All in cultural immersion
B.J. Stolbov reflects on how three simple phrases—"Not my problem," "I don’t know," and "I have no opinion"—help him cut through the noise of daily life. With warmth and honesty, he shares how these words keep him grounded, free from unnecessary stress, and focused on what really matters. His personal story might just inspire you to embrace a simpler, more peaceful approach to life in 2025.
In a serendipitous twist of fate, a dream from the past and a series of uncanny synchronicities lead Elyn Aviva and her husband, Gary, back to Girona, Spain. Amidst the charming medieval streets, they feel at home in ways they don’t quite understand. The journey rekindles Elyn's passion for a long-abandoned novel, and though it remains unfinished, they trust that life's purpose will be revealed.
David Devine recounts an unexpected cave-dwelling adventure in Maymand, Iran, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Despite the challenges of cramped caves, basic amenities, and a cold night's sleep, Devine embraces the unique experience, immersing himself in the cave community's history, hospitality, and charm. From the homemade bread to sharing stories with the locals, his stay in Maymand leaves a lasting impression.
Pamela Blair traveled to Tunisia to experience the beauty of the desert. What she didn't expect was a young camel herder who, when he found she was a psychologist, insisted she help him with a problem. He took her out to a dune, and their session began.
When Keturah Kendrick returned to visit East Africa, she had a craving for goat brochettes at Le Poete. When she lived as an expat in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, she’d been within walking distance of the restaurant and gorged herself on skewers of grilled goat several times a week. On this visit, however, satisfying the craving proved to be an adventure of its own.
A road trip across the Philippines via winding mountain roads and ferry crossings en route to a family reunion gets expat B.J. Stolbov thinking about President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure projects designed to promote the flow of goods, investment, and people. And inspires the question: Who will benefit?
Have you spoken to any immigrants or refugees lately? In this essay, executive editor Judith Fein encourages you to reach out, if you haven’t already, and shares how your heart will be opened by the contact.
No one knows when we’ll be traveling again. So for now, while we’re still staying close to home, lifelong gardener BJ Stolbov provides his suggestions for growing a vegetable garden, an exciting adventure right in your own yard.
Bringing home travel purchases is an age-old tradition and one that Michael and Laurie Vander Velde have passed on to new generations with personal significance and a story behind it.
Shortly after Jules Older’s 80th birthday and his wife Effin’s 77th, they moved. They left their home in San Francisco, crossed ocean and equator, and landed in New Zealand. This wasn't just a visit; they’d bought one-way tickets and weren’t planning a return.
Elyn Aviva decided that culling her computer contact list would be a productive Corona project. Easy, right? In theory perhaps, but the reality wasn’t quite the cleanup she’d anticipated.
As more and more folks seek their tribes, author Jules Older adds one more tribe to the list. It’s more significant than Jewish or Buddhist, Italian or Iranian, male or female, maybe even gay or straight—goers and stayers.
It was 1984 and Cynthia Marshall Shore, at 25 years old, was traveling with friends through Turkey when found herself over her head after getting involved with a Turkish soccer pro turned naval officer.
Unexpected visitors transform a quiet afternoon in rural Tanzania into a trip to the emergency room for Canadian expat, Mike Chambers.
This article is an excerpt from the new book, HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE DEAD…and How Cultures Do It Around the World, by YourLifeisaTrip.com executive editor Judith Fein.
Philippines-based American expat B.J. Stolbov heads off to Batanes, a remote cluster of islands, located almost 200 miles off the northernmost tip of Luzon, to discover if the islands are as crime-free as their reputation.
If you travel to the Philippines, where singing is a national pastime, American expat B.J. Stolbov advises you to let go of inhibition and join the fun.
When American expat Elyn Aviva and her husband relocated to Asturias, Spain, after seven years in Catelonia, the safety net of knowing how to do things and where to go was suddenly gone and their spirits soon matched the region’s dismal winter weather.
For global nomad, Bhavana Gesota, the question “Where are you from?” is not an easy one to answer. Are people asking, she wonders, where she was born? Where she lives now? Or, are they asking which passport she carries? Is there a single answer to this single question? Read on…
Many of us travel in search of the different, the unusual, the exotic. But, for B.J. Stolbov, wherever he travels, he often finds himself searching for the familiar. Not the things that remind him of “back home,” but, rather, the moments of connection—to others, to nature, to himself—that each journey inspires.
