Archives July 2015

For our nihilist friends, we’ve put together the top trips for fun, active holidays sure to please even the most exhausted of nihilists.

Tour the Inside of an Active Volcano

For a truly inspirational ending, try touring the interior of an active volcano. There are a few bubblies in Hawaii perfect for the occasion– though getting to the summit will likely be most of the trial and produce a plethora of error. And if the idea of hoping over lava doesn’t light your fire, try touring the interior of a gas crater instead– there are several in scenic Turkmenistan.

The up side: Perhaps your human sacrifice will ward of evils or help with crops in the region. Although, for a nihilist this is more of a downside.

Trek to the North Pole in Summer

Loads of adventurers travel to the North Pole in winter– and for good reason. In the colder months, the rivers, lakes and waterways freeze over offering a slippery but safe road to Santa’s isle. In summer, however, the ice is thin, cracking and even the elves don’t pitter patter across it. You’re unlikely to make it to the pole, but it’ll be a lovely and serene hike until the ice swallows it’s payment for future safe passages.

The up side: The ice roads are long and boring for many of the ice road trucker who ply the routes each year, seeing a foot sticking out of the ice might provide something to break up the trip.

Drink From the Ganges

If you’re looking for a quick out and you’re not from India, book a flight to Mumbai then make your way to the Ganges. At parts the river can be quite beautiful, but it’s also a dumping ground for everything from trash to bodies to food– and it takes life as easily as it gives it. A little slurp from the Ganges and you’re sure to be joining the bodies on their slow journey out to sea.

The up side: As a nihilist, you’ll be in a river full of the cast away parts of humanity– a fitting end.

Free Dive the Marianas Trench

If you’ve seen the amazing videos of free divers and thought to yourself, “hey, I can do that!” then this adventure is for you. Slap on a GoPro and dive into the Marianas Tench– the earth’s deepest-known scar and home to creatures only David Cameron can afford to see. You’re sure to see some interesting aquatic life before you pass out, and on the up side– your body will feed a host of animals that humans haven’t even discovered or named yet.

The up side: You’re likely to end up the first human interaction many of these deep-sea animals encounter, so will be a great and filling first encounter with humanity.

Pit-Fry Bacon in the Serengeti

Although the big five are protected in the Serengeti– humans aren’t. Fill your Teflon pan with lard and when the fire is roaring, toss on the bacon. You’re sure to spot at least a few of the treasured majestic animals of the savannah before the lions find you– and if they don’t, at least the hyenas well get a show as the flies and mosquitoes carry you off.

The up side: At least you’ll feed a creature who hasn’t polluted the earth, built monuments to it’s own immanent demise and waged war on it’s own kind… well, two out of the three anyway.

Sign Up for Mars One

If you’re a true nihilist, the idea of strapping fire to your ass and flying into an inhospitable void may seem welcoming. For the rest of us, it’s pure idiocy. If you make it to Mars (unlikely) you’ll have the impossible job of trying to make the barren planet livable (also an unlikely task). Finally, you can never return to Earth and will be one of the first humans to be buried on a different planet than he was born on.

The down side: You may just end up bringing humanity to another planet.

Swim in the Amazon

It doesn’t take a naturalist to know that swimming in the Amazon is an idea that might bring about an early demise. There is no shortage of things that could take you out in the Amazon. From Jennifer Lopez’s horrible acting to the anacondas she and Ice Cube fled from, to real-life man-eating piranhas and tiny critters that swim up a piss stream and inflate inside a urethra– the Amazon is an easy dip-and-done death.

The down side: Piranhas and humans have a lot in common, so death by vicious fish may just help propagate a similarly dysfunctional species.

Visit the Outback During Drought

These days you don’t have to make the 20+ hour flight to Australia to feel sand in your eyes and your tongue shrivel and dry up in your mouth. Now you need look no further than the dust bowl of California to find an arid plateau of desolation. But for a real nihilist holiday, blow the money on a first-class ticket to the real Aussie outback and take a one-way hike into the greatest inhabited flatland on the criminal isle.

The down side: Once you run out of water and fall over in the Outback, you’ll likely be consumed by a giant snake, spider other ungodly creature. Since insects outnumber humans, this isn’t the best use of your body.

Snorkel With Chum off North Carolina’s Coast

For a quick escape into the depths, rub yourself down with chum and dive off a pier in North Carolina. With all the sharks nibbling on humans in the area, you’re sure to attract a hungry fella. If nothing bites, you’ll get a gentle surf-ride back to to shore and then can try again off another pier. If nothing comes of this endeavor, at least you got to see the underbellies of NC’s finest fishing spots.

The up side: You’ll be food for a fish– and if you weren’t a vegetarian you can consider this payback, from the animal kingdom’s perspective.

*This post is for Ami

You may have noticed that ATC has been under construction for a few weeks. Okay, okay it’s been a few months. I’ve been busy painstakingly selecting and tweaking a design, loading new content, redesigning the layout and organizing the archives into a more searchable horde of content. If you visited while the pages were in disarray, I apologize for the chaos– the creative process isn’t an orderly thing, it’s more of a buckshot-into-glass type thing.

