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July 29, 2004

Don't overplan your travels, part II

"If you set off on down the road with specific agendas and goals, you will at best discover the pleasure...
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July 28, 2004

A perspective on Islamic fundamentalism, from 1992

"The furious and malignant anti-Westernism of the Islamic fundamentalists is in part an expression of the Arab world's rage at...
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July 27, 2004

Travel writing advice in Transitions Abroad

I have a column about travel writing in the current issue of Transitions Abroad. Entitled Advice to Travel Writers: Make...
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July 23, 2004

A Marine Corps primer on cultural sensitivity in Arab lands

The following appeared in the "Readings" section of Harper's in June of 2004. I find it interesting (and encouraging, actually)...
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July 21, 2004

Walt Whitman on the great outdoors

"Now I see the secret of the making of the best persons, It is to grow in the open air...
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July 20, 2004

The 25 hottest weblog entries about lists

One of the most perplexing trends in magazine journalism in recent years is the tendency to categorize service articles into...
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July 19, 2004

Why the occupation of Iraq risks a new cycle of hatred

"The last time infidels conquered Baghdad was in 1258, when the Mongol horde, led by Genghis Khan’s grandson Hulegu, defeated...
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July 15, 2004

That familiar old American road

[Flashback to ten years ago: Based out of a Volkswagen Vanagon, Rolf takes some journal notes during his first...
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July 13, 2004

Taras Grescoe on the implicit phoniness in seeking out unspoiled places

"Strolling through the Karen village [in Thailand], feeling voyeuristic as I glimpsed scenes of family intimacy, part of me hoped...
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July 12, 2004

A few notes on wiping your ass

It is commonly known that travelers, when thrown together overseas for extended periods of time, will eventually start to obsess...
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July 10, 2004

Direct experience offers what ideas and opinions cannot

"Often I feel I go to some distant region of the world to be reminded of who I really am....
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July 09, 2004

Thomas Friedman on the limits of individualism

"Many Americans can easily identify with modernization, technology and the Internet because one of the most important things these do...
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July 02, 2004

The Six Sins of Self-Publishing

So you’re tired of the traditional publishing submission process, convinced of your own literary competence, and willing to go DYI...
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July 01, 2004

Teaching English in China

Over at my Vagabonding.net Q&A, a reader recently inquired about teaching English in China. "I want to travel in China,"...
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