ABOUT

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” Martin Buber

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“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” Maya Angelou
 

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” St. Augustine
 

“Not all those who wander are lost.” J.R.R. Tolkien 
 

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” Susan Sontag
 

“A ship is safe in the harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for.” Gael Attal
 

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” Mark Twain
 

"In the immortal words of Socrates, 'I ate what?'" a Real Genius
 

“People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home.” Dagobert D. Runes
 

"If at some point you don’t ask yourself, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ then you’re not doing it right.” Roland Gau
 

“No matter where you go, there you are.” Buckaroo Banzai
 

"The difference between a tourist and a traveler, is that a tourist has more than one pair of pants." Sierra Blimes

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Why do we put up with the living out of a backpack, the jet lag, the diarrhea, the lumpy mattresses, the long bus rides (with diarrhea), the crazy drivers, the piles of garbage, the waiting hours to cross a border, the being outrageously hot/cold/sweaty/dehydrated, the scams, the taxi drivers who won't use the meter, and the disgusting bathrooms (where you have to run when you have diarrhea)?

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Hi, I’m Rand! Together with my wife — and often with our three incredible daughters — I’ve spent the past few decades exploring as much of the world as I can get my feet on.

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My wife and I both teach at a small university on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, which is not at all a bad place to return to between adventures. But every summer, once classes are done and grading is behind us, we pack our bags and set out to explore the world.

 

Many of the stories on this blog took place years ago, when my daughters were kids that caught the travel bug from their mother and me. The five of us even spent a bit more than a year working our way all the way around the world. 

 

These days, our daughters are grown and finding their own paths, so my wife and I have embraced a new chapter: summers spent wandering, photographing, laughing — and sometimes sweating, getting lost, getting found, and eating bowls of noodles in sinisterly simmered sauce while sitting on a plastic stool in the street.

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I've been dreaming of traveling internationally since I was young — chasing the siren call of faraway landscapes, strange foods, sacred sites, and the simple joy of meeting people very different, yet somehow exactly the same. Over the years, I’ve been charged by a rhino in Nepal, outwitted by touts in Vietnam, paddled sleepy rivers in Cambodia, been stranded by transportation systems in China, and sat quietly with locals in corners of the world where words were few but smiles said everything.

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This blog, Soles of a Nomad, is a collection of those stories — the barely managed chaos, the unexpected beauty, and the lessons (both painful and hilarious) that travel teaches if you’re willing to listen. It's about sharing moments that matter, whether they’re joyful, messy, awe-inspiring, or just plain ridiculous. It’s about connecting — with places, with people, and with the deep, stubborn longing to understand the world a little better.

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Thanks for being here.

Now — let’s wander together.

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Because travel.