hey! I’m Nathan.

In the summer of 2004, I took a school trip to Europe that opened my eyes to the world of travel and the perspective-altering power that it has. I was hooked. Since then, I’ve traveled to all 50 states and over 30 countries, and I don't plan on slowing down any time soon.

Over many more international and domestic trips, I’ve come to realize that my true passion is not just traveling myself, but to do everything I can to equip and inspire others to travel. The times in my life that I have felt the most alive and refreshed have been while traveling - while experiencing new things and being pushed out of my comfort zone - and I believe that feeling is something that everyone needs to experience for themselves. Through my own adventures, stories, and photos, I hope to create both an inspiring narrative and a practical guide to help you discover places that make you feel alive.

On my website, you can find general travel advice and ideas on places to go, along with photos and writings of my own experiences. A majority of my trips wouldn’t be possible without maximizing award points from credit cards and travel programs, so I’m sure that tips and tricks regarding the world of points will find their way into my content as well. You can also follow along as I chase and track my own goals and maybe get some inspiration to make and chase your own.

Now take a look around, read a few posts, get some ideas from my photos, and then leave. Buy a plane ticket to a new country, load up your car and take a road trip, or simply put on your shoes and take a walk down a new street.

My Travel Goals

  • Visit all 50 states // Completed June 2016

  • Spend the night in all 50 states

  • Climb the highest peak in each state (or drive... some are easy to get to)

  • Visit 100+ countries

  • Visit all 7 continents

  • Take a backpacking trip through Hornstrandir Nature Preserve in Iceland

  • Drive to Alaska

  • Get a permit and hike to The Wave in Arizona. (I’ve been applying each month, unsuccessfully, since early 2019)

  • Go to a winter and summer Olympic Games

CURRENT LOCATION

Indianapolis, IN, USA

 

CONTACT

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View fullsize I’ve always imagined hiking across Isle Royale from end to end, and Josh Wells and I finally made it happen this past week. It was tough to plan and the hike itself was exhausting, but it was an epic and wild adventure and I’m already thi
View fullsize A few miles out on a trail in Glacier National Park, I came across a guy staring through binoculars at the nearby mountainside. We talked for a while, and I found out that he was a professional wildlife photographer who had even taken the photograph
View fullsize It’s been over a year since I actually posted a photo on here. But with people stuck at home and glued to their phones, it seems like a good time to share something positive. So here’s a photo of my campsite at Glacier NP last summer. I s
View fullsize At Maroon Bells last fall, a bunch of photographers were just waiting impatiently for the clouds to lift to get that ‘perfect’ shot... the one you always see on social media. Most of them didn’t even pay attention to the view right
View fullsize Some lady in Telluride told us the fall colors weren’t very good this year because of the dry summer... Can’t imagine what a “good” year would look like.
View fullsize Just before reaching Siyeh Pass we were told that a grizzly and cubs were hanging out around the top. We saw their fresh tracks in the snow on the trail, but unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) never saw them.
View fullsize You always want the window seat in Alaska. Fortunately, window seats were the only option on this tiny plane. From my trip there with @stumpywigmaker and Instagramless Myles in 2016.
View fullsize Facebook reminded me this night happened one year ago. It was freezing cold and we barely got any sleep, but obviously it was worth it. @greatsanddunesnps
View fullsize You have to hike two miles each way over a flat barren landscape with no protection from the constant wind to reach this plane wreck. My legs are still cold.
View fullsize Somewhere in the Westfjords... This road was labeled as “spots of ice” by the official Icelandic road conditions website. A more accurate description would have been something like “90% covered in a layer of ice and blowing snow.&rd
View fullsize This hot spring offered a much needed break after driving for hours around the Westfjords.
View fullsize These ice chunks from a nearby glacier get polished for years by sand and water. The nearby coast is littered with thousands of these, each one completely unique. I could have photographed them for hours!