About
Travel has long been a part of how I meet and love the world, from the childhood tales of my British grandmother that expanded my horizons, to my own peregrinations around the globe. I have visited 80+ countries, taught English on five continents, lived an immigrant’s life in Europe, and continue to populate my inner planet with memories of new people and places abroad as often as possible. After years of continuous travel, I have settled into a rhythm of spending half the year abroad, and half in Oakland, California.
Solo trips are a special experience for my spirit, but I find a powerful joy in sharing travel with others, and it felt like finding my Home On The Road when I began working as a tour guide for Rick Steves’ Europe in 2015. I give daily thanks for the connections to people and places that this work has given me, and look forward to many more years with my tour member friends as we celebrate this world together.
After Covid’s “Great Pause” began to ease, I discovered in Romania a country that voraciously deserves to be your next trip, and am now offering a Tour of Romania, which you can read more about here.
See you on the road!






Awesome. So glad you stopped by today so I could find your blog and give a follow. Living in rural Ohio, I’ve found that I can enjoy the world through wonderful gents like you! Love the picture. 🙂
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Thanks Maddie, I hope you can enjoy some vicarious pleasure, just as I did from your Niagara Falls post. One of these years I’ll see America.
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I’m hooked! 🙂
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Good! I hope you stay that way, and feel free to tell your friends. 😉
And I particularly liked your post about Valentine’s Day. Who knew Twilight was popular in quite that way?
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Thanks for visiting my blog. Yours is a real beautiful one. Wish you a colorful journey ahead! Will keep on visiting to hear about new experiences.
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Thanks! It is indeed a colorful life, from the white of ancient marble this morning to the red of squished mosquitoes tonight. Salud!
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🙂
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Love your writing style and envy the way you’ve created a life for yourself that permits such freedom of movement! I travel as much as possible, though I also love my own city, and I’m (hopefully) piecing together some life skills that will allow me to live in a similar way 🙂 Good on you for setting such a great example for me to follow!
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Setting a good whatnow? Right now I feel like the one thing I can demonstrate well is killing Turkish mosquitoes, though to be fair, they seem to be slower than most of their relatives. The lifestyle certainly has its ups and downs, as do they all, but I highly encourage you to try it if it calls to you. I will always be glad for any tips/wisdom for it that you have, here if you need to divulge, and interested to hear if you ever find the reason why all lists must be three items long.
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Thank you for visiting American Male hope you come back and visit soon!
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Hey! kick ass blog, mystery man 😉
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You too! I’m glad I’m getting to read some of your fiction. But of course the question is how much is based on real stuff..?
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a whole helluva lot 😉
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Thank you, though I think you outrank me in the mystery department by several levels… And will, even after your book comes out. ; )
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true that 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by and liking my blog. We are fellow travellers at heart.
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Absolutely! I look forward to reading more about your return to the Pantanal.
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i’m now a fan of how you tell your stories. it’s the same style that i try to use in writing about my travels. most of the travel blogs that i come across with almost always sound like a guidebook. there’s nothing wrong with it, don’t get me wrong 🙂 but the personal experiences/stories are the stuff that keeps me glued.
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I’m glad to hear you say that, and I agree! Sharing tips is all well and good, but I’ve come to realize that my initial approach of a journalistic detachment was wasting the real character of traveling. Now I just need to get a sense of how much to share, both for myself and for the reader! (And by the way, I think Day-Off Tuesday is a great idea too.)
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Thanks for the recent visit to (and follow of) my blog–much appreciated. It had the happy consequence of bringing me here, and I’ve enjoyed perusing the entries. I’ve enjoyed the stories and the irreverent style in which they’re told.
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I’m very glad to hear that, serendipity on all sides! I find life much too important to take seriously, so I’m glad irreverence is a good thing for you!
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Sounds like my kind of travel philosophy! I’m going to sit down soon and look at your travels through Myanmar.
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It’s working for me fairly well (although at the moment I am counting Malaysian ringgits to see if I have enough for food to stay one more day on this ATM-less island) but I definitely respect y’all who travel with kids, that is much more work! I hope you enjoy the Myanmar posts!
