I sometimes forget that not everyone has the love affair with travel that I do.  My new blogging pal, Josh Hanagarne, is one of those people.  He really wants to start traveling, though, and so here’s a guest post from Josh telling us about where he’s going to find his travel inspiration.
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I’m not well traveled and that’s a fact I plan on changing.  When I landed in Chicago for the first time in July of 2009, I felt like a real cosmopolite jetsetter.  I was only there for 48 hours.  But every time I go somewhere new, I’m increasingly more …read more

The more you travel, the more you appreciate how much we have in common with the rest of the world.  While superficially our differences might seem great, when you look beneath the surface, what most people want is to enjoy the love of family and friends,  and to feel that their presence in this life has made a difference.  In between those two ends, it’s about getting through day to day in a way that gives life meaning.
Learning about people and cultures that are not like our own, often helps us find a new world view – one in which …read more

On my list of “travel experiences before I die,” a safari figures prominently.  It’s always seemed like one of those once-in-a-lifetime vacations.  Lately I’ve been committed to getting through a lot of those experiences, and the safari keeps moving up the list.
That’s part of the reason why I was so excited to read the 7th Edition of Africa’s Top Wildlife Countries, by Mark W. Nolting.  Of course I LOVE to read travel books of all types, and I enjoy sharing them with all of you.  But this was more than just another travel book.  This was personal research!
First off, …read more

Summer is a time of road trips, and when the nice folks at Reader’s Digest asked me to review what I think is the ultimate road trip book, Off the Beaten Path, I was very excited to do so.  I received the book last month, and have been able to spend a fun few weeks leafing through it, trying to locate the promised hidden gems, and comparing what I think is off the beaten path with what they do.
First of all, this is both a coffee table book, oversized and full of beautiful photos, as well as a practical …read more

I LOVE travel books.  Reading about places I’ve been or not yet been.  Even reading about places where I would never want to go.  Great travel stories make me smile,  laugh, and sometimes cry.  And they give me an appreciation for the wonderful world that I inhabit.
Recently, I was sent a copy of Quest for the Kasbah by Richard Bangs, a tie-in for his PBS series, Adventurers with Purpose.
What I know about Morocco comes from watching the movie Casablanca.  I mean, what in the heck is a Kasbah?
A Kasbah was a safe haven, a palace or fortress.  Morocco was …read more