About Switchback Travel

Switchback Travel is a new breed. Inspired, authentic travel information has always been in short supply, and even more so for outdoor-minded people. Guidebooks are mostly conventional, urban-centric, and out-of-date. The internet has made the world smaller, and provides the platform, but we all know the difficulty in digging up anything substantial. Switchback Travel has been launched to fill the void as the premier site for the outdoor-minded traveler. 

Switchback Travel is an informational site—not a booking site—and provides comprehensive coverage of the world’s most extraordinary outdoor destinations. Given the desire to avoid the narrow and beaten path of existing travel information, the site is comprised not of sterile, exhaustive lists but instead offers an abundant collection of essays, photographs, maps, user input, and other helpful tools. Technology will fuel a visual, cutting-edge platform with the most current information. This is the new way forward, and we hope people will come here first to learn about these truly exceptional places.

Whether or not you visit some or many of the locations covered by this site first hand, you should still explore freely. Switchback Travel is designed both to provide accurate, distinctive accounts of the destinations and to spur the imagination, valuable for planners and daydreamers alike.

About the Owner

David Wilkinson grew up in Boulder, Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, hiking in the nearby foothills, fly-fishing in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, and almost every spring break, scrambling in the remote canyons of Southern Utah.

After graduating from the University of California at San Diego, including a year studying in Barcelona and traveling throughout Europe, David spent two memorable winters (their summers) in Patagonia, from Buenos Aires down to Tierra del Fuego. Short on gear and planning but tall on youthful exuberance, during this time he made his adult connection with nature while learning the ins and outs of outdoor travel, often the hard way.

Reality reared its head and David enrolled at the University of Michigan Law School in 2007, working abroad both summers at public interest legal organizations in Cambodia and Bangladesh, while taking as many side trips as possible. Halfway through law school he conceived the notion of Switchback Travel, and after graduation and a stop at a World Series of Poker final table for start-up capital, he hit the road with his now-wife Samantha for extended trips to New Zealand, Norway, and Nepal, among other places.

David has loved the journey of creating Switchback Travel. His ultimate goal is to assist his readers in enjoying the dramatic and subtle beauty, and profound inspiration, of the natural world as much as he has.

Q&A with Switchback Travel’s David Wilkinson

What’s behind the name, “Switchback Travel?”
One meaning of a switchback is a feature on a mountain trail. “Switchback” has a good outdoorsy connotation in general, an adventuresome feel, and suggests bold choices. It symbolizes a 180° turn, so for those who have always dreamed of exploring faraway places, but haven’t, switchback and make it happen. You can decide what it means to you….

Who exactly is the outdoor-minded traveler?
Quite simply, the site speaks to people who love travel and love the outdoors. You can see that the places covered by the site have exceptional natural qualities. Outdoor travel isn’t limited to any particular activity or way of doing things. It’s about people enjoying these splendid corners of the world, each in their own way. And there are many ways to do so.

Can you elaborate on the travel website concept?
People are now getting much of their information on-line, but travel is still way behind. Guidebooks are often three or four years old, but a website can stay current and use the best of technology. Actually, two of the simplest technologies, links and photos, are among the most useful. It’s obvious that people will want to click over to other helpful websites while using Switchback Travel, and we provide the easy links. It’s seamless. And with all the great images throughout the site, it’s much more visual and we can truly showcase the beauty of these places. It’s said that people often travel somewhere, even across the world, because of a photograph, and we are trying to facilitate that.

How will Switchback Travel evolve?
We are just getting started. One of the next big projects will be custom mapping, with layered maps for hiking and other activities. It’s labor intensive but worthwhile. Custom maps made just for Switchback Travel will look fantastic. Another is finding the best way to integrate user comments and contributions. We want readers to be as involved as possible. Too many sites get bogged down and lose their utility with poorly formatted forums, spam, etc., so we will be experimenting to achieve what works. Of course, the site will stay up-to-date with any new technology that can make it better. It’s exciting to keep up with.

What other places will you cover down the road?
We are starting now with full-feature coverage on New Zealand, Norway, and Nepal, as well as a number of spotlight articles on individual places outside those countries. Two more full-feature destinations will be added shortly, which I am going to keep under wraps for the time being, and I have a great list of options from there. The goal is to cover both the classics and places few people have thought of or even heard of.

What are your hopes for Switchback Travel?
We hope that many, many people will enrich their lives by visiting some of the places covered by the site. We also hope to further good conservation policy. The best possible thing for our wild places, besides a thoughtful approach to their use, is more support and more people who care.

I have good points of comparison, having traveled to places that are the best at taking care of their natural surroundings. It’s enlightening to experience countries like Norway, where it seems that everybody is outdoors whenever they can be, in summer and winter. The Norwegians have developed a true land ethic. We all need that, and quite frankly, most countries have a lot of room for improvement.

It really starts with the younger generations. Switchback Travel hopefully will do some wonderful things with non-profit organizations like the Wilderness Society, and we will tap the energy of the readers, but it’s also about teaching young people the right ethic. Go camping with your son or daughter once, even in the back yard, and they will always remember and value the experience.