Beards. Mustaches. Scruff.
We’re talking about manly men. Rugged guys climbing mountains, exploring off the beaten path, discovering new trails, roughing it up on the road, traveling the world. Inspired by Christoph Rehage’s nomadic beard video, The Longest Way, this article is dedicated to the Travel Geeks sporting beards proudly – proof of their extensive travels, and giving ladies around the world some eye candy.
We asked some of backpacker friends how they deal with a bearded lifestyle on their travels, what crazy adventures their beards have encountered, and what the ladies of the world think about their unshaven facial hair. Sometimes a beard is not just about the rugged good looks, it’s about wearing a badge of honor.
Below we interviewed Mike Barish, Dave Lee, Ian MacKenzie, Chris Christensen, and Craig Zabransky on the Adventures of Bearded Travelers. Read on to marvel at their beards and the experiences gained:
Chris Christensen (Amateur Traveler) eating Chinese food in Africa
Home Base: San Jose, CA
Current Location: my couch
Why do you have a beard?
Laziness and my wife likes me better with a beard and protests whenever I speak of its defoliation
Where have you traveled to with your beard?
I have made numerous trips to Europe (England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Turkey and the Czech Republic), Mexico and Canada. I have also been to China, Tanzania, Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Panama, Aruba, Curacao, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. I have seen most of the states in the United States.
Is your beard about form or function? Why?
My beard is about form. It used to be a full beard but has shrunk as it turned grey to a goatee.
What have been some reactions to your beard during your travels?
It helped me blend in bit more in Turkey but stand out a bit more in China. Since I have traveled only as a married man my insight into the ladies reactions has been a bit filtered.
Chris and new Korean companion in Turkey
How long have you been growing your beard? When have you not had a beard?
I grew the beard when I went to college in 1979 and have only shaved it off 2 or 3 times since then. Once was to play the part of Linus in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown in community theatre.
How do you maintain your beard on the road?
I bring scissors and a razor
What’s the craziest adventure you and your beard have experienced?
Having been bearded for 30 years my beard has experienced the vast majority of my adventures. It has kept my face warm in an early morning hot air balloon ride. It has collected dust as I rode standing up out the top of a Range Rover on Safari in Ngoro Ngoro crater. It does make snorkeling and scuba a bit more challenging.
What’s the hardest food to keep out of your beard?
Ice cream
What advice would you give to aspiring bearded travelers?
Take some Vaseline to help make your scuba mask fit more water tight
Dave Lee (Go Backpacking & Travel Blog Success) in Cambodia
Home Base: Fairfax, Virginia
Current Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Why do you have a beard?
Laziness, rugged good looks, makes me look older (some have said sexy too!).
What have been some of your favorite destinations?
I’ve been around the world in the last few years, so there are too many to name. I loved the mountains and Tibetan Buddhist influences in Nepal, and the culture and salsa dancing of Colombia. The tropical islands of French Polynesia and Thailand are hard to beat, while the wildlife in South Africa was a real treat for this suburban kid.
Dave in Sikkim, India
Is your beard about form or function? Why?
Neither really. People say it makes me look older, however I don’t mind being mistaken for a guy in his late 20’s. For me, it’s nice to take a break from daily shaving while on the road, and it allows me to save money by spending less on razors. I tried those cheap razors, but they’re too painful, so I stick with Gillette Mach 3 Turbo, whether at home or traveling.
How long do you typically grow your beard?
I’d only let it grow out for 1-2 weeks at a time before shaving because it gets way too itchy for me, especially in tropical weather.
What’s the craziest adventure you and your beard have experienced?
I’d have to say cage diving with Great White sharks off the coast of South Africa. It’s very exciting, however nothing can prepare you for what it’s like to have Jaws grinding his full set of teeth on metal, just inches from your face and fingers.
What advice would you give to aspiring bearded travelers?
Invest in quality razors, because nothing hurts more than shaving thick beard hair with a 99-cent disposable. Ouch.
Mike Barish (Gadling)
Home Base: New York
Current Location: Canada
Why do you have a beard?
Balances my receding hairline. Looks good with my shaved head is what I like to say.
Where have you traveled to? What have been some of your favorite places?
