Backpacking
Luke In Kenya Part 3: The Happiest Man in Mombasa
Luke in Kenya: Part 3 “Luke in Kenya” is a travel series from Managing Editor Luke Armstrong as he travels to Kenya to visit the homeland of his adopted brother. He’s always going, but never arrives. They call him “The Traveler.” He’s a familiar face along the sunny streets of Old Mombasa. His unique blend […]
Navigating The Med On A Smile And A Shoestring: Part Four (The Aeolian Islands)
During this past summer Contributing Editor Hannah Bowman found herself on an island in the Mediterranean Sea. She liked it there, but didn’t want to stay forever. So, with a tent on her back, one month to play with and a handsome Flem by the name of P.J. in tow, she headed north. “Navigating the […]
Luke In Kenya Part 1: Flying Into A New Year/World
Luke in Kenya: Part 1 “Luke in Kenya” is a travel series from Managing Editor Luke Armstrong as he travels to Kenya to visit the homeland of his adopted brother. Two days before my departure, my adopted Kenyan brother wrote (succinctly I may add), “Hey Luke, I just realized that you really suck at making a […]
A Mostly Forgotten Treasure In The Himalayas Has Me Asking: What Makes Us Travel?
A mostly forgotten treasure in Guler, a small town in the Punjabi state of India nestled at the foothills of the Himalayas, is home to a 250-year-old crumbling palace that has been taken over by the jungle, leaving behind remnants of a not-too-long-ago past of royal artistry in the valley. The Financial Times recently went in search of this […]
My Encounter With Keith, The Chocolate Shaman Of Guatemala
The mist smells of banana leaves and wood smoke, the scent of the Guatemalan highlands when it rains. Mothers carry firewood on their heads and get knocked around by a downpour that’s like bowls of dirty water being thrown from the sky. Village children in hand-woven clothes hide under a tree and squeal as workers […]
Pack The Pants James Bond Would Wear If He Were A Backpacker
Everyday, people all over the world wake up and put on pants. With their britches donned, they dash off to class, their tractors, their grocery stores, the nearest mall or to their offices where they will spend their day in trousers sitting in cubicles, compulsively checking their Facebook status and avoiding eye contact with upper […]
Girls Gone Wild In Bali
For those of us from North America, spring break is known as the week when pasty Greeks and their college brethren from all over the country descend onto the warmer locales of Panama City, Cancun and Negril for a booze-fueled orgy of bucket beers, foam parties, regrettable tattoos and other activities that one can only […]
How Giving Nepalis The Gift Of Clean Cooking Helps Save Lives
The Himalayan Stove Project is one of those organizations that mediates a need most westerners don’t even know is an issue. Sure, we hear about world tragedies on the news: poverty, war and natural disasters. These are noteworthy, pressing problems in need of media attention and aid. But it’s rare that a nonprofit has the […]
Navigating The Med On A Smile And A Shoestring: Part Three (Small Bums And Big Hearts)
During this past summer Contributing Editor Hannah Bowman found herself on an island in the Mediterranean Sea. She liked it there, but didn’t want to stay forever. So, with a tent on her back, one month to play with and a handsome Flem by the name of P.J. in tow, she headed north. “Navigating the […]
Shhh, Don’t Tell Anyone: The Best Caribbean Islands Are Actually Off The Coast Of Central America
The little-known secret that most tourists don’t know about and that many travelers like to keep to themselves is that fact that most of the best Caribbean Islands to visit are not those found in that linear line of islands stretching southward from Florida’s southern tip, but rather are found hundreds of miles away, dotting […]