Real Journeys. Practical Knowledge. A Wider World.
ExploreTraveler is an independent travel knowledge platform founded by John and Karen Gentry. We create practical guides, firsthand stories, photography, videos, podcasts, and books about international travel, RV living, food, culture, travel safety, and the logistics of life on the road.
Our travel story began in 1989, and ExploreTraveler formally launched online in 2011. What started as a way to document our own journeys has grown into a global resource for people who want to travel with greater confidence, curiosity, and understanding.
We do more than list attractions. We explain what a place feels like, what travelers should prepare for, what can go wrong, what local experiences are worth seeking out, and what we learned by being there.
ExploreTraveler at a glance: An international travel and RV living publication created by John and Karen Gentry, based on more than three decades of travel, international work, photography, video documentation, and real-world experience.
Our Story
John and Karen Gentry began traveling in 1989. Over the decades, travel became more than an occasional vacation. International work assignments, long-term travel, cultural exploration, food discovery, outdoor adventures, and full-time RV living became part of everyday life.
Those experiences shaped ExploreTraveler.
John’s international work took him through Europe and Asia and gave him firsthand experience with extended travel, cross-cultural communication, local transportation, travel logistics, and adapting to unfamiliar environments. John has visited more than 20 countries, while he and Karen have documented destinations, people, food, history, and practical lessons along the way.
ExploreTraveler launched online in 2011 to make that accumulated knowledge useful to other travelers. Today, our work spans the ExploreTraveler website, YouTube channel, podcast, social platforms, photography, and published travel books and guides.
Our goal has remained simple: help people explore the world more safely, intelligently, affordably, and meaningfully.
What We Cover
ExploreTraveler connects related areas of travel that are often separated across different websites. Our main areas of coverage include:
International travel and destination knowledge
We publish destination guides, trip-planning information, cultural observations, and practical travel advice from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and other regions. Our archives include extensive content about Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Alaska, and travel across the United States.
Local food and cultural experiences
Food is one of the most direct ways to understand a place. We document street food, traditional dishes, markets, restaurants, farms, and everyday meals while explaining the people, customs, and history connected to them. Our food-travel coverage is especially deep across Malaysia and Taiwan.
RV travel and full-time RV living
ExploreTraveler covers the realities of RV life—not only the scenic destinations. Our RV guides address route planning, campground life, maintenance, electrical and water systems, mobile internet, Starlink, safety, tools, costs, and the practical decisions that make full-time or extended RV travel possible.
Travel preparation, safety, and logistics
Good travel begins before departure. We write about travel insurance, visas, packing, transportation, connectivity, budgeting, emergency awareness, and risk-based planning. Our purpose is to help travelers make informed decisions rather than rely on vague or generic advice.
Adventure, scuba, nature, and historical travel
Our interests extend from scuba diving and outdoor travel to historic sites, cultural heritage, remote destinations, and the stories that connect people to place. We approach these topics with curiosity, respect, and a desire to understand more than what appears in a standard tourist itinerary.
Travel books, podcasts, photography, and video
Some stories are best told visually or in conversation. ExploreTraveler articles are supported by original photography, field video, YouTube content, podcasts, and published guides. John’s books include The Visa Hacker’s Guide: Travel Strategies for the Modern Nomad and Discover Malaysia: The Ultimate Travel Guide to Unforgettable Adventures.
Meet the Founders
John J. Gentry — Co-founder, writer, author, and lead content creator
John Gentry is a traveler, writer, videographer, podcaster, and the lead content creator for ExploreTraveler. He has more than 30 years of travel experience and has visited more than 20 countries.
His international professional experience and long-term travel have given him a practical understanding of visas, transportation, extended stays, cultural adaptation, safety, and the realities of moving through unfamiliar places. He writes about international travel, RV living, digital nomad and perpetual-travel strategies, scuba and outdoor experiences, food, history, and travel preparation.
John also hosts the ExploreTraveler podcast and creates travel videos for the ExploreTraveler YouTube channel. He aims to turn firsthand experience and careful research into useful information that helps other people make better travel decisions.
Connect with John: Link this line to John’s ExploreTraveler author page, professional LinkedIn profile, published books, and relevant public scholarly or author profiles.
