Meet Tate Drucker and Haley Littleton - 2 amazing women who have traveled to more countries than I can think of! I asked them to share what they are excited most about being a guide for Acanela in 2017 and the inside scoop on their next trip!
Photo website: http://www.tatedruckerphoto.com/
Travel blog: http://www.theupwardbound.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tatedrucker/
Tate has been an avid traveler since she first studied abroad at 15 years old and began selling photos to keep herself sustained and constantly moving on the road. Since then, her photos have been featured in 20+ various publications and online networks, including Thought Catalog and National Geographic. She is also active with writing; and is the author of a novel and in the process of finishing her second book.
Her path has taken her to 65+ countries around the globe, on an unwavering pursuit of stories, backcountry guiding and adventure, and a constantly changing horizon. She currently lives in San Francisco in the field of environmental and conflict photojournalism, with the ultimate goal to produce something significant with her camera in hand.
I asked her to talk about her experience on being an Acanela Guide and one of her favorite trips she's excited for in 2017 -
"There is nothing more extraordinary and exciting that witnessing a group of photographers see a herd of elephants at sunset for the first time, or hearing lion calls from outside their tent at night, or watching the sunrise from atop one of the tallest sand dunes in the world. It’s moments like that, that make me so passionate about being an Acanela guide.
In 2017, I’m excited to explore and revisit my personal favorite location in the entire world - Tanzania. There is a reason why Tanzania has been the subject of novels of Hemingway and the poems of Churchill; from the sloping foothills of Kilimanjaro, to the sparkling seas of Zanzibar, to the spectacular safaris of the north, Tanzania earns its reputation as one of the most beautiful places in all of Africa for a reason. It was my first country I ever visited on the continent, and every opportunity I’ve had since my return has reminded me why I fell in love with Tanzania in the first place. I’m overjoyed to see it again, and to watch others fall head-over-heels with Tanzania, just like I did."
Mixed in with this obsession to explore has always been a deep love and reverence for words, people, and stories, which led Haley to study English Literature and Creative Writing. After undergraduate, Haley spent time living in Amsterdam before entering graduate school at the University of Denver and receiving her Master's in English. Haley has been published in various journalistic and creative writing publications but, most recently, writes for Alpine Modern Magazine.
Website: https://museumstomountains.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haley_kit/
Haley has spent the last six years writing, editing, and working as an editorial assistant on publications ranging from the outdoors to politics and literature. Haley's interests hover around environmental impact, outdoor adventure, non-fiction narratives, and ethical traveling. Whatever interesting and strange foods she gets to eat along the way the better. With an interest in environmentalism, climbing, backcountry skiing, and craft beer, Haley plans to always keep Colorado as a home base.
"As a dedicated traveler and lifelong learner, I'm excited to come onto to the Acanela team for our 2017 expeditions. My favorite part of traveling is the ability to distance yourself from what is familiar and discover incredible stories of diversity along the way. Because of this, I'm excited that my 2017 trips will focus on travel writing and the ability to help tell the narratives of the people and places we come into contact with and the ways that they transform us.
I'm especially excited for my expedition to Bhutan - a country that is quite difficult to get into but is known for their rich culture of food, Buddhism, and hospitality. This will certainly be an "out-of-your-comfort-zone" trip but travelers will reap the reward of discovering a completely different method of living! I'm also looking forward to Siberia - the Trans Siberian railroad in literary history has an almost mythical notion and beautiful, hidden things are waiting to be explored as we travel through the vast tundra."
We are excited for their 2017 trips! Check out our website for all of the trips we have to offer!