In a world with endless possibilities, one of the saddest impossibilities is not being able to see every inch of this world in one lifetime. We must pick and choose where to spend our leisure time, how to lodge, eat, commute, and prepare sufficiently. Each choice has an impact to some degree, whether socially or environmentally.
Our imperfect paths may not always lead us to the most eco-friendly hotels or the restaurants using the most local produce, but every effort made matters, and we try to research the greenest options in advance whenever possible. Sometimes we save for big trips, but recently we have become road trip warriors and tend to select places based on personal taste and time off (from commitments other than writing). We do a lot of car and tent camping and van living, but we also love staying at beautiful hotels. As always, there’s a balance, but there are several small things every person can do to become a better traveler, many of which we are continually learning along the way and are ecstatic to share with our readers.
Apart from environmental and social impact, another particular challenge we (and likely most other travel bloggers) face is knowing which favorite locations to share, and which to keep secret as some of the best “hidden gems” are hidden for a reason. We have friends who can’t tell us where they camped over the weekend because they swore secrecy to someone once in exchange for gorgeous, remote, location information. Disclosing the locations of natural hot springs is also widely discouraged among locals and adventure seekers alike. To maintain natural serenity, and to keep the foot traffic at bay, some of the most beautiful places you truly must find independently and then respect their privacy. That said, we will be sharing all of our other favorite places that are not regarded as secrets or going to get us shanked.
