This page exists for the genuine collaboration inquiries this site gets — tourism boards, gear brands, and tour operators — and for anyone with a question about a destination guide who'd rather read the reasoning behind a recommendation than just the recommendation itself.
Who I work with
Tourism boards for regions that genuinely match this site's focus (adventure, culture, high-altitude and expedition travel — not a fit for every destination, and I say so honestly when it isn't); gear brands whose products I'd recommend regardless of a partnership, in categories covered on the Travel Gear page; and tour operators in destinations already covered or genuinely in scope for future guides, particularly for high-altitude trekking and multi-day expedition-style trips, which is this site's most distinctive angle relative to general travel content.
What collaboration actually looks like in practice
Most productive collaborations start with a genuine trip or product experience, not a paid placement — I write about what I've actually used or experienced, and a partnership that provides that access (a stay, a gear sample, a guided experience) in exchange for honest coverage is the model I'm most open to. Any content resulting from a collaboration is disclosed clearly, in line with the affiliate disclosure policy, and I don't write positive coverage I don't genuinely believe — a partnership that doesn't produce a good experience gets written about honestly or not written about at all, and I say this upfront so there's no surprise later in the relationship.
Sponsored content policy, stated plainly
I don't accept payment for a specific rating or a guaranteed positive review — that arrangement undermines the entire premise of this site, which is that every recommendation here is one I'd make without a financial relationship behind it. Sponsored placements are clearly labeled as such, kept separate from organic destination and gear content, and limited to brands and services genuinely relevant to what this site's readers are actually looking for, not general advertising unrelated to travel.
What I don't do
Guest posts from unrelated sites purely for a backlink; link exchanges that don't offer genuine value to readers; generic "best of" roundups assembled without direct experience of the destinations or products listed; and coverage of anything I haven't personally used, visited, or verified — including when it would be an easy, well-paid yes. Saying no to these consistently is part of what keeps the rest of the site's recommendations meaning something.
Response time and what to include in an inquiry
I read every message that comes through the contact form personally and try to respond within a few business days — collaboration inquiries move faster when they include a specific proposal (what's being offered, what coverage is being requested, and rough timeline) rather than a general "let's work together" opener, since a specific starting point makes it much easier to say a clear yes or no quickly rather than a slow back-and-forth to establish basic details.
Reader questions
Questions about a specific destination guide — a detail that seems outdated, a route that's changed, a place worth adding — are genuinely welcome and often directly improve the site; several details across these guides have been refined based on reader feedback about conditions that changed after my own visit. I can't offer personalized full itinerary planning as a service through this form, but specific, focused questions about published guides get a real, personal answer.
Frequently asked questions
Do you accept unpaid product samples in exchange for a review? Sometimes, if the product is genuinely relevant to the site's focus and there's no expectation of a guaranteed positive review attached to the arrangement.
Can I contribute a guest article? Not as a general policy — every guide on this site is written from personal, first-hand experience, and that standard applies to all contributors, which in practice means the site doesn't currently accept outside guest content.
For tourism boards specifically
A destination-focused collaboration works best when it aligns with this site's actual angle — adventure, high-altitude and expedition travel, and honest, detail-rich culture and logistics guides rather than generic promotional coverage. I'm most interested in destinations with a genuine trekking, mountaineering, or serious outdoor component, or with the kind of depth (multiple regions, distinct travel styles) that supports the long-form, multi-guide treatment this site gives to Nepal, Morocco, and Peru. A single sponsored post about a destination I haven't otherwise researched in depth isn't a fit — a hosted trip that supports building out a genuine, lasting guide is.
For gear brands specifically
I test gear on real trips, under real conditions — a jacket goes on an actual multi-day trek before it gets a recommendation, not a quick photo and an unboxing. This means a gear collaboration has a longer lead time than a typical sponsored post (weeks or months, spanning an actual trip), and the resulting coverage reflects genuine field performance, including any shortcomings, not just marketing points supplied by the brand. Brands whose products hold up to this standard tend to get referenced repeatedly across future guides too, since the gear guide updates as equipment gets replaced and re-tested over time.
