Zimbabwe
It is a ghost town. The shops are closed, the windows shuttered and the interiors gutted.But it is not an abandoned ghost town. People do still live here. Their livelihoods, however, do not.This...
Read More 4 min read
What Guidebooks Don’t Say: 5 Tips For Families Traveling In Europe
When my husband envisioned a family summer in Europe, it fell on me to make it happen. While he imagined sophisticated city tours, long walks in high mountains, and short stays in remote, unspoiled...
Read More 7 min read
I’ve Been So American
I tossed my shoes out onto the roof to dry, and flopped onto my new bed. My eyes were tired, but every time I tried to close them, they begged to be wide open, taking...
Read More 5 min read
Connecting Through Smiles: Reflecting upon two trips to Hacienda Vieja
I have a predicament with the term “life changing experience.” Besides being extremely cliché and overused, it puts a label on the occurrence or adventure, thus dampering it. To describe...
Read More 5 min read
Hostility in Ecuador
The seeming desertion of the small village of Santa Barbara in rural Ecuador upon my arrival was only a harbinger...
Read More 4 min read
Spring Break in the Euge
When most people think of a college student’s spring break, they imagine bikini-clad youths, basking in the sun on the beaches of Miami, or drunken kids stumbling around Cabo holding open Coronas...
Read More 4 min read
.jpg)
Frat Parties and Oregon Rain: Spring Break in the Euge
When most people think of a college student’s spring break, they imagine bikini-clad youths, basking in the sun on the beaches of Miami, or drunken kids stumbling around Cabo holding open Coronas...
Read More 4 min read
The Other Face of Japan
When many people think about Japan, what is usually the first thing to cross your mind? Robots, school girls in sailor outfits, sushi, et cetera. For the longest time, those images crossed my...
Read More 4 min read
Joshua Tree National Park Adventure
“I am in this world to change the world.” – Muriel Rukeyser These are the words plastered on the shirt I received in the mail from Claremont Graduate University after traveling...
Read More 3 min read
Florida/Bahamas Summer Trip 2009
In the summer of 2009, my family and I took a 10 day trip to Orlando, FL, Fort Lauderdale, FL, and a 3 day cruise to Nassau, Bahamas (the cruise being included in the 10 days). The first place we arrived...
Read More 4 min read
The Beauty of Belize
The earthy scent of the leaves, buzzing insects, and humid air enveloping me is both thrilling and calming. Today we will meander by tube on the cool waters of a dense cave or “actun”...
Read More 2 min read
What is Too Much Poverty?
Last summer I saw something that completely shocked me. I witnessed a man attempting to unclog a flooded street in Dhaka, Bangladesh. That doesn’t sound too shocking, but given the circumstances,...
Read More 3 min read
Iran
My name is Alena Moshir and I am an Iranian American student at Fresno State University. I am a junior majoring in Civil Engineering. Several...
Read More 5 min read
From the Great Wall to the Berlin Wall
My friend and I had been living in China for two years when we decided to take the long way back to the States. Instead of flying from China back to the United States, we decided to do what we would...
Read More 6 min read
Superclásico
Halftime. Crowds of outfitted fans swarm into the stadium with stacks of generic newspapers in hand that no one will read. Preparations begin.
Read More 2 min read
A Golden Morning at Goldbug Hotsprings
We arrived after dark with our packs loaded and ready to hike. There were four of us and we were all severely overloaded for an easy one and a half mile hike and two night stay. I was carrying...
Read More 4 min read
When in Europe…
When I was 16 years old, I got the opportunity of a lifetime! I was a competitive gymnast and the owner of our gym told my time about a trip to Austria. My best friend on my team and I had to go!...
Read More 2 min read
A Little Slice of Heaven
I left on my mission trip to Haiti expecting to have a memorable and life-changing experience. At that point I thought of Haiti solely in terms of "the poorest country in the...
Read More 7 min read
My Tennessee Adventure
When I was in tenth grade I travelled to Tennessee to visit my best friend Amber. Amber had moved away when we were in the third grade, but we had always...
Read More 3 min read
Authentic Chai With You
I have found nothing quite like the richness of the gravy-air in the land of spices. You could blindfold me and put me on an India-bound airplane without telling me where on earth I was going, and once...
Read More 6 min read
A place where the sun rarely sets in the summer:)
My journey to Alaska all started with me having a rough year with school and other personal problems and I just wanted to get away from Wisconsin. My parents suggested that I find a seasonal job in...
Read More 4 min read
A smile is a smile, no matter where you are
In the brief seventeen years of which I have lived on this planet, I have traveled to eighteen different states, nine different countries, and...
Read More 3 min read
My trip to Bruges, Belgium
Bruges (Brugge), Belgium Being an au pair for 3 energetic boys can be exhausting work. So when a free weekend became available, I jumped at the...
Read More 2 min read
My trip to San Marcos la Laguna
The road from Na'an and Tat's house to the lake curled down the mountain side like a large kumatz (snake). Standing in the back of the...
Read More 3 min read
Marbella Club Hotel, Costa del Sol, Spain
Find out how this resort on Spain's fashionable Malaga coastline measures up to other hot properties at these wonderful beaches.Some of my family's most successful vacations combine the beach...
Read More 2 min read
An American in France
My trip to France with the Institute of International Studies this summer has proved to be a very memorable one. Throughout the spring semester, I was not quite sure what...
Read More 6 min read
Same State, Opposite States Of Minds
My whole life, I’ve grown up on Long Island. I got used to living in the middle of beautiful beaches, and New York City. As I started to approach...
