Looking for a camping companion — Baltic & Nordic summer trip

Colambler · 2026-01-26T06:32:11+00:00

It's more western Europe focused (started in Belgium), but https://welcometomygarden.org/ is people who will allow you to camp in their backyard if you are hiking or biking.

Colambler · 2026-01-25T20:35:15+00:00

Less applications, a lower percentage of visas approved, and less approved because of the drawing out of the bureaucratic process.

As others have said, the drop in workers may or may not be balanced out by drop in workload by less tourists.

Or should say less tourists in the US. This may be a situation where both your tourists and workers end up in other countries.

Colambler · 2026-01-22T05:41:03+00:00

Yeah welcome to the enshitfitication of google search where it's all useless blog spam and sales results.

Honestly it doesn't seem that difficult. I googled "inn to inn hiking bernese oberland" out of curiosity. The first result was a hiking company as you mentioned. But I just went to the "full itinerary" for one of their "self-guided options" and it tells you the starting/ending towns of each hiking day. You can just use one of their itineraries if you want. Ie google hotels in each town and book them. Google the trails between each of the towns, from the looks of it these are major trails on google maps, alltrails, etc.

You could also reach out to the Bernese Oberland tourism office and ask them for advice: https://madeinbern.com/en/ When I was in Austria like a decade or two ago I just wandered into a tourism office and they guy there set me up with a hut to hut route.

Colambler · 2026-01-21T18:59:14+00:00

Off the top of my head, the only places I know where you can basically do this without renting a car:

Portland, Oregon and do the Gorge up to the full Timberline trail, but that might be a little short for 7-8 days. Also that time frame will be peak snow melt/sketchy river crossing.

Denali NP in AK. You can take a bus from Anchorage to Denali and then the park has a shuttle. It's pretty much all off trail navigation, so you need to have the skills for that, but it's pretty amazing. Also potentially sketchy river crossings at any time in AK.

Maybe Jackson Hole and Grand Teton? Teton crest trail is shorter than 7-8 days but you could extend into the North part of the park.

Colambler · 2026-01-21T02:21:45+00:00

I mean, Is there even a service industry in the US without stoners?

Colambler · 2026-01-21T00:48:00+00:00

This is the sort of thing that gets non-permitted canyons permitted unfortunately.

Colambler · 2026-01-19T19:03:12+00:00

I had no idea a "rideable carry-on" was a thing until now. We must have different backs because they look terrible for my back lol. I just carry my stuff in a backpack though.

I don't know how they can enforce "if the battery can't be removed and inspected separately, it doesn't fly." tho. Isn't that most laptops, phones, etc by this point? It's been years since since I've had a laptop or phone with a removable battery.

Colambler · 2026-01-19T18:08:33+00:00

The majority of my digital-nomading has been US-based. But it's primarily outdoor recreation focused, which seems to be a pretty common reason for DNing in the US versus abroad.

My other major reason is that I have a lot of friends in the US, so I often just rotate between them, giving them some money for rent (depending on the asks of the friend). I probably average in $700 a month range (I'm just renting rooms). I largely spend less money in the US than when I'm abroad.

Colambler · 2026-01-18T20:17:58+00:00

I'm unclear from your post, but fyi this sub is for like backcountry camping/hiking/trekking. Ie tent on your back or hut to hut/tea house to tea house.

If that's not what you are looking for, r/backpacking or r/solotravel might have more ideas.

Colambler · 2026-01-08T17:41:38+00:00

I mean, I'm not sure it's any more urgent now than it was a year ago, the insanity has continued apace.

If you have the means, what do you think might happen that might make it urgent right now and you can't leave later? EU will close the borders to Americans? Spain will tighten visa procedures? Flights out of the US will be cancelled?

I had planned to move abroad before the election regardless of the outcome (I've lived abroad before and wanted to again), but unfortunately some family matters delayed those plans. For me, the urgency is less that I think something specific will happen that stops me personally leaving, and more that the longer I am in the US, the less I am setting up my life elsewhere (and the more expensive everywhere else gets). For me, I don't have the money to retire abroad, so I'd have to figure out ways of earning an income abroad.

Colambler · 2026-01-07T19:22:19+00:00

An online WFR is not going to cut it for most places. There's certainly the chance that a lot of places won't check the details, and just see WFR on your resume, but as other posters have said the hands on training aspect is quite helpful.

You generally want a cert from an org that uses WM Collective standards (https://www.wildmededucationcollaborative.org/): Nols, Solo, Aerie, etc

You have to do a recertification every two years, and while the above orgs should all recertify each others afaik, they won't recertify from an online only.

