As 2008 came to an end, we reflected on our experiences from the passing year. Best experience? It’s impossible to choose just one, so we share a few of the memories that are likely to remain with us through 2009 and beyond.

Some we’ve written about already. The complete story of others are yet to come.

Where 2009 will take us, no one knows (including us). Regardless, we hope your 2009 finds you healthy and takes you to fulfilling places, be they near or far. Continue Reading »

South America and Central America, or Africa and the Middle East? Cast your vote on the right sidebar and help us decide which region to visit first.

Good Thing We Haven’t Purchased Any Airline Tickets Yet
If you read our Where We’re Going page, you’ll see that we originally planned to visit the Middle East and Africa in 2009, with Central and South America to follow. But recent conversations suggest that maybe we should consider the Americas first. Continue Reading »

Rangoon, Burma. The name conjures the tropical blues of a steamy colonial outpost. We wondered: would the current reality still match?
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We find ourselves in the midst of another holiday season. Before it slips away, we offer a hearty Happy Holidays to all our friends and readers.

Last year at this time we were in Beijing, China. Our holiday nostalgia took the form of a top ten favorite European Christmas markets list from our time living and traveling in Europe, including memories of the Andalucian Cabalgatas in Spain to the epic markets of Central Europe. For those of you who weren’t with us then, check out our Best European Christmas Markets article and the photo slideshow at the bottom of this post. Continue Reading »

I come from Scranton, Pennsylvania and that’s as hardscrabble a place as you’re gonna find.

- An actor playing Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live

Ah, Scranton, Pennsylvania. My hometown.

I told a friend the other day that we were in Scranton and he responded, “Are you from there? How did it feel to be in America’s most famous political city?” Continue Reading »

If you find yourself in the giving mood and stuck for an idea this holiday season, we offer a few gift ideas from our online shop and some charitable donation ideas from organizations we’ve recently discovered. Continue Reading »

Not for good but for the moment, we bid adieu to Europe on our blog. And we do so looking through a different lens. We sometimes like the way the world looks this way.

We hope you do too. Enjoy the slideshow below. Continue Reading »

The Baltics. Reminiscent of a bargain property on the original Monopoly board; not to be confused with the powder keg Balkans; a region whose history features intermittent eras of independence and occupation; and a place whose emotional pendulum swings between the almost white nights of its brief summers and the steel wool grayness of its long winters.

Home to over seven million people and three distinct languages and cultures, the Baltic region comprises the countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Now, a virtual show of hands: who knows where the Baltics are? Continue Reading »

Thanksgiving is our favorite American holiday and favorite American meal, hands down.

Last year we enjoyed Thanksgiving with expats from around the world in Beijing, China. This year we share Thanksgiving dinner with family in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Continue Reading »

Medieval castles, imperial palaces, blocky Soviet throwbacks and new glass and steel buildings lined our paths; poppy seed strudels, potato dumplings, and goose feasts filled our stomachs; light Austrian white wines, hearty Hungarian reds and freshly pulled Czech beers served as social lubrication; and Slavic, Germanic and Finno-Ugric (Hungarian) accents provided the soundtrack.

This is the cultural goulash of Central Europe.

Continue Reading »