photo through a rain-streaked window showsing leafy green trees in front of blurry dark green mountains

Watery Ways

Posted on December 7, 2025December 3, 2025 by Al

Over 22 feet of rain falls every year in Milford Sound, on the southwest coast of New Zealand’s South Island.… Read more Watery Ways

image of the globe with mostly blue Pacific Ocean and the green/yellow continent of Australia on the left, with a white line curving across the ocean and a white plane image over AKL. At the top are the words San Francisco - Auckland 8:55am Arrival.

Welcome to the Future

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Al

Wrap your head around this: To reach New Zealand, we flew west, which is typically earlier in time, but we… Read more Welcome to the Future

photo of a brown wood sign on a post against a backdrop of green leafy trees. The sign says APPALACHIAN TRAIL - CAUTION. There are no places to obtain supplies or get help until Abol Bridge 100 miles north. Do not attempt this section unless you have a minimum of 10 days supplies and are fully equipped. This is the longest wilderness section of the entire AT and its difficulty should not be underestimated. Good Hiking! M.A.T.C.

On the Trail

Posted on October 1, 2025September 30, 2025 by Al

The Appalachian Trail (or AT for short) has snaked north some 2,000 miles through 14 states by the time it… Read more On the Trail

photo of a man in a blue shirt sitting on a grassy green bluff looking across water with low clouds and a mountain in the distance

Across the Strait Divide

Posted on April 8, 2025April 8, 2025 by Al

From the beaches in Tangier, Spain looked like a smudge on the horizon. Hazy hills rose up across the sparkling… Read more Across the Strait Divide

photo at sunset, looking across the rooftops of white-sided buildings with an illuminated mosque tower in the distance and orange clouds under an indigo sky

Ramadan Mubarak

Posted on March 23, 2025March 22, 2025 by Al

Five times every day we hear the call to prayer, from crackling loudspeakers attached to the towers of mosques. This… Read more Ramadan Mubarak

photo of a white horse and blue, two-wheeled wooden cart standing in a dirt road with a motorcycle carring two passengers passing by and cloth-covered shanties in the background

TWA (That’s West Africa)

Posted on February 23, 2025 by Al

Senegal, like the other countries we visited in West Africa, is a swirling mass of contradictions: beautiful beaches strewn with… Read more TWA (That’s West Africa)

photo of several open-hulled wooden boats in red, blue, and white lined up on a sandy beach with small waves and a jetty behind

Cape Verde Therapy

Posted on January 16, 2025 by Al

Riding in a small, crowded, chaotic mini-bus, stopping frequently to pick up and drop off locals by the side of… Read more Cape Verde Therapy

photo of a distant flat-topped mountain with buildings at the bottom, looking across green-blue ocean and white waves on jagged dark rocks, with a line of birds flying across

Lessons Learned in Cape Town

Posted on January 3, 2025 by Al

We arrived at the city that crowns the southernmost tip of Africa by land, passing through deserts, jagged mountains, and… Read more Lessons Learned in Cape Town

photo of an elephant family walking across a green field with a mountain in the background and rays of sun parting gray clouds

On Safari

Posted on November 10, 2024 by Al

To get to the wide-open spaces of our Kenyan safaris, we first had to squeeze through an epic Kenyan traffic… Read more On Safari

wide angle photo of a white-sand beach with four camels walking near the water's edge and a white fishing boat moored in the teal water behind

First Impressions

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Al

A small band of monkeys passes through our front yard every day, munching on flowers and leaves, curiously peeking through… Read more First Impressions

The Art of Leaving

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Al

Over the summer, we decided on Kenya as our next destination. We knew this would be yet another different kind… Read more The Art of Leaving

photo of a smooth sand dune rippled by wind, plunging to meet a valley with craggy brown rocks

Harsh Beauty

Posted on June 11, 2024June 9, 2024 by Al

The Atacama desert is so dry and rugged, it’s been compared to Mars. Intense sun and gale-force winds punish everything—animal,… Read more Harsh Beauty

photo bathed in red and purple stage lighting of a man in a dark suit standing and holding the right hand of a woman wearing a white dress, with her left left leg crouched and her left hand and right leg extended back. Another dancing couple mirrors their position in the background.

The Travelers’ Tango

Posted on May 9, 2024 by Al

Tango, the dance that started as a scandal and became the national dance of Argentina, is an immersive experience in… Read more The Travelers’ Tango

Photo of jagged brown mountain spires dusted with white snow above black cliffs and a glistening teal-green lake, with gray clouds and one small spot of blue sky above.

Glaciers, Fjords, Cliffs, and Penguins

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Al

Patagonia is a place where geological time is what matters; where we are scurrying ants next to the power and… Read more Glaciers, Fjords, Cliffs, and Penguins

photo of a snow-covered, cone-shaped smoking volcano against a blue sky with a few white cloud above and a green ridge extending into the foreground, where a black and grey lava field and one small pine tree stand.

