About

Here’s the story

Let’s go to the edges. To the tops of the world’s mountains and into the depths of its canyons. Wander tangled paths and venture along uneven trails. Don’t look down and don’t look back, either. 

Created in 2014, Travel Outlandish is a blog about alternative & outdoor travel. Vague enough for you? What I mean to say is that we cover alternatives to major tourist destinations. Think Machu Picchu without the crowds, or the other Angkor Wat. We create national park guides and write about backpacking routes so you can undertake them on your own.

Ever wanted to experience the jungles of Borneo or backpack through Patagonia? We explore lesser-known destinations, from Ecuador to Slovenia. We encourage you to dip off the tourist trail and blaze your own instead (but don’t you dare leave anything but bootprints).

We encourage you to go slow. To use your own two feet. To abandon what you expect. You don’t need a lot of money or experience to travel like this. But you do need a sense of curiosity and a whole lot of grit. Are you ready to experience the world’s wildest, far-flung places?


Oh yeah, I’m Taylor.

And if I had to guess, I’d say you and I have a few things in common. You’re probably here because you want to travel differently. When planning a trip, you embrace uncertainty enough to go to a place that lacks notoriety and four-star TripAdvisor reviews. You’re resolute about having authentic adventures, and damn if you won’t figure out how to make them happen. 

Photo of Taylor at Dead Horse Point State Park

I’m an independent traveler kind of like you. I believe we deserve better than crowds of people and manufactured experiences.

Over the last 10 years, I’ve lived in West Africa, Southeast Asia, North America, and Western Europe (and traveled everywhere in between). I can finally do my work from anywhere in the world. This means LONG hours on my laptop, punctuated by backpacking trips in the Alps and excursions into the Bolivian desert. For the first time in my life, I don’t have to quit my job to travel, which is what I’ve always been looking for.

When I’m not traveling, you can find me eating street food in Berlin or dog-sitting in Oakland.

What brought you here, anyway? Send me a message with any questions and I’m happy to help!

Where have I been?

I spent 2017 backpacking around South America. It was seven months of local markets and overnight bus rides and treks to forgotten places. It was my second long-term trip (the last one was in Asia) and I had the feeling there was no true coming back from this one.

The Choquequirao Trek - A Travel Outlandish Guide

Photos of Chile - Marble Caves
Torres del Paine - Rental Gear

Rather than coming home and applying for the kind of job with reasonable insurance, I decided to move to Berlin and work as a freelancer. It’s been five years, and besides a National Parks roadtrip in 2019, a stint in the Pacific Northwest, and you know… a global pandemic… Berlin is where you’ll usually find me.

Capitol Reef National Park

Avoid the Crowds at the Grand Canyon - Looking Out on the South Rim
Hiking in Bryce Canyon: Looking up from the bottom of Queens Garden Trail

On this blog, you’ll find information about wild places and outlandish things to do in more than 30 countries throughout Asia, South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. If I haven’t been yet, I’m probably thinking of it! Take a look at my destinations page or browse by interest to find what you’re looking for.


Want to work together?

Let’s do it! If you’re looking for authentic written or visual content, click through to our work with us page. There, you’ll find some of our favorite sponsored posts, insight into who we write for, and more information on how we can collaborate.

Photos of Chile - Torres del Paine


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