By Jett Thomason A few years back I got the chance to visit the Black Sea coast several miles from the Turkish border in a town called Batumi. Batumi has been a major port since the Russians won the land from the Ottoman Empire in 1877. This was the first port to begin shipping out [...]

This series of photos come from the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan, a famous producer of fine silk. I had the opportunity to travel to the city of Margilan to visit a silk factory when I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan. At the Yodgorlik silk factory, you can witness the different stages of [...]

By Danielle L. Krautmann One month ago, I moved to Baños del Inca, a very small town only 6 km from the “city” of Cajamarca.  My first two weeks were filled with holidays: an amazing Christmas visit with my family and a strange illness that rendered me useless for about ten days.  Finally, I feel [...]

By Sally Kay The Couchsurfing Project is a great tool for the curious and thrifty traveler.  The project idea is a cultural exchange in which members are the type of people who want share their culture and to learn about others.  Couchsurfers want to get to know more than just the tourist attractions: they are [...]

Brought to popular culture in the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade film, Petra, Jordan is one of the highlights of any trip to the Middle East. The entrance of Petra follows the bottom of a narrow rock gorge called The Siq, eventually leading to the dramatic first view of The Treasury. Petra is thought [...]

By Stephen Bugno Circle the coastline of Korea’s Jeju island long enough and eventually you are likely to come across women decked out in diving gear popping up to the surface now and again. These are the haenyeo—the world-famous women divers of Jeju, keeping alive a centuries-old tradition while maintaining the economic viability of their [...]

We were eating breakfast in the little beach village of Castara on the island of Tobago and this little girl came up to our table to say hi. She was curious and stayed around for while just watching us eat. After breakfast we said goodbye and continued enjoying the rest of our week on the [...]

By Stephen Bugno What to Eat When You’re Visiting Spain and Where to Find It Food is definitely one of the highlights of Spain and the regional diversity only makes criss-crossing the country a real culinary pleasure. There are certain specialties that you shouldn’t miss while visiting. From the dry, distinctively Spanish region of Andalucía [...]