Soles of a Nomad

We thought it would be a dreamy felucca ride on the Nile. Instead, we drifted into the dreaded doldrums, locked in a battle of breeze versus current. What followed was absurd, hilarious, and unexpectedly poetic.

It started with a photo at the Taj Mahal. It ended with me in a freezing river while my daughters calmly watched. Welcome to karma, rafting edition.

In a morally questionable sprint through the gates of the Taj Mahal, I left my family behind to chase the holy grail of travel photography: a crowd-free shot of India’s most iconic monument. This is my confession. And yes, the photos were worth it.

What do you do in the Kerala backwaters? Absolutely nothing—and that’s the point. We boarded a houseboat in Alleppey, floated past palm trees and pigeon-pecked laundry, and mastered the noble art of stillness.

After a week swinging in a hammock on Don Khon, it was time to head north to Vang Vieng. Our overland journey involved boats, minivans, a sleeper bus, and dodging more than one travel scam.

In a Karen village in northern Thailand, I learned how to shower using a pink bucket of cold river water—and how not to inhale it up my nose. Another lesson in barely managed chaos. Because travel.

Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur greeted us with noise, confusion, and a sandal full of something best forgotten. It only got weirder from there.

Why Getting Sick Isn't Always a Travel Disaster   If you are going to get food poisoning, I highly recommend doing so while chilling on a...

My Friend in Namche Bazaar Making Friends Around the Language Barrier   I met the man in the above photograph in Namche Bazaar, Nepal....

Life on the Mekong River It is a Competitive World Out There   Everything is a competition.   There, I said it. You know this is true. I...

A surprising mosquito encounter and a ferry delay in Tonga taught me more about patience and acceptance than any self-help book ever could.

Traveling through China meant breakdowns, sweat-drenched buses, and one very angry duck. Sometimes, you don't cry because you're sad—you cry because travel.