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…

You won’t wander far without coming face to face with a troll in Bergen. In fact, these characters of Norwegian folklore even have their own museum. Their presence adds a whimsical aspect to a city surrounded by natural beauty. Cute wooden houses line the hilly streets, and the colorful waterfront…

Five weeks in Europe: river cruising, barging and walking parts of the Camino. Our most recent five weeks in Europe began and ended in Paris — with a barge cruise through Burgundy, a river cruise down the Saône, and a walk along the Camino Francés — and an unexpected ending.…

For decades, luxury safari sold access: dawn game drives, leopard sightings in marula trees, sundowners against a burning horizon. Now, for a certain kind of traveler, access means something else entirely. It means paying not simply to see wildlife — but to help keep it alive. Across parts of South…

“People don’t take trips, trips take people” ~  John Steinbeck There’s a word for happy accidents, those series of unplanned events leading to good memories: serendipity.  I am convinced the best trips are those in which we allow serendipity to go along for the ride.  On a business trip to…

Some of the most beautiful places in the world are not found on land, they are alive underwater, in the coral reefs of crystal clear waters where entire sea life habitats exists. So, how do you get to enjoy this beauty? Not by bus, plane or train — the only…

The Daniele’s first move is unexpected. Rather than turning west into the open Doubs, the barge noses toward the base of the Citadelle — and then into it. A tunnel cut through the limestone bluff beneath Vauban’s fortress draws us in, lit and narrow, the stone walls close on both…

Serenity and energy, a still visible past that endures amidst the flow of twenty-first century prosperity – all connect in unexpected  moments while exploring this old quarter of Panama City known as the Casco Viejo.  Because so many decades have left this compact warren of streets, squares and ornate structures…

The text arrived at 2:47 a.m. — not that Marcus noticed at first. He was asleep in a charming hillside hotel in Lisbon, the kind of place with terracotta rooftops and a fado singer drifting up from the street below. He’d had a spectacular dinner, a little too much wine,…

A mere hour by road from Mexico City, the mystical town of Tepotzlan in the state of Morelos, is a perfect escape from the metropolis. City dwellers, tourists and spiritual seekers alike, head along the winding mountain roads, leaving the smog and chaos of the city behind. An ancient town…

Tour guides often refer to El Salvador as “the country of 40 minutes.”  Because it is the smallest country in Central America, flanked by Guatemala to the west and Honduras to the northwest, you can easily hike a volcano in the morning, grab lunch at the beach, and end your…