Op/Ed, me, me, me
I’m in Chiapas at ATMEX, a conference for people who promote adventure travel in Mexico. Nearly all my expenses were paid for. The morning of the waterfall excursion, I got up early to take pictures and when I was done, set my camera on the windowsill outside my cabin. When it came time to go, …
When I read about Ferguson, I find myself thinking of a friend who, on first glance, is a strapping black dude. He’s over six feet tall and he’s muscled. In certain geographical regions and inside certain small minds, this is enough to categorize my friend as a threat. He’s big. He’s black. Therefore, in some …
This week has been one stupid internet thing after another. A friend told me about an offer to engage in sketchy blogging practices from a company I’d previously thought of as legit. It bummed me out. I got spam asking me to run a “We’re traveling the world, you’re in the rat race” infographic and …
An internet friend recently committed what I thought a colossal blunder — he disregarded the published rules at a Holocaust memorial in Berlin and then, blogged about it. With pictures. I was critical because he failed to provide social and historical context for his actions. Truthfully, I was less offended than I was surprised and …
People told me to forget about seeing the Liberty Bell while in Philadelphia, that the crowds would be too much. Amateurs! They did not know that your best shot at seeing the Liberty Bell is to arrive in February in conjunction with a city paralyzing snow storm. (Ask me anything! I’m a travel expert!) I …
On Martin Luther King day, I think of my dad. He was so flawed, but also, deeply against racism.