About Me

stick
Tristan Balme 1 18
Tristan Balme Sig

Hi, I’m Tristan and I love an adventure

Hi, I’m Tristan – a New Zealander who has spent the better part of the last decade abroad, chasing the kind of travel that doesn’t fit neatly on a postcard. I’m a travel-bug, a wanderluster, or whatever you call someone who’d rather be halfway up a mountain in Nepal than sitting in a cubicle.

It started, as these things tend to, with one trip that was only ever meant to last a few months. Forty-seven countries and six continents later, I’m still going. I’ve walked ancient pilgrimage trails in Japan, summited Kilimanjaro, run on kava time in Vanuatu, and made a genuinely impressive number of mistakes along the way – missed flights, a lost passport, a scooter I should never have rented, and one memorable rabies scare in India.

This blog is where I write it all down properly. Not the highlight-reel version, but the useful stuff: where to actually stay, what things really cost, which hike is worth the early start, and what I wish I’d known before I went. I’d rather cover a handful of places deeply than the whole world thinly, so you’ll find far more Vanuatu, Kumano Kodo and Kilimanjaro here than you will Paris.

When I’m not writing I’m usually behind a camera, on a trail, or plotting the next trip from home base in Tauranga, New Zealand. If that sounds like your kind of travel, stick around – I write these guides so you can get lost, and have the adventure of a lifetime (or a lifetime of adventure).


Happy Travels, Tristan 

Where I’ve Been

47 countries, 6 continents, and counting

Ten years of chasing the good stuff – remote trails, island villages, food markets and the odd rabies scare. Here’s the map so far.

47Countries
6Continents
10+Years travelling
Afghanistan Angola Albania United Arab Emirates Argentina Armenia French Southern and Antarctic Lands Australia Austria Azerbaijan Burundi Belgium Benin Burkina Faso Bangladesh Bulgaria The Bahamas Bosnia and Herzegovina Belarus Belize Bermuda Bolivia Brazil Brunei Bhutan Botswana Central African Republic Canada Switzerland Chile China Ivory Coast Cameroon Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Northern Cyprus Cyprus Czech Republic Germany Djibouti Denmark Dominican Republic Algeria Ecuador Egypt Eritrea Spain Estonia Ethiopia Finland Fiji Falkland Islands France Gabon United Kingdom Georgia Ghana Guinea Gambia Guinea Bissau Equatorial Guinea Greece Greenland Guatemala French Guiana Guyana Honduras Croatia Haiti Hungary Indonesia India Ireland Iran Iraq Iceland Israel Italy Jamaica Jordan Japan Kazakhstan Kenya Kyrgyzstan Cambodia South Korea Kosovo Kuwait Laos Lebanon Liberia Libya Sri Lanka Lesotho Lithuania Luxembourg Latvia Morocco Moldova Madagascar Mexico Macedonia Mali Malta Myanmar Montenegro Mongolia Mozambique Mauritania Malawi Malaysia Namibia New Caledonia Niger Nigeria Nicaragua Netherlands Norway Nepal New Zealand Oman Pakistan Panama Peru Philippines Papua New Guinea Poland Puerto Rico North Korea Portugal Paraguay Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Western Sahara Saudi Arabia Sudan South Sudan Senegal Solomon Islands Sierra Leone El Salvador Somaliland Somalia Republic of Serbia Suriname Slovakia Slovenia Sweden Swaziland Syria Chad Togo Thailand Tajikistan Turkmenistan East Timor Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Taiwan United Republic of Tanzania Uganda Ukraine Uruguay United States of America Uzbekistan Venezuela Vietnam Vanuatu West Bank Yemen South Africa Zambia Zimbabwe
Countries I’ve visited Still on the list

Where I’ve been featured.

My writing and photography has been featured in other well known publications including the following;
Lonely PlanetNew Zealand’s Best Wild Swimming Spots, The Benefits of Camping
New Zealand HeraldTravelling Through New Zealand History, Tauranga Spring Adventures
Otago Daily Times (Photo Credit)Victoria To Build 800k Homes
Huffington PostSunday Table
Best Bits (NZ Jane)Mount Tauhara Hike

Tristan Balme As Seen In Banner

On foot

Some of my favourite hikes

From New Zealand’s Great Walks to volcano summits and jungle pilgrimages – I’ve pulled every walk worth doing into one place, each with a full guide and a photo to prove I actually did it.

See all my hikes ›

Get more inspiration

New guides, honest travel tips and the occasional money-saving hack, straight to your inbox. No spam, just the good stuff.

The legal bit. Tristanbalme.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programmes, designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites. I may earn a small commission on products or services referred through this site, at no extra cost to you.

Privacy Policy  ·  Shipping Policy  ·  Return & Refund Policy