So Long, Virtual Magic Kingdom

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Paris Is ‘Still Paris’

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Finding NYC in Grand Theft Auto’s ‘Liberty City’

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New Addition to the Travel Lexicon: ‘Holidate’

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In Patagonia, In Patagonia

Tim Patterson packs his fleece and long underwear, and enters the Twilight Zone where corporate branding meets the multi-layered reality of place. 

Should I Quit Law School so I can Travel the World?

Vagabonding traveler Rolf Potts answers your questions about travel

Thomas Kohnstamm’s Lonely Planet: The Firestorm Around ‘Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?’

The author of a new book that purports to explore the underside of travel writing is taking a lot of hits. Frank Bures asks him about the controversy he’s stirred up and his take on the guidebook industry.

Have a Hockey Night in Canada

From Montreal to Sault Ste. Marie, the sport is the country’s greatest passion. Eva Holland explains where to go to indulge—and who you need to know.

Promised Land Closed

And other odd and unlikely signs from around the world. Aficionado Doug Lansky, editor of the book “Signspotting,” recounts his 10 favorites.

10 Sizzling Hot Travel Tips From Sir Francis Bacon

Rolf Potts repackages the 17th century philosopher’s ‘Of Travel’ essay in the manner of a 21st century magazine feature

4.18.08

‘The Worst Guidebook Writer Ever’?

Lonely Planet author Robert Reid reviews Thomas Kohnstamm’s “Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?” and weighs in on the controversy surrounding it

4.9.08

Baby on Board, Baby Abroad

Frank Bures ruminates on the art of travel with kids and the guidebooks aimed at helping parents through the experience

2.29.08

‘Things Fall Apart’: 50 Years Later

For many, Chinua Achebe’s classic novel serves as an introduction to Africa. But Frank Bures writes that the place it depicts is now hard to recognize. 

2.11.08

One Man’s Odyssey into ‘Eat, Pray, Love’

Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling trans-global travel book is a fun read—but don’t expect Rolf Potts to embrace the fantasy

1.29.08

The Road to Happiness

Frank Bures gets lost in Eric Weiner’s “The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Place in the World”

1.2.08

The Trouble With ‘Smile When You’re Lying’

Chuck Thompson’s ‘Confessions of a Rogue Travel Writer’ slams modern travel writing as mediocre, if not dishonest. Why this is the case is a question he—like many critics—can’t seem to answer, observes Rolf Potts.

12.19.07

Travel Books We Loved in 2007

Our contributors reveal their favorite reads from the past year. Believe it or not, they include a stain-removal guide.

12.10.07

Borat: Touristic Guidings to Kazakhstan and U.S. and A.

In the new spoof travel guide by Sacha Baron Cohen’s alter ego, Frank Bures says the joke is on, well, everyone.

10.17.07

1,000 Places to Not go Before You Die

"Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World’s Greatest Trips” and “Make the Most of your Time on Earth: 1000 Ultimate Travel Experiences” are gorgeous, transformational and, ultimately, full of empty promises. Frank Bures explains why travel list books often end up coated in dust.

10.5.07

‘The Condé Nast Traveler Book of Unforgettable Journeys’

A new anthology gathers some of the most memorable stories from the magazine’s 20-year history. Tyler D. Johnson says it contains the humor and wisdom only travel can deliver. 

9.25.07

‘Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman’s Skiff’

Rosemary Mahoney’s new book doesn’t just chronicle her unlikely journey down Egypt’s great river. Reviewer Julia Ross finds it also deftly explores the uncertain waters that split genders and cultures.

9.12.07

‘The Unheard: A Memoir of Deafness and Africa’

In his new book, Josh Swiller writes that he wanted to find “a place beyond deafness.” Reviewer Frank Bures believes he found it—and much more—amid the conflict and half-dug wells of a small corner of Zambia. 

9.5.07

We Don’t (Really) Know Jack

Though innovative and inspiring, “On the Road” is a bad blueprint for life on the road. Rolf Potts ponders the enduring legacy of Jack Kerouac’s travel masterpiece.

8.28.07

‘A Late Dinner: Discovering the Food of Spain’

Paul Richardson’s new gastro-adventure, Emily Stone finds, catches a European country with a complex past at a strikingly modern moment

8.14.07

‘EIMI: A Journey Through Soviet Russia’

E.E. Cummings’s book chronicling a 36-day trip in 1931 has been reissued after almost 50 years out of print. Frank Bures says it’s a tough read, but worthwhile. 

8.1.07

The Critics: ‘China Road’

A new book by NPR’s Rob Gifford chronicles a trip along the “Route 66 of China.” Michael Yessis distills what reviewers—and Jon Stewart—are saying about it.

7.17.07

The Critics: ‘Shadow of the Silk Road’

Michael Yessis checks out what reviewers are saying about the U.S. release of the new book by Colin Thubron, “the dean of British travel writers”

7.3.07

‘Travels with Herodotus’: Kapuscinski and the Weight of History

Frank Bures considers Ryszard Kapuscinski’s newly translated book—and the Polish writer’s controversial legacy

6.18.07

Illuminating ‘Dark Travel’

The “Lonely Planet 2007 Blue List” and Adam Russ’s “101 Places Not to Visit” spur Frank Bures to contemplate why travelers don’t always want to be delivered from inconvenience. 

3.9.07

‘SkyMaul: Happy Crap You Can Buy From a Plane’

Giant Bibles, Bird Zappers, Hot Dog Shooters and so much more. Frank Bures says Kasper Hauser’s parody of the in-flight catalog SkyMall is better than the real thing.

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