I Backpacked Europe+Asia for 6 Months– Here’s What I Packed
The End of the Beginning: What’s Next After 15 Months of Continuous Travel
After almost 15 months of continuous long-term travel (440 days to be exact), 3 continents, 23 countries, dozens of cities, towns, villages, islands, hikes, cross-country bike rides, planes, trains and automobiles– what’s next for us wild-hearted vagabonds? ….. As astronaut Gene Cernan said during the final Apollo mission to the moon, “it’s not the end, it’s only the end ...
Foreigner in a New Land: 8 Days in Tokyo (45 Photos)
I arrived to Japan after two days without sleep- having two overnight flights from Istanbul with a day in freezing Moscow smack in the middle. I was dazed and confused after landing, lugging around my slightly overstuffed backpack and slightly heavy foldable bike on my shoulder. It’s a bit of a hassle to have the ...
Portugal | The Undiscovered Country (Part two): 4 Days in Porto
Porto is one of those towns that you may have heard of somewhere, somehow, but you really never knew anything about. Maybe you heard of Port wine and maybe you think it comes from Porto, like I did. Well, it actually doesn’t, but they don’t mind that we think that because it gives another reason ...
Portugal | The Undiscovered Country (Part one): 5 Days in Lisbon
I often get asked on this RTW trip, “what’s your favorite place you’ve been?” It’s a simple, straight-forward question and one I can’t quite possibly answer without lying- Because so many places have been my favorite while I was there or they have an incredible moment that stands out or they have a person or ...
Barcelona or Bust: Reasons for Revisiting Places
I had a plan- see some new and exotic places around the world, but also go back to locations I loved and fondly remembered- to get to know them better, deeper and more intimitley. Like reading a good book for the second time, revisiting a city gives the opportunity for a richer immersion in a ...
Magic in the Mountains | Peru in 50 Photos
Maybe the most spiritual place I visited in South America- Peru, and especially Cusco, still exude the mystical energy of the Incas surrounded by a gorgeous mountainous landscape. The combination of traditional culture with modern tourism; locals and foreigners living among one another; the mystery of a lost civilization and the emergence of Spanish and ...
Landscape Series: A Declaration of Concern for the Summit on Landscape Architecture and the Future
50 years ago, in 1966, a small group of landscape architects met in Philadelphia to share their concern for the quality of the American environment and its future. They prepared a “declaration of concern” with the hope of affecting positive long-term change. Here is a bit of what they said: ….. “We urge a new, collaborative effort to improve the American ...
Video: Carnival in Rio de Janeiro | Feb 2016
Back in February 2016, Joe and I made the tough decision to get our butts to Rio to celebrate Carnival 2016. I knew it was going to be a big event, fun and packed with people; but I didn’t realize how big, fun and packed it would be. It may be the most fun I’ve ...
Room to Roam (Part deux): Live/Learn/Work/Play
Today’s world voyager has a multitude of choices when it comes to travel; kind of like a rendition of choose your adventure. An integral part of planning this journey is what type of accommodation to choose and at what price range. Moreover, it’s now possible to easily diversify and add to your tourist experience with many ...