Jordan Hofer's decade of travel unfolds in tales that are as winding as the backroads he’s traversed. "Never There Long" series is our opportunity to experience the off-the-beaten-path adventures and unforgettable moments, drawn straight from Jordan’s journals.

Each episode invites you to experience the revealing stories that go beyond the ordinary travel narrative. As you follow along, you might find yourself inspired to explore new places or capture your own stories. Get ready to dive into Jordan’s world—where every turn brings a fresh adventure.

This series is a collection of travel stories. The stories are all true, with details being drawn from memory as well as old travel journals I filled along the way. Several years ago, when Lisa and Allen first started Bound To Journal, I was compelled to dig out a few of those journals. Lisa and I were both teachers at the same school, and she had told me about her venture starting a new website focused on journaling, art, travel, essential oils, and other hippiesque motifs. I was intrigued and, after reading through my own journal writings, became inspired to share my stories with others.

Most of the tales take place quite a while ago, somewhere between the years 2000 and 2010 when I was in my 20’s. I spent about a decade or so going a bit off the rails, or at least it appeared that way to most everyone around me.

I wasn’t really off the rails though. It was more like off the beaten path or into the unknown. All I knew was that I didn’t want to settle-in to a life of boring conformity, and venturing to far-away places seemed like a good way to avoid falling into a rut. While doing so, I committed to indulging myself whenever possible. I didn’t want to hold back anything. I was willing to take risks and do things that would be considered dangerous or stupid. I wasn’t afraid to disappoint others, only myself. I wanted to learn about the world first-hand – to see and touch and feel everything that interested me. I sought out anything foreign, strange, heretical, beautiful, frightening, poetic, or insane. Whatever I felt I’d been denied, I gravitated towards. I wanted to experience things that would enlighten and offend me.

The short phrases never there long and in between in the title of this series don’t just refer to travel. They also refer to my own inability to find certainty or permanence in my life. I’ve never been quite sure about things. I want to be. In fact, I am deeply envious of those who have unwavering faith and complete confidence in their beliefs. I can never seem to land on a side and find more satisfaction being a contrarian to popular opinion than figuring out the truth of a matter. I am all over the map and have no intention of picking sides. Please know that in sharing these stories, I will almost certainly contradict myself and offend you repeatedly. This series will not be a philosophical treatise or an attempt to take any political positions. It will just be a collection of some unpolished and raw life experiences for you to chew on.

I don’t take myself too seriously and I hope you won’t either. I’m nothing special - just some guy from South Dakota who has a few stories to share. Meander alongside me. I’ll sometimes be broke, flush with cash, or getting ripped off. Maybe skeptical, idealistic, or intoxicated. Perhaps purposeful, aimless, or lost. In love, down and out, or taking it stoically on the chin. But mostly I’ll be somewhere in between all that, searching for whatever comes my way.

Jordan's series will unfoldover the next few months.  As you follow his adventures, let your mind explore memories of your travels or let them inspire you to schedule your next adventure.  Either way, be sure to keep your journal at the ready to record all the significant moments.

If this has you thinking about travel journals, you'll enjoy "Journals That Travel Aren't Always Travel Journals."

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