NEW STUFF on ATC:

We’ve added a new section called ATC Lifestyle where you can find information on what it means to ATC, what we believe, our philosophy, financing travel, and more. Our humor page is here, but so is our page on why vegans are neat. Under resources, in the same section, you’ll find tips to abandon your cube as well as great gear to start your paired down lifestyle.

You’ll also notice off the bat that we have an expanded section on Adventure, which covers everything from famous explorers, to top ten travel lists to great adventure travel companies to backpacking.

On the Road is where you’ll find insight into the Best American Road Trips and the Mongol Rally.

Our Guides section has been cleaned up and we’re excited to offer a bit of information on every country we’ve been to. We only cover the places we’ve actually been. What’s the point of reading a blog about hypothetical travel? Nope, these guides are about the places we have been, where we’ve stood and what we saw.

The homepage is different, and the first thing you’ll notice is that it’s pulling in a lot of our featured content. It was like looking through a treasured photo album for me as I picked and chose which blog posts would pull into the home page. After nearly a decade of blogging about abandoning the cube, there is a lot of content on the site. Some good, some not so great, some riddled with typos from writing on bumpy back roads in China, others riddled with typos from the time I had dysentery in Turkmenistan, or had only ten pre-paid minutes of internet in Odessa to blog. It was a nostalgic hoorah that ended with me finally grabbing a few to pull into the homepage, with the aspiration to rotate out old content and keep a cycle of fresh content on the page. Dream big, they say.

What do you think of the new design, layout, direction? Let us know!

Best Wheeled Backpacks

For travelers who spend a good deal of time in urban areas, or flying a great deal, a wheeled backpack is a great option. A few years before these babies were common place I had a long conversation while lugging a giant rucksack through Bratislava that wheels would be a nice addition for urban travel. Apparently the travel gods were listening and some of the best luggage companies are out there making awesome wheeled backpacks.

The Victorinox CH 22 Tourist Expandable Carry-on is an excellent bag for versatility and urban travel. It seems to have everything a seasoned travel dreams of: front load, comfortable straps and supports, wheels and expansions. If you’re looking for something that can go from rugged terrain to urban jungle, this is your bag.

For something with a bit more color, try the Eagle Creek Activate Wheeled Backpack, which is expandable, wheeled (of course) and has a sleek design that is perfect for flying because there are no lose straps, flaps or hangers on. And since the wheeled backpacks come in bright red and neon yellow, you’ll be able to identify your bag easily on the carousel.

Osprey consistently ranks highly for their quality and design. The Osprey Ozone Convertible is great because it features a zip-off day bag, carry straps, wheels, sleek design and decent colors. It’s another slam dunk for Osprey. My favorite part is the zip-off pack perfect for exploration with the essentials when you can check your big bag behind.

Best Backpacks for Women

Bar none the best backpack for women is the REI Venus 75, which is the pack I use. The frame is curved for a woman’s shape, the hip supports carry more than the shoulder straps, catering to a woman’s lower center of gravity. But while the design features female features, it remains tough, versatile and ready for rugged use. With both top and front-load options, this is great for all packing types, and the compact design makes it perfect for air and train travel. Unfortunately, this  pack is no longer available, which is a real shame because it was a slam-dunk design. The replacement seems to be the REI Flash, which by all accounts has the same features and similar design. The big sell here is the claim that it will swivel and twist with your spine, and its lightweight design.

For women who plan on spending serious time with a backpack on, the Ospry Aether 70 is a great option. It doesn’t have the features I love so much in the Venus, but it’ll do. The removable hip belt is an interesting feature but perhaps not the greatest idea for longer expeditions where secure, snug fit is key.

The Terra 65 by The North Face is reported to be a great design, and offer a hydration pouch, female frame and Optifit design. It is lightweight and hardy, but since it is marketed as multi-day and not long-expedition wear I’d reserve this pack for shorter backpacking expeditions.

Best Backpacks for Photographers

Photographs have too much gear. It’s true. We all know it and yet we’re still lugging around DSLRs and tripods because hey, night shots of the Hagia Sophia are worth it. If you’re willing to bring less clothing, then there are travel backpacks for photographers that can handle your gear and your garb.

The Loewpro Photo Sport 200 AW is a great option because you get a top loader backpack for your personal stuff (what more do you need than a toothbrush and a change of clothes?) and then most of the pack is for your photo gear, which is housed in a separate compartment along the base so the weight is evenly distributed.

The Rover Pro AW Series is great because you’ll find enough space for all of your personal stuff as well as a laptop, lenses, a DSLR and a few special pieces like a tripod on the side. This sexy blue bag is pictured above, tripod in place. Check out the waist strap, which adds to the stability needed for clear, crisp shots.

