Travel off the Beaten Path

Submit a travel story

Río Lagartos — The Yucatan's Natural Side

Wildlife-rich wetlands preserve two hours from Cancun.

When you're in Cancun – and are tired of white sand beaches and turquoise water – drive to Río Lagartos, where you have a chance to see bright pink flamingos, sea turtles, rare birds and ...

Mexico Beach

Escape to a slower pace on Florida's Gulf Goast.

Here’s the thing about Mexico Beach: It’s not in Mexico. It’s on the panhandle 20 minutes south of Panama City and just off the tip of Port St. Joe – a little bit of yesterday ...

Dniprodzerzhynsk

What happens at the banya, stays at the banya – usually.

I’m playing with my hair out of nervousness. I never do this. Isn’t this the behavior of a preteen boy, mustering up the courage to ask a girl out on his first date? Yet there’s ...

Last Stop: Rhyolite, NV

This Gold Rush ghost town wastes on the edge of Death Valley.

Rolling into the small town of Beatty, Nevada, is a strange experience. One of the few settlements on the edge of the brutal Death Valley, it appears as a welcome rise of gaudy lights after ...

I Am Rambo in Chiribiquete, Colombia

Upriver expedition in the remote Amazon rainforest.

Strangely, the noxious swarm of mosquitos intent on doing me harm had ebbed, and the growl of the Chiribiquete waterfall (below) no longer sounded, as if its familiarity to my ears after a few hours ...

The Fetish Market in Lomé, Togo

One-stop voodoo shopping.

The fetish market in Togo, Africa, is a one-stop shopping paradise for witch doctors and medicine men – as well as a must-see for tourists. This dusty lot in the center of town covers an ...

Caution: Whales at Work

Up close and personal with gray whales in San Ignacio.

Our whale-watching excursion in San Ignacio, Mexico, turned into a close whale encounter in the literal blink of an eye. On the Pacific side of the Baja peninsula, there is a large lagoon where gray ...

Up a Mangrove Channel in Micronesia

A "Heart of Darkness"–like kayaking experience.

“Whenever you come to a fork in the channel, go left,” the owner of my hotel said as he prepared a kayak for me to paddle into the Mutunnenea Channel in northeastern Kosrae, Micronesia. “Eventually ...

Far-flung Corners of Texas

Charmed by the state's remote beauty.

Seventh time was the charm. Took me that many drive-throughs before I fell in love with a corner of Texas. Because aside from Padres Island National Seashore, I just couldn’t see much to like. To ...

Riding with the King in Burkina Faso

I had been photographing for about two weeks in Africa when I heard about a king. Africa has many kings, and I've met more than a few, but had never before sought one out. Africa's ...

Shanghai's Hidden Garden

Venture past the crowds to get lost in Yuyuan.

Tucked away in Old Shanghai City lies Yuyuan Garden, a five-acre oasis in the midst of an otherwise sprawling metropolis. It's only a short walk from Line 10 of the Shanghai Metro, and you’ll be ...