Andres SerraTurkey was one of those countries where every stop seemed to show me a completely different side of it.I found ancient cities, enormous mosques, turquoise beaches, otherworldly landscapes, and some of the best food I’ve eaten while traveling. Istanbul deserved every bit of my attention, but many of my favorite experiences happened well beyond it.If … Read more
Chile is one of the most geographically extraordinary countries I’ve explored. Stretching more than 4,300 kilometres from the Atacama Desert to Patagonia, it packs an almost ridiculous variety of landscapes into one long, narrow country.I’ve found everything from volcanoes and ancient forests to glaciers, colorful cities, and remote Pacific islands here. These are the 10 places I … Read more
Argentina is a country where I quickly realized just how little a map prepares you for its scale.Stretching nearly 4,000 kilometres from the subtropical north toward Antarctica, it has rainforest, high desert, wine country, enormous grasslands, glaciers, and some of the wildest mountain scenery I’ve ever experienced.The distances are huge, but the payoff is worth … Read more
Most people I know who have visited Patagonia seem to come home saying the same thing: I need to go back.I understood why almost immediately.I’ve seen glaciers crashing into turquoise lakes, hiked beneath enormous granite peaks, driven through landscapes that seemed to stretch forever, and watched wildlife along some of the wildest coastline I’ve ever … Read more
Albania surprised me more than I expected. I found Ottoman towns tucked beneath mountains, ancient ruins surrounded by countryside, dramatic hiking trails, and some of the clearest water I’ve seen along the Mediterranean. What I loved most was that so much of it still felt relatively undiscovered. Albania has changed enormously since opening to the world in … Read more
Albania surprised me more than I expected. I found Ottoman towns tucked beneath mountains, ancient ruins surrounded by countryside, dramatic hiking trails, and some of the clearest water I’ve seen along the Mediterranean. What I loved most was that so much of it still felt relatively undiscovered. Albania has changed enormously since opening to the world in … Read more
Latvia surprised me with just how much there was to see beyond Riga.I came expecting beautiful architecture and plenty of Baltic history, but found medieval towns, forest-covered river valleys, peaceful beaches, grand palaces, and stretches of Baltic coastline that felt wonderfully undiscovered.Even better, many of my favorite places were remarkably easy to reach.If you’re planning … Read more
The trip was supposed to be the exciting part. Instead, you’ve got forty open tabs, six versions of the same hotel comparison, and a low hum of dread every time you think about opening the laptop again. I’ve been there. What you’re feeling has a name: decision fatigue, and it happens to careful planners more than … Read more
Every genuine hidden gem I’ve ever found stopped being hidden within about a year of someone writing about it, which is the problem with almost every article on how to find hidden gems when traveling. They hand you a list, the list gets shared, and the place stops being what made it worth visiting. After years of … Read more
After planning more than 500 trips for myself and others, I’ve learned that the most common travel planning mistakes have almost nothing to do with forgetting your charger. A carefully planned trip still turns stressful when the itinerary ignores how travel actually works: the real transfer times, the queues, the fatigue by day four, the delays, … Read more