I was born in the city in Vietnam and have lived in the fast-paced city life all of my life here in the United States. Although I love the diversity of cultures, exchanges in ideas, and the excitement of city life, time simply flies by so quickly that I often find myself wondering if I … Continued
You can dress a puddle of mud up how you like. Call it a “mud spa”, “a mud volcano”, even a “mud fountain” if you want-but essentially, it remains what it is-a puddle of mud. These are my thoughts as I stood on the wooden steps of the 15 metre El Totumo mud volcano in … Continued
It’s the one place on earth where I don’t like to sleep: I don’t want to miss a thing. I don’t want to waste a minute of the day, or night. It’s my spiritual home. The place where I take off my suit of armour and just be me. It’s where I breathe deeply. Where … Continued
I’m sitting at a square wooden table in the Brûlerie of Quebec City’s St. Roch – my neighborhood since December 2012. My ears will NOT defrost. I once read that Canada “is a country much too cold for good sense.” It’s -28°C outside. -38°C felt. I can only agree. A soya latte is slowly warming … Continued
I had to go to Paris because I’m going somewhere else. Yes, I needed a Schengen Visa and (they say,) the easiest way to get a multiple-entry visa is via the French embassy. And so the Paris trip happened. Honestly, I never really thought it would be a good idea to be roaming around Paris, … Continued
How I Found Inspiration in the Midst of a Natural Disaster It was the deadliest earthquake in the Philippines in 23 years and it happened the day we boarded a plane in Seoul, unaware of the news that would greet us when we landed 4 hours later in the Philippines. It’s funny how inspiration can … Continued
Thank you to everyone for your interest in our Travel Writing Contests! We have published all of the Gratitude Contest entries and will be announcing the winners at the end of this month. The Inspiration Travel Writing Contest is open and has a $1,000usd first prize! Enter by February 14, 2014 at midnight PST. We are … Continued
Happy New Year from Langkawi, Malaysia! (from our recent newsletter) For the last three weeks we have been house sitting with a large garden to water, two cats to play with and a car to drive to all the best beaches on the island. Want to try housesitting? I can highly recommend two books on … Continued
Paris is like a woman of a certain age, wholly unconcerned by the need to please and with every night we spend chasing the final train she seems to say “this is who I am, take me or leave me.” I choose to do the former. I escape from my apartment unto our tiny alley of … Continued
INSPIRATION TRAVEL WRITING CONTEST $1,750usd in CASH PRIZE Free Entry Dates: January 2, 2014 – February 14, 2014 at midnight PST. We are looking for an article about a place that inspires you to spend your time with no regrets. In Arnold Bennett’s book, How to Live on 24 Hours a Day, he writes about how time … Continued