We all have different souvenir styles. Some focus on shot glasses, others on local crafts, and some folks shop for home electronics or clothing while on vacation. There are travelers who prefer unconventional mementos, like recorded music, rubbings, or even words. And plenty of people follow the advice: “Take only pictures, leave only footprints.”

My souvenir preferences have changed considerably over the years. When … Read more »

The news is full these days about a “green revolution.” Is it really the wave of the future? Or is it actually a return to the past, when living in harmony with the environment was standard practice?

The Tokyo expat magazine Metropolis published excerpts from a new work titled Just Enough: Lessons in Living Green from Traditional Japan.

Author Azby Brown also produced dazzling drawings of rural life in Japan, from houses to ordinary … Read more »

When you’re researching a trip, it’s not always easy to determine whether your tour operator or hotel cares about sustainable travel. And when you’re paying a middleman instead of giving your money straight to a business in your destination, you may not know how much of that money goes to the local communities.

Some tour operators know an area after traveling there for years, … Read more »

Not long ago, my friend and colleague Lauren Grodstein contacted me for a story she was writing about ethical travel. In the process of answering her email questions, I realized that I have misgivings about the rhetorical level at which we generally discuss ethical travel issues. Hence, my answer turned into a rant of sorts about the traps progressive-minded people can fall into when they discuss the ethics of travel.

Here’s an outtake from our … Read more »

In the days leading up to Mardi Gras a couple weeks ago, I fielded some strange questions from camera-clutching visitors to the city of New Orleans, where I’ve lived off and on the for past year-and-a-half. Though the post-Katrina streets of the French Quarter had grown encouragingly festive and rowdy in anticipation of Fat Tuesday, these queries had … Read more »