Europe: Smart on Drugs
The full title of Chapter 7 in Rick Steves’ Travel as a Political Act is “Europe: Not ‘Hard on Drugs’ or ‘Soft on Drugs,’ but Smart on Drugs.” It’s an awful title in my opinion, but it’s an interesting topic. … Continued
Denmark: Highly Taxed and Highly Content
Chapter 5 of Rick Steves’ Travel as a Political Act is about Denmark. I visited Denmark in 2012 and really fell in love with it. I didn’t look upon my visit to Denmark as a political act, so it was … Continued
Europe Unites: Successes and Struggles
Chapter 3 of Rick Steves’ Travel as a Political Act covers a broad range of topics: economics, diversity and immigration, the refugee crisis, sex, drugs, alcohol, nudity, and the wide range of European passions for their culture. I will only … Continued
Lessons from the Former Yugoslavia
In 2014 I traveled in the former Yugoslavia. I wrote about my walking tour of Sarajevo with someone who had grown up during the siege there in the 1990s. And I wrote about three of the local people I met … Continued
Travel as a Political Act
I recently finished reading Rick Steves’ Travel as a Political Act. Originally published in 2009, its third edition was released last month. I found the book provocative and illuminating. I learned a lot and found much to ponder. This is … Continued
Traveling While Gay
Is there is a difference between being a gay traveler and traveling while gay? One of the blogs I most enjoy reading is called “Travels of Adam.” Adam Groffman started his blog in 2009, when he was still working as a … Continued
And a new camera too…
Not content with buying new luggage, I also just bought a new camera. It is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. I picked it based on reviews I read online, and because it seemed like the best option within my budget. My … Continued
New Luggage, Part Two
Okay, my trip is still more than seven months away, and I’m obsessing about luggage. I think it’s because it’s a tour, and I don’t have any other plans to make. Still, I’m pretty sure I’ve taken it too far. I … Continued
New Luggage
I will never forget the huge suitcase I brought along on my first trip to Europe, a ten-day tour in the middle of the summer to Austria, Germany, and Hungary. Gradually in my travels I have reduced the size of … Continued