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Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved treasure hunts. Theres something singular about following clues to a final, mystery location that gets me every time. Piss Alley in Tokyo, Japan, is pretty much the perfect treasure hunt mystery location. Why? Well, to start, it’s devilishly hard to find. It’s hidden in plain sight. And […]

“Hey guys, I think you need to come out here.” “Come on, Dave. We just got our drinks.” “No seriously, I really think you should come outside—now!” It’s the last day of a very enjoyable tour through the South Island of New Zealand. My fellow tour-mates and I have hiked through the forest. We’ve sea-kayaked […]

If it’s possible to be two things at once, as a traveler, I am both 1) lazy and 2) cheap. Nowhere is this more of a contradiction than when I’m contemplating how to get over to Masada. On the one hand, I can take the cableway, which is something like $12 RT. OR, I can […]

“We’ve been standing here with our thumbs out for over an hour now, Dave. It’s time to give up!” “Come on, Denisia. We’re almost there. Let’s give it a few more minutes!” It’s 1984, Northern France, on the border between Brittany and Normandy. As college juniors studying in Paris, neither Denisia or I have hitch-hiked […]

When it comes to travel, I’m pretty cheap. That doesn’t mean I stay in a youth hostel every night; my 20’s are far behind me. These days, I like a nice bed and a private bathroom. What I don’t like, however, is spending a fortune on expensive tours. WHY do I need a $100 guide […]

One of the reasons to travel is to test the limits of your wingspan. How far from home can you fly in the world? No matter where you start, the journey tends to start slow. Maybe you venture to the Big City to see a rock concert with your high school friends. Maybe you get […]

“Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.” – Mae West The wife and I are planning a trip to New Zealand in December, and our main topic of conversation is, “How fast should we travel?” When putting together an itinerary, the strong temptation is to try and see everything. And why not? Who knows when […]

“It’s the not the Destination, It’s the journey.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson I hear what you’re saying, Ralph. The journey is everything, got it. But what if the journey consists of sitting on a truckload of raw tapioca? I’ve come to Eastern Thailand, along the Mekong River, to visit Wat Phu Tok, an amazing cave temple […]

“That’s three games in a row for me, Thomas.” “Another!” “Wow, you take your chess pretty seriously.” “Less talking, more playing!” To be clear, I’m not a great chess player, but occasionally “beginner’s luck” is my friend. Over our next 10 games of chess I play with my Dutch buddy Thomas, however, I win exactly […]

“Do you think they’re on drugs, Yumiko?” “I don’t think so.” “Maybe it’s a trance then?” No, I’m not talking about a typical day at Burning Man. Rather, my friend, Yumiko, and I are sitting in the stands of a dance hall, watching a traditional Kecak dance in Bali, Indonesia. Never heard of it? The […]