archives: Travel Stories
Community Voices: Sacred Lessons of Time and Place
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Your voice at the Matador Community gives way to some of the best spiritual travel writing around. More »
The Deadly Sin of Wanderlust: Is Long-Term Travel Selfish?
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Most of us dream of quitting our jobs and traveling the world. But when it comes down to it, is traveling long-term detrimental to both the local econ More »
Chuck Thompson Takes Us to Hell and Back
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Fear being shot in the Congo or dealing with the slums of India? Chuck Thompson is here to set the record straight on "extreme tourism," and possibly More »
Local Culture Club: The Universal Desire to Fit In
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Joanna Haugen did her best to fit into the Kenyan culture while serving in the Peace Corps. What she learned is that sometimes, trying hard is not the More »
Lost And Found: When Travel Is Not The Answer
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Escaping to a new and unfamiliar land may seem like just the therapy you need. But Miranda Ward finds that travel should be about enhancing life - not More »
Fragile Moment: Pakistan Before the Rise of the Taliban
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Traversing the desolation of Pakistan was not a part of Greg Johnson's travel plans. Yet, here he is humbled by a small act of human kindness. More »
The Sisterhood of the Temazcal: Purification, Detoxification, and Rebirth
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This ancient Mayan tradition was used to cleanse the body and soul. Karin Leperi shows how Temazcal can also be used to bond those of differing backgr More »
The Ultimate Spiritual Awakening: How Going to the Moon Changed the Astronauts
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On the 40th Anniversary of the first moon landing, it is worth examining the spiritual implications of setting foot outside of this world. More »
Powerful Pilgrimage: Insight on the Camino de Santiago
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John Brierley looks at how mindfully walking the Camino de Santiago can help you consciously evolve. More »
5 (Legal) Ways To Get High While Traveling
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Christine Garvin counts down the best ways to get high on travel without getting arrested. More »
What Makes A Great Woman Traveler?
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Does a woman have to accomplish incredible feats in order to be considered a great woman traveler? More »
Can Slum Tourism Be Done Right? Eric Weiner Says Yes.
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This type of tourism is on the rise, but is it ethical? Eric Weiner offers 4 criteria for saving slum tourism. More »
A Great American Tradition at $1.75 a Gallon
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"There is an unsung liberation about the ability to stop and go on your own accord. Eat stick after stick of beef jerky." More »
5 Writers Who Affirm the Importance of Travel
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Famous Author quiz. Who said: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." ? More »
Now Boarding: Why the Airport is a Metaphor for Life
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The airport provides the most interesting of backdrops for someone who enjoys imagining other people’s stories. More »
Tales From The Road: Kenya, Burma, Colombia, Argentina
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Tim Patterson rounds up a new crop of evocative travel stories. More »
Tales From The Road: Angola, New Orleans, Rio, India, Mexico
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Tim Patterson reveals why good travel writing must be intensely personal. More »
Tales From The Road: Focus On China and Tibet
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These stories give color, depth and humanity to the people behind the headlines. More »
Tales From The Road: China, Vietnam, Nigeria, Mexico and Disney World
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True travel gems from around the web, as collected by Tim Patterson. More »
Tales From The Road: Agent Orange, Naypidyaw, Surfing Panama, Sudan, Nazis In Paraguay
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Tim Patterson rounds up another crop of travel gems from the web. More »
Tales From The Road: Wilderness Survival, Sea Turtles And Acid Trips In Tokyo
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Travel, oddly enough, is often a quest for rootedness and connection.
The travelers who penned the outstanding stories that feature in this weekR More »
Tales From The Road: Matador Edition
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To celebrate the wedding of BNT and MatadorTravel, this week’s collection of inspiring travel tales highlights the best writing from the Matador More »
Tales from the Road: Antarctica, Moldova, Egypt and Wyoming
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I’ve got Antarctica on the mind. A lot of terrific travel writing has emerged from the White Continent of late, but my attention is more pers More »
Tales From The Road: Antarctica, Biafra And A Little Town Called Bethlehem
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Sometimes, when I tell people I’m a travel writer, they ask if I studied journalism in college.