For tour operators specifically
Operators running trips in destinations already covered — or genuinely in scope for a planned future guide — are the best fit, particularly for multi-day treks and high-altitude expeditions, which is this site's most distinctive content area relative to general travel sites. I evaluate operator partnerships against the same criteria described in the tours and activities guide — group size, safety practices, staff treatment, and genuine value — and a partnership only proceeds if the operator would pass that bar on its own merits, partnership or not.
A note on affiliate links versus paid partnerships
Most of the monetization on this site comes from affiliate links (hotel, tour, and insurance bookings made through links on this site, at no extra cost to the reader, with this site earning a small commission) rather than paid sponsored posts, which are less frequent and always clearly labeled when they occur. This distinction matters because it changes the incentive structure: an affiliate link only earns anything if a reader chooses to book something they were already going to consider, which keeps the underlying incentive aligned with making genuinely useful recommendations rather than promoting whoever paid the most for a placement.
What a typical inquiry timeline looks like
A well-specified inquiry with a clear proposal typically gets an initial response within a few business days, a decision (or a request for more specifics) within one to two weeks, and, for approved collaborations involving an actual trip or product test, an agreed timeline that respects the real time a genuine trip or product trial requires — I don't rush this part regardless of a brand's own marketing calendar, since the whole value of a collaboration here rests on it being done properly rather than quickly.
More frequently asked questions
Do you disclose affiliate relationships on every relevant page? Yes — see the affiliate disclosure page for the full policy, which applies consistently across every guide and recommendation on this site.
Can readers suggest corrections to existing guides? Yes, and this is genuinely one of the most valuable types of message this form receives — specific, dated corrections about a changed permit process, price, or route detail help keep every guide accurate long after the original trip that informed it.
Media and press inquiries
For journalists or publications researching high-altitude travel, expedition mountaineering, or destination-specific stories about Nepal, Morocco, or Peru, I'm generally happy to be a source for direct quotes or background context drawn from firsthand experience — reach out through the contact form with the specific publication, deadline, and topic, and I'll do my best to accommodate reasonable turnaround times given advance notice.
What makes an inquiry easy to say yes to
Beyond a specific proposal, the inquiries that get the fastest, most enthusiastic response tend to share a few traits: they've clearly read at least a couple of the actual guides on this site rather than sending an obviously generic templated pitch, they're transparent about what's being asked for and what's being offered in return, and they demonstrate some genuine understanding of why this site's specific angle — expedition and high-altitude travel, firsthand-only content — might or might not be a fit for what they're proposing. A thoughtful, specific "no, this isn't quite right for the site, but here's an idea that might be" is a completely reasonable outcome I'm happy to offer in response to an inquiry that shows real thought, even when the original proposal doesn't fit.
Long-term partnership versus one-off collaboration
Some of the most valuable relationships this site maintains are ongoing rather than one-off — a gear brand whose products get referenced and updated across multiple guides over time, or a destination relationship that supports multiple trips and guides over several years rather than a single sponsored post. I'm generally more interested in proposals framed around this kind of longer-term relationship than a single transactional exchange, since it better matches how the site's content actually gets built and maintained over time.
A transparent note on current site scale
This site is a relatively young, deliberately focused publication rather than a large-scale media operation, and I'd rather be upfront about that than oversell reach or audience size in a partnership conversation. What it offers instead is depth, genuine firsthand expertise in a specific niche (high-altitude and expedition-adjacent travel), and a highly engaged readership specifically interested in that niche rather than general travel content —
Guest Posts and Contributor Pitches
Short answer: rarely, and only when it's a genuinely strong fit. This is a one-person site with a distinct first-person voice, and most guest post pitches I get read like they were written for a generic "travel blog" rather than for this one specifically, which is the fastest way to a no. That said, I have run a handful of guest pieces over the years — always from people with direct, specific expertise I don't have, like a mountain guide writing about acclimatization protocols on Cho Oyu, or a long-term resident of a place I've only passed through briefly. If that's you, a workable pitch is short: one paragraph on your specific angle and why you're the right person for it (not a general travel writer — a person with direct experience), two links to your previous writing, and a proposed headline. Skip the full draft up front; I'd rather agree on the angle first so you're not writing something that gets rejected on shape alone.
