The Inca Trail. If I was able to peek into the mental bucket lists of travelers around the world, I think it’s safe to say that this world-renown trek would merit a high ranking spot on most of them. Four days hiking through brutal altitude and stunning panoramas towards an unmatched final destination: the ancient Incan…

I know this isn’t the first time I’ve said this, but it feels like a lot more than seven days have passed since I posted the last Photo of the Week. Since then, Zoe and I said goodbye in Arequipa, I ventured into the Colca Canyon and back, I headed back to Cusco, Anders arrived, I…

Don’t forget to order my travel book giveaway! We stumbled off a brutal 14 hour bus ride into the Peruvian tourism epicenter of Cusco and were immediately caught up in the whirlwind of cobblestone charm. This sky-high city, sitting at 11,200 feet, leaves visitors breathless from both altitude and awe — it is undoubtedly the most picturesque…

Perhaps surprisingly, hostels are still somewhat of an exotic concept to me — prior to this trip, I’d probably stayed in less than fifteen. My travels have predominantly been in Southeast Asia, where hostels are still a rare choice compared to cheap guesthouses and bungalows — though they are gaining popularity. In Europe, where the hostel…

Travel Porn is a feature in which I review books from my beloved travel literature genre. So far I’ve reviewed Bangkok Noir, a short story collection that brings the noir genre to the steamy streets of Thailand, Hotel Honolulu, a fictional account of a Waikiki hotel manager’s quirky life in a paradise lost, Tiger Balm, the memoir of a…