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The Packable Life
  • Start Here
  • Posts
  • Travel
    • Travel by Country
      • China
      • Mexico
      • United States
      • Vietnam
    • Carry-On Packing List
    • Minimalist Packing List
    • Van Life Essentials
    • Start a Travel Blog
    • Travel Journal
    • Travel Resources
  • Hiking
    • By Country
      • Argentina
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      • United States
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    • Gifts for Hikers
    • Hiking Resources

Noel Krasomil

About the Author

Hey, I'm Noel Krasomil. I pack light and explore the globe searching for awe-inspiring hiking trails, rich cultural experiences, and ways to continue traveling indefinitely.

Author Archive Page

5 Days in Hong Kong: My Spontaneous, Wild & Itinerary-Free Trip

By Noel Krasomil6 Comments

  My spur of the moment trip to Hong Kong was born from a late-night conversation with a travel-hungry friend 10,000 miles away. It was a wild, impulsive, and indelible adventure; a chance journey that wasn’t really meant to take place, but played out perfectly nonetheless. Our five-day meet-up was a blur of world-class food, […]

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Paragliding Chengdu: Soaring Through Sichuan Skies

By Noel Krasomil2 Comments

  “Run as fast as you can. Go straight. Run fast.” Those were the only directions I got as I prepared mentally for my first paragliding ride. Was that really all there was to it? My stomach knotted and my heart began to pound as my instructor readied our gigantic nylon parachute. I clenched my […]

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Backpacking Food: Meal Plan Tips & Ideas for Your Next Hike

By Noel Krasomil4 Comments
Seven days of backpacking food laid out in rows across a carpet

  Past attempts at organizing my backpacking food and creating meal plans were always a bit reckless for me. My old approach usually involved jamming a hodgepodge assemblage of hiking food into my over-stuffed bag and hoping for the best. Ensuing days on the trail were spent hiking around dull and nutritionless food, falling short […]

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My Chengdu Street Food Marathon: 32 Snacks in 10 Hours

By Noel Krasomil16 Comments
A woman driving a red cart full of baskets of stawberries

  Was I really going to eat 32 different types of Chengdu street food in just one day and live to blog about it? A gluttonous marathon to challenge both my stomach and self-control? Why would I risk such a culinary overload? There have got to be more relaxing ways to celebrate my birthday, right?! […]

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Vietnam on a Motorbike: My 10-Day Road Trip (Route + Itinerary)

By Noel Krasomil2 Comments
Red arch with Vietnamese text over an open road with mountains and blue skies in the background

  My plan for Vietnam never involved a motorbike. It also didn’t involve riding that motorbike 1600 kilometers for 10 straight days with someone I had just met.  Crashes, break downs, and wrecked itineraries – those weren’t part of the plan either.  I wasn’t supposed to get caked in mud, freeze my ass off, or […]

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27 Tips for Motorbiking Vietnam: Getting Ready to Ride

By Noel Krasomil3 Comments
A man sitting on a motorbike in the middle of a muddy dirt road with a wooden shack to his right and jungle in the background

  Motorbiking the vast countrysides of Northern Vietnam was one of the most rewarding travel experiences I’ve ever had. Breathtaking vistas of layered rice terraces, wandering water buffalo, blissful and generous people, authentic local cuisine — it all felt too amazing to be real. I was living out an exhilarating and spontaneous dream, and each […]

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Hanoi in One Day: A 24-Hour Guide (Tips, Costs & Itinerary)

By Noel Krasomil9 Comments

  Hanoi is a swirl of sweet chaos. Motorbikes dart through the streets like schools of buzzing fish. Steam, smoke, and alluring aromas pour out of restaurants and onto the sidewalks. Art, music, and memories of war reverberate everywhere, and I felt it all the moment my boots hit the pavement. Traveling and exploring Hanoi, […]

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Torres del Paine ‘O’ Circuit: Patagonia’s Top Trek (2021 Guide)

By Noel Krasomil14 Comments
Mountain range and lake on the 'O' Circuit in Torres del Paine, Patagonia

  Torres del Paine’s ‘O’ Circuit Trek I’d heard rave reviews about the stunning beauty of Torres del Paine’s ‘O’ Circuit, but I wasn’t prepared for it to take me to a transcendent new world. Towering granite spires, sprawling glaciers, breathtaking mountain passes, intense and ever-changing weather — I experienced it all on every step […]

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Best of the Best Travel Blogs for 2021: My Top 10 Favorites

By Noel Krasomil4 Comments

  Do you ever spend late nights staring into the bright glow of a computer screen, searching for inspiration through the adventures of other travelers? I do. Quite frequently actually. I’m obsessed with travel blogs that excite me and it’s keeping me up past my bedtime. No, I’m not talking about ogling over Instagram models […]

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A Couple Traveling Solo: Why We Prefer to Divide and Conquer

By Noel Krasomil2 Comments
Solo traveling couple split-screen. Man trekking Torres del Paine. Woman in Kayak in Thailand.

  Yes, it’s true. Keri and I are a loving couple who would rather travel the world separately. December 24th, 2017. This was the day we kissed each other goodbye and flew to opposite sides of the world. We’d been traveling together for three months at that point, and we were ready for the adventure to […]

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Hey, I'm Noel. I'm a minimalist traveler and ultralight backpacker. I trek into the wilderness, geek out about gear, and travel with the least amount of baggage as I can. I almost always travel solo -- it's the best way to see the world.

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