited Amsterdam 20+ times since childhood, my experience of the city is a unique blend of the local and the tourist perspectives. In this post, I put together my personal highlights of worthy things to do in the city. By no means is this a comprehensive list. The best thing to do in Amsterdam is simply to wander the streets by foot or...
Even though I fit all my belongings for 7 months into a single backpack, I really can’t say I’m going ultra light. (We are 2 weeks into our trip, and I have barely repeated any outfits.) It was important to me to feel prepared for a variety of situations from a week on the trail in Bulgaria to a nice dinner out in Hong Kong, but I also tried to avoid...
Big Sur, Off-Road Camping, Somewhere off the Nacimiento-Ferguson Road Journal Entry: It’s getting late. Sunset, thousands of feet up above the Pacific Ocean. There is a cove, way down below, reminding us of its presence with the faint crash of distant waves. From here the rolling breakers manage to convey a stillness and sense of movement all at once. I’m seated on a...
Hello from Amsterdam! We are easing into international travel by starting with a familiar destination: the Netherlands. Because Victor was born here, we come to the Netherlands roughly every year, so I’m starting to know my way around the grachten (canals) and straatjes (little streets). We are staying with Victor’s brother, Philip, who lives in Amsterdam...
If you’ve landed here, no doubt you already know that there’s a ton of information about packing for a gap year. People have different styles, different interests, different geographies, and of course definite opinions about the right way to go about it, especially when it comes to the amount of stuff you choose to bring. Below you will find my (Victor)...
The bulk of our time in California was spent in Sequoia National Park. We spent a week backpacking in the high country of Yosemite 7 years ago, so I was really excited to get back into the Sierra, and explore another section of the wild California wilderness both through car camping and backpacking. We spent 3 nights car camping with Victor’s parents, Fred and...
On June 27th–the day after we quit our jobs–we hit the road! Our gap year began with a 3 week adventure up and down the California coast (including Big Sur, LA, and a vineyard in Napa). This first jaunt helped us tear ourselves away from work in New York (where we had entrenched ourselves so deeply) and develop our traveling rhythm for the year to come...