What I won't run: anything written primarily to embed a client's link, anything AI-generated or obviously templated, and generic "10 tips for X" listicles that could run on any site on the internet. If your piece gets accepted, you'll get a byline, a short bio with one link back to your own site or project, and I'll edit for voice consistency the same way I'd edit my own draft — expect changes, not just a copyedit. I don't pay for guest posts currently, given the site's scale, which I'm upfront about before anyone invests time in a draft.
Can You Quote Me, Use My Photos, or Reprint a Guide?
This comes up more than you'd think, so here's the actual policy instead of making people guess. Quoting a short passage (a sentence or two) with a link back to the original page is fine without asking — that's normal and I'd rather more people did it properly than paraphrased without credit. Reprinting a full article, translating one for another site, or using more than a couple of my photos requires asking first, and I say yes more often than not for non-commercial use, especially for other independent travel writers, students, or nonprofit trekking and conservation organizations. What I don't allow without a separate paid license is commercial use of my photography — stock use, print products, advertising, or a tourism board's marketing materials — since that's actual commercial value being extracted from work I did at my own cost and risk, often at altitude, and I license those separately with proper usage terms.
On the subject everyone's asking about lately: I don't knowingly permit bulk scraping of the site's content for AI training datasets, and if you're building something in that space, ask directly rather than assuming a blanket right — I'll consider specific requests case by case. For anything in this section, email me through the form below with the specific page or photo, where it'll be used, and for how long; I usually reply within a few days with either a yes, a no, or a straightforward licensing quote if it's commercial.
Trip Reports, Corrections, and "You Got This Wrong" Emails
This is genuinely one of my favorite categories of email and I want to separate it clearly from partnership pitches, because it gets buried under those otherwise. If a price I quoted is out of date, a border crossing procedure has changed, a guesthouse I recommended has closed, or I just got something factually wrong, please tell me — I update the site's guides regularly specifically because readers flag this, and I credit you by first name in the guide's changelog note if you want that (most people don't, which is fine too). I run 86 countries' worth of guides largely solo, and prices and logistics shift constantly; I'd rather have a slightly embarrassing correction email than a stale guide that costs someone money or a wasted day.
I also genuinely want your trip reports, especially from destinations I've covered lightly or not at all — if you did the trek I described and found a better teahouse, a cheaper permit route, or a completely different border crossing that worked better, that's exactly the kind of on-the-ground detail that makes the travel guides better than anything a big publisher could produce, since they're not sending one person to update 86 countries by hand every year. Send it however's easiest — a few bullet points is plenty, you don't need to write an essay. I read every one of these myself, and while I can't promise to incorporate every suggestion immediately given it's just me running this, corrections about factual errors specifically get priority and usually go live within a couple of weeks.
Speaking Engagements and In-Person Talks
Given the mountaineering background, I get a fair number of requests for talks, and I do a handful each year when the fit and logistics work. Past talks have ranged from a corporate offsite for an outdoor gear company's team (a session on decision-making under pressure at altitude, which translates surprisingly well to business contexts once you strip out the crampons) to a school assembly in Kraków where I mostly fielded blunt questions from twelve-year-olds about frostbite, to a panel at a climbing gear expo about budgeting for a first 8,000-meter attempt. I'm comfortable with formats from a 20-minute keynote slot to a longer workshop-style session with Q&A, and I bring my own photo and route material rather than needing much prep support from the host.
