The largest state in India, Rajasthan, located in the northwest of the country, is known as “the land of the kings." Rajasthan is wrapped in vibrant colors, with impressive cities including the Pink City of …
Travel Stories
Rajasthan, India: land of the kings
Wild, traditional Faroe Islands
Most Americans probably don’t know where the Faroe Islands are. They’re a small island chain between Iceland and Scotland, speaking a language derived from Old Norse and Western Norwegian dialects. If anyone's heard of the …
December 31, 2013
Randsburg, CA: a living ghost town
If you're a fan of Westerns, at one time or another you've seen one filmed in Randsburg, where the spirit of the old West is alive and thriving just three hours' drive from San Diego. …
December 27, 2013
Mystical Glendalough, Ireland
As I walked near the mist-shrouded lakes beyond the ruins of the Glendalough monastery, it was easy to imagine there were magical creatures just beyond my field of vision. A misty morning stroll past the …
A lesson in Vietnamese road culture
How I ended up in Hai Phong, Vietnam, with 10 other teachers is somewhat of a mystery. Being the only tays (meaning “Westerner” in Vietnamese), we were pseudo-celebrities in this small town. It was not …
December 22, 2013
Hoppy trails in Austin
It's no surprise to anyone that Austin, Texas, is a hip destination, boasting one of the best live music scenes in the country, some fantastic barbecue, and the University of Texas. I was already aware …
December 20, 2013
Georgia (the country)
Google “Georgia,” and you are much more likely to get recipes for peach pie than to learn about the unique ex-Soviet republic where wine was invented and a special language and culture survived a thousand …
December 19, 2013
From cactus to clouds in SoCal
“You in town?” Little did I know my text would lead to hiking 22 miles within the next 24 hours. Seriously. A marathon minus four miles – but with 10,500 feet of climbing, hurting, bonding, …
December 16, 2013
Playa El Espino, El Salvador
Call me a spoiled Southern Californian, but until I visited Playa El Espino I had never been forced to walk through a herd of milling cattle (left) to get to the ocean. This small fishing …
December 14, 2013
17 travel tips for Thailand
1) Leave your rolly luggage at home. Wear a backpack and only fill it ⅔ full. You will shop – if not for yourself, for your friends. Most of all, make sure that your bag …
December 12, 2013
Luxe Stuttgart, Germany
Stuttgart isn’t as frantically busy as many other cities in Europe and even in Germany can be, but it’s lively and thriving. With luxury auto manufacturing, palaces and wine, the city is a place to …
December 9, 2013