About

 

Independent Travel and Adventure

Thanks for stopping by!

This blog is about independent travel and adventure.  It’s about finding inspiration in faraway places. It’s about off-the-beaten-path destinations and extraordinary journeys. It’s about the moments in those places that cause you to catch your breath. It’s musings and stories and ideas and photography of some of the world’s most beautiful places.

 

Something About Me…and Travel

I am a writer, a professional photographer but before any of that I was a traveller. I first travelled to Europe in 1998, and then 2 years later I left the comfort of my life in Australia with a round-world ticket in hand – I returned 3 years later with even itchier feet than when I began.

I have been travelling on and off ever since. I’ve lived in Canada, Scotland and Australia, trekked through the Andes and Patagonia, walked 1400 kilometers through Spain, worked in a cyclone-battered region of Bangladesh, backpacked through Morocco, driven 4000 miles through America, and photographed polar bears in the Arctic….amongst many other amazing things that you can read about on this blog

 

 

…and Photography

My interest in photography was stirred by my first years of travel. In those early days I bought myself a SLR (yes, it was film SLR), taught myself how to drive it, and started shooting. Somehow this interest morphed into a passion, and then a photography degree, exhibitions, commissions, and now…well, you can always check out my portfolio if you want to know more…

 

…and Quiet Wanderings?

I love all kinds of travel and there are not too many places I wouldn’t go, but journeying to the more out-of-the-way destinations always seems to leave the greatest impression. Nothing beats spending time in some of the world’s wildest places. A recent trip took me to the wilds of Alaska, and the Canadian Arctic to photograph the annual migration of polar bears

I also love hiking/walking/trekking…whatever name you give it, I love it! Many of my journeys have involved walking of some description.

I have walked the 800km Francés route of the Camino de Santiago in Spain – twice – and plan to tackle the Norté coastal route of a similar distance in 2012.  The lure of Kungsleden Trail in Swedish Lapland has been tempting me for years and I also plan to walk a small section of that in 2012.

So these travels, or wanderings, tend to take me to some of the worlds wildest, and hence, quietest places.

 

 

Where to Next?

This website will hopefully inspire you to travel, or at least think about it, and give you some of the tools and ideas you need to do it. As well as writing about my own travel adventures I also feature articles written by fellow die-hard travellers.

Not sure where to start? Here are some suggestions to whet your appetite. Enjoy having a browse through the site and I hope it inspires you to head off on your own adventures. Happy travels!

x qw

 

Arctic Dreams: The Polar Bears of Churchill, Part I

Notes From North Pole, Alaska: The Northern Lights

A Day on the Ice: Ice Climbing on the Matanuska Glacier

First Time Travel

Budget Travel: How to Travel For Less

Paris Sweet Home

The Last Train to Tangier

 

 

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  Bryan Dec 22 2011 - 4:32 pm Reply

  My first time here. Australia is what caught my eye, sorry kind of a weak reason but true.
  I was in Australia in my early twenties on business and met friends from Germany, Scotland and of course, Australia. All of us there to work but it became much more than that. I still love them to this day but haven’t seen them for years.
  I have been taking photos since my teens and when I was with my friend from Germany going through the Sydney harbour in a hydroplane I couldn’t take a photo. It was so breathtaking I couldn’t take a photo. I don’t know if that makes sense or if that has ever happened to you but I just absorbed everything and couldn’t take a picture of what was so beautiful.

  Traveling and opening yourself up to accept and love others leaves yourself very venerable and some keep that tight to not become venerable. I accept that and open myself to everyone, unless they are mean, no way can they come in. I feel the more you open up the more you experience the joys of love.

  I will always travel and sometimes I don’t have to get on an airplane to do that.

  Wonderful work and you have another friend.

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  Michelle Feb 29 2012 - 4:40 am Reply

  Hi! Great to connect with a fellow traveler and photographer. Wow, you have been to a lot of places! What a great source of information and inspiration your blog is. I look forward to exploring more here.

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    quietwanderings Mar 1 2012 - 7:19 am Reply

    Thanks Michelle! Look forward to getting to know you too!