“Jungle Pants” is my name for the sturdy, lightweight pants you’d wear if you thought you might have to wiggle your way through a copse of Manzanita bushes in the Canadian Rockies, or butt-scootch down a steep, muddy trail deep in a Burmese jungle. To me, putting on my “Jungle Pants” means finding a way to see the hidden corners of the world even for the “travel-challenged.”

And I’ve been travel-challenged ever since my first steps off the tourist track. From a too-dangerous trail at Yosemite to a snaky Costa Rican jungle, I discovered that – with a sense of humor and a little help from my husband, Jack, and my traveling friends –  it’s not hard to overcome mental skittishness, physical awkwardness and even spotty health.

JunglePants.com aims to share some of my favorite “over yonder” places, along with ideas and tips I’ve picked up along the way. For additional information on stroke and autoimmune disease, visit my author page AnneSigmon.com.

Whether you’re a seasoned traveler,  a newbie or an armchair tourist, I hope you’ll find nuggets here to inspire your own travel dreams.

Caveats and Other Emptor Notes

Quite obviously, I’m not a doctor. I’m just a self-admitted klutz who’s bumbled along to some pretty exotic places and had a blast doing it. Even with the fumbly brain left by a stroke and the vigilance that blood thinners demand, I’ve managed to keep safe and keep traveling. But I try to travel smart and take my doctor’s advice. So should you. Always work out your own health strategy with your  doctor before setting off on a trip.

Gear. I’m always looking for ideas to make travel easier and I’ll share some of them here. Mostly it’s stuff I’ve stumbled upon and, since I keep my gear for a while, the models I’ve mentioned might not be still available. I’ll provide links where I can. No one’s ever offered me any freebies but if they should, I’ll  be sure to disclose it.