With international travel seeming to largely be out of the picture, at least for the near future, but summer and fall vacation plans upon us, let's talk about how to take a basically free road trip - or to plan one for next year. Road trips are one of my favorite ways to travel. There…
The exotic sub-continent, and a place, much like Brazil last week, that for some reason has never really been on my must-visit list. I've heard mixed things, that it's a love or hate sort of a place. But there's no question India is important historically, economically, demographically, and culinarily. Indian food, in particular, is a…
Editor's note: it is always a brave thing for a travel writer to use the word "favorite." So it really means something when Sam does so here. Make sure you check out all of his articles for more incredibly destinations! The most annoying question you can ask me: “So, what’s, like, your favorite country you…
If you've missed it, my Facebook group, Travelers Tell All (yes, please join), has been running tournaments to keep ourselves amused while we can't travel. We first decided what the best city in the world was, then the best US national park, the best man-made wonder, and the best museum in the world. Now it's…
Over the past few weeks, we have spent a lot of time talking about both airline miles and hotel points, and some ways to earn them. Today, we are going to take a brief moment to discuss the third type of points "currency": transferable points. Transferable points are those earned via a credit card issuer…
The contrast between the streets of Barcelona and those of most other major Spanish cities is stark, and not just for the architecture. The flag of Spain, commonly hung from balconies all over the country, is not visible here anywhere near to that extent, except on federal buildings. Rather, the red and yellow stripes of…
As most of you know, I am an ardent believer in ad-free content here at The Royal Tour, and do my very best to provide that multiple times per week, even during quarantine. I have also staunchly refused to add affiliate links to my writing, since I feel it distracts from content, and would lead…
I've never been to Brazil, and to be honest, it has never been all that high on my bucket list. I don't know why. It checks all the boxes: good food, fascinating culture, natural beauty. And yet my desire to go has never been as strong as it has been to see other places, even…
Editor's note: Our resident national parks expert takes us to a less traveled one in Utah. For all of Christian's posts here on The Royal Tour, click here. When I travel alone, I have a habit of showing up at dusk to a town I’ve only known existed for the last few hours, and parking…
There's a calming feeling for me, being out in the desert. The sky stretches from horizon to horizon, blue broken up by sparse clouds beckoning the mind and spirit upward. Few other people have crossed my path since exiting Interstate 15 in Baker, California, and the cares of the world seem far beyond my sight.…