“We tell ourselves that every animal in the animal kingdom builds its own house, but people aren't smart enough to do it. We have to go to college for that, right? We have to become architects. But that's not true, we're absolutely capable of building.” Alice Cordova, a young English major and instructor at the...

Midnight sun and temperate weather are excellent reasons to visit Iceland during its summers. Though I would like to offer that there’s magic in this Nordic country’s winter weather. Swirls of snowflakes flurry around you in determined spirals as if whipped by mischievous elves. Icy surfaces force you into a...

My trip to Philly was short and mostly work-filled. I was lucky enough to be part of BlogHouse, a yearly travel blogging workshop, which was hosted by Visit Philly among other sponsors. These lovely folks provided several sponsored experiences and just enough of...

“Philly? Why would I ever want to go to Philly?” Until now, characters I knew to be from there shaped my narrow-minded impression of Philly. Rocky, a boxer; a second boxer friend that was really from Pittsburgh that I lumped in with Philadelphia, and a guy named Ron who helped himself to the snacks in my pantry...

Watching four women lazily swivel around in ergonomically correct office chairs, singing, while two bald dancers writhe on the floor in front of them, I struggle to process what I’m watching. “Dutee Free! Dutee Free! Dutee Freeeeeeee!” they sing out and I’m not sure if this is meant as an enticement to...

At some point I started thinking about cowboys as wild American explorers, but maybe I’m romantically forcing that idea a bit because that’s what I fancy myself to be on this weekend as I learn to be a cowboy. Realistically, they tend cattle on horseback, have loads of ranch-ready skills and eat a lot of...

Weeks before I left, I scoured online resources, trying to find out what vegetarians eat in Mongolia. I contacted other bloggers who had visited, only to find out that on two different occasions a goat (a GOAT!!) was slaughtered in front of them and that was sustenance for the week. For anyone who knows my supreme...

Three hours into our eight-hour ride, Bulgaa, the saint of all translators had cajoled the vanload of us to sing horse-inspired karaoke. She managed to entertain and slow down our constant questions about available food choices and flight schedules in one musical stretch of open road. This woman had the patience of a...

My friend Ragan and I crossed the Mongolian Desert for a week eating nothing but pickled cabbage, potatoes and the occasional found bag of crushed airline pretzels. As each day progressed and another plate of vinegar-marinated vegetables was consumed, our thoughts became overtaken by...

Before I left to traipse across the Eurasian steppe, my bigger task was figuring out how the heck to prepare for a trip to Mongolia. I had to pack for the daytime heat and the nighttime cold of the Gobi Desert, one challenge of traveling to Mongolia. I didn’t have a lot of room in my suitcase but had to accommodate...