Beach Travel
The Best Central American Islands
Frommer’s recently compiled a list of their favorite Central American islands, from the Turneffe Atoll in Belize — whose 30-mile-long stretch of shallow water offers over 70 different named dive sites — to the Corn Island in Nicaragua where the crowds and development are still years, if not decades, away. Click through here for the […]
Phu Quoc, Vietnam: Visit Before It Becomes Phuket
“Like Phuket before it became Phuket.” Anyone notice how this saying is quickly becoming the de facto description to use to describe an island in Southeast Asia that is, amazingly, undeveloped and seemingly undiscovered by tourists? (I recently wrote about this article about Boracay, Philippines — an island that also got the Phuket treatment). This […]
Colombia’s Caribbean Coast
Colombia’s Caribbean coast is in the news big time this week, with article in both the Financial Times and the NY Times. Gone are the days when the region’s checkered history scared away tourists. Now, for better or worse (better if you’re a local depending on travelers), you’re more likely to run into a yacht-owning […]
The Death Of The Gap Year?
The gap year is a foreign concept to most Americans — most high school graduates here head straight on to college. But for the British, the gap year is a hallowed institution, the year-long break before Uni (that’s university to you Yanks) where the budding minds of the best and the brightest head off into […]
Exploring Recife Away From The Famed Coastline
It’s probably safe to say that if you really want to get to know a city, stay away from where the scenic beaches and high-rise hotels are located. Far from the pulse of the city, these upscale, over-developed, tourist-friendly locales not only attract the crowds of tourists you’re likely trying to avoid in the first […]
It’s A Bird. It’s A Plane. It’s A . . . Flying Donkey?!
It’s not often that I’m dumbfounded by the stupidity of people. Check that. It’s not often I’m this dumbfounded by stupidity. It looks as if a group of entrepreneurs locked themselves and copious amounts of drugs in a room and vowed not to leave until they had the perfect idea to attract tourists to their […]
Another Phuket? This One In The Philippines
Is it me or does it seem like every time a new tiki bar or hotel opens up on a Southeast Asian island, the inevitable, “The next Phuket” tag seems to creep in? Which begs the question: how many Phukets can there be, and do we really need or want more than one? This week […]
When In South Africa, Go To Mozambique
It’s a horrible analogy, but here it goes. Mozambique is to South Africa as Mexico is to the U.S.: Respites away from the home country where the currency goes further, the beaches go less visited, and the chance to get far away from it all is really not that far away at all. This week […]
Face It, Paradise Sucks
Last year, I spent a week on Boracay Island, Philippines. The flour-soft sand underfoot, Jack Johnson vibe at the bars, and crystal water rhythmically crashing was as close to “paradise” as I’ve gotten in quite some time. I hated it. The monotony of, well, nothing, propelled me into a sandcastle making contest with the bartender’s kid just so I could break the routine of, […]
Where To Avoid The Tourists In Vietnam
This week the NYT headed off-the-beaten-path in Vietnam in search of a little respite from the hustle and bustle that is the rest of the country, and where they found it may be a little surprising: Con Dao — the infamous island chain known more for their prisons than for their visitors. Until recently, the […]