Press

Below is some of the media coverage about Francis Tapon or his book. Francis has been covered on...

If you're in the media, then after you read this page, you should see our press kit page.

Television / Video

Amazon and Lincoln Mercury teamed up to profile 25 individuals who were pursuing a classic dream. One of those 25 dreams was "To Travel the World." Their producers picked me as the person who best personifies that dream. As a result, a film crew of dozen professionals spent two days filming me at various locations. After much editing, here is what they did...

Francis Tapon's Dream of Traveling the World from Francis Tapon on Vimeo.

If you're in the media and you need a very high-resolution photo for print, then just click on the images on this page.

Tip: I recommend reviewing the "About" page to get my bio. To learn more about my books, visit the books page.

Hall of Fame: In 2009, I was nominated a one of the seven finalists to the California Outdoors Hall of Fame, which "features nominees who are world-renowned for their skills and who have helped inspire thousands of others to take part in the great outdoors." Although I "barely missed induction," I was quite honored to be nominated. Besides, it gives me motivation to keep doing looney activities outdoors and sharing my adventures. Some think that they nominated me because I've evangelized about the glories of backpacking 10,000 miles, but I know the real reason: they're impressed that I backpacked for 45 days without a shower.

Radio Interviews and Podcasts

• KQED, Forum with Michael Krasny. In this one hour in-depth interview, we discuss The Hidden Europe on the 20th anniversary of the fall of USSR (Dec 29, 2011). KQED is the most-listened-to public radio station in America with over 745,000 listeners each week.

• WBAI, Pacifica Radio Network station in NYC interviews Francis Tapon. Rebecca Myles, Reporter and Producer, interviews him about his book, The Hidden Europe.

• KSFR, Santa Fe Public Radio, "Interview with Francis Tapon," with Emily Drabanski. It aired on the radio program, "Hello, New Mexico," and is now a podcast. We talk about my CDT Yo-Yo and my book.
• Amateur Traveler podcast with Chris Christensen. We discuss why Albania is worth visiting. Listen to it here: Amateur Traveler Episode 299 - Travel to European Russia    

• Amateur Traveler podcast with Chris Christensen. We discuss why Albania is worth visiting. Listen to it here: Amateur Traveler Episode 268 - Travel to Albania   

• Upgrade Reality, "Interview with Francis Tapon," by Dirk "Diggy" de Bruin. In this 20 minute interview, we discuss travel, business, and advice for young people.

• PracticalBackpacking.com, "CDT Yo-Yo," by Bernie Wilt. An interview about my CDT Yo-Yo.

• Backpackinglight.com, "Five Pounds of Gear," by Carol Crooker. A 42-minute interview about how I survive for many months in the mountains with just over five pounds of gear. Part II is "Traveling for a living," by Carol Crooker. A 15 minute interview on how one can travel for a living.

• PracticalBackpacking.com, "Francis Tapon - Hike Your Own Hike," by Bernie Wilt. An interview prior to my PCT hike and about my book.

Periodicals

• The Washington Post, "Eastern Europe: Innovation's hidden hub," by Francis Tapon. This article first appeared online and then a few days later the editors deemed it worthy of printing a trimed-down version of it in the Sunday edition.

• Backpacker Magazine, "American Classic: Hiking the Appalachian Trail," by Michael Lanza. I explained the pros and cons of hiking southbound on the AT.

• Backpacker Magazine, "The Onion Vs. Mr. Magoo: On Your Mark, Get Set... Hike. Inside a 5,600 footrace on the country's hardest trail," by Andrew Tilin. Here is my opinion on the article.

• TGO Magazine, "Francis Tapon: The first person to yo-yo America's wildest trail talk heating, eating and philosophy of lightweight," by John Manning. The best part of this article is that it claims I am a decade younger than I really am.

• Unlimited, "Back to the Garage," by Tom Bible. Story about how Francis left Silicon Valley to travel. Sept 24, 2006.

• New Mexico Magazine, "There and Back Again," by Ashley Biggers. The 5-page article is about Francis Tapon's CDT Yo-Yo.

• San Francisco Chronicle, "His life is a long, gratifying hike," by Tom Stienstra. A profile on my whacky life.

• San Francisco Chronicle, "Good time to take inventory on gear - and yourself," by Tom Stienstra. A brief mention on what hiking shoes I prefer.

• Rocky Mountain News, "Five Questions for Francis Tapon," Tuesday, June 19, 2007. About the CDT.

• Inov8, my shoe sponsor, mentioned Francis in their blog.

• New York Times Magazine, "The Little Creepy Crawlers Who Will Eat You In The Night," by Michael Lewis. The famous author, Michael Lewis, biked around with Francis to learn about Silicon Valley and what it's like to start a company there.

• National Geographic, "Best of Adventure, Trends: New Leaf," wrote "That kind of annuity should give guys like Francis Tapon—who thru-hiked some 2,800 miles (4,506 kilometers) on the nearly completed Continental Divide Trail (only to turn around and hike back)—more room to roam, both above and below tree line."

• 5280, "Taking the High Way: Thru-hiking the Continental Divide Trail," by Kelly Bastone, August 2008, pp. 70-73. Denver's premier magazine reports on Francis Tapon's first-ever yo-yo of the CDT.

• San Jose Mercury News, "Entrepreneurs to students: start-ups looking for MBAs," by Steve Kaufman, January 10, 1998, page C1. On the cover (including a photo) of the business section of Sililcon's Valley's premier newspaper.

Website Interviews

• Longest Way Home interview by a man who has been traveling for 6 years looking for a home. 

• Anthropological Journeys conducts a wide-ranging interview, covering immigration and the best/worst countries in Eastern Europe.

• Selling Books interviews Francis Tapon, who gives brief answers.

• TripWolf interview with Francis Tapon.

Books

• If you need an image of The Hidden Europe book cover, then you can get it in small, medium, or large.

• Please read the book's endorsements and reviews.

• For general background, the dust jacket, and excerpts, visit the main page of The Hidden Europe.

• Click on the cover for a high resolution image.

• For more information about Hike Your Own Hike, including reviews and excerpts, visit the HYOH page.

Contact Francis Tapon

If you're in the press and you need to reach Francis Tapon, then call 415.MY.CLIMB (692.5462) or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .