When traveling, I usually consider the actual form of transportation just a means to get where I’m going. Certainly, there have been experiences that stand out, but for airplanes, buses and cars—it’s usually snooze city. Hours spent on planes or most wheeled vehicles are like pressing the pause button on my trip. I’m not here,...

Perhaps you meant to spend a little more time studying Spanish before your trip, or if you did, your mind just happened to draw a blank the second you got yourself and your bags into the taxi. ¿A dónde quieres ir? Uh… where’s that phrasebook? Nothing’s better than speaking the language—even if you can’t do...

Until I visited Colombia, I thought that my favorite hot chocolate was from Mexico. The dose of cinnamon (and sometimes, chile) has caused me to squirrel away a box of Ibarra or Abuelita for those moments when I crave it. But then, in Bogotá, I found something that was even better. Chocolate Santafereño is, at...

The best way to get an in-depth look at a culture is to travel to where it is. No guidebook, TV show or movie can replace the experience of being immersed in the daily life of a place. But when it’s not possible to go everywhere you’d like, books, films and festivals certainly help. If...