You lazily open your eyes. Life is fuzzed by sleep, and the glare from the snow-white sheets adds to your blindness. A delicious stretch and yawn to get your blood flowing, and you swing your …

Just as I last left Israel, the bodies of three missing young men had turned up. The week before I was to return, there were two young men murdered in front of Old Jerusalem’s Jaffa …

Japan had been on our vacation destination list for decades, but it always seemed too far away and too expensive. This year, noticing a substantial drop in airfare prices and the introduction of an 11½ …

Sher Mohammad Haidari heard the radio crackle with Taliban chatter as the Army platoon he was with trudged through a valley in eastern Afghanistan looking for a U.S. soldier who had abandoned his post. The …

Mingling on the Esplanadi The Sky Wheel spins remembrances of childhood. A southeastern breeze carries emotions, the X-girl laughter camouflaging the dark in her eyes. I smell apples and lilac. Sweden’s due west, Estonia to …

It was New Year’s Day, and the party in Chintsa, on South Africa’s Eastern Cape, had been long and wild. The hangover was severe, and the need to leave immediate. You see, included on the …

Máncora, not Monaco, is the destination for the jet-setting crowd of Peru. This beachside resort town is on the Pacific Ocean, near the country’s northernmost border that it shares with Ecuador. Think sun, surf, and …

The "Gringo Trail" refers to the well-trodden backpacker route within Latin America, encompassing Mexico and Central & South America. In 2015 I spent 3 months on "the trail." This region of the world is so …

Shanghai is the most populous city in the world, and it can become a bit overwhelming for both visitors and locals. If you’re living or visiting here for any length of time, you’ll welcome a …

Former Union-Tribune owner Douglas Manchester reported last month that he purchased 16.3 percent of GeoPark Limited, a Santiago, Chile–based oil-and-gas exploration and production company. Manchester's purchase of 9.7 million shares for around $30 million makes …

Camp without Joy Vietnamese have been brought to Camp Pendleton. The Camp Pendleton that sent Marines to Danang in the first place, just 10 years ago. With little imagination, you could think it's sort of …

It seemed like a great stroke of luck when I booked the last two tickets available on the M.S. Oldenberg from Bideford, North Devon, to Lundy Island on a high-season Saturday. That is, until I …

Freedom. The first time I drove from San Diego down to Baja for a few days, I was 18 years old. One might think that the excitement and joy of crossing the border had something …

Fifty years ago, many American servicemen who fought in Vietnam returned home to a country of discontent; some were spat at, others tormented, and many advised not to wear their uniforms in public. Unlike World …

Being a San Diego local, I've said before that I would never be able to live in a rainy place. I take that statement back after visiting San Sebastian. You can find San Sebastian nestled …