One of the down sides of a photography backpack is that in third-world regions you’ll be quite the prepackaged target for pick pockets or thrives. The Rover Pro AW Series doesn’t look so much like a camera bag that you could be singled out for it, but those looking for cameras will spot them.

Best Tactical Backpacks

This section is sure to garner the most comments and debate, and for good reason. A tactical pack is designed to be durable, strong, versatile and easy to access. You need to be able to get to items quickly and, sometimes, silently. And (apparently) most importantly you have to look cool doing it. A ruck that can meet all of those requirements is hard to find– well, it was twenty years ago anyways. Now there are all manner of tactical backpacks on the market. Now we did get some insight from one Marine, and one Green Beret before suggesting the backpacks below.

The Maxpedition Falcon II Backpack offers a fantastic design, structure and fit, but still offers tactical options like a water pouch, strap on options and is made of nylon– strong and waterproof.

Grey Ghost Gear Wraith Pack Kryptek is a great bag for anyone in love with serious tactical packs. You’ll get superior quality, versatility, durability and of course the tacti-cool points you’re looking for. This comes with the hydration pouch, which is key for serious expedition hikers, backpackers and long-haul explorers.

If you’re looking for something segmented, compartmentalized and yet compact, look no further than the Velox II Tactical Backpack. This epic find is perfect for the hyper-organized (like me). There is a compartment for everything, specially designed to keep your organized and chaos-free. And it’s all easy-access, and yet with a few ratchet straps you’re able to keep it compact.

Best Carry-on Backpacks for Flying

Flying is tough, and it’s tougher when you don’t have the right gear. The Timbuk2 Aviator Travel Backpack is great because it’s versatile and can handle fragile items like a laptop and camera as well as a book, notepad, pens, and a few clothing items. If you’re the kind of person who can travel light, this might even be all you need, and the shape is perfect for fitting into the overhead bin. One of the things I like best is that it is tall and thin, so your elbows wont’ rub against the sides, back or waist support. For someone with a small frame, this is paramount, and if you’re on small planes, trains or buses it’s imperative to fitting down the aisle.

Another great carry-on option is to go with what’s winning awards- the Goruck GR1 is a great backpack, slender and contained. It has a laptop pouch and sleek design, but is durable and sturdy enough to toss around for a person constantly on the road.

I’ve had road trips in the USA on my mind recently. There is something supremely liberating about jumping in your car and facing an open road. Sometimes you know what’s ahead, most of the time you have a vague outline of what you’ll see (and end up seeing completely different things).

From the largest ball of twine to Wall Drug, to gem mining along the side of a highway, to battleground tours, Mystery Spots and monuments to American heroes– the roads in the US hold it all. At times, I feel like the open roads in America are the real libraries and museums of American history– the keepers of American pop culture, war histories and accurate indicators of the American economy.

I set off to build a page on ATC where I could house all the research on routes, hot spots and highlights for road tripping around the United States. In the end, I built a single page for this purpose, and will continue to expand the offerings across the US. Check out Best American Road Trips for the first two installments in what I hope will be an ongoing series of fun American road trips.

The allure of the open road

Some of the routes I’d like to research and write itineraries for include:

• The Biggest ______ in America! — A tour of all the strange highway attractions claiming world records
• The Best Trans-continental Drives
• Southwest USA with Cinema Guide — hey, I actually wrote this one!
• Where the hell is Wall Drug, and other things to see in South Dakota –Why North Dakota is Jealous of their southern neighbor.
• Mystery Spots Unraveled— a post that goes behind-the-scenes at highway mystery spots.
• The South-to-North Pacific Coast Drive— done, and done!
• The Best Festivals to Road Trip To in the USA — Mardi Gras to Stergis, and beyond.
• East Coast Battlegrounds Trip— How to hit all the top Civil War spots along the Atlantic.
• ATC Road Trip Routes — Hey, a trip we actually did already!

One of the things I love most about travel is the slow, ambulating way cars make their way across a terrain. They are stuck on a road (well, most of the time) and so the views are limited to the car’s track. But while this could be seen as a negative, in the US– the tracks were like the arteries that carried life Westward, to Manifest Destiny. When you hop on Route 66 you’re not just riving down some dusty road, you’re driving down history alley– towards the future (well technically, the past– they are the last to watch the sun set each day).

Just what is a Mystery Spot? When I know, you’ll know. Pinky promise.

Europeans are always shocked when the visit the US for the first time. You know it’s huge, and yet when you get there you realize how large the continent really is, and how little you’ll likely have time to see. Tourists are shocked that you can’t walk to anything, and that’s true. Without a car, you’re stuck! That’s why cars are such a big part of American culture. Whether you drive a $2,000 beater or a $200,000 sports car, you share the same road, going to the same places, and feel the same liberating wind in your hair. The road does that to people– it equalized them and makes them all capillaries, on their way to other places but just enjoying the ride.

Stay tuned and check back often, because Best American Road Trips is going to grow into an awesome collection of US escapes that anyone, with any ride, will love.