Beach Travel
That Time I Caught Malaria In Africa
The following is an excerpt from the new travel compilation released by TheExpeditioner.com, The Expeditioner’s Guide to the World: Intrepid Tales of Awesomeness from the Open Road, available for sale now at Amazon.com. I awoke the next morning to find a foot dangling from the bunk above mine. Apparently someone had come in and claimed […]
Photo Essay: Vieques, The Puerto Rican Island You’ve Never Heard Of
Vieques, sweet, Vieques — the last natural gem in the Caribbean. Part of the Puerto Rican Commonwealth, this peaceful little island remained untouched by mega-resorts commonly found in neighboring destinations thanks to not so peaceful forces: bombs. That’s right, during World War II, the U.S. Federal Government took over approximately 26,000 acres out of a […]
Krabi’s Peaceful Rhythms
The limestone steps were nearly vertical at some points, each varying in length and width, distorting my perception of depth, and causing me to stumble like a lame bird. I peered over the edge and sighed at the lush landscape of verdant highlands almost 800 feet below; a magnificent view of coconut palms, rubber trees […]
The Pulse (Or Lack Thereof) Of Boipeba, Brazil
Brazil. The word alone conjures visions of dark-haired, curvy women, swaying to samba in the sultry heat of a mid-summer’s night, clinging to their equally gorgeous counterparts on the coarse sands of Copacabana beach. The country just sort of exudes this sexy, vibrant, beautiful vibe to the average pale-faced foreigner, creating a seductive allure that […]
Surfing Paradise . . . In China?
By Kyle Long of UnTourShanghai.com Although it’s certainly accessible these days, the Chinese once thought of the city of Sanya as the far reaches of the Middle Kingdom’s empire, and thus the end of the earth. Located on Hainan Island directly south of the mainland — putting it just a short flight from Hong Kong, […]
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 […]