Press

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

3 TEDx Talks

First TEDx Talk: How and Why Travel Transforms You

Learn more about my first TEDx talk, which I gave right before I left for my 5-year trip to Africa. Over 110,000 views:

Second TEDx Talk: Bring Out Your Inner Black Sheep

Watch my first TEDx Talk after I came back from Africa.

Third TEDx Talk: 7 Surprising Lessons from Picking Up 3,000 African Hitchhikers

On November 2, 2019, in San Jose, California.

Television Appearances

Hiking advice

National TV interview as an outdoor/survival expert, commenting on Brian Laundrie case in 2021

I appeared on the local FOX News station in the San Francisco Bay Area:

I appeared on a local CBS station in San Francisco right before my Africa trip:

Dreaming of Traveling the World Award

Amazon and Lincoln-Mercury teamed up to profile 25 individuals 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...

I've spoken at the Commonwealth Club of California and was interviewed by a Chinese TV station.

French American TV interviews me in English for 8 minutes.

Skip the first minute of this video since there's a small technical problem:

Here's the second interview in French:

Photos and more

If you're in the media and you need a very high-resolution photo for print, then 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 2019, I was inducted into 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." That club includes John Muir, Ansel Adams, and some nuts you've never heard of.

Some think they picked me because I've evangelized about the glories of backpacking, but I know the real reason: they're impressed that I backpacked for 45 days without a shower.

Radio Interviews and Podcasts

• Harvard Business School's Skydeck podcast interviewed me

• Rick Steves has interviewed me 5 times on his national radio show, which broadcasts in over 170 stations across the USA.

• 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 the USSR (Dec 29, 2011). KQED is the most-listened-to public radio station in America with over 745,000 listeners each week.

• KKSF, NewsTalk 910. Joel Riddell of "Dining Around" interviews Francis Tapon for 20-minutes about The Hidden Europe. Jump to minute 17:00 to hear the interview.

• 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.

• New Books in Eastern European Studies. Hugo Lane, who specializes in reviewing books on Eastern Europe, interviews me for one hour to discuss The Hidden Europe.

• 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
• 5 Years In Africa – This Week in Travel #244
• The Don't Worry About The Government podcast. Francis is a guest on this lively show, where we discuss politics, especially politics in Russia, Belarus, and Macedonia.

• 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

• Los Angeles Times, "'Social travel' start-ups help travelers gather friends' tips," by Peter Delevett. I'm quoted at the end of the article. 

• 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 trimmed-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-mile 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. The 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 of my whacky life.

• San Francisco Chronicle, "Good time to take inventory on gear - and yourself," by Tom Stienstra. A brief mention of 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 the 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 Silicon Valley's premier newspaper.

Websites

• National Geographic News Watch: Nat Geo writes about the CDT and mentions me a few times.

• Flipkey: Listed as one of the world's most well-traveled bloggers.

• Synchronized Chaos: Adrianne Anderson has a fascinating Q&A with Francis Tapon.

• 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.