Are you a bit curious as to what Cuba is really like, now that we Americans can get there more easily since the U.S. embargo has been somewhat lifted? Having been to Cuba "illegally" a …
Travel: Must-See
Cuba, at last
Feeling the "other" Bern: Switzerland's capital
Bernie Sanders attracts big campaign crowds with his authenticity and populism - but this unique candidate has met his match in unorthodox Alexander Tschäppät, Switzerland’s outspoken rabble-rouser. Sanders is a Vermont Senator; Tschäppät has served …
January 30, 2016
Road-trip Washington State's national parks
I paused on the winding Hall of Mosses Trail in Olympic National Park's verdant Hoh Rainforest. Gazing at the oddly shaped trees that seemed concocted out of an imagination meshing Tolkien and Tim Burton, I …
January 28, 2016
Shanghai: city in motion
Floating down the Huangpu River on a late spring afternoon as the last gleam of daylight faded away, I watched as the skyscrapers of Shanghai gradually transformed into a multitude of flashing lights. Locals and …
Philadelphia in the rain
You can plan as much as you like for a trip, but you can’t plan the weather. That doesn’t mean you won’t still have lots of fun! It was raining buckets on my head for …
November 27, 2015
Hidden Lisbon
The slightly dirty tile sidewalks welcomed us as we left our hostel to begin our first day in Lisbon. The magic in this city was palpable from the get-go. As we followed the trail of …
November 6, 2015
Video: Burning Man is home
Many attendees refer to Burning Man, the annual week-long festival that takes place in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, as "home." This short video examines why. I randomly selected people at this year's Burning Man, as …
"For a remember of Sarajevo"
It was 38 degrees Celsius (100F) when we arrived in Sarajevo. The soaring minarets that mark the Islamic world were ubiquitous. It also happened to be a national religious holiday in Bosnia – Ramadan Bajram …
October 9, 2015
San Miguel de Allende's got charm
With no beach, no stoplights, and not even an airport, one might be surprised that San Miguel de Allende has been a magnet for Americans for decades. This strikingly beautiful and history-rich 16th- century town …
September 21, 2015
Who says you can't do Paris in two days?
Arriving in Paris without your luggage might seem like a huge damper for the start of a mini–Euro trip. But with the sights and sounds of the City of Lights, all thoughts of my lost …
August 28, 2015
Beijing & the Great Wall explored
Check out Derek's e-book How to Travel On the Cheap (...and Even for Free!): Turn Your Travel Dreams Into Reality, available in the Amazon Kindle store. “We Chinese people eat everything. Everything in the sky …