Pre-departure checklist

Before leaving on any major trip, I always run through a pre-departure checklist that I’ve put together over the nearly 25 years I’ve been traveling. Some of the items on the list are fairly obvious, but I include them anyway on the assumption that nothing is too obvious to be overlooked. I learned this the […]

Beaulieu-sur-mer beach umbrellas. Summer 2018.

Umbrellas on the beach at Beaulieu-sur-mer, France, located about 5 miles east of Nice. The town’s name aptly means “Beautiful place on the sea.”

Tips, recommendations, and proven strategies for dining alone

One of the constant and largely unavoidable challenges facing solo travelers is how to enjoy dining alone. Restaurants filled with laughter and conversation are great places to go to get to know the pulse of a city. But when you’re all by yourself, that sort of lively atmosphere can leave you feeling overwhelmed and isolated. […]

Surfers riding a solid swell at Biarritz, France.

Surfers riding a solid swell at La Grand Plage beach break in Biarritz, France. One of six breaks in the Basque region, Grand Plage is jam-packed in the summer, with newbies and intermediate surfers vying for the waves.

Dunns Swamp, New South Wales, Australia

Dunns Swamp, New South Wales, Australia. Created by the damming of the Cudgegong river in the 1920s, this scenic recreation area and campground is part of the larger Wollemi National Park. Despite its name, it’s not actually a swamp but a lake. Local fauna include common wombats, superb lyrebirds, satin bowerbirds, and an Australian owl called the […]

Stephen's Green Shopping Centre located at the top of Grafton Street, Dublin, Ireland

Interior of the Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre located at the top of Grafton Street, Dublin, Ireland. Prior to the mall’s construction, the Dandelion Market stood on this spot, location for some of U2’s earliest gigs.