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I happened to be killing time in the Cairns airport flipping through the bookstore when I came across the travel memoir of “catching love, fish and wisdom”: Robyn Catchlove’s “Somewhere Down a Crazy River.” I then promptly forgot about it until I received a notice from the publisher, and I gave it a read. It’s … Read more »
Want to run away and live in a sustainable treehouse community? Go to Finca Bellavista in Costa Rica.
You can build your own stilthouse or other “arboreal dwelling”, as long as it abides by the community guidelines, which include such things as small square-footage structures, getting rid of waste through a compact biodigestor, and being attached to the community SkyTrail zipline pathways. It’s located six miles from the Golfo Dulce coast as the … Read more »
Beyond Santo Domingo and the resorts of Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic is wide open for travelers looking for outdoor adventure. On a recent trip to the country’s Samaná Peninsula and parts of the North Coast, I was able to take part in four distinctly different experiences that only scratch the surface of the great outdoors in the DR.
Horseback riding to Salto El Limón. … Read more »
Looking for a surf safari on your travels but need to learn the sport first? It can be fun to take a class while you’re on vacation—but how do you find professional operators?
Prices for surf classes can be affordable for vagabonders, depending on the location. Popular tourist destinations may be more expensive, but once you learn, the cost is minimal to rent a board and … Read more »
As part of the research for an upcoming trip across Southeast Asia, I’ve been reading Rough Guide’s First-Time Around the World. 
One of the most useful roundups in the first 50 pages is in an offset box that simply has a list of activities, such as bike touring, caving, horseback-riding, kayaking, scuba diving, and wine tasting. Those are just the ones that appeal to me personally, and … Read more »
You know a trek is badass when it was created along a rugged coast to rescue shipwreck survivors. When its Wikipedia article is loaded with phrases like “surge channels” and “impassable headlands”. When a friend of a friend sees a documentary on the trek, doesn’t catch the name, and emails, “Tell me where this trek is or I’m going to die.”
Sure thing, friend-of-friend: … Read more »
Aswan, Egypt
One of the best things to happen to me earlier this month began in the toilet. I was staying in a super cheap hotel in Aswan, Egypt, and the shared toilet was — well, imagine 40 people who neither aim well nor, … Read more »
When we travel, we often scrutinize our interaction with residents of the areas we’re visiting. How do we get up close and connect in a way we might miss if we were just passing through? How can we get a local perspective on what life is like in a different place? The answer is often to slow down, be open to new … Read more »
Carl Hoffman’s latest book, ‘The Lunatic Express: Discovering the World via its most dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes‘ was the perfect reading companion during my recent trip to Haiti. As I followed Carl on a bus through the Andes to Puerto Maldonado, or a train from Kenya to Uganda, or a ferry through Bangladesh, I myself was commuting … Read more »
It used to be that just about every advance in technology was accompanied by someone deciding to take it around the world — bikes, cars, balloons, boats, you name it. Maybe it’s technology that’s changed, maybe it’s us, in either case the round the world trip has become a touch routine by yesterday’s standards.
Sure you could grab an iPad and jump on a … Read more »