Read More 3 min read
California
My experience in San Jose, California was like no other.? I was there for a week in the summer of 2008 for the Loopkicks 2008 camp.? The camp was for a new sport called tricking which is adding acrobatic...
Read More 2 min read
Manhattan Madness
Off the plane and into the shuttle… Zooming in and out of traffic, the man driving would occasionally tell us to look left at this and over there to the right at that, ‘there, just there,...
Read More 3 min read
Frankfurt To Venice
During the summer of 2009 I embarked on a trip, sponsored by EF Tours, exploring Southern Europe with my high schools’ German club. We visited three countries including: Germany, Italy, and Switzerland....
Read More 2 min read
Oye, Nicaragua me voy!
Managua, Nicaragua. The volcano in the background is a constant reminder of the unpredictability of life. The combination of men on horseback and others in Toyota Prados remind us of the inequality...
Read More 3 min read
Moosilauke Is Pronounced (Moose-i-lock-ie)
A year ago today, I found myself in a peculiar predicament. There I was, leg deep in packed down snow. Tank top, shorts, boots, and a back pack. No, I'm not crazy; I am adventurous.
Read More 3 min read
China 2010
Hello, my name is Ramdat Singh and I am currently a 11th grader. I was very grateful for the opportunity to travel to China alongside Angel Acosta, Ashley Williams, Bonnie Maldonado, Kevin Montalvo,...
Read More 3 min read
Polio Eradication in Photos
These photos try to capture the essence of my short excursion to India this year to learn more about the polio effort and lend a helping hand by vaccinating children, consulting with the local health...
Read More 1 min read
Lure of Loon Lake
The tantalizing scent of pine needles wafted past my face as I stood at the trailhead, waiting for the rest of my family to pack the necessary materials for a daylong journey to a place that I ...
Read More 4 min read
It’s Alright to Be American Again
As I wove my way through the densely packed, smoke filled bar I paused for a moment amongst the madness to catch a glimpse of the television...
Read More 3 min read
My Education in Eire
So you want to travel. As a young student, you figure studying abroad would be a great...
Read More 6 min read
Discovering the World Beyond My Backyard
After graduating from High School, I knew that I did not want to take time off, but neither did I have a clear direction. I decided to attend my local Community College until I could decide on a direction. ...
Read More 2 min read
Plane Trip with an Infant to Florida
My mom has always worked in the travel industry. My first plane trip, at five years old, was to Las Vegas. Needless to say, I have many stories...
Read More 4 min read
Listen to Jayz feat. Alicia Keys “Empire State of Mind” and you will know where I went
“Empire State of Mind” by Jay Z featuring Alicia Keys announces the known New York! The song alone brags about New York and it convinces one to want it visit there; and...
Read More 3 min read
Rotary International Exchange to Italy 2007-2008
“Oh my God, I look like a prostitute.” ...
Read More 3 min read
“Te Quiero” Coooosta Riiiiica!
Costa Rica...Rich landscape, beautiful forests, extraordinary plant and animal life, and...killer moths! From the moment I stepped off the airplane and gazed out over the San Jose Valley,...
Read More 5 min read
Iterations of Equality
Parvati stood out from all the other women in her village. She could read and write. She was confident and charismatic. She looked men in the eyes when she spoke to them. She spoke to them. And when...
Read More 5 min read
London Bridge
Cold. Cold. Cold. My boots clatter against the icy cobblestones to this repeating mantra. I try to wiggle my toes to see if the sleet has seeped in beneath three layers of socks—but they are too numb...
Read More 4 min read
Club Crocodile Resort, Whitsunday Islands of Australia
Club Crocodile Resort on Long Island, part of the remote Whitsunday island chain off the eastern coast of Australia was a paradise I had never before experienced. Reachable only by...
Read More 3 min read
New York
The reputation of New York is one unlike any other; one with characteristics from the brutal and depravity of slums populated with the...
Read More 4 min read
Irish Family Adventures
The ability to travel presents the ability to free one’s mind, body and soul...
Read More 4 min read
Across the Pond
Earlier last year I went Manchester, United Kingdom, and it was the best experience of my life. My father lived in England, and has been trying for the past...
Read More 4 min read
Conflict Travelers couch surfing Belfast
My friends and I are conflict travelers: if the destination has at one point been a conflict hot spot, we are much more likely to spend a disproportional amount of time visiting, lingering around, casually...
Read More 6 min read
beauty at hand.
most of us have that one solid picture in our minds of what "vacation" looks like. there is that place we frequent throughout our childhood that begins to hold even more meaning as our life becomes...
Read More 2 min read
THE CALABAR VISTA
Any one visiting calabar in Nigeria would agree that it is a fine knitting of colourful, beautiful and serene environment, culture and people.There is a sharp contrast...
Read More 4 min read
My Experience at Grant Park on Nov. 4, 2008
I had to write this, 12 hours later, because I was still very emotional and could not put my emotions into words yet :)
Read More 3 min read
Thailand Adventure
Traveling outside the country for the first time by ones self is an eye opening experience. When I was a senior in high school, there was a Thai exchange student in my physics...
Read More 3 min read
Vietnam: My Other Home
Vietnam is known for it's delicacy of dog and cat meat. Did I eat any? No; I was raised in America where these creatures serve as cute, loveable housepets. That's a bummer. Isn't eating exotic dishes...
Read More 4 min read
Rapt about London
I looked out the wide windows of Heathrow Airport and noticed the sky was filled with a light shade of gray, dabbed with only a dozen clouds. The sun tried to peak out from the clouds, glowing lightly...
Read More 2 min read
Central America
Being a child in an upper middle class family, and having parents who love to travel, I have been fortunate enough to see may places and...
Read More 3 min read
