Posts under ‘Philosophy of Travel’

One of the outgrowths of social media are websites that allow people to meet online and stay in each others houses while on vacation. One of the most popular sites for fostering these types of arrangements is Couchsurfing.org. A few weeks ago, I wrote about how Latin America blogger Tracy Barnett used Couchsurfing to find [...]

“Can I get in trouble for not filing my taxes?,” the 24-year old tour guide from California asked me as we hiked up a mountain in Guatemala. The topic came up after I told him that I write about taxes for a legal publishing company. “It’s probably a good idea to file,” I told him, [...]

When I go to Guatemala later this month it will be the first time I’ve taken a pleasure trip without my wife. The only exception during our marriage of nearly 20 years is some of the trips I’ve taken with old high school or college buddies. Just last fall I spent a weekend at a [...]

Most of us have heard of the six stages or grief or the 12 steps to overcoming addiction. It seems like part of the attraction for these theories is that they break the suffering down into manageable pieces. When I was mourning the loss of a close friend a few years ago I often wondered [...]

A few years ago I took a cab across one of the world’s biggest cities on a very rainy day. As luck would have it, I didn’t have the correct currency denominations to pay the exact fare. Just a few of the larger denominations that vastly exceeded the amount that appeared on the cabby’s meter. [...]

One place I look for inspiration sometimes is the Happiness Project blog. Written by author Rachel Rubin, the blog offers insights about how to achieve happiness. With each post, Rachel shares with her readers what works and what doesn’t.  She’s also developed “12 Commandments” that she lives by. Rather than expecting her readers to apply [...]