About Me

Restarting backpacking after turning 70

I started traveling young. My father was a pilot, which meant I could fly almost free, and I made the most of it: far and wide, with a backpack and very little money.

Then life intervened. Studies, family, children and a long career in technology. The backpack went into a closet and stayed there for a few decades.

Now I have turned 70 and retired, almost, so the backpack is out again. The question behind this blog is a simple one: can I still travel the way I did when I was young, and what has changed? Quite a lot, mostly for the better. A phone now does the work of a guidebook, a phrasebook, a map and a travel agent. My knees have opinions they didn’t used to have.

How I travel

I travel alone, for weeks or months at a time. I stay in simple guesthouses and budget hotels close to the things I want to see, take local buses and trains where I can, and walk a lot. I plan more than I used to, but not everything. The best days still tend to be the unplanned ones.

I also travel to photograph. Most of the pictures on these pages are mine, and quite a few posts started with something I stopped to look at.

What you’ll find here

Stories from the road, most recently India and Sri Lanka and six weeks in China and Taiwan, with Southeast Asia next. Alongside them, practical articles on planning, apps, money and staying safe, for travelers who would rather do it themselves.

A lighter backpack. A slower pace. A better phone. The same curiosity.