Like many travelers, I keep track of my country count. How many countries one has visited is both a source of pride, and also of confusion. After all, the definition of a country isn’t exactly universal across all people. Let’s start with the basics. There are currently 193 member states of the United Nations. All…
Guided tours are not my normal way to travel. I am someone who prefers to do things on my own, with long periods in a single location leading to a relaxed pace. However, the opportunity came up to travel with Overseas Adventure Tours (OAT) to Ireland with my aunt, so I took it. OAT is…
“How do you pick where you go?” It’s a common question I get, and I understand it. After all, as a travel writer I am fortunate to be able to travel more than most people, and from their perspective I probably always seem to be off on another trip. So, how do I pick where…
It’s still weird for me to think of the life I’ve built, and contrast it to where I was less than a decade ago. I was a suit and tie guy, working as the executive director of a large nonprofit organization, spending 60 or more hours a week in the traditional grind. I was also…
Some regular readers have been asking me recently if I really like every place I travel. After all, I seem to call a lot of cities or countries “world-class” or amazing, or any other positive adjective I might happen to use. So today, I wanted to address this. Do I really like every place I…
Editor’s note: this article first appeared on JLiving Media. As always, I am so grateful to have Rabbi Sam Spector as a writer, both for his thoughtful approach to his adventures and for his unique perspective as a rabbi traveling the globe. For more of Sam’s writing, click here to visit his index page. I…
As you read last week, 2022 was a solid travel year, my first since the beginning of Covid. As the pandemic winds down into endemic, 2023 looks like my first year back to my truly intensive travel schedule since 2019, and I couldn’t be more excited! While some things - especially later in the year…
It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone. For me, 2022 was the year of a semi return to normalcy. While Covid is still an issue - and I am someone who keeps up to date with boosters and continues to wear a mask indoors - the world has at least opened back…
For regular readers, you’ll know that I don’t write reviews of hotels, airlines, restaurants, or things like that, except as incorporated into a larger story. So why this one? A couple reasons. First, Avelo Airlines generously sponsored my flights to and from Humboldt County on my recent trip, so I actually paid much more attention…
The small Baltic state of Lithuania has been in the news a lot recently, for some pretty cool things. Risking economic backlash from China, the country did the right thing and allowed Taiwan to open an embassy under its own name (rather than the commonly used Chinese Taipei). Second, it became the first European country…