Stretching across the hillside and Caribbean coastal plain, alive and resilient as its founders in a distant earlier century intended it to be, the original historic city of Cartagena today reflects a past that leaves a memorable imprint on the traveler.  Approaching the outskirts of old Cartagena today from its…

There are a few destinations in the Caribbean that have managed to retain an authentic sense of place while simultaneously establishing themselves among the region’s most exclusive escapes. Anguilla is one of them. Situated in the northern Caribbean, just 19 kilometers north of St. Martin, this slender coral and limestone…

River cruising is often described as relaxing, immersive and easy – and it can be. But what the river cruise experience actually feels like day to day is something most first-time travelers don’t fully understand until they’re on board. If you’ve ever wondered what a river cruise is actually like,…

Few destinations offer such a close connection to wildlife and the natural world as the Galápagos Islands. Located nearly 600 miles off the coast of mainland Ecuador, this volcanic archipelago has long attracted travelers interested in nature, conservation, and the remarkable species that call the islands home. Giant tortoises roam…

The street dogs of Kathmandu spend most of the year in a kind of dignified obscurity. They doze in doorways, trot along temple steps with the unbothered confidence of longtime residents, and generally receive the same attention any city gives its strays, which is to say very little. Then, for…

The pharmacist in Osaka was polite about it, which somehow made the whole thing worse. She examined the box of cold medicine, the kind you can buy at any Walgreens without a second thought, and explained, with practiced patience and a small apologetic bow, that its primary active ingredient was…

The road into Bath County narrows as the mountains close in. You pass through Warm Springs, the county seat with a population of 121, and something in your blood pressure drops before you even stop the car. The air here carries the scent of pine and cold stream water, and…

Stand in any airport security line long enough, and you will notice a choreography of small frustrations. Shoes off. Laptop out. Belt in the bin. An officer glances from your face to your ID and back, making a judgment that takes two seconds and has changed little since the 1970s.…

Lexington, Virginia, asks very little of you on arrival. What it gives you in return is considerably more complicated. The setting for the small town of 7,000 inhabitants is both beautiful and strangely captivating. You first come for the history. Lexington is a town that rewards the visitor who slows…

Located easily within the Puerto Rican capital’s wider urban map, the barrio neighborhood of Santurce might still be missed by some travelers focused on the more commercial or oceanfront districts of San Juan.  But including some time for Santurce on any trip to the island can certainly provide its own…

Eight minutes. That is all that separates the roar of Manhattan from one of the most improbably pastoral escapes. Governor’s Island, a 172-acre jewel anchored in New York Harbor, has outlasted centuries of history, and emerged as the city’s most quietly extraordinary day trip, a place where the skyline just…

There are ghost towns scattered across the world, but few carry the weight of Kayakoy. Perched on a rocky hillside in southwestern Turkey, its hundreds of roofless stone houses, cobbled lanes and silent churches speak of a community that was not simply abandoned but deliberately erased by the politics of…