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Excuse me….I didn’t get your name Mr. vagabond urges….;)))…lol…
Nevertheless your pictures amuse me…want me to tracker more and bring sunshine.
I have nominated you for Shine On Award. D collect it when you have a minute to pause at http://simplyvegetarian777.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/shine-on-award/
Cheers my friend,
Sonal at NRI-scopic777
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Another one for you my dear…I know you don’t worry about these awards..but still….wanted to show my appreciation towards your work. Here is the wordpress family award for you, collect it here when you get a chance http://simplyvegetarian777.wordpress.com/2013/07/31/wordpress-family-award/
Cheers
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(I actually thought I responded to the first one, but apparently the hostel internet went out before it posted.) I’ve always secretly coveted one of those awards, so thank you very much for sending one (and now two!) my way. I’m not sure if I’ll pass it on…let me think about that for a bit…but I really appreciate your including me in it!
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I have left my nominees burden free to accept or pass it on…so if you choose not to…….no worries :).
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Thanks for the likes on my blog! I love the variation of topics on this blog, and the way you present them. Will definitely keep an eye to this one! Happy blogging 🙂
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Happy blogging to you too! (And let me know if I get boring. Seriously.)
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This sounds like a such a fun way to live! I have only traveled a little bit so far, but I know that I need to do more in my future…a lot more. There are just too many diverse and wonderful places in the world that I need to experience in my lifetime. 🙂
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That’s the good and maddening news, there are far more amazing and worthwhile places to go than a person could ever go in one lifetime. But it sure is fun to see as many as possible! Is there a particular region you’re interested in?
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I’m most interested in Western Europe. I would love to go to Spain especially, as well as Italy. But like you said, there are endless places to visit!
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Those are both great places to start, especially if you haven’t done a lot of traveling yet. Just my two cents, but I found Spain to be a little friendlier, a little more welcoming. (I recommend couchsurfing there too.) If you go, and have time, Portugal is also well worth a visit. I loved Lisbon, and have heard great things about Porto…
You’re not helping my itchy feet!
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Yes, I think I’ve had a case of the travel bug, and there is an endless list in my head of places I’d like to go! Spain would be great because I could practice speaking the Spanish language with native speakers. Couchsurfing sounds like a cool idea, and a much less expensive route.
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Go for it! I look forward to reading about your aventuras!
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Thanks! I look forward to keeping up with your blog, too! 🙂
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Thanks for visiting my blog. Please come back, again. BTW– I think yours is pretty cool.
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My pleasure, and glad you like it.
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Thank you for following my blog! Happy that you like it 🙂 what an interesting blog you have 🙂 for sure will be back here ! have a nice day 🙂
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Wow you have a stunning blog. I’m very jealous that I haven’t had your adventures so far! Keep it up! Greets from Germany
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Thank you Herr November! It looks like you’ve had some good ones of your own! How about we both keep it up? 😉 Saludos from El Salvador!
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Haha thank you! El Salvador… come on… I’m jealous as hell! Anyway, I’m looking forward to your next post!
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What a fantastic blog! I came for your Havana post but I think I’ll stick around and see where you go next. Extremely jealous of your lifestyle, currently sat in writing a report for uni in rainy Manchester, UK, looking forward to your next post!
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Thank you! I’m glad you’re sticking around, I’ll keep looking for things to show you. And to be honest: uni, Manchester, and even the rain all sound pretty good to me, so the jealousy flows both ways!
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Ah, you are living the life I aspire to! I feel myself moving in this direction (for the second time!) and my heart begins beating in that old familiar pattern I know so well… meanwhile I get to do it vicariously with you! thank you for making this blog!
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That’s an exciting feeling, when life starts pulling in a given direction. I wish you all the best of luck with it! My life seems to be moving towards a steadier balance between movement and remaining stationary, but I’ll do my best to keep finding things to talk about for you, and I look forward to reading your tales too!
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Yes, very exciting, even the ‘unknown variables’. Thank you for the well wishes. I suppose that day will come when the needle doesn’t swing so far to one extreme and I too will seek a certain type of balance which still incorporates all my great loves in life. I’ll stay the course and keep reading your tales for additional motivation! thank you.
