The amount of knowledge you have about a place before you visit can range from nothing to extensive. Hopping off a train or bus randomly, walking across an unfamiliar landscape, or hitchiking. Word of mouth, word of blog, web research or travel books. You can learn about a place through movies or novels -- Mumbai...

Some of the travel world's harshest criticism is reserved for those who impose the norms and expectations of one place onto another. It can be as simple as dressing a certain way, demanding speedy service, or expecting a certain language. It can be as heavy as trying to impose a style of government, farming or...

Yesterday I found a travel piece about my hometown (ok, about the fancy town next to my hometown) in the Guardian. I've been out of the area for five years, but it was still a challenge to accept the premise of the article: That, after crossing an entire ocean, a commuter town in suburban New...