All I knew about El Salvador before I went was pupusas which, shame on me. And shame on you too if you’re nodding in agreement that that’s all you know about it. The country is warm in more ways than one, it’s tropical, it’s laid back and some people and companies there are doing some really creative, innovative things, like my new favorite jeweler Lula Mena.
There’s a problem in America where America thinks it’s OK to only know English, because everyone else all over the world should just figure out how to talk to you. And for those of us who don’t have parents who speak a different mother tongue or didn’t seek to learn a second or third language, we have to do better than that when we travel.
Christmas, Hanukkah, The Holidays. Whatever you celebrate, there’s usually gift-giving involved.
It may be that I’m a little biased toward this sweet isle I spent much of my life in, but it’s still pure fact that Tobago is a charming, untapped Caribbean island.
There’s beauty and color and joy to be found in many places around the world, but for me, I find the most of it in Tobago. From the un-overrun beaches with perfectly teal waters to the warm, family-like hospitality to the best-ever homemade coconut ice cream, there’s a lot to love about this place.
If you haven’t been to Egypt, something is missing from your life. Whether you think so or know it or not. It’s the kind of place that almost seems to add a piece to life’s puzzle in a way I can’t quite put my finger on. Cairo can’t be summed up in a blog post—its history runs too deep and its culture is too colorful. But since all I’ve got is a blog post, I’ll work with what I’ve got.
Sometimes you dream about a place so much, fantasize about yourself in it for so long, that by the time you reach it, the “wow” you expected to feel is really more like a “meh.” Well that was absolutely not the case with the Pyramids. In this case, I think the experience topped the fantasies.
On my last trip to China, I was in Shanghai for work and then took the weekend to spend in Beijing so I could see the Great Wall and get a taste of more ancient China. All things considered, and the fairly little money I spent, this Weekend Away was a win.
No matter how much you travel, there’s always a chance you’ll forget that sometimes things just don’t go right. I had to re-learn five valuable lessons from my recent trips, so here they are as a good reminder.
Anytime you travel to a country where you can’t speak the language, it will be a bit of a challenge. When you can’t even recognize the alphabet they use, that challenge gets a little more challenging. And when the locals you’re around speak as little of your language as you do of theirs—which might be pretty much none—you’re in for adventure.