Derek Ray

Derek became enraptured with visiting strange, new places during a Eurail adventure shortly after his graduation from UCLA. He has subsequently journeyed throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America and the US. As an educator, he believes that travel encourages a better understanding of and appreciation for other cultures. He also believes in packing light. Derek has been contributing his travel stories and photos to the Reader since 2009.

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Frontier soul: Anchorage, AK

It was my second day in Anchorage and I was lost. Winding along side streets in a residential neighborhood, trying to find my way back to the main highway, I noticed a vehicle with a ...

Riding the Reunification rail

Discover authentic Vietnam on the Saigon–Hanoi train.

I’ve always loved riding trains: Pacific Surfliner, Starlight Express, Eurail, etc. The sound of the train whistle never fails to spark my wanderlust, and I find the combination of comfort and adventure when riding the ...

Serenity in the Channel Islands

Visiting Channel Islands National Park is like entering a time machine and being transported back a few hundred years to a wild and natural, pre-automobile, pre-industrial California. Located off the coast of Ventura, the Channel ...

Mesmerizing Mycenae

Window into the ancient world.

About 1.5 hours outside Athens, Mycenae is one of the essential stops for any visitor to Greece with an interest in ancient history. Arriving here, you're awed not just by the site and the ruins, ...

Travel Savings Tips at the LA Travel & Adventure Show and the LA Times Travel Show

If, like me, you struggle to tap into whatever resources you are aware of on the web to keep travel ...

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