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Wow! What an adventure. A great blog you have here. Great intro! But my favourite….has to be the cute little animal (pygmy marmoset) on your shoulder! How adorable!
Thanks for popping over to my blog – it’s much appreciated.
Have a nice day 🙂
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He was a cute little varmint; I miss him. (There are a couple more pictures of him here: https://vagabondurges.com/2012/07/12/groomed-by-nacho-and-whipped-by-a-shaman/ I can’t believe that was two years ago already, and oy my posts used to be far too long and rambling.)
Thanks for popping over to mine, we’ll have to continue this inter-bloggal popping.
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Yes, I would love to see more posts, especially ones which involve cute little animals. No worries, I would probably win if we were in a ‘long rambling essay posts’ competition. I am a ramble pro! I’m surprised people actually read my posts. Haha!
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Cute little animals? I guess this wouldn’t qualify: https://vagabondurges.com/2013/07/25/is-that-a-good-start-or-a-bad-one-jungle-birthday-part-2/ but I do have one each about the two dogs I live with, and Miles the cat, if you look back a few posts on the homepage…
There is something horribly narcissistic about many blogs, lots of sentences about I I I and I, but hopefully some of it’s worth reading.
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Yes,not so cute. Not sure you’ll get me in a jungle! I have a massive phobia of all things creepy crawly.
You’re right – blogging can be narcissistic. I see a lot of ‘I I I’ and ‘me me me’. I might be a little bit guilty of this, too! Although, I try to stay mindful of my readers. It’s hard to keep that balance.
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Fantastic!
I live nomadically for 7 years of my life – travel is so enriching as you have discovered.
What country did you enjoy most?
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7 years a nomad, that’s impressive! I miss that lifestyle, even as I prepare to sign a year lease for the first time since 2004. It’s impossible for me to pick a single most enjoyable country…it tends to be whatever country I’m currently in! Or, if the weather/lines/bureaucracy/illness are bad, then the current country may be the worst ever…hard to tell!
What about you? Favorite place(s)?
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Yeah the bureaucracy can kill the memories of a country trying to get visas etc.
Mongolia for its expansiveness, Japan for its people and culture, California for being California.
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Oooh, Mongolia’s on my list, for sure. Japan too. And glad to see California made it on there. Good list!
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What an amazing blog! such a wealth of adventures, and beautifully recorded. Thanks for providing some inspiration!
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Such kind words, thank you!
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Hi! So happy I just came over your blog! It is really great! Love it! Just what I was looking for. Blog-posts about travelling with deeper meaning! You now have one more follower. I am looking forward to see more!
Cheers,
Hanne
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Excellent, thank you for that, it made me feel good to read. Oy, I gotta go move my laundry (thanks for reminding me) and then get lunch, then I look forward to perusing your posts too!
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Hi, I’ve enjoyed exploring your wonderful blog. As appreciation, I have nominated your blog for the One Lovely Blog Award: http://traveldefined.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/one-lovely-blog-award/
Happy Blogging.
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Why thank you! I tend to view those awards with a mix of cynicism and jealousy, but given that you’ve been reading my posts for awhile now, and that I enjoy your blog too, I definitely take that as a compliment. Thank you.
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Great blog, thank you for stopping at mine; Caracas, lived there, saw it with child eyes.
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Thank you for reading, and my pleasure for doing the same. Impossible to know for sure I guess, but do you feel like all cities are the same for a child’s perception, or perhaps the particulars are all the more salient to a child’s all-observant eyes?
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Undoubtedly. A child’s perspective is rather obsequious and endearing.
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I’m glad I found your blog. Such a fresh and unique perspective on travel blogging. You’re living the life, and I wish for you only more of the same. Greetings from India!
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Hi there mate.
Thanks for liking my post. Just starting out in this blogging world and was getting a but daunted by it all but seeing your blog has made me understand that I need to give it time. I hope that through my stories I can help others too as you have through yours. Any pointers you have would be great!! Look forward to reading more old your new and old post.