Practically: I charge a fee plus travel and accommodation for anything requiring flights, though I'll sometimes do local Kraków-area talks for schools or community groups at reduced or no cost if the budget genuinely isn't there — ask, don't assume. For a workable pitch, tell me the audience size and type, the format and length you're picturing, the date and location, and your budget range up front, since that last part saves both of us time. I generally need at least six weeks' notice given expedition season scheduling (I'm essentially unreachable and off-grid for stretches during spring and autumn climbing windows), and I'd rather decline early than commit and cancel.
How Affiliate Income Actually Factors Into What I Recommend
I've touched on affiliate links versus paid partnerships elsewhere on this page, but I want to be specific about the actual mechanics here, because I think vague disclosure statements are close to useless. This site runs affiliate links through a small number of programs — mainly for booking platforms referenced on the where to stay page, some of the gear I actually use and list on travel gear, and a couple of tour operators I've personally used and vetted, referenced from tours and activities. When you book through one of those links at no extra cost to you, I get a small commission, typically somewhere between 3% and 8% of the booking value depending on the program.
The honest mechanics of how this affects recommendations: it doesn't change what I recommend, but I'll admit it can affect what I bother writing about, in one specific way — I'm more likely to write a detailed comparison piece on a topic where affiliate links exist, purely because it's a better use of unpaid writing time for a one-person operation, which I discuss more on the resources page and in the transparent note on site scale elsewhere on this page. What it never does is get an item, a hotel, or an operator recommended that I wouldn't otherwise stand behind — I've turned down higher-commission affiliate programs for gear I don't personally rate, and I've kept recommending things with no commission attached at all when they're simply the best option I've found. Total affiliate income for this site is modest, not something anyone could live on, which is exactly why the honesty matters more than the disclosure boilerplate most sites paste in and forget about.
On Disagreement, Criticism, and the Occasional Furious Email
I get a real, steady trickle of critical messages, and I want to be honest about how I actually handle them rather than pretending this site only ever receives pleasant corrections. They break down into two very different categories that deserve very different responses. The first is substantive disagreement — someone who's actually been to Annapurna or Toubkal or the Sacred Valley and thinks I got a route recommendation, a cost figure, or a safety judgment wrong. I take these seriously every time, even when the tone is sharp, because the underlying content usually has something real in it. A memorable one came from a guide in Peru who wrote a genuinely blistering email accusing a piece I'd written on altitude acclimatization schedules of being dangerously conservative in one direction and reckless in another, which on its face couldn't both be true. I wrote back, we went back and forth for a week, and it turned out he was right about a specific claim regarding a rest-day placement that I'd generalized too broadly from my own experience, I corrected the guide and credited the exchange in a changelog note, and he's since sent me two more corrections since, unprompted, which tells you the initial anger was really just someone who cared about getting it right.
The second category is people who are just having a bad day and have picked my inbox as the outlet, and I've gotten better over the years at telling the difference quickly rather than absorbing every message with equal emotional weight. A message that leads with a personal insult about my competence, my nationality, or my appearance in a photo, with no actual factual claim attached, gets read, gets no reaction, and gets archived, I don't argue with those, and I don't publish them anywhere to make a point, because that just extends something that deserves to end at "read and dismissed." What I don't do, in either category, is delete or hide legitimate critical comments to protect the site's image, if you look through the comment sections on the destination guides you'll find disagreement left standing, including a few exchanges where a reader made a fair point I hadn't fully addressed in the original piece. I'd rather run a site that visibly survives disagreement than one that looks unanimously agreeable because anything else got quietly removed. The one hard line I do hold is tone directed at other readers in the comments rather than at me, I'll step in and moderate that, because a critical reader is a feature of an honest site, but a pile-on against another commenter isn't something I'll let sit.
