Before we get too far into 2009, I should probably try to sum up some of my travel-writing highlights from last year. Interestingly, my two most prominent happenings in recent months -- the release of my second book and my TV hosting debut on the Travel Channel -- weren't even on my radar at the...

Just a quick heads-up to let everyone know that "American Pilgrim," my TV hosting debut for the Travel Channel , will debut tonight at 11pm EST, 8pm PST. This traditional, Thanksgiving-themed show, which I briefly described for my Marco Polo Didn't Go There book tour diary at Gadling, is listed on the Travel Channel schedule...

Just a quick note here to let you know that the "virtual book tour" for my book Marco Polo Didn't Go There is underway. It started with a Q&A at Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Work Week and Lifestyle Design Blog , and will continue with a series of Q&As and short essays on a number of...

Last week, when I announced that my new book is available for sale at Amazon.com , a number of readers wrote in to tell me that they'd also found copies of it in the travel sections of their local bookstores. The book was initially scheduled to launch on September 15th, but -- hey -- since...

Having been on the road in Africa, Europe and North America since late May, it's been hard to keep up with various non-travel events in my life (including many of my inbox messages -- sorry if I've been slow in replying to email lately). Hence, I almost missed it when my new book, Marco Polo...

One of my favorite things about teaching writing at the Paris American Academy every summer is the chance to see our students find success in print, onstage, and onscreen in the months and years that follow. A number of Paris writing students from 2006 and 2007 have recently debuted new work in venues around the...

As I mentioned a couple weeks back, I have a new travel book coming out this fall. Entitled Marco Polo Didn't Go There , this book will likely debut in September, and I will go on the road to promote it in October and November. Right now I plan on hitting various bookstores, writing conferences,...

The past several months have kept me busy with both travel and writing, and it's been awhile since I've blogged about my various personal projects. Here's a quick roundup of what I've been up to: I just finished the manuscript of my newest book, an unorthodox collection of travel essays that will be published this...

Travelers Tales recently released a great new anthology, Encounters With the Middle East , which is based on a simple (yet very worthy) premise: To humanize the people behind the news headlines in a turbulent and misunderstood part of the world. "A dizzying amount of media coverage bombards us from the Middle East," editors Jim...

[Above, noblemen play Jeu de Paume in 16th century Paris.] My latest article for The Smart Set , " Jurassic Tennis ," recounts a journey into a lesser-known corner of Paris to play the ancient French racquet sport of Jeu de Paume. Though similar in many ways to modern tennis, Jeu de Paume is a...

It's once again winter holiday season, and once again I'll remind everyone that a copy of Vagabonding makes a great holiday gift for: College or high school students nearing graduation. Twenty- and thirtysomethings who don't like their jobs, are currently between jobs, or are considering a sabbatical from work. Friends and family members who don't...

Last month, the Columbia Missourian ran a story called Off the Map , which was about the international travels and travel-plans of local residents. I was interviewed for a sidebar called "Awakening Your Inner Vagabond," and I'll reproduce some of that advice (much of which comes from my book ) here: Slow down! “Many people’s...

I've covered some new thematic ground in recent articles and interviews of late, including a meditation on the idea of making a home for World Hum . Entitled "A Vagabond Finds a Home," this short essay reflects on the challenges of my latest adventure -- renovating a house in Kansas after over a decade on...

Creative Writing Workshop at the Paris American Academy July 2 nd through the 28 th , 2008 For the fourth year running, I'll be teaching an intensive, month-long creative writing workshop next summer at the Paris American Academy . College credit is available for this hands-on English-language writing program, which includes courses in: Fiction Poetry...

The latest volume in Houghton Mifflin's annual Best American Travel Writing series came out this month, and as always it makes for great armchair travel reading. New Yorker writer Susan Orlean edited this year, and the anthology features stories from Peter Hessler , Ian Frazier, Elizabeth Gilbert, David Halberstam, George Saunders, and Gary Shteyngart ....

[ Above : An angry frillneck lizard, slightly off-center.] It's been nearly a year now since I headed halfway around the world to write about Australia for Slate . I was recently sorting through my digital photos of this experience, and I was struck by how many pictures I had of wildlife. My Slate story...

Today's issue of the New York Times Magazine features a short article I wrote about an odd corner of Hollywood's B-movie industry. Entitled " The New B Movie ", the essay profiles The Asylum , a small company that in recent years has found success making "mockbusters" -- movies with titles like Snakes on a...

Last week I had a new story debut in The Smart Set . Entitled " Death of an Adventure Traveler ," it is a kind of sequel to a story I wrote for a Lonely Planet anthology several years ago. In the original story , I recounted a quirky tale told to me by my...

In recent days, I have talked about Vagabonding on two different national broadcasts -- both of them through the Frommer's travel publishing company. First, on Sunday, I spoke with Arthur and Pauline Frommer on their radio Travel Show . Topics covered included the importance of work to any vagabonding journey, the cheapest regions of the...

Since departing on my European and North American travels earlier this summer, I've done a number of interviews that have appeared in print and online -- including a podcast about solo travel for SmarterTravel.com, a Q&A about breaking into travel writing for KiwiWriter, and a personality profile for the newspaper of my adopted hometown ....