I’m Terry: software engineer, traveler, and aspiring photographer. I want more to life than the long hours in a cubicle and endless consumerism demanded by modern America. During my corporate career, there was never enough time to live. The work was challenging and interesting, but I never had time to do what I wanted. And I was being increasingly weighted down by all the stuff I owned that I didn’t really need.

In 2014 I made some changes. I quit my job, sold most of my possessions, and set off to see the world and live a life free of junk. I started by visiting some of our incredible national parks. They were both refuges for wildlife and refuges from commercialism. After my two month epic road trip to thirteen national parks, I had only scratched the surface. But it was time to move on and see new places. 2015 takes me back to one of my favorite parts of the world, South East Asia.

South East Asia was my first experience with backpacking and independent travel. In 2002 I did the same thing: quit my job, sold all my stuff, and set off on a one year trip around the world. I didn’t make it very far, and ended up liking Thailand so much I stayed for a couple years. I don’t know how many countries I’ll make it to this time because of how I travel.

My travel philosophy

I believe in flexible, long-term, low-budget, low-impact, independent travel. I do a minimal amount of planning, and generally don’t book accommodations in advance. That’s because I travel for long stretches of time, which would be impossible to plan. I generally avoid tours and expensive hotels. I carry a small amount of gear, most of which is for photography. I don’t avoid flying, but I try to minimize it, preferring to stay in regions I fly to for a long time, and taking ground transportation once I’m there. Flying is one of the most unsustainable things travelers do, and I strive to minimize my impact.

My goal isn’t to visit as many countries as I can. I believe in slow travel, spending months in one country in order to get to know it better. Because of that, the list of countries I’ve been to is not long. But I hope that I can provide more detailed insights beyond the top tourist attractions.

What I hope to accomplish with TerryTreks

I hope to share my experiences traveling, both the good and the bad. I want to share tips on the places I visit and on how to travel the way I do. I want to demonstrate that despite the way the media portrays the world, it is safe to travel. And most importantly to me, I want this site to be a showcase for my photography.

Thank you for visiting, and feel free to contact me!