I love different places for different reasons. India was where I felt most at home. Vermont reminds me of childhood summers. Osaka, Japan is an amusement park for the senses. Puerto Rico cooks up some good pork skin. Picking a favorite destination is like picking a favorite Golden Girl. I love them all.
Is your beard about form or function?
Both. It looks good but it really does keep my face warm. The winter temperatures in the Yukon Territory were no match for my whiskers.
How do the ladies of the world like your beard? Has it varied by country?
Well, my girlfriend loves it and that’s all that really matters. I have found that it generates fewer questions in rural areas than in cities.
How long have you been growing your beard?
I grow a beard almost every winter and rarely shave completely. This current iteration was conceived in September 2009. Though, I usually sport at least a five o’clock shadow (though I struggle to pull off the blazer and loafers look due to my troubling lack of a Ferrari).
How has your beard affected your travels? Is your beard at all reflective of your travels?
It hasn’t affected my travels too much other than instead of bed head I wake up with bed beard. Also, I went from never needing shampoo (because I shave my head) to now worrying about conditioning my facial hair.
How do you maintain your beard on the road?
I tend to let my beard be on holiday, as well. I give it a good trim pre-trip and then let it have a mind of its own.
What’s the craziest adventure you and your beard have experienced?
We’ve bungee jumped, skydived, dogsled and Zorbed together. But the craziest thing we did was show up at my grandmother’s house and endured her judgment. We should have just stayed home.
What’s the hardest food to keep out of your beard?
Ramen. No question.
What advice would you give to aspiring bearded travelers?
Stop shaving.
Craig Zabransky (Stay Adventurous)
Home Base: New York, NY
Current Location: Florida Keys or Todo Santos, Mexico
Why do you have a beard?
Laziness
Rugged good looks
Makes me look older
Balances my receding hairline
Yes. Yes. Yes. And well, probably another yes. Elements of all of the above contribute to my decision. But if I could add one, I might add fun. Yes, it’s fun to have and hold one’s beard.
Where has your beard traveled to with you
My beard accompanies me on most of my adventurers; we already shared memories across four continents and countless countries. Some of the most cherished include the two months in Buenos Aires, sailing the Greek Islands, and perhaps the days spent writing and conversing in the cafes of San Sebastian, Spain. And in Spain my beard enjoyed all the pintxos (tapas) almost as much as I did. But the Rioja was just for me.
Is your beard about form or function?
Not sure it’s either. In fact, I’d like to choose a third F – Fashion. Yes, a fashion statement; it represents who I am. Plus, I can’t help but smile when I see the models sporting a beard like myself recently. Copy cats.
How do the ladies of the world like your beard? Does it vary by country?
Different reactions, but definitely much more like than dislike. And yes, it totally varies, not only by country, but by state, city and even street. In New York I might enjoy a smile in SoHo but that will not materialize on the Upper West side. Hmmm, perhaps one of the reasons I rarely head to the Upper West.
But of all the places, I tend to think the ‘Latin World’ views my beard in the most favorable eye. From Mexico to South America – it’s “Guapo.” And don’t forget the origin of Latin and the Romance languages – especially Spain.
Craig and beard in Spain
How long have you been growing your beard?
I attempted the beard twice before I could claim success. Each time on road trips. A post college cross country trip I lacked experience and two weeks through Japan was not enough time. It took three weeks of holiday in Spain to fully grow the beard. And since that summer of 2001, I’ve kept the beard more days than not. My only beardless travels were business trips to China in 2002 and 2004 and the days after wards. Asia seems to be beardless for business.
How has your beard affected your travels? Is your beard at all reflective of your travels?
Yes, to me it signifies the traveler not the tourist; a man on a journey not someone trying to get to the next destination. The bearded traveler also sees time differently. (I never wear a watch) You seem to be on the road, never in a rush, and always available for future adventures.
How do you maintain your beard on the road?
Usually not a concern. For short trips (a week or less) I do nothing. With longer trips it depends on the type of trip. A more luxurious trip might see me bring accessories while if it’s off to backpack the jungle or brave any colder destination I may just let it go wild until a return to city life.
What’s the craziest adventure you and your beard have experienced?
Probably Bulgaria. Growing up in the cold war, I never thought I’d experience the other side of the Iron Curtain. But we did. Magical monasteries, mountain hikes in the Pirin’s, Black Sea Resorts with parties that make the Jersey Shore seem tame and a capital city, Sofia, which is truly emerging to a top European destination. Epic.Two crazy weeks.
