I’ve long been a friend of Tripfilms, the New York City-based hub of online travel videos. I’ve only done some minor projects with them, and so I was very excited when they commissioned me to put together two “What to Do in Gili Trawangan” videos. These were a challenge for me. I have a background in…

Here’s how a chain reaction works — Alex goes to see Blackfish, a documentary about Orcas in captivity, and can’t stop thinking about it; Alex rents Free Willy, a movie about a little boy who releases an Orca from captivity back into the ocean; Alex remembers that she never posted about the shark release she photographed…

In many ways, Koh Tao and Gili Trawangan are sister islands in Southeast Asia. Both are small tropical diving meccas, filled with backpackers in search of scuba certifications. I wrote a Guide to Diving in Koh Tao a few years ago, and judging by the number of aquatic-related questions I’ve received since first landing in Indonesia…

Recently a Facebook friend of mine was lamenting the difficulties of life in New York, and wishing that she could afford to live elsewhere. My reaction was something along the lines of: “GIRL! If you can live in New York City you can afford to live pretty much anywhere on this planet!” It did get me…

Can you ever really go back? Can you return to a place that was special to you at a certain moment in time, and recapture the magic? Can you go travel back to a place that was once sacred to you, and relive those moments that made it so? Or will it always be a series…

Since I left home for my Great Escape, I’ve been doing monthly roundups of my adventures filled with anecdotes, private little moments, and thoughts that are found nowhere else on this blog. As this site is not just a resource for other travelers but also my own personal travel diary, I like to take some time…