For McCool Travel’s 188th travel interview, I am pleased to present Deah Hester. The travel and life experiences of Deah and her partner Chris completely inspire, awe, and intimidate me. Some people think I travel a lot but I feel like I have seen absolutely nothing compared to them.
Deah shares her travel experiences on her website, Palm Tree Musings and social media posts, but her content creation I appears to me to take a back seat to the actual enjoyment of those experiences. I mean that in the best possible way and I totally admire it.
Deah Hester’s bio:
Deah Hester left the US to teach in Haiti in 2003, and discovered there was a whole big world out there. Over the past twenty years, she’s visited 135 countries—some solo, some with friends, and some with her partner. Now she divides her time between working as a high school librarian in Texas, and traveling full time in one-year bursts.
Next up is a one-way ticket to Chile, with plans to stay in South America until mid-2023. She writes all the content on her blog since 2004, while most of the photos (after 2015) are from her talented partner, Chris.
Travel Interview With Deah Hester
HOMETOWN …
I’m from Arlington, Texas. But I left for college and never really returned. In 2003 I became an international teacher, and spent the next ten years bouncing around from Haiti to Nicaragua, Angola to Sudan. I met my partner abroad, and in 2012 we returned to the US (we actually lived just a few streets away from Charles McCool). But we quickly got restless again, and in the decade since we’ve been working three years, traveling one year—we’re on our third cycle now.
ON EVERY TRIP I MUST BRING …
My credit card and my iPhone. Everything else I can get once I’m there if need be.
3 FAVORITE HOME-AWAY-FROM-HOME PLACES …
- One of my oldest friends has been hosting me whenever I need a place to crash since we were teens, so I feel very at home there. The Shag Palace is a perfect original 1970s suburban palace, and has been featured in several movies and photo shoots. It’s lots of fun to explore the closets and drawers there.
- I love the Iguana Azul in Copan. I’ve visited there a few times. Copan seems like the perfect place to chill out, take a Spanish class, and study history.
- The next place in our itinerary is home, because right now we have no home—ours is rented out while we are nomadding about.
A FAVORITE TRAVEL MEMORY …
We arrived just before dawn in Bagan, Myanmar, and couldn’t check into our hotel yet. We saw people quietly walking out of town-dozens of people- so we dropped our bags in the lobby and followed. We kept hearing a whooshing sound. Then the sun began to rise, and suddenly we could see dozens of hot air balloons floating up in the sky over a plain full of temples.
3 FAVORITE TRAVEL BRANDS …
- We both carry Osprey bags, and love them.
- Darn Tough socks with their lifetime guarantee.
- Chris loves his Ex Officio travel underwear.
3 MONEY-SAVING TRAVEL TACTICS I USE …
- We use credit card points for our long-haul flights.
- We prefer bus or train for medium-long distances.
- And once in a city, we’ll take the city bus or metro one way out to see a sight, and then spend the rest of the day meandering our way back on foot.
3 WAYS THAT I HAVE FUN WHILE TRAVELING …
- Physical fitness is important to both of us, so incorporating hikes such as the Annapurna Circuit is a fun way to see the landscape and meet people along the way.
- We love tearing stuff up and getting shit done, so we’ve both incorporated volunteering with Team Rubicon disaster relief with our travels, including a stint in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian.
- We love art and music, so combining our love of travel with a cool festival like Burning Man (2018, 2019, 2022) is a great way to spend our time and money.
8 WORD (OR LESS) TRAVEL MANTRA …
I have a tattoo I got after I hiked the Camino Santiago a few years ago. It says “Ultreia‘, which is Latin for “forward” or “beyond”. We’re always asking ourselves “What’s next? What are we doing after this?”
FAVORITE NON-TRAVEL WEBSITE …
When I’m not traveling, I’m a high school librarian. Reading is super important to me, on both a personal and professional level. My favorite website/app is Libby, which lets you use your local public library card to gain access to e-books and e-audiobooks, no matter where you are in the world.
MOST MEMORABLE SOUVENIR …
I moved to Haiti to teach school in 2003 and left there in 2006 with my life partner, so that’s my most memorable trip souvenir.
FAVORITE CHEAP EAT …
We always love kebabs, and they are always cheap and can be found near bus and train stations across the globe.
RECENT DISCOVERY …
Ferries! This summer the airports and flights were so wild, so we traveled by ferry instead. Much more relaxing! We visited Corsica, Sardinia, Malta, Sicily, Tunisia, and Italy by ferry. Pro tip: if the ferry is longer than six hours, go ahead and book yourself a cabin. Thank me later.
I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE MET …
All the cool hikers on the Appalachian Trail (2014) and Pacific Crest Trail (2021) that I met while my partner hiked and I provided support. What a fun crowd! Always up for an adventure and so inspiring.
I WOULD LIKE TO MEET …
A friend of mine was a driver for the Dalai Lama when he visited the US, and he blessed my prayer flags. And we’ve visited Dharamsala. I would love to actually meet the Dalai Lama.
Thank you so much, Deah, for sharing your travel advice and inspiration.
Follow Palm Tree Musings on Twitter (Palm Tree Reading), Instagram and on her website.
McCool Travel presents tips from travel experts in our 5 Minutes travel interview series—featuring travel industry giants, super frequent travelers, and adventurous persons.
Previous 5 Minutes travel interview: Travel Bugs World.