Travel

Not a teacher? Then don’t even think about volunteering for a week in a school or orphanage abroad. That’s just one of the guidelines Susan E. Gibson, Author of “How To Be An Amazing Volunteer Overseas: Stories from the Field, Rules of the Road” presents in her book. Because volunteering abroad is not just about visiting a new destination and getting warm fuzzies from doing good. Sometimes volunteering is harder work than you anticipated. Sometimes it does more harm than good. And sometimes it’s extremely beneficial to the local community. So for this Sustainability Spotlight we sat down with Susan and asked her to summarize, in a nutshell, how to volunteer abroad (the right way).

Gone are the days of baggy zip-offs, cheap nylon fabrics, and ill-fitting hiking pants. Welcome to the age of trail to tavern hiking pants: coverage for your legs that doesn’t look like you just returned from 9 months studying worm habitats in the Amazon. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. We’re big fans of worm habitats and the people who study them. Or we would be if we ever met them. But many of us prefer something a little more stylish and versatile these days. Namely, hiking pants that function as well on the trail or on the river or at the crag as they do heading out for drinks or dinner or tapas afterward. Because who wants to go home to change after a little ‘ol day hike just so the restaurant host doesn’t seat you at that corner table right next to the bathroom? And who doesn’t love a single pair of pants that can do it all? So don a pair of these stylish and sustainable hiking pants and enjoy wherever your adventure takes you.

We go on a lot of road trips here at Terradrift. Like our Austin to Alaska road trip last summer or the socially distant one we took this year to Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan. And usually when we road trip, we camp along the way, preferring to freedom camp in favor of pricey campgrounds (lookin’ at you KOA) or hotels (especially during these pandemic days). Plus, we like to have the flexibility to stop and sleep whenever and wherever we want (forest, rest stop, Walmart parking lot…), which means we end up sleeping in our car from time to time. So we built this Prius platform that involves removing the back seats entirely for even more storage space. Finally: a road-trip ready Prius built for two.

If you’re like us, you read the title of this article and abruptly proclaimed, possibly out loud to an entirely vacant room, Where the heck is Door County, Wisconsin?! I get it. We didn’t know either until about two weeks ago. But that’s the whole dang point of these Surprising Destination features, isn’t it? To open your world to new, under-the-radar, totally legit destinations that nobody else is talking about but are still totally baller. So buckle up, because we’re about to introduce you to you new favorite place to lace up those boots and get hiking, kayaking, snowshoeing, leaf peeping, apple sampling, lighthouse touring…we could go on, but we’ll just let you keep reading and find out for yourself what a delightfully surprising and outdoorsy destination Door County truly is.

Here at Terradrift, we’re always on the lookout for the perfect bag for travel. And no lie, that’s a pretty tall order. Of course, “the perfect bag” will look different for everyone–someone on a luxury vacation in Europe is NOT gonna be considering the same bags as someone backpacking through South America for three months–but for those of us who prefer to shoulder a pack rather than roll around a suitcase and carry on our luggage instead of trusting it to those black holes at the airport where luggage disappears and–finger crossed–eventually comes back out again, the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Del Día bag may be the perfect travel bag, especially if you consider sustainability a top priority.

Like organization? And durable luggage? In classic (but totally not boring) colors? Have we got a bag for you! It’s the 40L Topo Designs Travel Bag and it. Is. Legit. So if you’re in the market for a new bag for all kinds of travel (business, road trips, international, short and sweet visits with your in-laws…) read (or watch) to learn all about it, including what we thought of this organizational and customizable travel backpack!

We grew up in Ohio. So it may come as a surprise that neither of us spent much time in Michigan growing up (for those of you who haven’t looked at a map in a while, the states share a small border). So when we got the opportunity to take a socially distant road trip this summer (we love road trips!) filled with plenty of camping, stunning hikes, brilliant night skies, and very cold lakes, we thought, Why not? So we packed the car and set out on one very impromptu and outdoorsy Michigan road trip. Here are the deets so you can recreate it if you feel so inclined.

Wisconsin. Not gonna lie, it’s not really a state that was ever high on our list of places to visit, even growing up in the midwest. I mean, isn’t the whole state just one big block of cheese? Sure, I had passed through Wisconsin’s borders a time or two growing up, but the state as a whole never really left an impression. Until now. But that’s the thing about some destinations: they’re so nestled away you’d never even know they existed until you find yourself knocking at their door. That is Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin: a delightful little retreat just 2.5 hours away from Chicago, but just secluded enough that many city dwellers in nearby Sheboygan don’t even realize what’s sitting right on their doorstep. A surprising destination that offers a chill getaway that’s absolutely worth considering.

A lot of travel plans got canceled this year. International travel is largely off-limits and most people aren’t too keen on the idea of flying across the country, either. So naturally, a lot of folks are shifting travel plans to include road trips. And while we can’t in good conscience recommend you embark upon “The Great American Roadtrip” this year, a close-to-home jaunt may be an acceptable alternative (as long as you do it safely and responsibly). But driving across the country or across the state still comes with its own set of complications (even if you don’t require a passport), so we’re gonna break it down. Here’s a solid list of road trip essentials that we’ve compiled based on years of experience (and more than a few flat tires and empty peanut butter jars) and an assumption that you, as we do, will be avoiding crowded hotels in lieu of socially distant campsites this year.

Looking for a water bottle that doesn’t take up much space? We rounded up the 5 best collapsible water bottles on the market designed with travel in mind.