top of page
Welcome to Jack’s Journal—a curated collection of stories, reflections, and dispatches from life on the road. Here, I explore the meaning behind my travels. From bullrings in Spain to mountains in New Zealand, from quiet moments of faith in ancient cities to loud collisions with modern politics, this is where I write to understand what I’ve seen—and what it says about the world, and about us.
Jack's
Journal
Dispatches - 13 July 2025 - A Week of San Fermín
What a year this week has been! As always, the fiesta has yet to disappoint!
Dispatches - 6 July 2025 - Return to Spain
It has been quite the week with a lot of moving pieces.
Dispatches - 29 June 2025 - My Final Week and Conversations with Women
What a week it has been. Well, a week and change since my last update. Time is moving fast as my Wayfarer expedition approaches, and I'm not near as ready on the website, Instagram, and YouTube side of things as I wanted to be.
Dispatches - 16 June 2025 - Updates From A Few Weeks in Texas
What a few weeks it has been back in Texas. To be honest, there's not much of an excuse not to have written a dispatch since the end of...
Dispatches - 26 May 2025 - Costs of Doing Business
The costs for trekking in Morocco and Iraq are STEEP. I knew these two would be more expensive, because I will need a guide. Even so, the quotes are pretty high.
As I Wrote it Then: My First Time Visiting Madrid
On our last full day, we decided to get out of the city and went for a hike outside the Royal Residence. We spent nearly all day and afternoon out there wandering the paths and woods. It wasn't an especially rigorous hike, but we both enjoyed our time away from the hustle and bustle of city life after the past several weeks. Plus, Jo managed to have us stumble upon the Civil Guard's K-9 training center.
Consequences of War: Travelling the Middle East After October 7th
The war has gone on for more than nineteen months, and resulted in tens of thousands of civilian casualties, mostly Palestinian. As of this writing, there is no end in sight, as neither side is willing to budge on its war aims or political objectives.
The Morning Before the Encierro
It is my morning ritual during the fiesta: awake early, drink a double espresso around the corner from the hostel, and read the morning paper. I'm specifically reading the section related to the bulls and bullfights for the day. The Diario de Navarra publishes the pictures, ranches, and weights of the six bulls that will run through the streets in less than two hours.
A Day Trekking Through the Cambodian Jungle
Our hike started on dirt farm roads where local villagers tilled their fields and built their homes. That part of the hike was hot under the Cambodian sun. The French couples burned quickly under its oppressive rays. They hadn't heeded the warning to cover their shoulders, wear long pants, and wear proper shoes instead of sandals. I, on the other hand, was roasting by the time we reached the jungle. Hot and sweaty, but fortunately not burned.
Italy’s Forgotten Camp: The Risiera di San Sabba
Prisoners from the front were moved to the Risiera, interrogated, and transported elsewhere for their wartime internment. Not all of them made it, however, as prisoners who died under torture or who were deemed undesirable to Nazi authorities were cremated on site. When the Allies invaded Italy, the Nazis retreated, destroying the crematorium and other parts of the Risiera in the process. Like the death camps, there could be no evidence of their crimes for Allies to find.
A Tail in Pamplona: The Rejoneo at Its Finest
I still prefer the classic corrida, but after last night, I won't summarily write off the rejoneo like I have in the past.
Spain’s Small Fairs: La Esencia de España
Not many Spaniards in the rural towns speak English, there are rarely special, fast-to-produce fair menus at cafes, and the local attractions—like castles, churches, and museums—stay open during the fiestas. You can run an encierro in the morning, visit a castle before lunch, join a wheel dance in the afternoon, and end the night with dinner among locals instead of raucous partygoers. You don't get that at the big fairs.
ADVANCE CHAPTER: Pamplona and La Fiesta de San Fermín
An advance chapter from Jack's next book, "Aficionado: Discovering Spain Through the Art of Bullfighting." He discusses Pamplona's history, traditions, and the San Fermin Festival
Death in the Ring: A Moral Reckoning with the Spanish Bullfight
Watching the spectacle before me, I realised it was the first time I had seen something die before me in person. This wasn't a movie, video game, or a thought experiment. Death was real in the ring.
Corredor: Why I'll Run the Encierro Until I Can't
In running, I lived life not just to the fullest but to its potential end, less than a macabre call for help than living life all out, or at least as much as I could without staring a bull down in the bullring later that evening.
