How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization
Author: Franklin Foer
Who knew you could learn so much about globalization, economics and politics from soccer? Great read.
Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
Author: Julia Cameron
One possible path to re-discovering the creativity you never knew you had.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, New Edition
Author: Jared Diamond
An admirable crack at explaining why the world is the way it is by way of an anthropological macro-history. This book probably comes up the most in conversation as we travel.
The Cathedral Within: Transforming Your Life by Giving Something Back
Author: Bill Shore
Inspiring profiles of social entrepreneurs and projects we all can learn from and hopefully replicate to give back to community.
Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation
Author: John Carlin
Although the storyline is built around the South African rugby team and the 1995 World Cup, this book is more about Nelson Mandela and how he was able to unite a divided country. Inspiring.
Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown
Author: Paul Theroux
The author re-visits Africa and re-assesses the place he once knew... and judges it once and for all. Well written, poignant observations of the thumbprints left by career politicians, aid workers, and everyday people.
Outliers: The Story of Success
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
A look at the internal and external factors of how extraordinary people got to be, well, extraordinary. One of those books that challenges assumptions and makes you think differently.
Shantaram: A Novel
Author: Gregory David Roberts
Administering first aid in a Bombay slum, selling fake passports and running guns to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Technically a novel, but closely linked to the Author's own experiences. Fantastic read.
Iran is again catching its share of headlines. So it seemed as good a time as any to share the story of our exit from the country at the end of last year — hopping a train en route from Tehran across the border to Turkey, then all the way to Istanbul. One of the finest and most surprising segments of our around-the-world journey.
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As some zero in on the Mayan calendar coming to an end at this year’s winter solstice, others go on (that would include us, by the way). In that spirit, we spent the day yesterday with two archaeologists at Chichen Itza Mayan ruins in Mexico’s Yucatan province and dug a bit deeper into the story. Continue Reading »
Today is International Women’s Day. To celebrate, we share an updated version of our Women from Around the World slideshow.
You probably won’t see any of these women on TV or on the covers of magazines (well, maybe someday). Instead, they are the women we meet in markets, on public transport, in the shops that they run, in rural villages, on city streets. They are the everyday human landscape — mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, friends, colleagues — perhaps sometimes overlooked or taken for granted. But look into their eyes, and through life and its challenges, pride prevails.
With the slideshow below, we celebrate the collective spirit of these women and the beauty of their diversity. Continue Reading »
In time for the ITB Berlin travel conference this week, we share some of our favorite Berlin restaurants and dishes that fall into the category of high value. The goal isn’t just to eat well and inexpensively, but to use Berlin food exploration as a compass to get out and enjoy the city’s fabulous neighborhoods along the way.
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4:00 A.M., alarm blaring, almost violent at an ungodly hour. I cursed it and was tempted to roll over. But I knew if I had, I’d regret it. I had a volcanic lake to visit.
After a bumpy chicken bus ride, we finally arrived at the lake’s edge. The sun was just coming up and we were among the very few people there.
Open up the panorama to see Quilotoa Lake for yourself. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Personal Growth by Daniel NollPeople who regularly practice a martial art know that sometimes the greatest power for the positive is the redirection of the negative. People who regularly practice travel and human interaction know this, too.
This little story is case in point. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Technology by Daniel Noll and Audrey ScottThis is a how-to review of CrashPlan, an online backup service that we’ve used extensively for the past year. The following article is not only about online backup for PC and Mac users with moderate amounts of data, but also about jump-starting higher volume data backup for travelers, digital nomads and data-creation junkies.
Since our visit to Myanmar (Burma) in 2008, a lot has changed. Aung San Suu Kyi has been released from house arrest. The junta government seems to be loosening controls and opening up. Heck, it seems like every week there’s a group of foreign dignitaries visiting Myanmar, something impossible during the time of our visit.
But even with all the dignitary visits and changing moods, we imagine that Shwedagon Pagoda is still the same. Continue Reading »
You smell the stink, but you hear the scent!
– Viki, one of our guides on the Greek island of Crete, captures the philosophical essence of Cretan cuisine.
While I appreciate that the traditional Cretan diet is known as being one of the healthiest in the world, every time I look at our food photos from Crete I think back to our experience: “Damn. That was just awesome food.”
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When I first walked by the 2501 Migrants outside of Oaxaca’s Santo Domingo church, I figured they were a permanent fixture from one of the nearby shops. They’re a curious collection of lumpy, abstract little beings. Then I discovered that this was a temporary art exhibit, a clever way to make a statement and cast light on an economic reality in Mexico. Continue Reading »
