When one searches images of Bagan, the most awe-inspiring ones tend to depict the sunrise with hot air balloons all along the horizon, floating above the millennium-old pagodas. This post will help you decide who to book with, and whether to go in a hot air balloon at all while you’re in Bagan. Why Fly […]
Bagan, Myanmar’s Best Sunrise and Sunset Spots
I’m in an open field as the red sun crests the horizon. I feel like I’ve struck Bagan gold because while the hot air balloons float directly overhead, I’ve got a front-row view and I’m not sharing it with anyone else – no selfie stick wielding crowds nor busloads of people. The real adventure, though, […]
Why Traveling Lows are so Low (And How to Fix Them)
“Enjoyment appears at the boundary between boredom and anxiety, when the challenges are just balanced with the person’s capacity to act.” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the former head of Psychology at the University of Chicago, wrote the words above in Flow, a book that explores the nuances of happiness. Flow is total absorption in a moment or activity, […]
How to Say “Thank You” in 100 of the World’s Most Spoken Languages
It was on Siargao Island, the Philippines, when I got a flat tire while traveling by myself. It was a rural area without anyone around, and the driver dropped me off with a promise to return. I had no real option other than to wait on the side of the road, hoping it would work […]
Southeast Asia During Rainy Season: The Pros and Cons
I know the drill. You’ve been dreaming of beautiful beaches, are seeing tropical bliss all over your Instagram feed, and have all but committed to traveling in Southeast Asia. There’s just one big problem: The dates you picked are right in the middle of rainy season. Should you cancel? Does rainy season equate to terrible […]