Tag Archives: backpacking

The Human Experience

Guest Post by Kate Peterson

This is the second guest post by my good friend Kate Peterson. Kate and her friend Melissa recently travelled Europe, after previously working in medicine in Nepal and Colorado. She is a running fanatic and has ran several marathons across the world. She writes far better than I do and I loved her posts during her trip.  Post trip she wrote these two special pieces entitled Adventure and The Human Experience, both which are now featured on this site. Enjoy

The Human Experience – Kate Peterson

“Traveling allows for meditation and introspection. It broadens your world view and alters how you see yourself and others. It provides answers but creates many, many more questions. It is a unique and challenging experience. As I was living the dream of backpacking across Europe, I kept wondering why I felt that something was missing. I think part of the answer can be found in recalling our visit to the Red Cross Museum. I had anticipated a visit full of despair as the human experience was marred by suffering, natural disasters and war. Instead, it was encouraging. Yes, there is and has been since the fall of man, suffering, natural disasters and war. However, we caught a glimpse of beauty in the pain. People, through the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, were responding to the human experience. During the 10 weeks we spent traveling, I experienced so much. I met tons of people. I saw new sights, heard new sounds, smelled and tasted new wonders. My sensory system was on overload. There was so much to take in. But I felt that something was lacking. I was so busy absorbing and traveling that I did not have an opportunity to respond. I could react, but that is not the same as responding. I am incredibly blessed to have a job that I love that allows me to respond to the human experience in a very tangible way. As a nurse, I am able to help others navigate the turbulent waters of illness and injury. To be sure, it is a difficult element of the human experience. But it is an honor and a privilege to respond. Through our responses, we can fully realize our humanity.”

Adventure

Guest Post by Kate Peterson

This is a guest post by my good friend Kate Peterson. Kate and her friend Melissa recently travelled Europe, after previously working in medicine in Nepal and Colorado. She is a running fanatic and has ran several marathons across the world. She writes far better than I do and I loved her posts during her trip.  Post trip she wrote two special pieces entitled Adventure and The Human Experience, both which are now featured on this site. Enjoy

Adventure – Kate Peterson

“Adventure. I love that word. It connotates wonder, excitement and opportunity. Possibilities abound in the word itself. But what does adventure mean? Each person may have their own definition. Alastair Humphreys, a Brit who biked around the world in four years, has a clear picture of adventure in his mind. I met a pharmacist prior to the marathon in Flanders Field who thought running 100 miles through the Sahara Desert was adventure. The frail, elderly lady may see going to the grocery store as an adventure. I believe adventure is anything that gets you out of your comfort zone, that challenges how you think and how you perceive the world. Adventures push the limits of capabilities. Adventures lead to discoveries like self-awareness, awareness of others, personal character aspects and new abilities and/or limits. You meet people, learn and gain new perspective, which allows a more full human experience. Living with a spirit of adventures allows you to vanquish three of my most dreaded fears; stagnation, apathy and complacency. Adventures allow you to capture unrealized potential. Adventures are freeing (notice I did not say free, although they can be). Often times, we get caught up thinking, “I couldn’t possibly go off on an adventure. I don’t have the money or the time.” I like the idea of mini-adventures. Colorado is great because it offers heaps of mini adventures. It may be a new hike or a camping trip or something entirely different. Before we left, Melissa started a list of adventures. It included things she had never done before like quitting her job, backpacking across Europe, playing an open mic night, dancing lessons, a week where everything she ate, including condiments, was homemade, paragliding, brewing kambucha, a day without electricity, a week without using her car, shooting a gun, and many others. One of the things that I love and respect so much about Melissa is her commitment to self-improvement and becoming a more well-rounded person.

One of the wonderful things about traveling is that you meet fantastic people. Three years ago, I met Lewis in Nepal. We have kept in touch and I have learned quite a bit through our friendship. Lewis introduced me to “The Do” Lectures. These are seminars motivating people to experience life, to do. Lewis created a website entitled, Statements of Intent. The blog focuses on inspiration and travel. It features videos, quotes and reading excerpts to promote an attitude of adventure and living a life of purpose. I have included the link. I definitely recommend checking it out and taking time to listen to Alastair Humphreys.

Regardless of your definition of what constitutes an adventure, embrace it. By approaching each day as adventure, the scales of the mundane, predictability and apathy will be torn off.”

One amazing girl, with an amazing story at only 23, Maggie Doyne

This was the first Do Lecture from 2010 that I have seen, and what an amazing speech. Maggie Doyne was a high school leaver who went on her gap year and instead of drinking it up in Australia she turned to poorer countries, like India and Nepal (one of my favourite countries). Concerned with the conditions of some of the children she saw, with just $5000, at the age of 23 she has set up her own school for orphaned children at Kopila Valley, Surkhet in Nepal. She has taken children away from child labour to give them a deserved chance at education.

She has since started her foundation called BlinkNow Foundation to share her ideas with other young people. Maggie won the prestigious Do Something award in America for all that she has done so far.

If you are interested in Maggie’s work please visit the BlinkNow webpage.

How To Pack Lightly for Backpacking – Rolf Potts Travel


Rolf Potts is the Author of the book Vagabonding and is a great promoter of the idea of travelling better rather than more. This week he is starting a trip around the world using NO baggage. Think you travel light with that 35 litre back pack? Rolf Potts takes this to a new level of travel lightly.

Rolf is doing this to “field-test for a more philosophical idea — that what we experience in life is more important than what we bring with us.” By having no bag it means he cannot use his cameraman to carry things for him, no “man bags”, and no borrowing items from his cameraman.

Rolf Potts runs a successful blog and being a writer he needs internet access across the globe while doing this, so he is using an iPhone and a small foldable bluetooth keyboard to help solve the laptop problem. With some clever apps he can scan documents, and have airline tickets on hand without having to carry them. His key travel item though, is his amazing jacket. A special travel jacket called ScotteVest it is ultra light weight, sleeves can come off and the whole jacket even folds into itself for carrying. However the key is its massive amount of discreet pockets. They are designed for multiple items of different sizes and dont bulk like most jackets. Surely a must for any traveller.

More Information on the ScotteVest Tropical Jacket

For more information about Rolf Potts and his way of thinking, and what he has done, check out his Do Lecture below:

Rolf Potts has reported from more than fifty countries for the likes of National Geographic Traveler, the New York Times Rolf Potts - Vagabonding
Magazine, Slate.com, Conde Nast Traveler, Outside, The Believer, The Guardian (U.K.), National Public Radio, and the Travel Channel.

Rolf Potts’ Books on Amazon
Rolf Potts Books on Amazon - Vagabonding and more