I’m chronologically way behind on this blog, as I’ve already passed through two other countries. But I want to wrap up my Hungary posts with two more stops: the Lake Balaton region and the Villany-Siklos region. Both of these are renowned wine centers in Hungary, which is what I was there to check out, but …

I’m wrapping up my winery tours in Hungary, with more to come later on Lake Balaton and Villany, but first a few pics and bits of info on Eger. As I always tell people, it pays to get out of the big capital cities, especially in Europe, if you want to get more for your …

My new MSNBC column (via Tripso) is out now, called Reservations About Making Reservations. Of course the majority of backpackers go for months or a year finding rooms on the fly without even thinking about it, but from the comments I’ve gotten already on Tripso, you’d think I proposed some radical idea that’s going to …

I’m neck-deep researching a travel planning guide I’m co-authoring with Rob Sangster that will cover Mexico and Central America and here’s a useful tidbit of info worth passing along. Following are bus prices for executive or first-class buses between several cities in Mexico. I know, I know–if you’re a backpacker on a strict budget you’re …

This post is from my first visit to the town of Tequila in 2006, before it really took off. The Tequila region of Mexico was just coming off the announcement that it got a UNESCO World Heritage designation and was starting to gear up for more visitors. Consider this a snapshot before the big crowds …