Reader Meetups: What Actually Happens When You Ask to Meet Up
This comes up more than I expected when I started writing publicly about specific trips and rough date ranges, and I want to give a straight answer instead of a vague "maybe, we'll see." If our travel plans genuinely overlap, you're doing the Annapurna Circuit the same week I happen to be back in the region for a guide update, say, I'm generally happy to meet for a coffee, a meal, or even a stretch of trail if the timing and route line up, and it's happened a handful of times over the years, almost always pleasantly. What I don't do is publish my exact location and dates in advance on the site or social media, for reasons that should be fairly obvious once you think about it for ten seconds: a public, specific "I'll be alone at this exact guesthouse on this exact date" post is not a smart thing for anyone to broadcast, let alone someone who occasionally travels solo through remote areas.
The way this actually works in practice is through the contact form, ahead of time, with real specifics, your dates, your route, and enough detail that I can tell whether it's a genuine overlap rather than a "maybe I'll swing by your country sometime this year" message, which I get a lot of and can't realistically plan around. I read these and respond honestly: sometimes the timing works and we grab a meal, sometimes I'm off-grid on an expedition during the exact window you're asking about and simply can't, and I say so plainly rather than leaving anyone hanging. A few caveats worth being upfront about: I'm not set up to guide anyone informally on technical terrain even if we happen to be in the same valley, that's what the operators I recommend on the tours and activities page are for, and mixing "casual meetup" with "unpaid, unofficial guiding" is a bad idea for everyone's safety. And during actual expedition windows in spring and autumn, I'm genuinely unreachable for stretches, so a meetup request timed around those months usually needs a backup plan on your end regardless of what I say in advance.
Time-Sensitive Inquiries Versus Everything Else
I mentioned elsewhere on this page that most inquiries get a response within a few business days, but I want to separate out the cases where that timeline genuinely doesn't work, because I'd rather tell you how to actually reach me fast than have a journalist on a same-day deadline sit there refreshing an inbox I might not check until Thursday. If you're on a real deadline, a same-day or next-day publication, a broadcast slot, an editor breathing down your neck, put it in the subject line explicitly, something like "Deadline [date]: quote request on [topic]," and I mean that literally, because a subject line that just says "Question" or "Media inquiry" gets triaged with everything else and might genuinely wait a few days behind it. A flagged, specific deadline gets pulled to the top of what I check, and if I can plausibly hit it, I will; if I'm mid-expedition and off-grid, I'll say so honestly rather than leaving you hanging until the window closes.
Which gets at the real constraint here: I'm not reachable the same way during the roughly ten to twelve weeks a year I spend on expedition logistics and actual climbing, and no amount of urgency in a subject line changes basic satellite connectivity above base camp. I do carry a Garmin inReach for safety check-ins on remote trips, and no, that's not a channel for press inquiries, I've had exactly one journalist earnestly ask if she could reach me that way for a quote, and much as I admired the persistence, that device exists so my mother knows I'm alive, not for fielding interview requests from a glacier. For anything genuinely time-critical during those windows, the honest advice is to build in the buffer up front, reach out a week or two before your actual deadline rather than the day of, and mention the hard date clearly so I can tell you immediately whether it's realistic instead of you finding out too late. Outside expedition season, I'm generally at a laptop somewhere within a day or two of any message, deadline or not, and a clearly flagged, specific ask is always going to move faster than a general one, whether you're a journalist, a brand, or just a reader with a genuinely urgent trip-planning question before a non-refundable booking window closes.
Even more frequently asked questions
Do you offer paid consulting for trip planning? Not currently as a formal service — the free guides on this site represent the planning knowledge I have to share, and I keep personalized paid consulting off the table to keep the site's core content the clear priority.
How should a brand pitch a product that doesn't fit any existing category on this site? Explain the connection to adventure, high-altitude, or expedition-style travel specifically in the pitch — a product without a clear link to this site's actual focus is unlikely to be a fit regardless of the product's general quality or how well it performs in a broader market.
Ready to reach out? Use the contact form with a specific proposal or question, and I'll get back to you personally.