Photo: Day's End

At age 35, I've moved beyond the days when travel, in and of itself, was a good enough reason to spend months abroad. There are other responsibilities I feel now, responsibilities which prod me to seek more concrete ways to contribute to our world. Always, however, will I cherish the soul-shaping days of living out of a backpack, of basking in the simple act of being. Sometimes in my current role as a writer/photographer, I come across younger backpackers such as these on the Thai island of Ko Chang. And from a distance I watch -- and remember.