Back to The Beach: A Lost Interview with Alex Garland

Back to The Beach: A Lost Interview with Alex Garland

Twenty years ago, Frank Bures chatted with a young Alex Garland about his travel novel, The Beach. Bures recently unearthed the interview—a time capsule from the dawn of global backpacking.

Read the story »

Top Story

Features

A Sort of Homecoming
A Sort of Homecoming
Travel Stories: Ivana Waz left Serbia for America when she was 14. She returned to her homeland with her son to answer the question: Was she more Serbian or American?
How Korean Karaoke Changed My Life
How Korean Karaoke Changed My Life
Travel Stories: After being turned away from the school choir, Lavinia Spalding lost her love of public singing. Then she moved to South Korea.
Riding the Slot
Riding the Slot
Travel Stories: As she struggled to make sense of her father's final days, Lenore Greiner sailed across a treacherous patch of San Francisco Bay
Road Trip to the Spiritual Assembly
Road Trip to the Spiritual Assembly
Travel Stories: When her Aunt Noonie needed company on an annual pilgrimage, Nancy Davis Kho tagged along. Just how "woo-woo" would things get?
The Intricate Weave
The Intricate Weave
Travel Stories: Don George was in Cremona, Italy, and grieving the loss of his father, when he heard the violin soar
War Story
War Story
Travel Stories: Could a trip to the old battlefields of Europe with his veteran father work a little magic on their relationship? Jim Benning hoped so.
Walking Off Writer’s Burnout
Walking Off Writer’s Burnout
Travel Stories: Jeff Biggers hadn't written anything original in months. The joy was gone. Then he and a friend went for a stroll in Bologna.
The Accidental Hitchhiker
The Accidental Hitchhiker
Travel Stories: In Samoa, Celeste Brash gave a ride to a man she didn't know. Their encounter will stay with her forever.
How a Taxi Ride Changed a Writer’s Life
How a Taxi Ride Changed a Writer’s Life
Travel Interviews: Layne Mosler's memoir, "Driving Hungry," chronicles her cab-centric quest for great meals and experiences. Jim Benning asks about it.
A Not-So-Literary Tour of South-Central Mexico
A Not-So-Literary Tour of South-Central Mexico
Travel Stories: Peter Ferry made the trip based on a story he'd heard about Hemingway's Lady Brett Ashley, but in Taxco, nothing was quite what it seemed.
Call Your Mother. Seriously.
Call Your Mother. Seriously.
Travel Stories: Abbie Kozolchyk visits a most unusual theme park in Singapore
Cuba, Undistilled
Cuba, Undistilled
Travel Stories: Tired of hearing pundits pontificating about Cuba, Chris Ryan wanted to see the island for himself -- before the coming of Best Western and American Express

Read more »

Writer Spotlight: Pico Iyer

  • Why We Travel

    Travel Stories:  In a classic essay, Pico Iyer explores the reasons we leave our beliefs and certainties at home to see the world with open eyes

  • The Photographer and the Philosopher

    Travel Books:  Pico Iyer on Jan Morris and V.S. Naipaul, two "master portraitists" of place

  • Lover’s Moon

    Travel Stories:  Pico Iyer on the power of travel to make a forgettable Glenn Frey song last forever

  • The Perfect Traveler

    Travel Books:  Pico Iyer on the author who steals into so much of the travel writing we enjoy

Video of the Day

Video You Must See: Japan at Warp Speed

Video You Must See: Japan at Warp Speed

video: An up-tempo time-lapse visit to Japan

See the full video »