“No,” I answer. “I didnR More »
Tales from the Road: Afghanistan, Thailand, Canada, Nigeria
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One of my favorite parts of the Best American Travel Writing anthology each year is series editor Jason Wilson’s foreword. With each new edition More »
Tales From The Road: Argentina, France, Cameroon And … Home
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I’m typing in a cozy armchair in front of the fireplace in my Uncle’s house in Connecticut, recovering from Thanksgiving dinner and the tr More »
Tales From The Road: Scotland, China, Cambodia and Easter Island
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Every week I search for hidden treasure, scouring the Internet for travel writing that resonates, narratives that slap me across the face with wit and More »
Tales From the Road: Bearing Witness
The most powerful travel stories are like lanterns in the night, heart-felt reports from dark corners of the world where truth is obscured by poverty More »
Tales From the Road: India, Egypt, Argentina and Montreal
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Aside from honesty, curiosity is the most important ingredient of good travel writing.
The best stories come from authors who are both ignorant and More »
Tales From the Road: Focus on Burma
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I’ve long been fascinated by Myanmar (Burma), a large country of diverse geography tucked between Yunnan, India and Thailand.
Since 1962, Burma More »
Tales From the Road: Spain, California, Caribbean, Nevada, Japan
“No charge,” said bike shop man in Mont St. Anne, Quebec. “You’re on a long trip, you need help, it’s no problem.” More »
Tales From The Road: Mexico, Mt. Everest, Ladakh, and Haunted Motel Rooms
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This week Tales From the Road travels from the summit of Everest to motel room floors haunted by ghosts of dead rock stars, from the high desert of La More »
Tales From the Road: Tibet, Xinjiang, Bangkok, Kenya
We all know the feeling. It comes in airport shuttles and on mountain passes, in subway cars and deep in tangled jungles.
It comes from breaking out More »
Tales From the Road: Macau, California, Pakistan, Papau New Guinea, Italy
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Travel can be a journey into the realms of fear and loathing, or a happy-go-lucky search for wildflowers.
It can be an exploration of animosity, or More »
Tales From The Road: Hong Kong, Bangkok, Cairo, and Jamaica
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Finding great travel tales often entails getting a little dirty. The best stories are the ones that smell, the kind you can’t hope to spot from More »
Tales From The Road: Spotlight On Argentina
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Photo: Tourism Promotion Corp of Chile
Last Tuesday I decided to move to Argentina. Sometimes this kind of decision takes a while to percolate befor More »
Tales From the Road: Montana, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, St. Vincent and the Naked Country
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Who would have thought putting together this weekly round-up of outstanding travel stories would be such a hazardous job?
First Rory Stewart’s More »
Tales From the Road – Congo, Iraq, Mongolia, El Salvador
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Travel, and travel writing, are born of curiosity. Some travelers hit the road to answer a specific question.
An example: Are Bonobos really the g More »
Tales From The Road: Japan, Colorado, Burma, New Orleans, and a Long Walk
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What makes for a quality travel story? According to Ernest Hemingway, “good writing is true writing.” Honesty is especially crucial in t More »
Tales From The Road: Miami, Kyrgyzstan, Japan, Italy, India
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This week’s edition features a mix of comedy and cultural insight.
You’ll laugh your way through a lesson on orgasm control and learn h More »
Tales From the Road: Cuba, Alaska, Iraq, Colombia,
As an American, I’m distressed and saddened by the conduct of my government under Dick Cheney and his pet prince.
Despite Cheney’s fetis More »
Tales From The Road: Greenland, USA, Nepal, India
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I’ve got a lively and eclectic batch of stories for you this week, but before I get to the picks, here are some thoughts about the intersection More »
Tales From The Road: Thailand, Iran, Iraq and the Caribbean
This week we take a turn to the dark side with hard-hitting, emotional and provocative travel narratives from Iran, Iraq, rural Thailand, and the Cari More »
Tales From The Road: Bejing, USA, Nepal, and Siberia
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This is the first edition of a new weekly column, celebrating the best inspirational travel writing on the web.
We all love a great travel story, but More »
