I feel like I’ve been studying Spanish for a very long time. This year I finally got some real traction. You see, I started studying almost-worthless French in high school because I liked the way it sounded. I stuck with it after year one because I liked the people in my class. In nearly two …

Many travel destinations are described as “surreal,” especially when people have trouble putting what they have seen into words, but then there are places that really deserve the term. Like where I was two days ago: Las Pozas in the jungle of nowhere, Mexico. I’m going to just put a little taste of this fantastic …

I’ve always felt kind of bad that Africa is so under-represented in every edition of The World’s Cheapest Destinations, but despite the prevalent poverty, it’s not much of a deal unless you want to live like a local. Or not do anything. I had a lovely time once on a press trip to South Africa …

For those who typically skip intros in books or take prices in travel articles as gospel, here’s some news: prices for hotels, restaurants, taxis, buses, visas, and admissions will change. They are probably more liable to go up than down, just as they have for centuries. No book author likes to get negative reviews, so …

I’m in Paracas, Peru right now, which is not exactly the prettiest place in the world. A red tide swept through recently, leaving a beach already the color of concrete covered with a carpet of dead crabs. The water is the color of algae, big ships are anchored offshore past the fishing boat fleet. A …