The year from hell that was 2020 may be over, but 2021 doesn’t really feel all that different just yet. The world is still attempting to come back from the brink and fight off this accursed virus, businesses and families are still out here struggling financially due to restrictions designed to keep people safe, and many industries are still flailing about with all the uncertainty that remains.
Read MoreWhile George Lucas and J.J. Abrams would have you believe that “Stars Wars” takes place in a galaxy far, far away, the rest of us know that the movies were filmed, for the most part, in real locations all around the globe (and otherwise on green screens). From the Redwood forests of California to the arid deserts of Jordan, the creators of the film franchise have made use of many destinations to create the various planets and moons that fans have witnessed over the years.
Read MoreThere are 17 countries (including the partially-recognized state of Palestine) that are typically categorized as part of the Middle East, and while some areas are dangerous for travelers, there are also many, many places that would be worthy of any travel bucket list.
Read MoreContinuing its yearly tradition of offering travel writing scholarships to fledgling writers, World Nomads, an international travel insurance and safety services provider, is looking to send three aspiring travel writers to Portugal this summer.
Read MoreI have experienced a number of twists and turns during my 24 years on this earth so far, and many of those twists and turns have been pleasantly unanticipated. Many of them have also involved me traveling to destinations far and wide that I truly could not have imagined myself journeying to a decade ago — heck, even five years ago in some cases.
Read MoreIf you've ever dreamed of being paid to write about your travels — *ahem* like me — there is an opportunity out there right now that you might like to know about. World Nomads, an online travel community that got started in 2002, has been offering travel writing scholarships for a dozen years now, and this year they plan to send three aspiring travel writers on a 14-day trip to Argentina.
Read MoreFor 12 years, booking-tours.com has been helping travelers find their way when it comes to Israel, Jordan, and other Middle Eastern destinations — places I know a little something about, as longtime readers of this blog may recall
Read MoreBeing serenaded in Arabic by a blind man playing the oud in a Jordanian desert was not a memory I ever suspected I’d make.
Read MoreOur Jordanian tour guide, Mustache — whose real name is Isam — rendezvoused with us at the Captain's Hotel this morning, tearing, I imagine, into one of the made-in-front-of-you omelettes that the chefs were serving up (I know I did). Isam is privy to vast amounts of knowledge regarding the history of the Kingdom of Jordan; it spills from his lips and over the speaker system on the tour bus during our rides along the desert highways, much to the chagrin of those of us who would prefer to catch up on some sleep while we are traveling.
Read More
