The Solo Traveller
Your independence, passion, and lifelong memories.
Fellow Travellers
Daniel standing proudly atop the Aconcagua summit. Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas, the highest outside Asia, and the highest in the Western and Southern Hemispheres.
Daniel Koffler
The first time Daniel Koffler took a leap and went to a truly foreign place without knowing anyone or what he was really getting into was towards the end of the heavy part of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in October 2021. Daniel, a passionate and dedicated young mountaineer, had learned about a trip to Nepal that was going to undertake a portion of the fabled Everest Base Camp trek.
Where’s home, Daniel?
Brooklyn, NY.
What kind of research did you do before your first trip?
The first time I took a leap and went to a truly foreign place without knowing anyone or what I was really getting into was towards the end of the heavy part of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in October 2021. I learned about a trip to Nepal that was going to undertake a portion of the fabled Everest Base Camp trek.
I had been to some cool mountain-y places in – Machu Picchu, and the Atlas Mountains in Morocco – the past with my wife, Erica, but never with any thought to altitude, and always a day trip where we had full control of the itinerary, attendee list, and any other element of the plan. In the case of Everest Base Camp, this was something that Erica wasn’t interested in, so I squeezed my way onto the group, sorted the various arrangements (and gear – a concept I was to become much more familiar with in the coming years), and landed in Kathmandu!
I felt like Dr Strange when he was looking for the power to heal his hands – everything just seems so … foreign. I loved it! I was connected to a relative of a colleague who took me around town and introduced me to some of the more sacred temples and sites where I paid respects and fed monkeys fruit, and I even saw my first open-air cremation. This is all before I even met my group!
The group was almost entirely comprised of people from India, and most of them were there as couples. Many knew each other and had travelled together previously. So here I am, this kid from New York, willing to try something new but a bit over my head. Luckily for me, this group could not have been comprised of nicer people. I am close with a number of them, and in touch with all of them almost five years later. They indulged my curiosities and made every effort to include me as one of them.
We ended up spending five incredible days on the Everest Base Camp trail – flying into Lukla (considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world), joining Yak Trains that carried our gear as we progressed, crossing glacial rivers on suspension bridges hundreds of feet above, stayed in tea houses with varying degrees of electricity (and hence the ability to charge devices or take hot showers – power was a function of how much sun the solar panels got, and the weather can be notoriously tricky in the Himalayas).
What do you love the most about travelling solo?
The first time I travelled purely solo was when I went to climb Mount Washington in New Hampshire. A 7-hour drive from my home (each way), with a 12-hour climb (roughly eight up and four down) sandwiched in between. This was 21 December 2023 (a Winter Solstice summit!). I did go with a guide (I always climb with a guide), but we had never met prior to me showing up at the bunk house. Since then, I’ve travelled solo (and met with either a guide or a group) for mountains in Mexico, Andorra and Bulgaria. All successful summits, all with their relative challenges (logistical and otherwise). I’ve also visited Malta recently.
The common thread is having the audacity to leave my family and business behind to accomplish a goal and do so with the confidence one has to have when entering foreign lands completely without support, and hoping that my research and ability to connect with folks on the ground will allow me to have the fullest experience possible!
What lessons you have learned about life by travelling solo?
I’ve learned that the more you open yourself up to opportunities, the richer your life can potentially become. There’s a whole world out there – much of it which most people will never see or experience. Imagine if the next step or trip you took presented the answers to things you have been searching for – or didn’t even realise you’ve been searching for! It’s happened to me countless times, so I can tell you it’s real – and clarified both things that I want to do, and that I do not want to do!
When you are traveling solo, you can be very fast and nimble—something may come up, and you can just go check it out! I’ve also learned that I am relatively predisposed to it – I am very comfortable alone, I am very organised, and I’m the sort of person who, once they commit to something, doesn’t stop until it’s completed, properly. That said, I am quite flexible – in terms of how to get to/through something – when it comes to the ultimate accomplishment of a goal. I’ve found that these traits are all very beneficial when it comes to justifying and following through on the types of activities and adventures I enjoy.
Is there a destination you keep returning to, and why?
There is not! I am on a mission to visit every country in the world – 79 and counting! – and climb the tallest peak in every country in the world – I think 10 and counting – so going back to places over and over conflicts with that! That said, I’ve been to some of the majors – Paris, Rome and Istanbul – multiple times and they never get old!
Did you make friends that you met while travelling solo that remain in your life?
I sure did, in fact two of my closest friends (and climbing/adventure travel brothers – shouts to Nico and Doom!) are guys I met while climbing Kilimanjaro. We go on at least one annual adventure together! I also keep in touch with all my guides from my various solo climbing experiences.
Who inspires you?
I’m inspired by new things, and setting big goals, and working towards achieving them. Having something to work towards – to train for, to get excited about. I am sensitive about the fact that we all have limited time on Earth, and I’m basically deathly afraid of not using my limited time meaningfully (which, to me, almost always reverts to seeing and experiencing new places/cultures). And there is so much to do and see! I jump out of bed every day, looking forward to doing something that brings me one step closer to something new, different, unknown and exciting!
The Yak Train, Lukla, a popular place for visitors to the Himalayas near Mount Everest to arrive.
What is on your ‘Bucket List’?
I have another five summits left in my Seven Summits quest—so those are high on the list. The one I spend the most time thinking about is Vinson, in Antarctica. I just can’t think of anything wilder, more exotic and unique!
What is the single greatest life lesson you learned from travelling solo?
I’ve learned the hard way, more than once, that circumstances are generally never as good as they look, or as bad as they seem. I think it’s important to keep that context because things can get dicey quick, and managing expectations is the key to happiness. This does not mean always expecting the worst, quite the contrary!
Your top 3 tips for success?
1. People are going to judge you no matter what, so do what makes you happy.
2. It’s painful to be disciplined and it’s painful to have regrets. The pain of discipline leads to a limitless upside. The pain of regret has an infinite downside. You have to choose which pain you can tolerate.
3. Once you commit to a thing, follow it through until it’s complete.