Staying with strangers and getting lost on a rainy November night in Venice was just part of the adventure for Natalia Marchuk.
Finding My Mother in San Miguel de Allende
Only weeks after her mother’s passing, Laurie Gilberg Vander Velde traveled to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, on a previously scheduled vacation. San Miguel was also the place where twenty-four years earlier her mother had sought refuge from grief and Laurie finds memories of her mother everywhere.
Flamenco and the Art of Emotion
During a visit to Madrid, Spain, Melissa Paquette attended a flamenco show. Just as the first performance ended, a baby in the audience began to cry. Little did she know it, but the baby wouldn't be the only one in tears before the night was through.
Close Call In Kin
The true story of a mugging in the Congo by Mike Chambers.
Following Elen of the Ways across Wales
Inspired by a visionary encounter with the goddess Elen of the Ways, author Elyn Aviva and her husband set off on a spiritual trek across Wales with little more than synchronicity, symbols, and signs to guide their way.
Better Than Machu Picchu
During a walking holiday in Peru, writer and hiker Nancy King found that her most powerful and memorable moments occurred in quiet solitary interactions far away from the tourist throngs at Machu Picchu.
Where is the Garbage?
When B.J. Stolbov travels, he sometimes find answers; other times he finds more questions. During a recent trip to Korea, he was struck by the absence of public litter which triggered this essay about what is valuable and important in a culture and for its people.
A Bovine Travel Tale From Goa
It was a morning like any other in Goa. Lazy, languid, leisurely. But also not like any other, as Priya Florence Shah would soon discover.
A LOOK AT MY BOOK
Frequent contributor Elyn Aviva shares the opening chapter of her newest book.
Lipstick Kisses, Chewing Gum and Terrorism in Paris
For expat Keith Digby, the tragedy of the French terrorist attacks turned unexpectedly personal during a visit to Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris' best-known resting place.
A Round-Trip Ticket to Cancerland
Having beaten breast cancer in 2004, Charmaine Coimbra now finds herself facing the unexpected and unwelcome return of cancer.
Kismet On A Tunisian Dune
Was it destiny when Pamela Blair, a psychologist on holiday in Tunisia, met a heartbroken camel herder seeking advice from a stranger?
An “Ugly American” Moment In Sudan
Pamela Blair, in the Sudan on the final leg of a long train voyage over a hot and empty desert, had prepared herself to be bored. It was what she hadn't planned on, however, that would forever change the way she saw the world and herself in it.
Costa Rica and the Trek of a Lifetime
After emerging from a sweltering jungle trek in Costa Rica, Dina Lyuber saw herself in the mirror for the first time in three days. Her face was sunburnt and sweat-stained. She felt achy, exhausted, and surprisingly exhilarated.
The Horror Of Hiroshima
Executive editor Judith Fein went to Hiroshima, Japan, where the first nuclear bomb was dropped. As nuclear threats are once again appearing in the news cycle, Fein reminds us about what a nuclear bomb and its aftermath were really like.
My journey with Flea
On a fateful day in 2003 when Canadian expat Chris Pady and his wife Michele befriended a young stray dog on the streets of Tainan, Taiwan, they never imagined the many ways their new best friend 'Flea' would change their lives forever.
Buying Pearls In China
On impulse, Cynthia Hicks shelled out big bucks at a Chinese pearl factory. When buyer's remorse kicked in, the emotional journey behind it was unexpected.
Peace for Honduras
Three weeks after the presidential election in Honduras, a winner had yet to be announced and tensions were high as the country plunged into political crisis. In this essay, expat Jill Dobbe reports on living in a country in chaos and what it means for the strong and resilient Hondurans who pray for peace.
Tea In St Andrews
Bobbi Lerman's solitary morning in a St Andrews tea shop is unexpectedly transformed by the spontaneous invite of four open-hearted Scottish women.
Panic at the Airport
The morning of a late-night flight from Mexico City to Rome, Ashya Griffin was ready with passport, wallet, and flight information organized in her favorite red leather cross-body purse. So, no one was more surprised than she was to suddenly find herself at the check-in counter unable to put her hands on an essential document and unable to board.