For most of my life I've always dreamed of some unique adventure of a lifetime or special challenge I could overcome. Unfortunately
though, it just seemed that everything in this world had already been done by people thousands of times over. There are no new
unexplored countries or uncharted islands to discover, the highest mountains have all been climbed, and the first person to reach the
north and south poles accomplished this a century ago. One day in November 06 while I was hiking in Ecuador I realized how much
traveling was my passion, how amazing this country was, but also that it was just one of over 200 countries in this world. Traveling to
every country on the earth wasn't a new idea, it was just something I never really saw possible or took seriously. After all, if I visited a
new country every few months, it would take me over 40 years to accomplish this goal, and how many people can afford an overseas
vacation every 10 weeks much less get the time off work consistently for the next four decades? Despite the time and financial
challenges, the dangers of visiting war torn and remote countries, and the impact it would have on my personal life, I suddenly felt like
this was something I had to do, and strangely I felt like it might even be possible. I also plan to take this goal a step further, by visiting
the most interesting places in all countries (never crossing the border just to say I've been there), climbing the highest mountains on
each continent, and posting photos and stories. Since I returned from that trip in 06, I have stayed passionate about my goal. 28 states
from the US have been added, 24 new countries explored including 4 of the most dangerous, and I've climbed the 4th of the 7 summits.
though, it just seemed that everything in this world had already been done by people thousands of times over. There are no new
unexplored countries or uncharted islands to discover, the highest mountains have all been climbed, and the first person to reach the
north and south poles accomplished this a century ago. One day in November 06 while I was hiking in Ecuador I realized how much
traveling was my passion, how amazing this country was, but also that it was just one of over 200 countries in this world. Traveling to
every country on the earth wasn't a new idea, it was just something I never really saw possible or took seriously. After all, if I visited a
new country every few months, it would take me over 40 years to accomplish this goal, and how many people can afford an overseas
vacation every 10 weeks much less get the time off work consistently for the next four decades? Despite the time and financial
challenges, the dangers of visiting war torn and remote countries, and the impact it would have on my personal life, I suddenly felt like
this was something I had to do, and strangely I felt like it might even be possible. I also plan to take this goal a step further, by visiting
the most interesting places in all countries (never crossing the border just to say I've been there), climbing the highest mountains on
each continent, and posting photos and stories. Since I returned from that trip in 06, I have stayed passionate about my goal. 28 states
from the US have been added, 24 new countries explored including 4 of the most dangerous, and I've climbed the 4th of the 7 summits.
Photography is something that I've slowly gotten passionate about. When I first began to travel I could careless about photos and
would only bring a disposable camera which I used to take a few careless pictures. As I began to travel, I became more and more
interested in photography, especially after I launched my website. From the start of my website in the fall of 06 to April of 08 I used a
Panasonic Lumix FZ30. As an amateur photographer, I think this is a great camera and it served me well until I spilled juice on it while
climbing Aconcagua. I then used my first SLR camera which was a Nikon D80 that I kept for about a year. I currently use a Nikon
D300 which I purchased in 2009. I'm still very much an amateur photographer with a lot to learn. Every single photo on this web site
was taken by me with no exceptions, unless of course I'm actually in the photo itself. The pictures on this site have also been resized
and their quality lowered significantly so the web site will be more efficient. Later I will attempt to sell some of my best photos as a
means to raise money for future adventures such as mountain climbing or polar expeditions.
would only bring a disposable camera which I used to take a few careless pictures. As I began to travel, I became more and more
interested in photography, especially after I launched my website. From the start of my website in the fall of 06 to April of 08 I used a
Panasonic Lumix FZ30. As an amateur photographer, I think this is a great camera and it served me well until I spilled juice on it while
climbing Aconcagua. I then used my first SLR camera which was a Nikon D80 that I kept for about a year. I currently use a Nikon
D300 which I purchased in 2009. I'm still very much an amateur photographer with a lot to learn. Every single photo on this web site
was taken by me with no exceptions, unless of course I'm actually in the photo itself. The pictures on this site have also been resized
and their quality lowered significantly so the web site will be more efficient. Later I will attempt to sell some of my best photos as a
means to raise money for future adventures such as mountain climbing or polar expeditions.
Unfortunately the world has many dangerous countries, and unfortunately I have no choice but to try to visit every single one of them.
