Long- term travelers of all kinds will tell you that one of the most important preliminary steps to taking off is The Purge. That period of time that you devote to deciding which material possessions will still be necessary and dear to your heart after traipsing all over the globe in pursuit of clarity, freedom,...

The travel community is truly one of the most giving I know of. Most people who travel do so because they recognize how much our world has to offer. We want to connect . We want to help. We may not always have lots of money, but we do have very big hearts. When tragedy...

There is something magical about riding an elephant. Their huge, lumbering bodies swaying slowly along while you sit atop, taking in the view. It’s an experience that is never forgotten. Or at least that’s what I’ve been told. Despite my intense desire to know what it feels like to ride atop one of the world’s...

In my experience, some of the most difficult things about travel have been facing the realities of mass cultural exchange, swallowing my pride, and recognizing my part in it. Don’t get me wrong, there are incredible benefits to cultural exchange and connecting with people across cultural boundaries is the number one reason I travel. But...

What happens when the education you receive on the road starts to make you question the lessons you learned before you left? History is one of those subjects that never fails to look a whole lot different once I’m in a different country. Despite the tragedies that occurred in the region during my lifetime, I...

Most travelers consider volunteering at some point. We see a need and we know that we have the time, energy, or money to be able to lend a hand and be a part of creating change. Helping people feels good. Working on environmental issues and seeing results is exciting. We don't just want to talk...

My Dad's photo of Lago de Atitlan, 1973 It seems the nature of humanity to freeze a moment in time. We remember a person, a place, an experience, as it was when we were last present with it. It is frozen, forever, in our minds; like the fading koda-chrome slides my parents took across the...

About a decade ago, on a whim, I took a trip to Costa Rica and opened the door to a world I didn't know existed. I still remember crowding around the computer with my friends and studying ticket prices. I remember feeling a little silly that I had never been out of the country except...

One of the things we worry about a lot as we travel is our carbon footprint; our environmental impact. Living in the west where most people are mindful of the 3 R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and most communities have “green initiatives” it’s easy to be lulled into complacency and think that we’re “doing it.” Then,...

How many among us have made the trek back to a favorite destination of years past and realized that, well, it just isn't the same anymore? The bus drops us off in the sleepy surf town we remember fondly from our first backpacking adventure and we wonder where that Roxy store came from. We hop...

Malls have never really appealed to me. Growing up in upstate NY, there was a fair amount of time killed in these temples to consumerism. My friends and I would walk the halls, buy the pretzels, see the movies (lots of them), and window shop for clothes we didn’t need and couldn’t afford in an...

“Sticks and stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt you." These words ring through my head as my new friend hangs her head and cries. She is devastated. My friend attends a school run by those who seem to be more fortunate. She attends school for free in a nation where free...

Have you ever wondered if the culture that surrounds you has more of an influence on your kid than you do? Have you ever muttered the phrase “I guess it’s just what kids do these days” out of frustration? Have you ever encouraged, pushed, or flat out made your kid do something because “someday society...

A few weeks ago, we arrived back in the city we inhabited before we took off on our indefinite journey around the world. For all of it's grit and rough edges, it's my favorite city on earth. As I got reacquainted with the culture, the (fabulous) food selection, the people, and the daily grind I...

(The family we met in Siberia - one of the most memorable nights of the entire trip.) Last week, I heard that a friend of mine had been in a serious motorcycle accident in Bali. A serious accident - broken ribs, fractured pelvis, collapsed lung. He wrote about the experience - about his injuries, about...

Imagine that you are walking along an unfamiliar street in a foreign country. You're exploring the neighborhood and taking in all you can when a stranger approaches you and tells you that you need to hand over your camera, your most prized possession, in order to continue to do what you are doing. When you...

While this is my story, I'm sharing it because we all have family and those that we love. When we least expect it, tragedies happen and the skills that we hone while traveling can be invaluable in getting us through. Camping in Siberia en route to the Arctic Circle (-43C) Truth is - this year...

There is a moment on every trip where I recognize just how embedded in my being the cultural norms from my home country really are. Like most travelers, I seem to see norms revolving around eating, social interactions, personal space, even pace of walking pop up around almost every corner as I explore foreign streets....

"Don't talk to strangers!" Possibly the worst advice I have ever gotten. It's a phrase most kids hear repeatedly from the moment they start to take their first steps into the world. Adults repeat these four words to kids like a mantra, hoping to keep the potential danger of a predator at bay. It is...

Each time I touch my feet to the soil of a new country, I am reminded of just how huge our world really is. Every so often, I catch my breath when I think about the diversity of our cultures, the depths of our oceans, the span of our land, and the sheer volume of...