Could be any or all of the above, plus camel, foot, or snowmobile — depending on the country, of course.
I can’t say how I’d take a cross-country trip without knowing which country it is that I’m crossing. Vatican City frowns on you driving a bus through it, Russia is too long to do entirely on cross-country skis, and one can’t transit Bolivia in a ferry.
![Photograph of a statue of a young vagabond taken at Fo Guang Shan [佛光山,] near Kaohsiung, Taiwan.](https://berniegourley.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/img_0378.jpg)
Each Soul contains its Vagabond
- Who yearns to travel light & free -
But they load too much baggage on,
Then tether him to a big tree.
Regularly teleports to new and interesting places. Ideally, compact from the outside but comfortable inside. So, I guess a TARDIS would be my dream home.
As many of the ones that aren’t war-torn or underwater as I possibly can.
Contemplating the unknowable.
Every place that I visit, while I am visiting it, is my favorite place.
Never elevate your opinion of a particular animal above the rest. I used to think quite highly of monkeys, and then one — of the kleptomaniac variety — stole my sunglasses and mocked me from a high tree like a cowardly school bully.
Isn’t it enough to know that all animals are better than people.
To me, that is much like asking whether I prefer a hammer or a Phillips head screwdriver. They are different tools for different purposes. Good luck if you love your ballpeen hammer so much that it’s the only tool for you but your problem of the moment is a deeply embedded wood screw.
I think it was a sword, back in the days when swordsmanship was among the subjects i studied. But I can say, with some measure of pride, that I really don’t know for sure because I don’t really put much value in owning things and have become ever less interested in possessing more stuff.
When you’re a traveler, they’re all just anchors, and not goods.
Anything expensive I buy better be absolutely essential, have multiple uses, or —ideally— both.
What principles define how you live?
Before traveling, empty my cup. Before returning home, empty my cup.
Collect experiences, not geegaws.
Wishing for the world to be some other way is a grand waste of time.
If there is a river flowing toward where I want to be, surrender to it.
See humor everywhere, especially in myself.
Be content with who I am at the moment, while struggling to be a better version in future editions.
Strive to find the non-adversarial path.
Keep looking until I see what is beautiful in all things and creatures.
Don’t attempt to construct anyone else’s list of principles to live by.
Feel the sensations that arise without letting the mind amplify them out of proportion.
Seek only simple pleasures, enjoy them fully, and then move on.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 