We had the good fortune of connecting with Daniel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I first started “The Backpacking Sapien” to fill a gap in the travel field that I had noticed. So many people seemed to enjoy traveling but often disregarded the cultural aspects of travel. Because I had an anthropology background, I could show people how to slow down and notice these cultural aspects when they travel. This also puts more responsibility on travelers because it makes them reflect on their impact on communities when they travel and to further look at the travel industry as a whole.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I really go into travel, hiking & photography a few years back but got disrupted by the pandemic. Now that things are getting better, I have been getting back into content creation! I still have a long ways to go to make this a full time gig but I am happy to share my passion for traveling and to hopefully show people a new way to do so.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely take them to Rocky Mountain National Park and maybe some of the state parks as well, but would definitely explain the “leave no trace” principals and the history of the parks as well. For instance, I believe that National Parks are enjoyed by many travelers today, but the parks were created after Native peoples were forcibly removed. These parks were only ever seen as “pristine” after that fact, and so we have to have conversations about that too and about things such as the LandBack movement.

As for things such as food, I really think China Dragon, Milk Tea People and D’Corazon would be some of the highlights to take someone to! For attractions, definitely the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, a show at Red Rocks, and enjoy the night life at Tracks. I think that would make for a great week visiting Denver!!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I really want to thank all of my friends who have supported me all this time and have encouraged me to keep going! Bonus Points to Caroline Posey who helped me pick out the name of my handle!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/backpacksapien/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZoKnvsO6Gz-wVwhRmN1PCA

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