But my trip to Africa this May might surpass that. Stay tuned. Desert, Safari, World Cup – it will be quite the adventure.
What’s the hardest food to keep out of your beard?
My beard really enjoyed those pintxos and also with a personal affinity for all things Mexican, tacos (especially those from El Califa in Mexico City) seem to find a home some late nights after a tequila session.
What advice would you give to aspiring bearded travelers?
My (bearded) college history professor told the class one day “Every man needs to grow a beard once in his life to find out who he truly is.” You remember certain college classes and some professors change your life. He did. To start, people see you differently and also you start to see the world differently. I never knew what he meant, but now traveling with my beard I tend to think of the once experiment as now a permanent part of myself. My beard is here to stay. To me, it’s staying adventurous.
Ian MacKenzie (Brave New Traveler) enjoying a sunrise
Home Base: Vancouver
Current Location: Vancouver
Why do you have a beard?
Rugged good looks
Makes me look older
Where has your beard traveled to with you?
I’ve traveled to a variety of places, including Australia, Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Fiji, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Laos, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. I tend to gravitate toward tropical destinations (probably because Vancouver is cold and rainy most of the year).
Is your beard about form or function? How so?
My beard is about function – I don’t like shaving all the time, so it’s just easier to have a beard.
How do the ladies of the world like your beard? Has it varied by country?
I think most ladies appreciate the beard… though for some reason I think Germans tend not to like facial hair.
How long have you been growing your beard? When have you not had a beard?
I’ve had my beard since 2004, when I grew it after a road trip with my girlfriend (now wife). After the trip, I meant to shave the beard, but she said it actually looked nice. Also, the fact that she is a few years older than me, and the beard made me appear older and wiser… had nothing to do with it.
How has your beard affected your travels? Is your beard at all reflective of your travels?
In 2006, during a two month backpack trip in Thailand, a white patch appeared in my beard. I’m not exactly sure why that happened, or if it reflected anything that happened on the journey (maybe I was traumatized and didn’t remember?). But the beard and backpacking in general definitely go hand in hand.
How do you maintain your beard on the road?
Electric shaver is the easiest, as long as you bring along the right attachments for the electric plugs. Case in point: last year in Georgia, I burnt out my shaver on the first day. I couldn’t find a replacement plug, so instead, I decided to let the beard “out of the cage.” I kept it growing for 4 months just to see what would happen.
What’s the craziest adventure you and your beard have experienced?
I grew my beard all the way to Burning Man 2009. That would have been a wild experience with our without my beard… but looking back at the pics, I’m grateful my beard and I were able to share the playa together.
Ian at Burning Man
What’s the hardest food to keep out of your beard?
Lobster. All that dripping butter coats your beard and won’t wash off without copious amounts of soap and water.
What advice would you give to aspiring bearded travelers?
Shave your neck. As long as your neck is shaved, there’s no itch. In fact, I forget I even have a beard half the time.
Thanks to all the beards for talking manly travels with us. Whether it’s about laziness, fashion, or impressing the ladies – beards make traveling even more memorable. We hope the men out there find some inspiration in sporting beards for their next trip!
Read more posts by Alisha
So glad to see so many people enjoying this article! I wrote it for my own interests thinking no one else would care, but now I think we’ve unleashed a new “saucy side of travel”!
I wish I could grow a beard! Even if I could, I would have probably keep it short for the heat in Ghana and Indonesia. Then I would have let it grow big and burly to keep me the tiniest bit warmer in Antarctica!
Ok, maybe I don’t really want one…but I do like male travelers with beards. There is something sexy about the relaxed, let-it-go nature of a beard. Then there’s the whole rugged guy thing.
Jackie Rose
BIG fan of men w/ facial hair. From the always sexy 5 o’clock shadow to the very alluring beard (speaks of a certain kind of wisdom and maturity)….all facial hair = good!
So…glad to see this article! Si si si – big fan! Definitely enjoyed the guys answers and thought the questions posed were well chosen!
This is hysterical! I was reading it in my RSS feed and had to click through to get the full effect.
Whooo! All glory to the beard! Thanks for a great writeup.
Glad to see such an important topic being given its due.