Beyond Dracula: Reasons to Visit Brasov, Romania
The small city of Brasov may not be well-known around the world. In fact, I'm sure many of you have never even heard of...
When the Cows Come Home
“… until the cows come home.” It's probably a phrase that you've heard used before. Not often, but I'm sure you've heard it. The...
5 Things to Love About Sighisoara, Romania
Where I come from, places like Sighisoara just simply do not exist. Ancient churches, a walled town center, thousands of years of history… you...
Village Scenes: Life in Rural Romania
“It's like stepping back in time.” How often have you heard this phrase? Probably plenty. But how often has is actually been true? Well, in...
Merry Cemetery: A Different Way to Look at Death
When I say “old cemetery,” what do you picture? Crumbling tombstones? Grand old mausoleums? Overgrown shrubbery? Chances are, whatever you picture is fairly dark; morose;...
Eger and the Valley of the Beautiful Women
Just two hours north of Budapest lies a small city that feels worlds away from the hustle and bustle of the Hungarian capital. A...
Soaking at the Szechenyi Baths
Picture this: Baroque-style baths, filled with thermally-heated water, that are outdoors and open year-round. If you're a Midwesterner like me (or just anyone not...
Packing List: What to Pack for Backpacking Around Europe
For two consecutive summers, I backpacked around Europe. I stayed in hostels, traveled by train and bus, and yes, carried everything I had with...
Peggys Cove in Photos
Less than an hour from downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, lies a tiny fishing village called Peggys Cove. With a permanent population of well below...
Meet Giannina
Meet Giannina. She is 34 years old and a native of Lima, Peru. She is one of six children, and was named after one...
A Guide to the Neighborhoods of San Francisco
Before I visited for the first time, I only associated San Francisco with a handful of things: fog, the Golden Gate Bridge, “Full House,”...
The Prettiest Place You’ve Never Heard Of
Alexander Graham Bell once said, “I have travelled around the globe. I have seen the Canadian and American Rockies, the Andes, the Alps and...
Photo Essay: San Francisco Chinatown
Can you guess what draws in more San Francisco tourists each year than the Golden Gate Bridge? It's not Alcatraz or the Painted Ladies...
Tips for Visiting Yosemite National Park in One Day
“Among them are killers.” This is what the first Caucasians to visit Yosemite Valley were told upon descending into the granite valley in 1851....
The Lazy Person’s Way to Bike the Golden Gate Bridge
I had quite a few things on my San Francisco “to-do” list — visit Alcatraz, explore Chinatown, find the “Full House” house… and, of...
The Best Views of San Francisco
I don't know about you, but whenever I visit a new city, I always make it a mission to get at least one really...
Photo Essay: Yosemite National Park
After visiting a bunch of amazing areas and national parks across America last summer, I really thought I had seen the best. Arches. Monument...