Right now, whenever my wife Liz and I are trying to map out a quick trip out West, the conversation almost inevitably loops back to the classic heavyweights. For decades, the Grand Canyon has been the undisputed king of the American Southwest road trip, practically required reading for anyone with a hiking boot or a …

Trust me, I love the zero-stress appeal of a great mega-resort just as much as anyone else when I desperately need a break. But while Cancun, Cabo, and Puerto Vallarta tend to hog the spotlight for US travelers, my 20 years of flying south from LAX have taught me one thing: real authenticity is found …

The first time I visited Playa del Carmen, I was absolutely hyped to finally check out the world-famous Mexican Caribbean beaches. But when I walked down to the water, the sand was totally covered in massive, rotting piles of sargassum seaweed. The smell was intense, the water was dark brown, and it completely ruined the …

Flying to Europe last minute and got stuck between a rock and a hard place with the crazy prices? Unless you’ve got a fixed itinerary set in stone, and seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at midnight or exploring the ancient ruins of Rome are absolute non-negotiables, maybe you should give Europe’s usual tourism hotspots a …

There is a specific kind of exhaustion that comes with modern mega-resort travel. You fly thousands of miles just to wake up at 6:00 AM to “reserve” a pool chair with a towel, pay $25 for a watered-down margarita, and fight through shoulder-to-shoulder crowds just to see the ocean. It completely drains the vacation energy …

I have spent the last 10 years traveling to Mexico and I completely understand the magnetic pull of a tropical beach vacation. But after years of and exploring this incredible country, I can confidently tell you that some of Mexico’s most jaw-dropping destinations are completely landlocked. If you are willing to trade the sand for …

There is a highly addictive feeling that hits you the very first time you take a massive Zoom meeting from a balcony overlooking the Andaman Sea, or while drinking a perfectly pulled espresso in a centuries-old European plaza. Your background isn’t blurred. You aren’t freezing under the fluorescent lights of a sterile corporate office. You …

There is a huge difference between just visiting the Caribbean and actually seeing it. I was recently down in St. Lucia with my wife Liz, vacationing and working on a travel feature (they’re one and the same in my line of work). Instead of cramming into a standard air-conditioned taxi at the airport, we decided …

A couple of months ago, Liz and I were standing in the TSA line at SDF in Louisville, holding nothing more than our standard driver’s licenses. If you looked at us, we could have easily been catching a quick domestic hop to Chicago or Atlanta for the weekend. But just a few hours later, the …

Skipping Europe and staying Stateside this summer? Given the border delays and the growing anti-American sentiment across parts of the Atlantic, we don’t blame you for opting to stay on this side of the pond. That’s not to say America is a complete no-brainer, either. Depending on where on the West Coast you go these …

I have been to Cancun and the Riviera Maya more times than I can even count. As a digital publisher who lives in Mexico and covers travel for a living, it is basically my second home. I have seen the Mexican Caribbean when the water is so pristine and clear that it looks like glass, …

There is a specific moment when a travel destination goes from being a “hidden gem” to an absolute global phenomenon. For the last decade, if you asked a group of American travelers where they were heading in South America, the answers were wildly predictable: a mad dash to hike the Inca Trail in Peru, or …