Change is a funny thing. It is inevitable, like the shifting tides of the ocean and the growing and falling of leaves throughout the seasons. All changes, big or small, amount to growth, expansion, and enlightenment.
This inspiring lady knows a lot about changes, from moving to Morocco to teach Yoga to building sustainable vegetable gardens in her hometown, she chases change and welcomes it with open arms. Now she is off to Australia to promote sustainable living and share our recycled products with the rest of the world! Get to know our vegan travel writer and creative goddess, Clare Stager, and follow her travels to the other side of the world!
What have your past few years looked like?
These eyes have seen quite a bit in the past few years, actually. I graduated from College after studying Journalism and Communications and moved to LA for almost a year to pursue a career in my degree. Shortly after that I made a few u-turns until I ended up on an island in Indonesia with a year of travel ahead of me! I went to Indonesia and Lombok, Thailand, Lao, Cambodia, and Vietnam with my trusty 65 liter backpack. I spent the summer in Spain and Budapest, moved to Morocco for three months, spent Christmas and rang in the new year in Australia, met my older sister back where it all started on the beaches of Bali and came home just in time for spring. My 23rd year of life was pretty great and if this next chapter to Australia and New Zealand is anything like the first three months of my 24th rotation around the sun has been it will be extremely educational and rewarding.
What inspires you everyday?
I am continually inspired by nature. I have realized over the past two years that all of my favorite connections that I have made within myself and with others has been through directly or indirectly experiencing the magic that nature provides us, whether that magic is a shared meal made from incredible organic materials or a good walk and talk on a rainy day, nature has always played such an important role in connecting myself with what I find extremely important.
What is it like traveling around all the time?
Well, I actually just spent the summer in my beloved hometown, Portland. The Pacific Northwest of North America is full of tiny magical secrets and I am so lucky to have roots there. Other than this beautiful summer, over the past two years I have lived a very mobile lifestyle and it is an incredibly challenging but rewarding existence. Somehow traveling feels extremely comfortable to me, I think the key is to be very open minded and seek out authentic cultural experiences. I encourage everyone to travel alone at some point in their life - it opens up a lot more space to connect with others and with your surroundings when you are not in constant conversation with someone you already know.
What books have you been reading recently or on your travels?
Currently I am reading three books - I am a classic "starter" and take my time (going a little crazy with a pen in my paperbacks).
The Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram was lent to me by a very dear friend. It is about the important connection between our species and nature, and the unfortunate block we now have in our society from making that crucial connecti to our earth.
Turtle Island by Gary Snyder is a book of poems that I will read for the rest of my life, a beautiful work of art.
Wild Feminine by Tami Lee Kent is a great read for every woman.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is an incredible book for anyone struggling with breaking through the barriers this life has created for artists, creative souls, entrepreneurs, and unconventional thinkers.
How do you maintain your vegan lifestyle while traveling?
I've had an interesting experience with diet these past few years. In college and as a recent graduate I struggled a lot with body image and nutrition. I think there is a huge lack of education regarding food as fuel for young women, specifically on self love and adequate nutrition. It took traveling the world to realize that putting whole, natural, raw foods into your body that have been untouched by chemicals and processing drastically improves overall health, especially mental.
Being a vegan means different things for a lot of people. For me it means not eating meat or dairy because in most places that I find myself those things are processed and treated terribly. I dream of the day I can have my own permaculture farm, eat fresh eggs from my beautiful little chickens and grow my own sustainable vegetables. Until that day I am responsible, as is everyone, for trying to minimize the damage that our agricultural society and food manufacturing system has placed on our earth. I stay vegan by staying motivated and continuing my education on the state of our planet.
Want to know more about Clare's adventures? Follow her Instagram @clarestager and look out for updates coming soon.
