THE RUNAROUND
About the Author TL;DR: I am a solo traveler and hiker. I used to work seasonal gigs at national parks and ski resorts, then I worked remotely for a guided hiking tour operator, now I blog full time and am largely location independent. Before all that I worked in the music industry. I think you should change your life as often as possible and never stick to an itinerary too strictly, hence: The Detour Effect.
Sometimes I live in my car and work using solar panels and a wifi hotspot, other times I live out of AirBnBs. I usually base myself near wilderness areas for hiking. Every penny I make goes towards funding this lifestyle and this website; I have no mortgage or kids. I only write about places I have actually been to. None of my content is AI-generated and I do not accept guest posts or ghostwriters. You can find articles and quotes that I’ve contributed to other websites under the “As Featured In” section of my home page, including Travel and Leisure, REI, New York Times, People Magazine, BBC Travel, Women’s Health, Hostelworld, SELF Magazine, and France Today.
I used to live two different lives I felt I had to keep separate from each other. In one, music, and being part of an insular collective with common values relating to that music, was everything. In the other, experiencing nature and the world at large in a path to discover my place in it seemed to point to a different set of values entirely. I constantly felt on a pendulum between the two.
Landscape photographer Ansel Adams wrote in a letter to his future wife:
Dear Virginia. If you only knew the yearning to get into the mountains that fills me these days! Music is wonderful — but the musical world is bunk! So much petty doings — so much pose and insincerity and distorted values…I find myself looking back on the Golden Days in Yosemite with supreme envy. I think I came closer to really living then than at any other time of my life, because I was closer to elemental things. I love you immensely at this moment — and will be so glad to see you again. I am coming to Yosemite sometime in the Spring — or bust!
— Ansel Adams
I don’t think I’ve ever related to anything more in my life.
In 2016 I left my office in NYC to travel. For a year I hiked, hitchhiked, and volunteered at hostels across the States to keep my costs as low as possible; then for a few months I worked at a ski resort to replenish my funds. In the end, I returned to the music industry in Los Angeles, as planned. Everyone asked me how I felt about my sabbatical, if I regretted abandoning the game for a year. It turns out what I regretted was returning. Having experienced what felt like a life of freedom and a never-ending possibility, I found it impossible to report to a desk every day, model myself after the interests of someone else, and scrap guiltily for sick or vacation time.
I quit at the end of 2018 to pursue travel full-time and haven’t looked back. At first I had seasonal jobs that included free employee housing and involved living and working among natural wonders; my job at Grand Canyon National Park was the most impactful. Then I worked remotely for four years for a trekking/backpacking company, which helped me become a digital nomad. My expenses are low but the amount of adventuring and growing I get to do has no limit, and I always have the ability to relocate without inconveniencing anyone, my conscience in tact.
The stories you find on this blog will sometimes pull from my experiences backpacking for extended periods of time, and sometimes from my experiences exploring my surroundings more conventionally while working full or part-time.
I travel because I don’t want to get stuck in any one version of myself, but the places and people I find sometimes resonate with me so much that I don’t want to leave. I prefer to travel slow with no set agenda, so I can get “stuck” on purpose (I always feel “on-trail”, even when I stay put).
The Detour Effect is an adventure travel blog focused not only on helping people hike around the world, but also inspiring people to design alternative lifestyles that are conducive to spending as much time adventuring as possible. Whether that means living in your car and boondocking near the national parks, becoming a digital nomad and hopping from place to place via short term rentals, or doing work exchanges for free housing at parks, hostels, or ski resorts, I have lived it all. I believe in changing up your routines, and your entire life, as often as necessary in pursuit of what’s constant: a passion for hiking and travel, an unquenchable curiosity, and a refusal to grow stagnant.
You’ve got to burn
straight up and down
and then maybe sidewise
for a while
and have your guts
scrambled by a
bully
and the demonic
ladies,
you’ve got to run
along the edge of
madness
teetering,
you’ve got to starve
like a winter
alleycat,
you’ve go to live
with the imbecility
of at least a dozen
cities,
then maybe
maybe
maybe
you might know
where you are
for a tiny
blinking
moment.
