In 1985, after being named the outstanding graduate at the University of Arizona and attending Stanford Law School, Dan Wake was a successful young attorney at a prominent East Coast law firm, traveling the country and litigating cases for iconic clients like fashion designer Gucci and candy maker Mars. He had a bright, highly-paid future laid out in front of him—until he quit to vagabond through Asia for as long as his money would last. That turned out to be nine months, starting in what was then called “Red China” and ending at a cremation ceremony in Bali. When you give up that much to spend most of a year on the other side of the world, you’d better come back with some remarkable stories. That he did.

When he returned, he wrote a book about the most fascinating tales from that journey, and from other lengthy adventures while eating the wind in South America and Europe. But before finishing the book, he became distracted . . . for about thirty-five years.  Distracted, that is, until recently, when he pulled out a dusty floppy disc buried in a desk drawer containing stories preserved in Word 2.0. They reintroduced him to unique adventures from a time and a world that have now vanished. 

Eat the Wind recounts the most memorable people and events from those journeys. At the same time, it explores the tension between a high-achieving young lawyer out to conquer the world, and his alter ego, a wandering, hitchhiking backpacker out to see the distant corners of that world, even if it risked his career. 

Eat the Wind is due to be published by TorchFlame Books in Fall 2026. In the meantime, you can take a glimpse into the book through the stories posted on Dan’s Vintage Travels publication on Substack.