The United States is the only home I've ever known, outside of a few months here and there in other locations. I was born here, grew up here, largely live here still, and though I'm also a German citizen as of last December, I still identify almost solely as American. Nearly two years ago exactly,…
It is one of the first things I was warned of when I began to plan a visit to Barcelona. "Don't leave your suitcase even for a moment." "Keep an eye and hand on your belongings at all times." "Don't put your phone down, and hold it tightly." Petty crime, especially theft and pickpocketing, are…
"Not so long ago, three things were forbidden at Chilean dinner tables: politics, religion and football. Now, there is so much talk of politics that even if we wanted to talk religion or football, we wouldn't have time." My buddy Gert and I are chatting over a terremoto (also known as an earthquake, it's a…
Aljube retains few of the characteristics of its brutal past as a political prison. There are heavy bars on some windows, and a few small (two meter long) cells remain as exhibits in the Portuguese Resistance Museum, but this now airy building in Lisbon's Alfama district defies the past. This is where political dissidents were…
On June 23, 2016, a very small majority of British voters decided to change the course of the UK and of Europe. In a popular referendum initiated by then Prime Minister David Cameron, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union behind. This British exit of the EU, or Brexit, has been at the…
Tourism to religious sites normally isn't associated with America. The holy sites of Jerusalem, St. Peter's and the Vatican, the mosques of Istanbul, or temples and shrines of Japan or Thailand, these are known around the world for being destinations in and of themselves. But in the US? It's hard to imagine someone visiting Washington…
The Joseph Smith Memorial Building looks like an old luxury hotel, which is unsurprising because it is, in fact, and old luxury hotel converted to offices, conference halls, and banquet rooms for Salt Lake City's most famous entity: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Members, formerly referred to as Mormons as a…
It is a normal Saturday in Las Vegas, and the front of the Bellagio is crowded with tourists waiting for the iconic fountain show to begin. After, some will explore the gardens off the lobby inside. Others will shop, enjoy restaurants or bars, or head to the luxurious pools and spas of the Strip hotels.…
Let's face it, the world is a complicated place and, despite our purest of intentions, sometimes as travelers we can be drawn into complex local political debates. Other times, we (meaning I, since I like writing about such things) seem to search them out. But how can political activism impact us as visitors, both from…
In April of 2018, widespread protests broke out in Nicaragua against the government and Daniel Ortega, the country's dictator. The government responded with massive violent crackdowns, with estimates of those killed ranging from 30 to well over 100, including the well-publicized shooting up of a church in which some protestors had taken refuge. The United…