Under the Volcano

Posted on March 12, 2024 by Al

As we pull out of Pucón for the last time, we say goodbye to Volcan Villarrica, the volcano that has… Read more Under the Volcano

wide photo looking up the trunks of many tree trunks up to the green leaves at their tops with blue sky behind and rays of sun drifting down

Embracing Trees

Posted on February 6, 2024February 5, 2024 by Al

Wildfires are devouring central Chile as I write this, the result of drought, heat, and human carelessness. The government has… Read more Embracing Trees

photo of tall grass with a wood-frame greenhouse on the left, a small wooden shed on the right, and in the middle a wood picket fence surrounds green bushes and a person wearing a pink shirt and hat, with tall leafy trees and a blue sky in the background

The Garden of Life

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Al

It’s finally spring on our mountainside near Pucón. Lupines and daisies splash purple, white, and yellow across the green hill… Read more The Garden of Life

photo of a street and sidewalk with a white-covered, cone-shaped volcano in the background against a blue sky, and the side of a building along the left with a sign saying "enjoy Pucón" on it

The First Explore

Posted on November 14, 2023November 13, 2023 by Al

Whenever we settle into a new place, the first thing we do is explore it on foot. The second thing… Read more The First Explore

photo of craggy, snow-draped, dark mountains with their tips in a bank of clouds and a lake with small rounded islands in the foreground

Why Chile?

Posted on October 27, 2023 by Al

We’re about to go live in the shadow of one of the most active volcanoes in South America on a… Read more Why Chile?

photo of two men wearing breach cloths on a stage, blowing conch shells and holding torches, with a sunset on the ocean behind them

Paradise Compared

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Al

It’s completely unfair to compare the places we’ve been, and yet it’s also impossible to resist. It’s unfair because each… Read more Paradise Compared

photo of two sets of feet crossed at the ankles, resting on a wooden table with a beer in between, wrapped in a green coozie labeled "Maine", with a glassy lake in the background reflecting green tree-covered hills.

What I Did on my Summer Vacation

Posted on August 29, 2023 by Al

When we dreamed up this “one year, one country” idea, we did not expect that we would feel that coming… Read more What I Did on my Summer Vacation

photo of palm trees lining a walkway next to a beach with a streetlight in between them and a green and yellow structure on the beach

Calafell Farewell*

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Al

The parakeets have disappeared. We thought they were permanent residents of the palm trees here, but it turns out they… Read more Calafell Farewell*

photo of a castle wall and turret with a Catalunyan flag flying on top, overlooking blue ocean, with rocky hills and high-rise beach apartment buildings in the background

10 Things I’ve Learned About Spain (Since Being Here)

Posted on May 19, 2023 by Al

What is it like to live in Spain? The longer we are here, the more we realize that it takes… Read more 10 Things I’ve Learned About Spain (Since Being Here)

photo of two lounge chairs on a tile deck facing a row of palm trees with sandy beach and blue ocean beyond, and the sun casting a stream of white light on the water

Home Is Where the Yoga Mat Is

Posted on April 7, 2023 by Al

Palm trees sway in the ocean breeze, hiding chattering green parakeets in their leaves outside our living room window. Behind… Read more Home Is Where the Yoga Mat Is

photo of a cathedral dome in the background and a gothic buttress topped by ornate spires in the foreground

STowns and CViews

Posted on February 28, 2023 by Al

It is easy for the mind to fuse together a string of visits to places with similar-sounding names and similar-appearing… Read more S*Towns and C*Views

photo of a tan vertical cliff next to a dry river gorge with a green trestle bridge entering a tunnel at the bottom of the image, halfway up the cliff, and a tiny walkway with a small fence attached to the cliff.

Málaga Photo Gallery

Posted on January 30, 2023 by Al

We just returned “home” from our first trip in Spain in which we were not carrying all of our belongings… Read more Málaga Photo Gallery

photo of a two-level structure of arches crossing a ravine with blue sky behind

Arteries of the Ancients

Posted on January 13, 2023January 16, 2023 by Al

We run our fingers along a dusty wall made of thick cubes of rock, mortared together in the 2nd century… Read more Arteries of the Ancients

Photo of a cliff-sided hill with a rectangular, stone castle tower on top. Below the cliff is a village of white walled houses set on a hill amid green trees. Blue sky and white clouds are above.

Pueblos Blancos Photo Gallery

Posted on December 20, 2022 by Al

You have to see the Pueblos Blancos (white villages) to really appreciate them. Each one has the same ingredients mixed… Read more Pueblos Blancos Photo Gallery

Map of Spain and Portugal showing a blue line tracing a route that goes from the top to the bottom of Spain, through the middle, and across to the upper right

Scouting Spain

Posted on December 7, 2022 by Al

“Could we live here?” is a very different question than “What should we see or do here?” That’s the distinction… Read more Scouting Spain

photo of a rainbow arching over gray rocks and a misty mountain vista with green bushes in the foreground

Over the Rainbow

Posted on November 10, 2022 by Al

I hope I never lose the eye-opening wonder of waking up in a new place. It feels like the Wizard… Read more Over the Rainbow

Seeing the World, One Year at a Time

Our Ten-Year Travel Plan

Author: Al