After living and working inside and out of Torres del Paine National Park for a season, I decided to write a guide that will hopefully be of use to future travelers looking to visit. Anyone who loves the outdoors shouldn’t miss the beauty of this national park in Patagonia Chile.

I volunteered as a translator for a tour agency based out of the small town of Puerto Narino that is situated on the Colombian side of the Amazon River. Spending seven weeks here, I had an amazing opportunity to learn about the jungle, river, animals, and culture of the indigenous people.

In the Philippines, I found a valley where they hang the dead in coffins along cliff walls, a small village where I learned and experienced how rice is harvested from the field, and explored the islands of Palawan and Coron for great diving and beautiful landscapes.

Continuing south through Indonesia, the boating adventure took me through two wonderful islands, Belitung and Karimunjawa, before the journey came to end in lovely Lovina, Bali. We sailed a total of 1600 nautical miles in seven weeks and what a wonderful adventure it was.

I am onboard SY Straycat sailing from Phuket, Thailand to Bali, Indonesia. I have never sailed before and am taking the opportunity to learn the ancient craft that brought the first explorers around the world. The journey is just beginning and I am excited to see what happens.

For a month I traveled around the island of Borneo exploring east Malaysia and the small country of Brunei. Borneo is well known for its robust wildlife and I explored the jungles, rivers, and Celebes Sea to see what I could find. 

Direct flights between the United States and Cuba began at the end of 2016. Looking online I had trouble finding enough information to feel reassured that I would be allowed on a direct flight to Cuba. Here is a quick summary about my experience with a few tips for your own travels to Cuba.

Over three months I hitchhiked 4000 miles around the north and south islands of New Zealand. Maintaining a steady diet of ham & cheese sandwiches, I explored the stunning natural beauty from coast to coast and mountain to mountain. It was a perfect way to bring my current travels to a joyful conclusion.

My favorite adventure in Indonesia took me to the volcanic Mt. Ijen, which is home to a blue fire only seen at night and a breathtakingly beautiful sunrise. My other days were spent chasing waterfalls around Bali and enjoying beach sunsets with a coconut on my lap.

Singapore is an expensive city with expensive tastes, but with a lovely host and the Chinese New Year, I was able to enjoy my explorations that brought me frog porridge, light shows, and fireworks to usher in the year of the monkey.

Journeying to Malaysia, I was looking forward to exploring the art-centric city of George Town and sample the local fare, which is a mixture of Malay, Chinese, and Indian. I came for a week of food, art, and Thanksgiving and ended up staying to work on my biggest project yet.

Over the past year traveling I have had plenty of time to think about my life and the lives I have witnessed around me. Time and time again, I have found my thoughts drifting into three categories — family, religion, and travel. I have found a new path towards my family and have become more interested in how religion affects the lives of those who practice it around the world. I believe that everyone can travel and I will tell you how you can do it without a lot of cash in your pocket.

From south to north, I traveled the length of Laos. I went from Si Phan Don, the extremely laid back chain of islands within the Mekong, to Phongsali, the launch point for visiting small villages in the north. I visited waterfalls by motorbike, explored the countryside by boat, and hiked into the northern hills to stay in a village. I loved all of Laos but offer a few warnings for eager adventure travelers looking to trek in the north.

Gladly going against my usual travel rules of "no flying," I left Thailand for Hong Kong in order to see a couple close high school friends. I learned there was more to Hong Kong than just city life. Later, we traveled to Vietnam, which in many ways was the catalyst in transforming me into the traveler I am today.

When I arrived in Thailand I was ready to take a break from my hectic traveler schedule. I was eager to lay my head on the same pillow for more than two nights in a row. Instead of a crazy travel schedule, I focused on making Thai friends, eating Thai food, and leisurely exploring a few great places.

Myanmar is the land of golden pagodas, rolling hillsides, pristine lakes, and beautiful people. From the first moment I crossed the border to my final steps in the country, I felt surrounded by happiness, care, and friendship. In 28 days I tried my best to explore the country, interact with locals, and learn what I could.

Unknown to most travelers it is possible to travel overland from India to Myanmar. The journey took me through Manipur, a rarely visited state in the Northeast and often strife with violence between local insurgents and the Indian Army. 

Through the living root bridge jungles of Meghalaya and the headhunting villages of Nagaland, I spent over a month exploring the Northeast of India. Often forgotten, the Northeast is a blend of awe-inspiring beauty, tribal cultures, and food that will make your mouth water... or not.

OnApril 25th, 2015 an earthquake of 7.8 magnitude rocked Nepal. I was luckily situated in Pokhara, a city west of the epicenter of the quake and an area that received very little damage. I quickly returned to Kathmandu and unknowingly walked into a disaster relief area filled with amazing people working hard to support Nepal.

Kanchenjunga is the third tallest mountain in the world and is one of Nepal's most remote treks. Due to our guide, the food, and beautiful views the trek was an unforgettable experience, but not without its ups and downs. 

Varanasi is a city unlike any other in India. Full of life exploding at dawn and dusk along the Ganges River, a visit to Varanasi brings fantastic evening fire ceremonies and beautiful dawn boat rides along the shore.

My Indian friend almost got thrown in jail for walking with me around Jaipur, my ear piercings from Jaisalmer became infected leading me to a hospital in Delhi, and a brief, but glorious, visit into the heart of Sikhism at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

From Goa to the various wonders of Rajasthan, here are a couple of stories that stand out from my past few weeks in India. A sickness in Goa that laid me flat for many days, a sand boarding adventure in the Thar Desert, and a walk into the slightly revolting rat temple.

The island nation of Sri Lanka has stunning beaches, spectacular views, and lovely smiling faces. For two weeks I traveled the country, met up with my college pal Sam, and enjoyed the delights that Sri Lanka had to offer.

Arriving in India unprepared can leave a traveler woefully overwhelmed. The smells, tastes, sights, and noises are unlike anywhere else in the world. From Kochi to Chennai, here are my first experiences traveling in India.

A direct flight from Israel to India usually takes about 5 hours. My travels between the two countries took forty. I have a limitless amount of time and a finite amount of money for my travels so I usually take the cheapest option. Flying last minute and with budget airlines left me sitting on the ground for more than twice as long as I was in the air.

For the past month I have lived and worked on a kibbutz called Gezer. I was working 5 days a week in the olive orchard picking olives and later pruning the trees. Israel may be called land of milk and honey, but calling it the land of olives and hummus is a more fitting description of my final days in Israel.

My free trip through Israel ended and it was time to go exploring on my own. I initially had no plans to go to Jordan but after seeing a single photo of Petra I knew I had to go. I convinced a friend to join me for the adventure and we took off to see this wondrous city carved straight from the earth.

My world travels began with a trip of undetermined length in Israel. I don't know how long I will stay here, but the first 10 days were magical with my Taglit Birthright trip. I traveled from north to south learning about Israel, meeting Israeli soldiers, and eating amazing food.

In one week I’m off to travel the world. I don’t how long I’ll be gone or everywhere I will go. I have a one-way ticket to Israel and plan to travel east from there. I don’t know if I will be gone for only six months or for over two years. What I do know is that I like to travel light and moving light means bringing only what I need.