Ret and his wife Karen love to travel, and while much of Ret's travel writing falls into one of the above categories (e.g. "Traveling Scotland with a Fly Rod" or "Traveling the South Pacific with a Hand Net"), he also writes more traditional travel articles, usually with an outdoor, adventure travel focus. Climbing, kayaking, surfing, and hiking are some of his preferred methods of travel. Ret's travel experience is most extensive in South America (especially Ecuador and Peru), Scotland, Scandanavia (especially Norway), North America (especially the Rocky Mountain West and Alaska), and the Caribbean (especially Barbados).

Ret's current travel writing project is an unpublished, book-length manuscript titled The Short Trip to Nowhere: adventure travel close to home. The twelve essays catalog twelve adventure travel destinations within spitting distance of a dozen different American cities. A combination of travelogue and wildland ethics, the manuscript strives to provide the inspiration to explore local destinations and the nuts and bolts information needed to get there and get home renewed and in one piece. Read a sample chapter from The Short Trip to Nowhere.