Your Guide to Interactive Travel
Nowhere else has national parks that can measure up like the United States. No, they’re not run perfectly, but there is a tremendous amount of protected land and incredible outdoor settings just waiting to be visited. In fact, you just might be surprised by the variety that’s on the complete list of US national parks. How many national parks are there in the US? There
Bioluminescent kayaking is straight out of a science fiction novel. The water illuminates when you dip your paddle in the bay while fish seem to glow in the dark. It’s such an odd and incredible experience that I’ve done it three times — and Mosquito Bay in Vieques, Puerto Rico is the best place to do it. Even though I had witnessed bioluminescence in other
It sounds crazy to leave one island for another, but that’s exactly what I did last week. There are two small islands off the east coast of Puerto Rico, each with major claims to fame. Vieques, the largest island other than Puerto Rico itself, is home to the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world. On the other hand, Culebra consistently wins prizes for having one of
In a somewhat atypical trend, I’ve been to a lot of beaches in the past year (after years of going to none!). After enjoying Costa Rica, Barbados, and now Puerto Rico, it’s safe to say I’ve got packing down to a perfect science. With the right tropical vacation packing list, you can take advantage of some fun in the sun, even while squeezing it all
As an American, it blows my mind that there are Chinese businesses that accept neither credit card nor cash after a long history of counterfeit money. They only accept mobile, electronic payment — WeChat Pay or AliPay. That alone isn’t really an issue, except for the fact that it’s impossible to set up a WeChat Wallet without a Chinese bank account. So what’s a girl
Everyone says winter is the worst time to visit China — unless you’re heading to the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, that is. Before my visit, I found plenty of inspirational articles and photographs but I couldn’t pinpoint a recent Harbin ice festival guide to walk me through the logistics. I had zero desire to join China tours and be shepherded around on someone’s
I thought Harbin would be a one-hit wonder: fly in, visit the world’s largest ice and snow festival, fly out. Instead, I left longing for more time in this northern Chinese city that no one knows anything about. It’s not like I planned to visit Harbin this year. No, I just happened to jump on a mistake airfare: $560 to China in business class. As
There’s nothing quite like a good weekend getaway. Years ago, when I first moved to Virginia, I was usually gone three weekends a month. Mike and I took exploration seriously and thought nothing of driving four or five hours on a Friday night after work just to turn around and be home in time for work on Monday. You’d think all those trips would be
When you travel as much as I do, you experiment with every booking option. I’m always on the lookout for the best price, the most options, and the best user experience. I’ve tried just about every online travel agency that exists, but Booking.com — a classic — consistently wins as the best hotel booking site and the one I return to over and over. Heads
I was always the last one chosen in high school gym. Football was the worst: I couldn’t catch the ball to save my life and throwing wasn’t much better. So when I invited my family to try a round of the fowling game in Detroit — that’s football bowling — I got a lot of raised eyebrows. For one thing, no one even knew what fowling
