Baja California’s raw beauty and stunning contrasts draw visitors year-round. Most common is the entry point at Tijuana, just south of San Diego. While convenient to accessing the area’s coastal towns of Puerto Nuevo, Roasarito and Ensenada, the border crossing is large and somewhat confusing, and drivers need to be quick on their toes to catch the right road out of town. Coming back into the United States, this crossing can be a nightmare, with …
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Just 95 miles north of L.A., but a world away from the home of hype, understated but cosmopolitan Santa Barbara is home to its own eclectic community of surfers, socialites, Hollywood escapees and transplants from around the globe. Somehow, it all coexists well in this city strung along a gorgeous strip of coastline, bordered by pristine beaches and the nearby Santa Ynez Mountains. This variety is reflected in the diverse activity that Santa Barbarans enjoy. …
The best way to see the National Parks during the busy summer tourist season is simply not to do it. Stay home. Come back in the fall, when there are fewer visitors and lower temperatures. But if summer travel is your only option, as it was for my husband and me, follow these tips to beat the crowds— and the heat.
Start Early: Many National Parks actually close their parking lots during the day, either …
Thirteen minutes—that’s all it took to arrive in Barcelona and encounter one of its greatest claims to fame—the slickest pickpockets in Europe. If you’re going to hit, best get hit by a professional, I always say. And they’re at their slickest and quickest on the underground trains at Barcelona Sants railway station. Barcelona treats its notoriety as a pickpocketer’s playground with a zesty inverted snobbery, with the landlord of the apartment I was renting cheerfully …
Guadalajara, located in the state of Jalisco, is Mexico’s second-largest city. Unfortunately, it’s often overlooked in favor of the world-famous metropolis of Mexico City. Although Mexican tourists flock to the city, most foreigners have yet to discover the many delights of Guadalajara. Not only was the city the birthplace of mariachi, but it brims with culture and history. You could easily spend a week in the city and still not have time to take in …
Despite jokes about accents and what, exactly, a chip is, London remains a popular destination for American travelers, which has no shortage of tourist staples: Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, the House of Parliament, but London’s appeal doesn’t lie only in its architectural and cultural treasures. It’s the jaw-dropping views across the city, taking in most of the Big Five landmarks, which are most memorable.
It’s only a credit to the capital …
Embarking on an international journey is an exhilarating adventure, full of new experiences, cultures, and the inevitable stories to tell. But amidst the excitement, it’s crucial to consider one aspect that often gets sidelined until it’s urgently needed: health care. Navigating health care issues while traveling internationally can be a lot more confusing than trying to order a meal in a language you don’t speak. Further, decisions and considerations made during an emergency are often …
Embarking on an international driving adventure can seem like a thrilling chapter straight out of a globetrotter’s diary. The freedom to explore at your own pace, to discover hidden gems far from the tourist trails, is tantalizing. Yet, for many, the thought of driving abroad is met with anxiety. Language barriers, cryptic road signs, and arcane local customs can transform what should be an exhilarating experience into a daunting challenge.
The first mistake most newcomers …
The coast of Portugal’s southernmost region, the Algarve, is a chain of old fishing villages that have, over time, transformed into charming resort towns adorned with steep cliffs, secret caverns, and wonderful sandy shores. One such beach town was just named the “best in the world.” The accolade was bestowed upon Praia da Falésia, a name that aptly translates to “cliff beach” in Portuguese. This beach is beautifully positioned between the towns of Albufeira and …
Wyatt Earp still lives, and he is leading a group of visitors through historic Tombstone, Arizona. In the original Boot Hill cemetery, he points out a particular gravestone. The epitaph reads, “Here lies Lester Moore Four slugs from a 44 No Les No more.”
Oft-quoted and credited to gravestone makers throughout the West, this funny epitaph was originally written for the tombstone right in front of us. Another gravestone reads, “Joseph Ziegler Mitered 1882.” Many …
Excuse me. Sir! You there. I have a request. No, not you, nice man. You go on about your day and enjoy your vacation.
I’m speaking to the other gentleman, who is so incapable of controlling his impulses that he just chucked that small boy overboard. Oh! That was your son, and you were playing? I see.
Well, I’m also talking to that lady who thinks it’s funny to draw a picture of a bomb …
He’s seriously psyched up as he wraps a long stretch of fibrous cord around a 30cm ball of hard cheese. The smoke from the cigar, wedged into the corner of his mouth, necessitated that he close one eye. His other eye accessed the camber of the road ahead. He took a couple of long strides to build up momentum, leaned his ample frame forward, and, with a curved slingshot motion (delivered in an elegant pirouette), …
The medieval market city of Norwich is situated on the River Wensom in the beautiful county of Norfolk in England. Located around 100 miles north-east of London, Norwich is known as ‘The Fine City’, a phrase coined by 19th century local writer, George Borrow.
With over 1,500 medieval buildings and 33 historic churches within its crumbling mid-14th century walls, Norwich has a higher intensity of ancient architecture than elsewhere in Northern Europe. The …
It was Sri Lanka that changed the way I travel.
I can’t remember where I was on the island when the realization came, and that was precisely the problem. Every town was blurring into the next, and I was wasting half my time in hotel foyers checking in or out, or on buses moving from one site to the next.
Don’t ask me what Sri Lanka is like because I have no idea. I don’t …