Case’s Travel & Explorations...
“Mostly, I want to see how the world works...”
- Richard Dean Anderson as MacGyver in The Gauntlet -
As a Romantic/Traditional Geographer, I know Travel. Exploring, wandering, pondering, and observing landscapes has always been one of my favorite things to do. I’ve traveled a lot...Seen amazing things...Had harrowing experiences. I also enjoy assisting people with planning their own independent travel adventures, so if you want some tips and/or ideas on planning your own excursion or advice on a specific place I’ve been, drop me a line. It can be empowering to plan and travel on your own. Oh! On a related note, and just for fun, during my undergrad years, I wrote some travel-based poetry & poems. Feel free to peruse them.
Traveling Style
While I enjoy staying in posh places and high-class flying, for me, staying close to the ground and humble remain key aspects of my travel philosophy. For example, although you should never sacrifice health or safety when traveling, I don’t mind overnighting at a (safe) rest stop in a car, staying in hostels, or sharing a Bedouin tent. Those down-to-Earth experiences serve to enhance my overall appreciation, allowing me to savor times of true extravagance.
Strict lists of things to do and see when traveling also bother me. Though I often have an idea of what I want to see and a basic itinerary sketched out, both usually get modified because, once on the ground, things change. A Traveler that likes to see what they see, I just enjoy wandering...relishing the chance to get off the beaten path and explore. Whether that means driving a vehicle, riding a train, hopping a bus (with live chickens), canoeing down a river, riding a camel, or hiking through a jungle, I believe being with/in a landscape remains the key to truly appreciating it. And that means lots of adaptability, flexibility, patience, and gratitude.
You also need to have an effective packing strategy. Take a look at this general packlist, and then compare it to what I usually pack for most any and every excursion. Once you begin packing less, you’ll be surprised how little you actually need, even for longer trips.
Finally, have a look at some of my general tips for successful travel because, even though experience is a good teacher, why make the same mistakes others have? Talk to people. Learn from their travel experiences. Just keep in mind two things: the most important souvenir might not always be what you think, and travel is all about arranging priorities.
Case's Places
I’m not really a country counter, but I do keep track of where I’ve visited. So, because people always ask, here are some countries I have explored and lived in – and most of them multiple times...
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Africa:
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Egypt, Morocco
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Americas:
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49 US States, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, several Canadian Provinces, various Caribbean Islands, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay
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Asia/Middle East:
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China, Cyprus, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Turkey, United Arab Emirates
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Europe (visit my family castle!):
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Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, (Republic of North) Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Wales
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Case's (International) Field Studies
One of my greatest joys centers on helping people gain field experience. To enhance this endeavor, I developed different programs for students over the years (e.g., Geography by Rail®). While I still offer regular field-based activities for my students, I also enjoy helping folks explore the world. Please contact me if you are interested!