In 2007 I had posted on my website that I don't go out of my way to travel to dangerous places, but since then my philosophy on this
has changed. Since I am serious and dedicated about my goal to visit every country in the world, I reason that the older I am the less
likely it is for me to visit hot spots around the globe. If I'm 35 and married with kids is it realistic that I'll take some time off to
backpack a war zone? More than likely my ambitions by then would have changed, and even if they haven't, it would be selfish of me
to risk my life while my family wonders if they will ever see me again. In most dangerous countries the longer you're there, the more
likely you are to die, therefore I try to do the things on my list for those places in minimal time. The US state department currently
publishes a list of about 30 countries to avoid all travel to. Of these I have stepped foot in several of them, but I have checked of four
of these from my list which I believe are in the top 10 most dangerous list. Since I have no ambitions to get myself killed, I will never
just blindly arrive to some dangerous country. Finding a reliable contact on the ground in dangerous places where most do not have
internet and their motives might be in question can be very difficult. I have tried to plan trips to several other places such as Pakistan,
Algeria, Nigeria and more but nothing seems to hold together. Sudan was finally the exception where I felt confident I would be visiting
the country with reliable people, then 8 months later Afghanistan came along followed by Haiti and Somalia most recently. From now
on, I do plan to try to focus on knocking out countries on the state department's do not travel list, but here and there I will take a more
normal vacation and go to more ideal destinations.
In 2007 I had posted on my website that I don't go out of my way to travel to dangerous places, but since then my philosophy on this
has changed. Since I am serious and dedicated about my goal to visit every country in the world, I reason that the older I am the less
likely it is for me to visit hot spots around the globe. If I'm 35 and married with kids is it realistic that I'll take some time off to
backpack a war zone? More than likely my ambitions by then would have changed, and even if they haven't, it would be selfish of me
to risk my life while my family wonders if they will ever see me again. In most dangerous countries the longer you're there, the more
likely you are to die, therefore I try to do the things on my list for those places in minimal time. The US state department currently
publishes a list of about 30 countries to avoid all travel to. Of these I have stepped foot in several of them, but I have checked of four
of these from my list which I believe are in the top 10 most dangerous list. Since I have no ambitions to get myself killed, I will never
just blindly arrive to some dangerous country. Finding a reliable contact on the ground in dangerous places where most do not have
internet and their motives might be in question can be very difficult. I have tried to plan trips to several other places such as Pakistan,
Algeria, Nigeria and more but nothing seems to hold together. Sudan was finally the exception where I felt confident I would be visiting
the country with reliable people, then 8 months later Afghanistan came along followed by Haiti and Somalia most recently. From now
on, I do plan to try to focus on knocking out countries on the state department's do not travel list, but here and there I will take a more
normal vacation and go to more ideal destinations.
Aside from my travels, I'm an average person working a full time job and having fun here and there like everyone else. As of now I'm
28 years and I currently live in Springfield Virginia which is where I was also born and raised. My interest in traveling is something that
slowly grew on me over time. After graduating high school and seeking adventure and a challenge, I then joined the US Marines at the
age of 18 for a 5 year enlistment. There I worked as an avionics technician, repairing all the electrical systems on F/A 18 fighter
aircraft. I never went to Iraq or Afghanistan, but instead I spent 6 months on an aircraft carrier in Europe, and later 6 months in Asia on
the ground. After I left the Marines I took some time off and spent about 3 months traveling and went to over 10 countries in every
continent except for Africa and Europe. When I came home I had no job and no real game plan about what to do with my life; for
almost a year I accomplished absolutely nothing! Life was depressing; and at one point I even thought I might never have the means to
travel again! Eventually I got myself out of the hole and I am now employed by a Japanese company working as a field engineer. Since
then I've traveled to almost 20 new countries and have also climbed three more of the seven summits. Though the great recession
certainly has hurt me, for the most part, everything is back on track and I'm able to continue to follow my dreams of traveling the world.
28 years and I currently live in Springfield Virginia which is where I was also born and raised. My interest in traveling is something that
slowly grew on me over time. After graduating high school and seeking adventure and a challenge, I then joined the US Marines at the
age of 18 for a 5 year enlistment. There I worked as an avionics technician, repairing all the electrical systems on F/A 18 fighter
aircraft. I never went to Iraq or Afghanistan, but instead I spent 6 months on an aircraft carrier in Europe, and later 6 months in Asia on
the ground. After I left the Marines I took some time off and spent about 3 months traveling and went to over 10 countries in every
continent except for Africa and Europe. When I came home I had no job and no real game plan about what to do with my life; for
almost a year I accomplished absolutely nothing! Life was depressing; and at one point I even thought I might never have the means to
travel again! Eventually I got myself out of the hole and I am now employed by a Japanese company working as a field engineer. Since
then I've traveled to almost 20 new countries and have also climbed three more of the seven summits. Though the great recession
certainly has hurt me, for the most part, everything is back on track and I'm able to continue to follow my dreams of traveling the world.
| About Me |
| About Photography |
| About Dangerous Countries |
| About My Mission |
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