Travel Beyond the Checklist
We have been traveling independently for decades, and our interests go well beyond simply seeing the headline sights. We like to understand how a place works, experience local neighborhoods, use public transport, try local food and get some sense of the history and culture behind what we are seeing.
Some of these journeys are recent and others go back a number of years. Where details such as visas, transport, prices, hotels or schedules may have changed, we try to make that clear and point readers toward current sources.
Independent Travel, First-Hand
These guides are based on destinations we have personally visited. They are not generated lists of places we think you should go.
Use them as one source among many when planning your own trip.
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Middle East & Asia
Dubai
A global crossroads of ambitious architecture, old trading neighborhoods, beaches, souks and unapologetic modern luxury.
The Maldives
Coral islands, extraordinary snorkeling and diving, high-end resorts and a very different local-island travel experience.
Manado & Minahasa
Volcanoes, terraced rice fields, unusual regional cuisine, Christian Minahasan culture and some of Indonesia's best marine life.
Ternate
One of the historic Spice Islands, dominated by an active volcano and layered with Portuguese, Dutch, English and Sultanate history.
Malacca
A compact historic city where Malay, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and British influences come together in architecture and food.
Penang
George Town heritage, celebrated hawker food, temples, beaches and one of Southeast Asia's richest cultural mixes.
Plan Your Trip
A few useful places to compare travel services while planning your trip.
Hotels
Compare places to stay
Flights
Search airfares
Things to Do
Tours and activities
Cruises
Explore cover options
Caribbean
Aruba
Beaches, reliable sunshine, Dutch-Caribbean culture and a polished tourism infrastructure just off the coast of Venezuela.
The Americas
Europe
Milan
Gothic architecture, fashion, design, northern Italian food and a sophisticated city that rewards looking beyond the Duomo.
Malta
Fortified cities, layered Mediterranean history, limestone architecture and a culture shaped by Europe, North Africa and Britain.
Kraków
A remarkably preserved historic center, Wawel Hill, strong food traditions and centuries of Central European history.
More Destinations Are Coming
We have traveled to far more places than we have had time to document. We are gradually adding new guides, revisiting older material and bringing our travel archive online without pretending that old information is current.
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