I had my first taste of travel back in 2007 when I went on a group tour throughout Europe to six countries in twenty days. It was a group of kids from all over New Jersey that I did not know, but after those twenty days we were like a family. At the time it was my dream to visit London, I was obsessed with the accent, the culture and seeing the sights. I always wanted to see the London Eye and when I finally did, it all hit me. That moment was … [Read more...]
Sumatran Blend, Ripples on the Edge of Time: Toba or not Toba?
An American backpacker treats Sumatra, Indonesia’s “Lake Toba”--filled with crunchy Elysian entrepots --as a writers’ retreat where backing off comes with the territory “Characters are just like black marks on paper. . . --William Gass, Fiction and the Right of Life I arrive by high-speed hydrofoil across the Malacca Straits to Medan, the ersatz capital of Sumatra, during Ramadan. I was, of course, on my way to flop down and relax at the … [Read more...]
Pie-eyed for Pizza: A Love Story
“I could eat pizza seven days a week.” The sentence grabbed me, but I couldn’t decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. It was on a site where few sentences grabbed me: Match.com. I jumped to two possible conclusions: a) NBlikesbikes is really boring, or b) NBlikesbikes is really quirky. I have a soft spot for the quirky, and while I was mentally kneading a) vs. b), NBlikesbikes e-mailed me. After a few messages, he asked me … [Read more...]
War and Peace and Napoleon
I’ve always had a thing for Napoleon Bonaparte. After all, he was a pretty amazing guy. In addition to his military exploits, he oversaw the centralization of the French government, established the Bank of France, got the French people to accept the metric system (something I doubt even Barack Obama could do in the United States), reformed the law (the Napoleonic Code still forms the basis of legal process in a quarter of the world), and … [Read more...]
A Visit to Munich Germany
I made it to Munich in one piece! Let's just say that's thanks in part to the complimentary wine and liberal alcohol laws on my flight. After getting my luggage, I met my German host family that I'll be staying with for the next two weeks - Hans und Gaby. Gaby was holding one of those signs with my name on it, I felt like I was powerful or something. About fifteen seconds after meeting, they shepherded me to the nearest Biergarten, which … [Read more...]
Adam Shepard: Author and Speaker
Adam first reached out to us a few weeks ago in anticipation of the release of his second book, "One Life Lived". This story is an interesting one - detailing his unique adventures, cultural immersions and introspection about a year round the world trip. Adam's first book was about how he randomly moved to a city in the USA by pulling a name out of a hat - arriving with $25, a sleeping bag and the clothes on his back. The challenge was to … [Read more...]
Doug Lansky: Travel Writer + Speaker
We first heard about Doug's travel adventures a number of years ago through his "Signspotting" website and later his book. This unique ongoing project highlights humorous and engaging signs from around the world. He even has a cool widget which you can embed on other websites displaying any new signs uploaded to his own site. Doug is a busy guy and certainly not one to stand still. He is involved in a number of projects that would make those with … [Read more...]
Guilin the Glistening Gem of China
Driving out of the Guilin airport, you may immediately say to yourself, "Hey, where's all the beautiful scenery I was told about? All I see is flat ground, a highway and a dull 45 minute ride ahead of me to my hotel." Don't nod off just yet to take a nap because in about 20 minutes, peaks will rise out of the horizon and jut toward the sky forming a unique panoramic view that soon entirely engulfs your vision. At once, you understand why the … [Read more...]
Top Five Savvy Reads that feel like Traveling
Can't get away but want to feel like you've traveled? I recommend these five stories to get your Fall full of far-away places that will make you feel as if you did leave home, even if you don't get further than your back yard! The Newlyweds, by Neil Freudenberger This tale about all types of love captured my heart. The story features intercontinental online dating (New York to Bangladesh) and moments in rural Bangladesh, all set against … [Read more...]
Pele’s Castle and the Dracula Castle
Today I toured the mountainous countryside about 2-3 hours outside of Bucharest. Two highlights of the day: Pele's castle is one of the most amazing castles in the country. It is the former home of the Romanian Royal Family (all originally from Germany). The small town of Bran is the home of the "Dracula's Castle" the castle that played a role in the inspiration for Bram Stoker's book Dracula. "Dracula" has very little to do with Romanian … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- …
- 26
- Next Page »