Stephen Fry Comes to America

The QE2’s Final Hurrah

Observing Rosh Hashanah, In Uganda and Elsewhere

Cheesy Souvenirs + Famous Landmarks = Very Cool Travel Pics

Vagrant Ruminations of a Compulsive Traveler

Where does the urge to hunt for that “fleeting fix of elsewhere” come from? Peter Wortsman recalls a life of travel inspiration. 

Rolf Potts: Revelations from a Postmodern Travel Writer

His new book “Marco Polo Didn’t Go There” includes his best stories from the past 10 years. Michael Yessis asks him how travel writing has changed in the last decade—and what he sees for the future.

Notes From an Unofficial Tourist Greeter

Summer is over, and so is Julia Ross‘ season as an ambassador to travelers in Washington, D.C.’s Woodley Park neighborhood. She’s happy to be off duty.

10 Great Travel Race Movies

Slow travel is well and good. But there’s something irresistible about a great travel race movie. World Hum Travel Movie Clubbers Eva Holland and Eli Ellison share their favorite vicarious thrill rides.

Eat Ceviche in Lima

Grab a Cusqueña and get comfortable. As Nicholas Gill explains, a trip to a Peruvian cevichería can be an all-day immersion in good conversation and raw seafood.

How Should I Spend My Time in Spain?

Vagabonding traveler Rolf Potts answers your questions about travel

Unsentimental Journeys: Wrestling With Paul Theroux

Bronwen Dickey considers “Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: 28,000 Miles in Search of the Great Railway Bazaar”

Beijing: ‘The Sanitized City’?

It shouldn’t be that hard to still find the original China.  Just get away from Beijing towards smaller cities or talk to people that live there.  I can easily ask people from China in chat rooms about what it is really like over there.  They wont lie about it, theres no reason to.

Or just head out beyond the tourist spots and subway lines. Beijing is an enormous city, and most visitors see a tiny percent of it. While many major roads have been cleaned up and hutongs somewhat sanitized, there are still many spots whose sights and smells will tell you, yup, this is the real China.

Yeah, definitely the smell is a “dead” giveaway.  Same with china town and all.  I dont even know what the smell is coming from really but it cant be good.  Someone from a chat said it was the mix of trash with dead animal that was lying out but it could be worse.

I think it’s the same stuff that’s in Western sewers, but with antiquated plumbing and sewage treatment. Areas near open grates in Seoul smell the same.