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Adventure brings people together! Recently, I learned of Loyal Mehnert and I got super pumped. I like his style. Roaming all around the world AND doing good. Let me tell you a little bit more about the man from his official bio. Loyal Mehnert aka “The Everyday Journeyman” is an award-winning Travelanthropist, mixing adventure travel with volunteer opportunities. From hiking along the Appalachian Trail and Camino de Santiago to racing the Plymouth-Dakar road rally across Europe and Africa, Loyal has traveled to over twenty countries across five continents, going the distance to raise both money and awareness for charitable causes. He’s currently organizing travelanthropic adventures to South America, West Africa, and the Middle East. For more information, you can email Loyal at theeverydayjourneyman@gmail.com and friend him on facebook to follow his travels. So as you can see, this guy is so The Adventure School it hurts. Hit him up and join the movement of travelanthropy! We asked him our usual questions about adventure, celebration and learning. 1. What skill do you want to learn? The travelanthropist in me wants to say something rugged like learning how to build an ice cave or filter water with a sock. Then there is the other part of me who really wants to learn how to play the banjo and bake the perfect cupcake. 2. Food and drink you don’t want to live without? I’m a vegetarian so I absolutely cannot live without veggie trail food. Packit Gourmet out of Austin and Primal Spirit Foods out of West Virginia have kept me fed while exploring the world. 3. The scariest thing you can think of? I don’t have rational fears like the fear of snakes or a fear of flying. My fears are all abstract like a fear of failure or the fear of not being remembered once I’m gone. If you want something more tangible, I’m afraid of/obsessed with Sasquatch. It’s a well known fact that I’m moving to the Pacific Northwest mostly to hunt the North American Great Ape Gigantopithecus. 4. Your favorite party supply? For any party worth its salt, you need good music. Radiohead’s new album has some quality dance tracks. 5. Your favorite book of the moment? I feel like I should come out and say I do read A LOT of comics. But since you asked about books, I’m actually reading The Adventurer’s Handbook by Mick Conefrey. For anyone interested in adventure, it’s an absolute must-read. Lots of great information and insane stories. 6. Describe your dream party place. Some place deep in the woods, off the beaten path. Probably not the best for e-vites. 7. What is the evil version of you like? He has a lot more facial hair, like a twirly moustache. 8. What gives you confidence? Knowing that the work I do as a Travelanthropist is making a real difference. I also have a super supportive fiancée, bless her heart for putting up with my madness. 9. Name four essential elements of a good party. Good music, good people, tasty vegetarian food, and interesting conversation. The fifth element would be Bruce Willis. 10. What do you appreciate most about a party host? Whenever I throw a party, I’m always worried I’m not being attentive enough. If a host can make sure that everyone is having a good time, that’s aces. 11. Favorite adventure supply? A huge part of any adventure is sharing it with friends and family and supporters. I use tools like Delorme Earthmate with SPOT and iPhoneTrip so I can blog and keep everyone up-to-date on my adventures as they happen. It’s tough, you don’t want to be completely plugged in but at the same time you need to keep in touch. 12. Describe the best party you ever attended. I had a great fundraiser/party last summer for my Hike for Habitat across the Camino de Santiago. Just seeing so many people come out in support was incredible. There’s always that fear that no one will show up. The second best party I’ve ever attended was in the tiny fishing village of Dong Xa in Vietnam. I can’t fully divulge what exactly went down or even how it went down. But it was epic. There was also that one time in Shinjuku… 13. Hotel room or campsite? Campsite, definitely. Have you heard of executive camping? Really posh, with toilets, electricity, air conditioning/heating. Part of the appeal of camping to me is going back to basics, a stripping away of all the nonsense. The great poop in the woods. 14. Do you have a style icon? Tom Hardy. More Inception-Tom Hardy than Bronson -Tom Hardy. 15. Where is your next adventure destination? I’m working on The Peace and Progress Build for Nigeria. There’s also this summer’s Pan-Am Highway for Habitat; 16,000 miles, 14 countries, from Alaska to Argentina. I try to plan two big adventures each year and there’s the chance I may race The Petra Rally in October from England to Israel, with stops in France, Austria, Romania, Turkey, Iraqi Kurdistan, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt (I’m looking for teammates!!!). 16. If you could teach a class about anything in the world ever, what would you teach? Travelanthropy, the marriage of travel and philanthropy is so incredibly important. Not only is it about helping those in need but it’s also about helping yourself in the process. Whether you’re building a home for Habitat for Humanity on the Gulf Coast or biking across Vietnam for charity, you’re pushing yourself both mentally and physically. You’re rewriting your adventure DNA and doing things you previously thought were impossible. 17. What is your motto? Travel light—you never know when you’ll need a quick escape. Also, don’t be afraid to fail. If you don’t fail once in a while you’ll never know how great success tastes. 18. What is your spirit animal? Bigfoot? I think we just went full circle. Any of our loyal PNW readers out there should share hot tips with Loyal about Bigfoot sightings. Last I heard, my mom said that Squatch was over in E. WA in the late 1970s. editors note: Loyal, I am available for your Petra Rally team! Woot!!! Leave a Reply |
