After earning his bachelors in marketing, Dirk moved out west on a whim and has since enjoyed living a “simple life”—which he defines as a life free from clutter but rich with exciting new experiences. Everything he owns fits in his car, but everything he needs fits in his memory, he says. In 2010, after spending three months hitching and cycling across America on a shoestring budget, he discovered his love for the “charming nature” of adventure travel. He hasn’t stopped traveling since, and has even spent a summer as a writer/photographer in Africa. Dirk spent his first season with Backroads working on the Camp Crew in Alaska, the Tetons and the Canyons. He now works as Trip Leader and blogs for the Back Beat.