— Charles Bukowski
Advocacy:
Transit to Trails Act: Join me in telling members of Congress to co-sponsor the Transit to Trails Act today and ensure everyone can reach parks and green spaces. I have hiked all around the world and have never needed to rent a car in any country besides the USA. I used public transportation to reach the trailheads for the Tour du Mont Blanc, West Highland Way, Kerry Way, Malerweg, Alpe-Adria, Hadrian’s Wall, and more. It’s a shame Americans don’t have this privilege, despite the fact that the United States created the world’s first national park, the idea being that access to wilderness areas is for ALL Americans regardless of income or demographic. Not owning a car shouldn’t keep people from enjoying the outdoors.
RezRoads Rescue: This Navajo-led 501c3 grassroots organization rescues and fosters abandoned dogs on the Navajo Nation reservation. You can donate directly or buy products from their Amazon, Chewy, Tractor Supply, and Walmart wishlists to aid in their efforts, or purchase a cool merch design with proceeds going towards the project. Following their progress on Instagram really warms my heart and highlights what a big difference is being made.
Western National Parks Association: I am a donating member and “Park Protector” <3 My favorite national parks and wilderness areas in the United States are in the West, a love affair that began when I lived at the Grand Canyon working at the Activities Desk and that continued as I visited Chaco Canyon, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Guadalupe Mountains, Wupatki, Chiricahua, Walnut Canyon, Montezuma’s Castle, Tuzigoot, and more. The WNPA supports 70+ parks, sponsors educational and research projects, and grants scholarships.
FAQ:
GREW UP IN: Texas
STUDIED: I have a Bachelor Of Science in Music Industry and worked for rock bands at various record labels, artist management firms, and talent agencies.
HIKED: Arctic Circle Trail, Tour du Mont Blanc, Kerry Way, Wicklow Way, Malerweg, West Highland Way, Hadrian’s Wall, Rim to Rim to Rim, Alpe-Adria (Slovenian section), and various trips in national parks throughout the United States (North Cascades, Smokies, Grand Canyon, Chiricahua, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, etc).
HIKING BUCKET LIST: I like to thru-hike the John Muir Trail, Arizona Trail, Kungsleden, Milford Track, Basho Trail, Torres Del Paine “O” Circuit, and pretty much every trail there is in the whole world.
AFFILIATIONS: I pay for all my travels myself, research everything myself, do all the photography, writing, web development, and SEO myself, and as a nomad I am technically homeless. All the content on this website is FREE for my readers. So if you’re mad that I have ads on my site, cope.
I’m an enthusiastic REI, AllTrails, GAIA GPS, and The Dyrt affiliate, a Travel Insurance Master, an Amazon Associate, and you can use my referral codes to get money off at HipCamp and Airalo eSIM (read how on my Resources page)! I’m also a Travelpayouts Partner so I can provide you with a means of booking travel, accommodation, or experiences via member programs such as Hostelworld and GetYourGuide, and I work with TourRadar to recommend guided trips. I used to be employed by Wildland Trekking, which is why I trust them and prefer to recommend their hiking tours over others. I became a Jackery Portable Power Station affiliate because this is what has enabled my nomadic car-living work-from-the-road lifestyle. I’m a member of the SHE Media ad network.
I only recommend products I actually love and use, and I have never been gifted any gear in exchange for a review. If you read my gear reviews you’ll find that I’m honest about having a variety of brands in my kit that I am not affiliated with. So when I rave about something specific that has worked for me, it’s the truth (especially in the realm of hiking and camping gear, I am hyper cognizant of the fact that picking equipment that performs well is a safety concern).
If you click on a link I may get a commission (at no extra cost to you). More information on my affiliations can be found in my Terms and Conditions, Disclaimer, and Privacy Policy.