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Tamar Valkenier - Full-time Adventuress
About leaving everything behind and the search for ultimate freedom
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A Criminal Psychologist for the Dutch National Police turned full-time nomad. At the age of 28 Tamar Valkenier made the decision to leave it all behind. To give up her material possessions and to walk away from a highly regarded career toward a life of uncertainty. To explore a different reality beyond the horizon. A journey that was only supposed to last a year, is still ongoing eight years later.
From her home town in the Netherlands Tamar’s journey takes her across Europe to Istanbul by bicycle as she discovers and simultaneously pushes her physical and psychological limits. From tearful and often confusing goodbyes we share her apprehension of the unknown, follow as her confidence and skillset grows and experience the unimaginable fulfillment of a completely new existence.
The story follows her through the rugged and remote Altai Mountains of Mongolia with horse and camel companions by her side. Building deep connections with the eagle hunters of the region, learning of their skills and philosophies on life. She also travels the deserts and ancient cities of Jordan as she crosses the length of the country on foot with her donkey Yustra. And recounts the experience of a lifetime with friend Miriam Lancewood as they take on an ambitious crossing of New Zealand’s Southern Alps with minimal supplies, hunting and foraging for all of their food.
The book does not just describe Tamar's experiences in a personal and detailed manner, it is also a testimony to her evolution from a career woman to a full-time adventuress. Learning to trust her heart and following it to some of the most remote corners of the globe, connecting with ancient people and ancient wisdom. Celebrating life and asking the uncomfortable but necessary questions to unlock the limitless potential inside us all.
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Published in April 2021 | Paperback | With photographs | 280 pages | ca. 90,000 words
English sample translation available
German rights sold to Edel Verlag
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Dutch born Tamar Valkenier (1986) gave up her promising career in 2015. Graduating as a Criminologist and a Psychologist, she worked as a Criminal Psychologist for the Dutch National Police. Despite being her dream job, she felt an overwhelming urge to take some time to see what else life has to offer. Once she began, she bounced from one adventure into the next. Fascinated by traditional lifestyles she has sought authentic experiences from living with the reindeer herders of the Siberian Taiga to the Maasai in Kenya and trained survival skills with first nation people in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. She has spent winter seasons ski touring and ice skating in Swedish Lapland, crossed Iceland by foot, lived off the land in Australia, and continues to visit and spend time amongst the eagle hunters of Mongolia. In recent times, she has trained a young Bactrian camel in Holland, with whom she undertakes trips through Europe and most recently participated in a scientific survey into the remote Simpson Desert of Australia. Tamar lives a modest life, without the desire or need for a significant income. She often states that she lives below the poverty line but feels richer than ever.
Tamar is passionate about remote wilderness and connection with animals. A student by nature she is eager to learn new skills and experience alternative ways of life. An open-mind and a natural ambition has brought her success in the pursuits she has undertaken and most importantly, lifetime connection with people all over the globe. As tenacious and capable as she may be, she is still very much a Daddy’s girl and as rugged as the adventures get, she will always stop to smell a wildflower.
Awed by the harsh living conditions in Mongolia and eternally grateful for the warm welcome she receives time and again, she founded an NGO to give something back and to assist in providing the nomads of the Altai region with basic quality of life services we too often take for granted.
“Tamar is a unique combination of a well spoken, intelligent lady and a strong and wild survivor. She thrives in extreme situations because of her hunger for adventure and desire to explore the unknown, both psychologically and physically. We ventured together for 3 months, and I have only seen immense courage and optimism. She was able to hunt: to observe, stalk, and to shoot with precision. And thanks to her background as a high-end chef, we had a most delicious meal every day.”
Miriam Lancewood,
Woman in the Wilderness
“Tamar has the adventurous spirit of Marco Polo, the tactical brain of Chingghis Khan, and a zest for life to rival the greatest poets of the age. May her horses be strong, her journeys unexpected and her experiences abundant. It has been an honour to join in on some of her adventures”
Kerim,
Professor Biomechanics
Part I: Free
Part II: Wild
Part III: Peace
The end?
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
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German translation published by Edel Verlag:
Tamar Valkenier führte ein scheinbar perfektes Leben: Sie hat es als Köchin bis in die Sterne-Gastronomie geschafft, studierte erfolgreich Psychologie und Kriminologie und arbeitete kurzerhand bei der Niederländischen Nationalpolizei. Doch nach einem Unfall kommt sie ins Grübeln: War das wirklich schon alles?
Schnell ist der Entschluss gefasst: Sie will raus. Zunächst zwei Jahre mit einem selbstgebauten Fahrrad um die Welt, erst durch Europa, dann in immer fernere Regionen. Dabei bleibt es aber nicht. Sie tauscht Fahrrad gegen Pferd, Kamel und Hund und reist mehrere Monate durch die Mongolei. Sie durchquert die hohen Gebirgszüge Neuseelands und lebt als Jägerin und Sammlerin, bevor sie 600 Kilometer durch Jordanien wandert.
Tamar Valkenier berichtet davon, wie es ist, als Frau allein in der Welt unterwegs zu sein. Hunger zu haben, keine Arbeit und keinen festen Wohnsitz. Dieses Buch ist der eindrückliche Bericht einer Umherziehenden, die sich nach einem freieren Leben sehnte und den Mut hatte, diesem Wunsch ganz und gar nachzugehen, und die dafür immer wieder aufs Neue über sich hinauswächst.