Hi, my name is Caroline. That’s me, strolling in Egypt’s spectacular White Desert. I love this photo. I can feel how energized and happy I am. I’m addicted to travel and outdoor adventures. I crave the surprise, beauty, chaos, rush and calm. When I’m not traveling or travel planning, I dream, read, and write about traveling. Welcome to my blog.
What do I write about?
My posts are all first-hand accounts of my travels and activities. I’ve traveled to 5 continents and over 50 countries. Not all my posts are from far-flung places; many are from my “backyard” in beautiful British Columbia. I particularly enjoy active travel, so you’ll see posts about hiking, cycling, kayaking and scuba diving in some beautiful spots.
Meet my frequent travel companions
I pitch, plan, and work out all the logistics. Usually, my hubby (Mike) comes along for the ride. My son (Alex) is featured in many of my earlier posts, but he’s in university now so his travels with us are less frequent. He’s still happy to go on local hikes with his mama though. I’m lucky to have a great group of hiking pals that you’ll meet in my hiking posts.
Check out some of my favourite places
I have a lot of favourites. The sample below contains just a few of the places that hold extra special memories for me. Click on the caption in the photo to take you to the post.
Writes of Passage 
Hi Caroline, I think you remember having posted a comment on my blog under an article on Külsheim about the book “Heimat” from Nora Krug.
I thank you so much for pointing out this book to me. I ordered it, read it directly, I have been totally emersed and thrilled and I had this strange feeling of jealousy. I think it was because I always wanted to write and draw/make a book like that, something relevant and beautiful at the same time. I already recommended it to several friends. Events like this are one reason for me to write and show my pictures: to have meaningful interactions. Thanks again, you gave me a very valuable gift.
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Hi! I’m sorry I don’t even know your name! Thank you for leaving this nice message. I’m glad that Nora Krug’s book is so meaningful to you. I was introduced to it by a friend here in Canada who, like me, has parents who immigrated from Germany in the 50s-60s. We are both very curious about our heritage. I was surprised by how much Nora’s story hit me (I read both the English and German versions). My father fought in WWII. He was very young. The war and the Holocaust were taboo subjects in our family. By the time my dad might have been ready to talk about the war, he suffered a debilitating stroke. Heimat has really triggered in me the desire to learn more about my background. I know so little, and in some cases nothing, about many of my close relatives. I’m just not sure where to start! The book also made me curious whether the author’s deep guilt/insecurities about the Holocaust are representative of how Germans who were born well after the end of the war feel (I think she was born in the 70s).
The drawing are wonderful, aren’t they? She is very talented. It’s funny that you said you would like to write/draw a book like that. I had similiar thoughts as I have many interesting memories of what it was like growing up as a child of immigrants. I guess it is not too late for either of us to write a book!
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Hi Caroline,
Thank you for your last sentence 🙂 I’ll think about that.
When my Dad suddenly died eight years ago, I wasn’t prepared and I had a lot of things to catch up. I just started from what I knew. I asked my aunt, looked at pictures, finally drove to his birthplace in todays Czech Republik, went to cemeteries, visited the people who lived in my grandmas old house (I don’t speak Czech at all, but it worked anyway). I just want to encourage you to start somewhere. The rest will come. (https://hikeminded.blog/2019/09/02/family-history-and-many-questions/)
For the subject of guilt: I was born in the 70s, so my whole generation in (only Western) Germany was raised in guilt. And under the flag of “this can never happen again.” There is still sth left of it, but todays teaching generations don’t have a direct connection to war and the holocaust anymore, so it has of course changed. You can read it in my article on Auschwitz.
Thanks again!
Katja
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Hi Caroline, I love your photo at the top. Isn’t being in the desert just a magical feeling? We lived and worked in Khartoum, Sudan and spent lots of time in the desert, particularly up around Meroe.
And your frequent travel companions look and sound like the perfect team. I’m hopeful that we’ll all be able to get back to the travel we love soon. All the best, Terri
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Thanks Terri. It’s good to hear that you are a kindred spirit when it comes to deserts. I am just fascinated by them. It must have been a really interesting experience living in Sudan. I would love to explore more of Africa when we’re back traveling abroad again. All the best to you too!
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Cheers to the spirit of traveling in you and your family, Madam..!! Nice to find your profile.. 🙂
Look forward to reading your traveling experiences.. 🙂
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Thank you! Travel is a wonderful gift and I’m grateful for all I’ve experienced. I look forward to reading about your adventures too.
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It would be an honour for me if you have a look at my posts and provide your expert opinions, comments or suggestions.. Maybe I can learn from you.. ☺️
Thank you so much Madam.. ☺️ I look forward to reading more of your posts and enjoying them..!!
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Great post and wonderful writing!
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Thanks so much! I appreciate you stopping by.
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That photo of your son and husband looking so irritated is hilarious!! It just makes me laugh so much. As the mother of three ( now adult ) sons, I can totally relate. 🙂
The Mark Twain quote is one of my favorites.
Caroline the photo of you in Egypt is stellar! I always enjoy reading you. You are both physically more adventurous. More the way I would LIKE to be ideally. Ha ha 🙂
Peta
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Yes, their expressions are priceless, and that photo always makes me laugh.
Thanks for all the nice compliments Peta. I feel the same way about reading your posts and admire your deep understanding of other countries/cultures. What you and Ben are doing by living/working in other countries is very brave/adventurous (also, ideally something I would like to do).
Cheers, Caroline
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We have many things in common, but our destinations are wonderfully different! Of course, we have some in common, but I look forward to reading about many places here that I have not been. I had to laugh about your son’s travel preferences. My youngest once asked with a whine, “Why do we always have to go to foreign countries? Other kids get to go to Disney World!” One summer, we even left him home after so much griping (well, really, at camp in NC) while we hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc with our other kids. Flash forward a few years, and he’s leading his college friends on a tour of Eastern Europe! I think the experiences stick with them, even if under-appreciated at the time!
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Thanks so much for stopping by, your comments (and following). I look forward to checking out your blog. I’ve just returned from some travels and it will take me a bit to catch up.
I totally agree that travel experiences stick with our kids, even if they whine at the time. Your son passed-up the Tour du Mont Blanc!!! That one is high on my ever-expanding list. Good to hear he’s making up for it now.
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When our son was young he longed for what he called a “gear free” vacation. He’s on his first trip as an adult with his wife. They went to Japan and specifically avoided bringing anything like hiking boots and hiking gear. At least he’s traveling.
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That’s funny! At least we’ve introduced our kids to travel and the wonders of nature. I’m sure some of it sticks. Japan is on my least of places to go. I’ve heard such great things about it lately (my brother-in-law is backcountry skiing there now..lots of gear!)
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I agree with you about Japan and it’s place on my travel list. But, we’ve had a lot of family and friends go there recently and my wife is starting to get that twinkle in her eye about the place. You may just see some photographs from there on my blog sometime.
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Being in the White Desert (top photo) just a few weeks after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in early 2011 was a very special travel memory for us. Not only is the White Desert absolutely stunning, but we had the place to ourselves. The wonderful Egyptian people were still full of hope about their future, and tremendously grateful for the few tourists who were visiting. We loved our trip to Egypt and in retrospect our timing couldn’t have been better. I feel badly that things haven’t turned out for Egypt and that their important tourism industry has suffered so badly.
I love both those quotes and couldn’t decide, so put them both in.
Thanks for your comments!
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I love your top photo too and yes, you look genuinely happy! Your second quote by Mark Twain may have been the motivation we needed to start traveling but your first quote describes perfectly why we keep traveling. Here’s to more breathtaking moments! Anita
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