My single-minded pursuit of travel literature has taken me to some of the world's most unforgiving places, including Mongolia, Tibet, Nicaragua, and North Korea, by Russian jeep, motorcycle, dugout canoe, horse and camel. When asked, I say that I'm drawn to such settings because I have a keen interest in marginal regions, in nomadic peoples, and in places where cultures meet and sometimes clash. In truth, I'm not sure why I feel so compelled to go there. It starts as a tightening deep in my stomach, and the urgency builds until I find myself boarding a plane. As the trip gets closer I never want to go, because I know the journey will be a difficult one and that I'll come back changed.

I chose travel literature as a medium because it can be so many things: autobiography, history, anthropology, adventure, memoir, narrative, and even a catharsis... The best travel writing is all of these at once. My "lyrical, poetic prose" has been described as "creative non-fiction at its best..." This embarrasses me because I'm uncomfortable with compliments. I work hard to ensure that my travel writing draws larger connections to our lives as a whole, and I hope each piece leaves my readers with meaningful insights which continue to resonate long after they've turned the last page. Travel writing without meaning bores me.

Every traveler is drawn to certain landscapes that call them back again and again. While I haven't yet settled on my idea place, I have lived in Tokyo, Japan and traveled widely in Central America, Northeast and Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Balkans. I'm currently extending my explorations into the Middle East and North Africa.

As Editor-at-Large (Europe) for Outpost, I travel regularly on assignment to write major features for the magazine. I also wrote the book review column for Outpost, gear reviews of products I've tested in the field, and for three years I produced and written the Outpost Global Travel Guide, their biggest annual newsstand seller. I was also the author of a popular travel column in Toronto's Eye Weekly for a period of 7 months (some 28 columns in all), and my work has appeared in the anthologies Traveler's Tales Central America and Traveler's Tales China. In 2006 my Outpost feature "Taklamakan: The Worst Desert in the World" was nominated for a National Magazine Award in Canada.

In addition to writing, I work with Adam Steer on the online fitness sites Shapeshifter Body Redesign and Bodyweight Coach. I've coauthored several bestselling fitness ebooks, including Shapeshifter, Bodyweight Exercise Revolution, Bodyweight Blueprint for Fat Loss, the Clubbell Training Black Book, and TACFIT Commando. I was inducted into the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2006. I've taught training seminars across North America and Europe, presented my stuff on prime time TV, and worked with international rock stars like Jim Gillette of Nitro, guitar diva Lita Ford, and Steve Kilbey of The Church.  

You'd think that all this work would keep me out of trouble, but somehow it doesn't. From run-ins with communist militaries, to physical altercations with the secret police of a certain Asian country, to survival situations on the Mongolian steppe with two Swedish girls and a very small tent, mischief continues to stalk me despite publishing deadlines and a rather dull day-to-day life. I'm thankful for that, because if it wasn't for writing I'd be unemployable.