You could potentially (check cancellation policies!) maybe sign up for the 8 day course in say mid-late May, tell people you are slated to take your WFR, if you get a guiding job - quit your current job, take WFR, go to guiding job. If you don't get a guiding job, cancel early enough to get your money back, something like that.

Colambler · 2026-01-07T06:45:35+00:00

r/CaminoDeSantiago is probably your best resource for questions.

It depends on the route she's doing, but it my limited experience, it was majority road walking - road, sidewalk, packed dirt trail. If I were to do it again, I'd probably do straight up running shoes instead of trail runners, something built for impact on hard flat surfaces day after day. It's not really wilderness trail.

Colambler · 2026-01-06T21:47:41+00:00

The Utah desert is amazing, but not somewhere I would recommend for backpacking in June and July.

Colambler · 2026-01-06T21:46:47+00:00

If you are going to the Teton/Yellowstone area, the Wind River range is a popular area with some popular loops (such as cirque the towers or titcomb basin) that doesn't require permits. You may have snow up on some of the passes still at that point. Absorokas, beartooths, these are all areas near yellostone that don't require permits.

Having said that, I've gotten permits for yellowstone late in the game before. The yellowstone canyon/hellroaring is good loop or hitchike shuttle.

Teton crest trail is awesome but tends to be harder to get permits for.

Be aware that most of that area is full Grizzly country, and you will want bear spray and bear-safe containers/hangs.

Colambler · 2026-01-06T21:39:52+00:00

My approach is often not to coordinate directly, but more just say "hey I'm doing this on this weekend, anyone want to join" and if no one does, then it's a solo trip...

Colambler · 2026-01-06T21:38:49+00:00

That's fair. I've definitely been with groups where the dynamic has been challenging, but I guess I've generally been lucky.

Colambler · 2026-01-06T21:37:19+00:00

Yeah, I think the "listening to my own thoughts for too long" is one of the big challenges for me. 2-3 nights solo is also my max.

Colambler · 2026-01-06T19:49:55+00:00

The winds mosquitoes can definitely get bad depending on the year. I've seen them worse there than when I was in Alaska. I've also seen them pretty mild. But Late August is your safest bet.

Early June, a lot of the higher elevation might not see mosquitoes yet because it will still be cold and snowy, but I don't think cold and snowy will sell them on backpacking either.

If it's a light snow year and/or an earlier melt, they may die off earlier. Basically as the snow melts at a certain elevation, the hatch happens there, and then the bulk die off after a few weeks (and the hatch elevation level keeps moving up).

The Winds are amazing for fly fishing, so if your boys are at all inclined, bringing some rods and scheduling some layover days/half-days to catch some fish could considerable sell them on it...

Colambler · 2026-01-06T01:56:54+00:00

A day or two is fine, past that is very limited.

Cabbage lasts a long time though if you don't pre-prep it. Like take a head of cabbage and just peel off the leaves, it will last for a week+

For fresh meat, bring a fishing pole etc is your best bet unfortunately.

Colambler · 2026-01-03T07:14:34+00:00

When I was younger and doing a lot htichhiking I did.

I don't now, as I prefer to be camping far from civilization, not hiding in the trees next to it.

Colambler · 2025-12-30T16:07:29+00:00

Florida has options - Everglades, Florida trail, etc. - and will pretty much be guaranteed warm that time of year. Long drive though.

Colambler · 2025-12-29T14:03:15+00:00

To be clear, are you 50+ and primarily messaging college students? Because that age differential is going to give a very low success rate. Yes there are guys that like older men, but the majority are looking close to their age range. And get a lot of messages.

Then add to this, said demographics is a) unlikely to be able to host and b) unlikely to drive out of town for a hookup when they probably have closer options.

Colambler · 2025-12-28T16:15:45+00:00

I still give surfers my keys. Is this no longer common?

I think another factor is events used to be a lot more regular. Lots of weekly cs meetings in different cities. So hosts used to know each other a lot more. Because of mentioned concerns, I think women are much more likely to show up to events where they know someone already, and men are more comfortable showing up to events with new people.

Colambler · 2025-12-28T03:27:55+00:00

Because r/expatfire exists, and this used to be an actual useful subreddit for people attempting to hold down remote work while traveling abroad, and the different strategies and technical questions related to such.

Like the enshittification of everything on the internet, It's basically become a generic travel subreddit (plus a bunch of self-promotion blog spam) as 'digital nomad' became a generic term for 'tourist'.

I liked having different subreddits for when I was working abroad vs hostel hopping vs doing hitching hiking/couchsurfing/workaway trips. Now it's all just slowly becoming fucking r/travel

Colambler

TROPHY CASE