Before embarking on the five day hike in Queensland, Australia, my number one fear of hiking solo had been snakes. Growing up in New Zealand, we were imbued with the knowledge that Australia was overrun with an endless list of menacing wildlife: crocodiles, sharks, dingoes, snakes, spiders. Danger lurked everywhere. Snakes are scary. … More Confronting Fear: Wisdom From Solo Adventuring
Life hurls challenges at us. Sometimes we create them for ourselves through mistakes or by purposefully seeking challenging situations. Other times, the world blindly trips us up without warning. Regardless of how adversity arrives at our doorstep, it is implicit in the nature of life. … More Navigating Adversity
Due to predation on land and in the water, many turtles do not survive into adulthood; a mere 1 out of 1000 hatchlings become adults. Other dangers such as climate change, plastic pollution and fishing practices are now exacerbating risks to turtles.
… More 3 Ways to Help Save the Turtles
How have you interacted with nature lately? On my recent Christmas holiday in New Zealand, nature encounters abounded, reminding me of nature’s wonder, power and fragility and how integral to our lives it is. … More Holiday Nature Encounters
A while back a friend sent me an article written in The Spinoff entitled “We need to talk about voluntourism”. ‘Voluntourism’ or volunteer tourism, is based upon the concept of doing something good while travelling, and has been gaining popularity in recent years. NGOs connect people wanting to give something back with projects (usually) in so-called developing countries. This may include assisting with construction, conservation and environmental projects, teaching English and the oft sought after orphanage tourism. While it is often possible to help for long periods of time – months or years, tourists often dedicate part of their holiday to a project, say a few weeks. … More We Need to Talk About Voluntourism: A Commentary
An Ethical Yarn 