Cheers
TCT
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Looks to me like you’re off to a great start! I was going to say that people supposedly LOVE Top 10 type posts, but it looks like you already knew that. I have nothing left to teach you, grasshopper.
I loved your post about Devil’s Pool, your visit giving grounds to the local legend. I wonder if I can find a place like that around here for a post. Thank you, sensei.
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Keep on trekking, hope all is well on your side of the world!
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It’s a delightful and eminently tolerable blend of difficult and fantastic, lately. And another trek coming closer by the week… Hope all’s well in your neck of the woods too!
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Hello, I a ma journalist for a travel show Echappées Belles, and saw a few articles that could interest us concerning Ecuador. We are currently preparing a shoot there and would love to benefit and share some of the interesting people you’ve met on your travels. Could we chat by email? thank you! Happy travels!
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Do you often publish guest postings?
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I haven’t, actually, but I’m not opposed to it. Feel free to email me if you’d like to propose something.
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I’m really glad that I stumbled upon your blog today. I’m enjoying reading the posts that you’ve already written and look forward to reading more of them in the future.
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Thank you, very glad you enjoy it, and I look forward to both writing more and reading your blog as well.
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coucou
happy to discover and follow your blog after your follow to mime
thank you so much, for sharing this about page
anita
🙂
https://femmeetinfos.wordpress.com
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Pingback: Hospitals, Lake Merritt and more... - I LEFT MY HEART IN PALO ALTO
Hey Vagabond. Can you contact me? I used one of your pics without asking but put down a credit:
http://ileftmyheartinpaloalto.com/2016/07/hospitalsandmore/
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Howdy there fellow blogger. Thank you for letting me know, for the credit link, and for liking the photo. I’m not bugged about it. (And sorry to nitpick, but there is an extra “n” in your link text… I can’t help myself, I’m a word nerd.)
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Hi, you have great photos here and amazing stories. Thank you for visiting my blog and liking my post Batanes, If you haven’t been there, you must definitely give it a try. 🙂
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I still haven’t made it to Batanes, but still hope to. Someday! Hope your travels have been happy and full of learning!
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Yes, it has been a good year for me. I hope you had the same.
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Thanks for stopping by! Great photos, destinations, and writing!
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Thank you for the follow. Love your site, it’s really Awesome! Vaya Con Dios.
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I love reading your blog! When I come back in a different life I will be YOU. Haha. Sorry, I’ve followed several blogs in the past few months and I’m now just catching up to see who’s who. Keep doing what you’re doing, it’s great. More than great. Have fun and be careful out there.
elisa
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hahahaha That’s quite a compliment! I’ll admit, I’ve got it incredibly good. Not monochrome that way, but so very much to be grateful for. I hope your life is filled with an abundance of joy and gratitude as well! Happy travels!
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How fascinating… now I really want to know what you were running from! Point me to that post if you wrote about it. 😉
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Oh lord, this ancient “about” page is an embarrassment! I need to write a new one! Ah, what I was running from…is a long story. Might need a few blogs to tell it. 😉 Thank you for reading, and for reminding me about this page!
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Ha! Would be a great post, I’m sure. It’s a great about page, but I know the feeling… mine is ready for a re-do too.
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Hi, Vagabondurges guy! You mention above “all photos are copyright, but if you would like to use any, I would love to get your email”. I’m sending this to ask about using the one with the grannys racing in their wheelchairs for an educational module I’m making about nursing home quality improvement. Please let me know if this is possible. That’s a dandy of a picture!
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Hello! I am so sorry for my slow response! And I am terribly embarrassed to admit that I didn’t take the photos in that post and neglected to mention it. (A case of “only my friends read this and they’ll know” I’m afraid.) I can’t even tell you where I got it, since I think it was a google image search pathway. So I am triply sorry, to be so slow, to have failed at crediting it, and at being unable to send you toward whoever can. In addition, I am buoyed by the fact of your asking, that the internet is still a place of kindness and decency, even when I myself didn’t follow the etiquette! Best of luck with the module and I hope it goes/went well!
Tim
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