During a business trip in Nairobi, Mike Chambers fell victim to a standard street crime scheme. His response, however, was anything but standard.
When Water Comes, Books Go
When a burst valve results in a flooded study, author Nancy King is left temporarily book-less and bereft.
Two Beach Boys Find Paradise Lost in Cambodia
After six long winter months of teaching at an all-boys school in remote China, Richard Collins and his friend Isaac arrived in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, looking for a backpacker’s beach paradise. As it turned out, finding paradise wasn’t as easy as they’d imagined.
Food Sharing, Barcelona Style
Some people love to share their food. Kristine Mietzner, not so much. Then a Barcelona food tour changed everything.
Caught in Khartoum
Jailed in a Sudanese prison wasn’t what Mike Chambers imagined when he went to Africa. Then luck and the actions of one officer changed everything.
Into the Amphitheatre
A hike into the Amphitheatre at South Africa’s Royal Natal National Park to see the world’s second highest waterfall seemed like a good idea—until it didn’t. With heavy mist obscuring any possibility of a view and a water-slicked, cliff-hugging ladder providing the only way in or out, Richard Kitzinger suddenly found himself face-to-face with his greatest fears.
Where’s Oprah?
When Holland America announced the “Oprah Experience” as one of the highlights of its cruise ship Nieuw Statendam it wasn’t exactly what passenger Cathy Meils expected when she signed on for the ship’s premier voyage.
Shanghai Hairy Crabs
Erin Mooz flew halfway across the world to visit her college roommate’s hometown, Shanghai, during Hairy Crab season, one of the city’s most anticipated culinary events of the year, and discovered there was more to the tradition than the delicious crustaceans.
Expat’s Lament
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.
Winter Companions: Skiing and Friendship
A lifetime of friendship on the ski slopes is a bond unlike any other for Jules Older.
Why Belfast Blew My Mind
For James Daffley, a Belfast city tour with a burly veteran of the troubles revealed not only a rejuvenated city coming to terms with its tumultuous history but, also, an insightful glimpse into its future.
People Watching Abroad: A Story of Parents and Teens
No matter where in the world writer Bobbi Lerman travels, she has only to give herself time to sit and watch to find a story. During a trip to the Isle of Skye, it was an overheard conversation between an errant Scottish teen and her father that served as the inspiration behind this delightfully universal tale of parental love and aggravation.
Where are you from?
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…
Searching for the Familiar
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.
Travel Dating, Serendipity, and China
When a dating website leads to a last-minute invitation to China, Tammy A. Kosco set aside her fears and said “yes'“ to a romantic adventure with a stranger. (Spoiler alert! — he was not a serial killer.)
Travels with Rain Man
Kristine Mietzner shares the joys and challenges of travel with a disabled adult, and points toward the truth that everyone benefits from travel.
Trekking Into The Stone Age
A trekking adventure in West Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, a place where some people still hunt their food with bows and arrows, challenges preconceptions and produces unexpected insights for intrepid traveler Barbara Brown Allen.
The Silence of Indifference
In this travel essay, writer E.M. Panos argues the merits of vacationing in places where she doesn’t speak the language.
10 Years In 25 Words: A collection of very, very short stories
It’s that time of year again when we challenge YourLifeIsATrip.com writers to tell us a story in 25 words or less. This time, we asked the question: What are you doing now that you didn’t do ten years ago? From mixed martial arts to truth-telling and overcoming a lifelong fear of drowning, here’s what they had to say…
Flamenco: How I Went from Nay to Yay
Watch the performance that transformed a flamenco naysayer into a fan in this visual video travel story by writer-photographer Paul Ross.