Karen Gentry — Co-founder, photographer, writer, and visual storyteller
Karen Gentry is a writer, artist, international traveler, and the visual storyteller behind much of ExploreTraveler’s photography. Her work focuses on the beauty of people, culture, nature, and the moments that make a place memorable.
Karen’s photography brings a human perspective to ExploreTraveler. Rather than treating destinations as scenery alone, she looks for the relationships, expressions, traditions, and small details that reveal how people experience their world.
She serves as ExploreTraveler’s Director of Visual Arts and Social Media and is also the creator behind PilgrimTraveler.
Connect with Karen: Link this line to Karen’s professional LinkedIn profile, PilgrimTraveler, her photography, and any ExploreTraveler author or profile page created for her.
How We Create and Review Our Content
ExploreTraveler combines firsthand experience with responsible research.
- We identify when advice comes from a place we visited, an activity we completed, or a product or system we used.
- We use original photographs and videos whenever they are available.
- We research time-sensitive subjects—such as visas, insurance, safety, transportation, and local requirements—using credible and preferably official sources.
- We separate personal experience from general guidance so readers can understand the basis of a recommendation.
- We review and update important pages when circumstances, regulations, prices, or travel conditions change.
- We aim to represent local people and cultures accurately and respectfully.
Travel information changes. Readers should always confirm current entry rules, health requirements, weather, safety guidance, operating hours, and prices with the appropriate official source before making a final decision.
If you find information that may be outdated or incorrect, please contact us so we can review it.
Who ExploreTraveler Is For
ExploreTraveler is designed for independent travelers, full-time and part-time RVers, digital nomads, expatriates, scuba and outdoor travelers, food explorers, history enthusiasts, and people who want a deeper understanding of the places they visit.
You do not have to be a full-time traveler to use ExploreTraveler. Whether you are planning your first international trip, preparing for RV life, researching a local food experience, or simply learning about another culture from home, our goal is to give you useful knowledge and a more honest view of the journey.
Explore the ExploreTraveler Network
- Start Here: Link to the main Start Here or travel-planning hub.
- International Travel: Link to the main destinations or international-travel hub.
- RV Travel and Living: Link to the RV category or RV hub.
- Food and Culture: Link to the food-travel hub.
- Books and Guides: Link to the ExploreTraveler bookstore.
- Videos: Link to the official ExploreTraveler YouTube channel.
- Podcast: Link to the ExploreTraveler Show.
- Languages: Link to the multilingual directory.
- Follow ExploreTraveler: Link to the official Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and other active brand profiles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ExploreTraveler?
ExploreTraveler is an independent international travel and RV living knowledge platform. It publishes practical guides, firsthand travel stories, photography, videos, podcasts, and books about destinations, food, culture, safety, planning, and life on the road.
Who founded ExploreTraveler?
ExploreTraveler was founded by John and Karen Gentry. John leads the site’s writing, books, podcasting, and video content, while Karen leads visual storytelling, photography, art, and social media.
When did ExploreTraveler begin?
John and Karen Gentry’s travel story began in 1989. ExploreTraveler formally launched online in 2011.
Is ExploreTraveler a travel agency?
No. ExploreTraveler is a travel media and knowledge platform, not a booking agency or tour operator. We provide information and firsthand perspectives to help readers research and plan their own travel.
Is ExploreTraveler based on firsthand experience?
Much of ExploreTraveler’s content is based on John and Karen Gentry’s international travel, professional assignments abroad, full-time RV living, original photography, and field video. Research-based guidance is used to add context and address information that changes over time.
What destinations does ExploreTraveler cover?
ExploreTraveler covers destinations across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and other regions. The site includes particularly deep archives on Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Alaska, and travel within the United States.
Does ExploreTraveler publish in multiple languages?
Yes. ExploreTraveler makes travel content available in multiple languages to help more readers discover destination knowledge, cultural information, and practical travel guidance. Visit the Languages page to see the versions currently available.
Travel Smarter. Explore Deeper.
The world is more than a collection of destinations. It is people, food, history, landscapes, challenges, and stories. ExploreTraveler exists to document those connections and make what we learn useful to others.
Start with our newest travel guides, explore our destination archives, watch our field videos, or join us on the road through the ExploreTraveler YouTube channel.