The Symbols I Wear: The Meaning Behind the Rings, Necklaces, and Bracelets
Contrary to popular belief, I am a highly sentimental person. Not with photos or gifts, but with symbols of something greater than...
What I Learned from Publishing My First Book
Publishing my first book was a ton of work, and I had a steep learning curve as I steadily marched towards the launch date...Here are my top 10 lessons learned from this first publishing journey
Faith and the Faena: Biblical Lessons from the Spanish Arena
There is more to the religious angle than simply commitment to God in the face of an uncertain end of the night. There are lessons to draw from the corrida as an allegory for Christian life, from the written law to our behaviour in the face of social change.
Beyond Escape: Why I Travel
People ask me all the time why I travel. It's not a cut-and-dry answer nor a sound-bite. My reasons are diverse and personal, at the same time simple and difficult to explain. Yet, people look up to me as a seasoned traveller, and many times have sought my input or assistance on starting their own journeys. My advice is always the same: have a why.
Faith Among the Ruins: My Case for Christianity in Turkey
Therein lies the element of faith. Did Jesus really feed 5,000 people with just five loaves and two fish? Did John really preach and die in Ephesus? Is Christianity truly superior to Hellenism? The truth is, we don’t really know and likely never will. Archaeology and history are soft sciences, and without a time machine, we can only make an assessment of what actually happened. But I answered those questions with some of my own.
Talking Tariffs: Vietnam, Communism, and Trump's New Trade Agreement
I was disgusted with this policy. I wasn't disgusted with the businesses which used the legal system to lower costs, but with the Communist Part of Vietnam for allowing its people to be exploited by foreign capitalists. It was the very definition of hypocrisy. I was also disgusted with Americans who supported communist ideals back home while simultaneously decrying President Trump's tariff policy.
ADVANCE CHAPTER: A Poverty-Stricken World
Poverty, true poverty, was a systemic issue on the international stage. There weren't rich forces at play controlling the world economy like some conspiracy theorists may have believed, but there were real problems out of an individual’s control that caused them to live in poverty. It wasn't simply a matter of moving or pulling yourself up by your bootstraps; when the average income for your country was 4,000 USD, getting out of a poverty-stricken world took more than sheer g
The Things You Miss: Clean Underwear and Other Luxuries
Before I left home, I never realised just how many little things I took for granted. I’m not talking about cultural differences; I'm talking about the practical stuff: drinkable tap water, air conditioning that works, toilets that flush. They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, but I never understood just how much I had until I found myself sleeping in a stagnant room with no fan, no power, no working Wi-Fi, wondering how to ask for directions in a language I di
Lost In Translation: What the Rest of the World Doesn't Get About the United States
I've travelled around and talked to a lot of people in my two years abroad. Inevitably, at some point in the conversation, I get asked "What's up with your country?" The United States' unique economic, defence, and political position in the world gives us a lot of pull, but it also makes people think about us. Like learning the English language, the more someone tries to learn about the American way of things, the more they get confused.
After the Fall: America’s Waning Influence from a Traveller’s Perspective
American influence is waning. Our word is no longer law, our policies no longer universally revered, and there is little appetite for a resurgence of American interventionism in the name of freedom. Nor necessarily should there be. Our domestic social division undermines our ability to play world police and prop up governments who share our aspirations, but that doesn't mean we don't have a role to play. Our ideals and democratic values are still very much alive...
Travel Slow, Stay Long: Why Moving Less Means Experiencing More
It is impossible to fully experience a new destination in just one or two days. Even the sleepiest of towns have more to offer in the way of exploring and atmosphere than just a couple of days' stay will provide. When we rush through new places in the name of "doing" the city or country, we often miss out on "experiencing" the city.
Pack for the Long Haul: My Complete Packing List For One Year Abroad
I spent months (about ten) packing, unpacking, and testing my packing list to perfect it before leaving in June of 2023, and even after all that time, I still got some things wrong.
Gearing Up for Long-Term Travel: What I Packed, What I Regret, and Lessons Learned
Few things are more daunting than packing for an open-ended trip around the world. When you pack for vacation, you pack with a theme, like beaches, camping, or exploring cities, but on an open-ended trip to destinations unknown, the packing list can get confusing.
Money Matters: The Price of Freedom on the Road
"How do you afford it?" The answer is as simple as it is unglamorous: financial discipline. Not hacks, not complicated investment strategies, not collaboration with influencers, just good old fashioned discipline.
Check back soon
Once posts are published, you’ll see them here.
bottom of page