You can’t do anything in Bolivia without first performing a ritual blessing, also known as a cha’lla, which is performed to bring a person luck by appeasing the earth goddess Pachamama. In the town of Copacabana, not to be confused with the more popular beach town in Brazil, people come from all over to takeRead more
[flagallery gid=5]The Year of the Horse, which according to the Chinese lunar calendar starts January 31, has been predicted to be full of good luck and prosperity. Prognosticators say the coming year will be an excellent time to travel — “the more far away and off the beaten path the better.” There’s no better wayRead more
Adopt these 10 travel mantras for the New Year instead New Year’s Resolutions tend to be lofty goals that no one can keep more than a week. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about getting 2014 off to the right foot. A fresh start is exactly what I need. But instead of eating less andRead more
[flagallery gid=3] The North Pole is closer than you think — by approximately 1,700 miles. Reset your GPS coordinates to 64°45′04″N 147°21′07″W and you’ll find yourself in the middle of North Pole, Alaska, a suburb of Fairbanks that celebrates the Christmas spirit all year long. Named by developers trying to attract toy manufacturers to theRead more
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. This quote from naturalist John Muir appeared in the book “Our National Parks,” which was published in 1901. In an age when conquering the natural environment and adapting it to our own end was the norm,Read more
The holidays can be stressful, especially when it comes to getting where you want to go. According to the AAA, an estimated 43.4 million Americans will travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, and 3.14 million of them will be boarding a plane. We may not be able to control the weather and possible delays caused byRead more
[flagallery gid=1] The Facebook message read: “Mama, we are at lunch. Matoke and peanuts. Come.” It didn’t matter I was thousands of miles away from Uganda, I really wanted to be there and sit around the table with my long-lost friends eating matoke topped with peanut sauce, which is a staple food in the country.Read more
For most people, travel is fun or a work necessity. For others, travel is an obsession. Kristian Campana, founder of Ohiofestivals.net, started blogging about festivals in 2009 to help satisfy his travel bug. Since then, he has driven enough miles to circle the globe once. Later this month, he will celebrate his 300th festival atRead more
I can’t remember the first time I heard about Johnny Jet, which has become one of the leading travel information websites in the country. It’s just been imprinted on my travel brain for as long as I can recall. Founder John DiScala and his website have been featured more than 2,000 times in major publicationsRead more
“No matter how far a person can go the horizon is still way beyond you.” Zora Neale Hurston (1903-1960) was a folklorist and writer whose work fell into obscurity until Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, led a revival beginning in the 1970s. Now she’s considered one of the pre-eminent writers of 20th CenturyRead more