Reykjavik is a small city that does not act like one. A rainbow runs down the middle of a shopping street. Above the rooftops, a church tower pulls your eyes up the hill. One hot dog stand has had a line out front since 1937. On the waterfront, a steel Viking ship goes absolutely nowhere….
Tucked into the forested slopes of Jogyesan Mountain about an hour outside of Yeosu, South Korea, Seonamsa Temple feels less like a tourist attraction and more like a secret the mountain has been keeping for fifteen hundred years. Getting here takes a little effort, but the moment you cross the iconic arched stone bridge and…
Some places just have a way of slowing you down, and Mojiko, Japan is absolutely one of them. On a recent visit to this charming port town on the northern tip of Kyushu, I wandered through the beautifully preserved Meiji and Taisho-era buildings of Mojiko Retro, geeked out over vintage locomotives at the Kyushu Railway…
Some places stop you in your tracks the moment you arrive. Not because of their beauty, but because of the sheer weight of what happened there. Walking the endless rows of white crosses at the American Cemetery, and later standing on Omaha Beach with the wind off the Channel pulling at my jacket, I felt…
Some trips change the way you see the world. Spending time in Hiroshima and Miyajima, Japan will definitely affect you. The Atomic Bomb Dome will stop you in your tracks, a thousand-year-old torii gate will take your breath away as the tide rolls in around it, and a very shameless sacred deer will almost certainly…
Kochi doesn’t show up on many travel itineraries, and honestly…that’s exactly what makes it special. Tucked away on the Pacific coast of Shikoku, this laid-back city packs a surprising amount into a single day. From crashing waves on a dramatic beach to a feudal castle that’s been standing since the 1600s, there’s a lot to…
Kyoto is a city where history doesn’t just sit behind museum glass — it surrounds you, and occasionally squeaks beneath your feet. From a golden temple that literally glitters in the sunlight, to a centuries-old castle built by a shogun so paranoid he lined the floors to chirp like birds, to shrine gardens so serene…
Singapore is a city that refuses to be just one thing. Ancient myth and futuristic wonder exist here in the same breath, often just a short stroll apart. From the sculptural Supertrees rooted in Gardens by the Bay, to the legendary Merlion roaring at the waterfront, to the slow, sweeping rotation of the Singapore Flyer…
Some travelers collect passport stamps; I collect apron strings, market baskets, and memorable recipes. For me, the best way to understand a place isn’t just through its museums or monuments — it’s by rolling up my sleeves, following a local through a labyrinth of market stalls, or learning to coax flavors out of ingredients I…
Most of us learn the alphabet once, in kindergarten, and never think about it again. But tucked in the southern Caribbean, just a stone’s throw from the Venezuelan coast, are three letters worth another look: A, B, and C. Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao make up the ABC Islands, a trio so reliably sun-soaked, wind-kissed, and…