A small country with a violent past, Cambodia is best known for the ruins of the Khmer Empire located at Angkor Wat. But the country offers a lot more than that to the backpacker or traveler willing to bid adieu to the well-run efficiency of tourism in most of Thailand, and instead experience off-the-beaten path …
Southeast Asia is one of the most popular backpacking destinations in the world. And for good reason—everything that makes traveling great is easily accessible in this region. Plus is safe! Southeast Asia is among the places that I have felt safest traveling as a solo woman, and it’s among the best places for adventurous first-time …
In recent posts, I’ve talked about how I’m a bit lost right now in terms of knowing precisely the direction life is taking. Each time I sit to write, that single truth stands out above the rest. I’m in a transition, and those feelings and thoughts manifest in my writing; when I try to ignore …
Two weeks ago, I was playing around on Facebook as a way to procrastinate the real work I should have been doing when a chat window popped up—from a sweet young woman I met at the orphanage in Cambodia where I volunteered more than a year and a half ago. Then, a decade later, it …
When you travel the world, you discover all kinds of new things: new dishes, new festivals, new cultures, new friends. The list is endless—it’s a parade of new things. Include sweet treats! Sure, over the years I’ve found my favorite signature dishes that I will forever love thanks to sampling them in a new country—some …
One day I sat chatting with the children at the orphanage I volunteered at last year in Cambodia and I stuttered into a shocked silence as they casually stretched their fingers backwards—their fingers dipping so far back over the top of their hands with pressure that the tips could actually touch their arms. I had been at …
The oldest girl in the group of children, she couldn’t have been more than 13, leveled a sly look my way before stating: “Lady, you buy our bracelets or who knows what will happen to your bicycles…” At that point, I think my jaw dropped. The Backstory Laura and I rented bikes for a day …
I landed in Italy after six months of traveling in developing countries, and it was a shock to the senses in some regards. I remember having culture shock when I landed in Bangkok all those months ago. I didn’t expect the reverse culture shock of landing back in the Western world. Having my bestie Jenn …