After a three-week absence, I'm proud to introduce this week's Outdoor Enthusiast Next Door, Timen Swijtink. Swijtink is an undergraduate student at the University of Utrecht in Amsterdam and is studying law, with two minors in argumentation and statistics. He's also the editor and founder of the travel blog, In My All Stars. Swijtink is currently in the Middle East. Check it out his latest post here.

Why do you love the outdoors?

It probably sounds very cliché, but what the outdoors means to me is connecting with nature in a very pure way. It's direct. It's uncensored. It makes you appreciate life a little more than usual, and this makes me want to go out more. Walk. See things that you've never seen before. And what makes me love it in the end is that it's so easy to go out an experience the outdoors. Just take your bike (I live in Holland so there are plenty of those) and cycle around. Just an hour away from your house you'll see things you've never seen before. You'll have entirely new, pure experiences.

Favorite outdoor activity/sport and why?

Though biking and hiking is the easiest thing to do, sailing is what I've always enjoyed most. It's not as easy, because you need a sailing boat and you need to learn how to sail, but when I'm hanging in a Trapeze going as fast as the wind, it gives me the ultimate liberating feeling. It's like I can fly.

Tell me about your last outdoor/adventure trip.

Snowboarding is another thing that I love. It gives you opportunities to tour mountain areas like the Alps in Europe and the Rockies in North America. Also, unlike sailing, snowboarding can give you insane adrenaline rushes, especially when you're pushing yourself to new levels. Speeding down the mountain at 70km/h can be scary as hell, but when you make it down in one piece, all you can do is smile all the way up. And then you're ready to go 75km/h. Keep pushing it. But be safe... wear protection ;-).

What influenced you to take this trip?

I always enjoy sharing experiences with friends. It doubles the fun for me when I see that my friends are enjoying the time outdoors as much as I am. So what influences me on all my outdoor adventure trips is how excited my friends are about the whole idea. If I can get one or two to come along on something, it makes the trip more exciting for me as well. This goes for backpacking in Asia to hiking the coast of California.

What's your next outdoor adventure? Where and why?

I'll be going back to Vietnam to work there as a tour operator. I'm not sure if that qualifies entirely for an outdoor adventure because it'll be a lot of busses, pagodas, and hotels, which is not the most appealing way for traveling, by the way, but I do consider Vietnam an adventure. I can wait to go back, and this time, I'll be there for three months!

If that one doesn't count, I'll also be learning to scuba dive in Southeast Asia after my contract ends in Vietnam. I've never done anything like this so I'm really excited.

Name three items/gadgets essential to the outdoor lover and why.

I'm a hobby photographer. I love taking pictures, so I disregard all advice I read online and take a DSLR with three lenses with my wherever I travel to. I love trying to capture situations that were special to me. It is a bit of a dangerous hobby because if you're not careful, you end up living for experiences through the eye of your lens. I have yet to find the perfect balance.

The next thing that is essential for traveling is a good map. A guidebook is also important, especially for those new to traveling outdoors, but maps are essential to getting the best experience. You need to know how to get back home if you've been snowboard touring the whole day. You need to know the way to the nearest harbor if you've been sailing off the French coast. You need to know which areas of the California coast are impassible. And a good map will always have such essential answers for you.

It all depends on the length of your travels, but for the longer trips (week+), an iPod might be a lifesaver. It was indispensable on my travels through laos. Some bus rides are long and lonesome. With an iPod, you can bring a little bit of home with you. And it's not only the music. You can load it up with some TV shows, Movies, even some photos of your family and home videos you've created in iMovie. I'll definitely be bringing mine along to Vietnam this summer.

Thanks Timen!