Growing up in the Midwest, my Thanksgiving was the traditional spread of turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, devoured at a relative’s home in suburban Chicago. But I grew up to be an inveterate traveler and spent the holiday in many places—one of the best was the historic, colorful Belgian city of Bruges. Several years ago...

I’ve been talking a lot lately to folks who are pushing hard towards their dreams. They’re working the equivalent of two full time jobs to break free from the one they’re sick of to change their whole lives. They’re courageous folks. But then, she goes out for drinks with a sister who ends up getting...

As the mother of four children and an avid traveler can I rant for a minute about how annoyed I am by the term “family friendly” as it relates to travel? On the surface, you’d think it was a good thing, wouldn’t you? “Family friendly” should mean welcoming to children, accommodating of the needs of...

Having just come back from another great trip, I’m reminded again of the richness of Europe and the gifts it keeps on giving to any traveler willing to seek them out. I went to France on assignment for three mid-size, nationally-distributed magazines, and set to work almost immediately. It’s amazing how profoundly engrossing traveling and...

Picture credit: Flickr/Helga's Lobster Stew China. A place that changes so much and so fast, one can never know how it's going to look next. However, there are always a few rules of thumb for first time travelers to the Middle Kingdom, especially for those who cannot speak any Mandarin Chinese. I am going to...

It has occurred to me that the internet is, perhaps, the single greatest boon to the traveling world and, simultaneously, the biggest detriment. On the one hand, the ability to keep in touch with the people who matter and are left behind, the ability to quickly search destination focused information, the ease of book tickets:...

In the back of your mind you’re thinking you’d love to drop out of everything and take off to travel with your family for an extended period of time. C’mon – admit it. Maybe you aren’t interested in doing it on bicycles, but in a boat ? Or on horseback ? Or RV ? Walking...

I’m pretty sure my kids don’t appreciate the life that they have. They say they do. They recognize that their life is not normal. But really, I don’t think they get it. They have no frame of reference for what it means to sit in a classroom for eight hours a day, every day, for...

If you’re vagabonding in SEA and trying to get off the beaten track the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is a great place to do just that, especially during the low season of Dec. - Feb. There is a reasonably reliable network of bus service around the island but the roads are terrible and the rate...

This year we’re celebrating Christmas in Borneo. Last year we were on Cape Cod, in the USA, the year before that, Guatemala, the year before that, Canada, the year before that found us in Tunisia, camped in the cold on the edge of the ocean of sand. One of the most interesting parts of our...

“I was driving down the road the other day and saw some cyclists ahead. I braked and waited until I could get by safely, but I’m concerned about them – the other motorists who won’t do that.” “I saw a cyclist riding through my town last week, so I invited him over to my house...

(Sydney - Harbor Bridge) Cost/day: $75-250 (depending on lodging and meals) Hello and g-day from down under! How are you going? That last bit, “how are you going” always trips me up - I never know whether to answer to “how are you doing” or “where are you going”. I’ve been living in Sydney since...

Holidays are most definitely one of the highlights of everybody’s year. We all have our little traditions we stick to and, as kids, look forward to all of them. I used to measure my years by all the holiday traditions we had: making our own valentines… putting up a shamrock tree… the 4 th of...

I love sitting in the common room of a youth hostel, or on the deck of a boat sliding down a jungle river swapping stories with other travelers. I love the light in the eyes of that girl who’s just had her first real adventure and lived to tell about it. I love the excited...

Fear. It’s a powerful thing. In some ways, fear is a good thing – it keeps us safe and prevents us from doing things that might harm us. It’s fear that keeps us from venturing into dangerous places and from doing things that we’re not prepared for. A healthy dose of fear is a wonderful...

I was talking with a friend the other day when she blurted out her biggest fear of traveling abroad. “What about medical issues? What do you do when something happens overseas?” And I responded, “I go the hospital. They have doctors overseas too.” Medical concerns are a huge issue for sure. Nobody wants to face...

“I was driving down the road the other day and saw some cyclists ahead. I braked and waited until I could get by safely, but I’m concerned about them – the other motorists who won’t do that.” “I saw a cyclist riding through my town last week, so I invited him over to my house...

You’ve been there. I’ve been there. I think we’ve all had some kind of dream and spent many weeks and months planning, preparing, and dreaming. And then we get overwhelmed by it all and scared by all the what-ifs and we decide we don’t want to do it after all. Overplanning is the death of...

Cost/day: FREE (airfare not included - ha!) What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen lately? As I write this, it is now 3:40am and I'm bunking in the San Francisco Airport after 16 hours of flight changes, delays and one emergency turn-around. Some of the things I've seen tonight include: Watching the pilots pack their bags...

(CP> I'm preparing for my next trip overseas, so this month I decided to share a trip I took in 2010, as part of the Mongol Rally . If you're looking for an irreverent race that is challenging, yet incredibly fun, check it out.) Cost/day: ~$40/day (food / gas) What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen...