Iceland: An Epic Ring Road Adventure
The first time I wanted to go to Iceland was watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty snuggled in my college dorm room freshman year. This was a point when I started dreaming up different adventures I would go on in my life. I recently…
Embracing Adventure: Lessons from My Dad
Many know the captivating feeling of wonder when our Dads start storytelling. Hearing about Don Vollmar’s adventurous, intriguing past ensues excitement in our family. You know you’re in for a treat. More importantly, when your Dad shares a story, you gain a deeper understanding of…
AllTrails Unfiltered: The Good, The Bad, and The Funny
AllTrails has given me advice on current conditions, gotten me out of some sticky situations when I’ve found myself off-trail, and (for the most part) has provided an accurate view of terrain on a new hike. Like many others on the internet, this platform serves…
Pause, Reflect, Have fun: The Value of a Gap Year Experience
The COVID-19 pandemic hit during the spring semester of my junior year at Texas A&M. We don’t have to relive all that trauma, but you could say the university experience had undoubtedly changed. When I got to the fall semester of 2020, and classes were…
5 Books That Will Make you Crave Adventure
The Alchemist follows Santiago’s journey as he embarks on his personal legend. More than that, we have the pleasure of joining him on an adventure of self-discovery and relentless pursuit of following one’s heart. Through this tale, we delve into the fears harbored by a…
6 Highlights of Japan
In last month’s post, I detailed how I prepared to pack up my ski gear for my trip to Japan. As an update, this was more convenient than I could have expected. Dropping off my bag at Yamato to be sent to my hostel and…
Pack With Me to Ski and Travel Japan
There is little more challenging than packing when it comes to ski trips. As a proud owner of my ski gear, I have become a bit spoiled in my refusal to rent. I will go to extensive lengths to be in my own boots and…
Traveling in Your Own City
My ideal job would be to travel around the world— hiking, camping, and skiing. I haven’t quite figured out how to monetize that yet, so while I’m working it out, a good solution is to travel around my city. Sounds cheesy in theory, but this…
Hut-To-Hut in the Julian Alps
It is my firm belief that everyone needs a friend like Carly. Carly is the type of pal that will say “yes.” She will book a flight for a Big Sur road trip you can’t bear to cancel just because of a breakup. She will…
Pack Up and Go!
Very few people end up going to high school with their lifelong friends. Even fewer people end up moving in the middle of high school and finding their lifelong friends. Lucky for me, I did just that. The 4 of us hail from the little…
Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim Hike
Less than 1% of the park’s 6 million yearly visitors see the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I was raised in a family that encourages a silly delusion that maybe some of you share. It’s the “how hard can it really be?” mindset. So, when…
Hiking Machu Picchu
The Saga of Christmas Vacation 2021: The Vollmars have not been home for Christmas since 2016. When we were planning our trip for Christmas 2021, we wanted to keep the “no presents, let’s just travel” tradition going. The family sought out a place that we…
My Mom is a Badass.
My Mom grew up in the great state of Michigan, in a small farm town called Caro (where she also shared the same 4th grade class with her future husband and father of her children). That story needs a whole other post, so we will…
7 Tips for Eating Alone
Whenever I talk to people, specifically other Americans, about traveling alone I am always received with a look of shock and the question- “but do you eat alone in restaurants?” Yes, I do — and while it may sound daunting, I have grown to love…
Expedition 9 to 5 