Wanderglobe's Travels

I was surfing around a website earlier today, looking at their collection of groovy VW paraphernalia, when I saw that they had a vintage VW blanket for sale. The blanket wasn’t vintage, the VW’s on it were. It reminded me of my own VW blanket that I got for Christmas a few years back from my mother. My mother is quite the artist when it comes to quilting and there are pieces of her art scattered around the house. My particular quilt was much more than just a pattern she bought off the internet. For instance, each bus on the blanket is unique and there are enough buses on there that each of my family members was able to sign it. When I’m on long trip I put the blanket across the back seat and never feel far from home,  even though there may be thousands of miles separating us. Some of the bus patterns reflect the members of my family like the horses on the bus signed by my niece, Halie, who ride horses and works in a stable. Finally, right in the middle of the blanket, is an orange bus with Dante written underneath it.  For those who don’t know, my VW is named Dante the Hellrider.  The blanket is barely big enough to cover my upper body but it’s always the first one packed before I hit the road.

I’ve had an old tattoo on my right arm for about 30 years. It was a union jack with Anarchy written across it and was cool at the time but it had since gotten faded and worn and was looking pretty beat up. I wanted a cover up done that would represent my love of travel and incorporate a few key elements into it. Primarily a VW bus and a backpacker at the top. The backpacker is actually a modified silhouette of a good friend of mines father who recently took his final trip into the great unknown, Phil. This video is a time lapse of an 8 hour tattoo session.

Continue reading “My New Travel Tattoo (video)” »

Everyone loves a good vacation. A week or two of worry free bliss, sipping margaritas by the pool, while the kids splash around in front of you. I’m no different except in the fact that I, like a lot of backpackers, am greedy. If it lasts less than 3 months then it’s just a quick getaway. I love being on the road for the long haul. You’re meeting new people every day, you can change the scenery on a whim, it’s total freedom with your only commitment being to you and your adventure. As I’ve stated, most people like a good trip but the urge to return to a life of stability and routine is that much stronger. There’s nothing wrong with this and I sometimes wish I could be like that but I’m not. I once had a co-worker tell me it took a lot of courage to give up a well paying job, sell off everything and hit the road with my only possessions being what was on my back but I disagree. The real courage comes in going to work on a daily basis, paying off that mortgage, getting the kids to soccer practice and scanning the newspaper for coupons. My desire to travel comes from a cowardly reluctance to face the music, grow up and take on real responsibility. Continue reading “Why do I travel?” »