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.

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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...

• Africa:

  • Egypt, Morocco

• Americas:

  • 49 US States, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, several Canadian Provinces, various Caribbean Islands, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay

• Asia/Middle East:

  • China, Cyprus, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Turkey, United Arab Emirates

• Europe (visit my family castle!):

  • 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

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!