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I go back and forth regarding the “purpose” of travel. On the one hand, I see the benefits of using vacation as a time for rest and rejuvenation. Heck, what is more restorative than a week on the beach, reading a good book while sipping a cold, fizzy drink? On the other hand, travel also […]

“Hey Dave, let’s go see that new RomCom, ‘Anyone But You.’” “Sure, Hon, but I want to read some reviews first.” “It looks fun. Who cares about what other people think?” “I do!” I’m sure it drives my wife to distraction when I dance this particular dance, always seeking out yet another opinion, but I […]

As you probably can tell by now, I love a good treasure hunt. There’s something about going off in search of rare, hidden, objects or services that always gets my blood rushing. I also love plant-based eating. So why not combine the two passions? That was the thinking that inspires my wife, Donica, and I […]

One of recurring themes of my posts is the tension between authenticity and tourism. As travelers, we’re quite-naturally drawn to the “big-ticket” sights: the Great Wall of China, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Louvre, etc. When you’re in the vicinity of those locations, you pretty much have to visit them. I mean, can you […]

As a traveler, I’m always on the hunt for “authentic” experiences and thankfully, they do still exist out there in the world. It’s one of the reasons I like countries like India so much – the culture is so thick, dense and historic; you just can’t Disney-fy it! And yet, what to make of places […]

Do you remember that scene in the movie 48 Hours where Eddie Murphy’s character, ex-con Reggie Hammond, walks into that all-Caucasian cowboy bar? Through bravado and bluster, he somehow manages to take control of the situation, at last declaring, “There’s a new sheriff in town!” That’s a little bit of the attitude I adopt when […]

When it comes to zoos, my feelings are conflicted. On the one hand, as an animal lover and a vegan, I find it hard to rationalize, snatching creatures out of their natural habitats and putting them in cages for us humans to gawk at. Isn’t that species-ism at its worst? I’m reminded of a scene […]

If you watch enough Looney Tunes cartoons (as I did as a kid), you’ll eventually see a scene where one of our heroes has been captured by their enemy and placed in a stew pot. The nemesis might be Elmer Fudd. It might be Native Americans. It might be aliens. Our hero might be Bugs […]

On a Japan Travel Facebook group I belong to, someone almost inevitably will post (for advice) the itinerary of an upcoming trip to Tokyo. It tends to look something like this: 6am Tsukiji fish market; 9am Asakusa temple; 11am Harajuki; 12pm Meiji Shrine; 1pm Shibuya crossing; 2pm Akihabara; 3pm Ginza shopping, 4pm cat café, 5pm […]

There are some places in the world that stand apart from local politics: Bagan in Myanmar (Wow Place #9), the Great Wall of China, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, etc. Whatever you may think of the governments of the host countries, the sights, themselves, remains eternal. Once other such site is the Dead […]