Saving Chekhov’s Yalta ‘White Dacha’ Home

Alain Ducasse: ‘I Am Not a Fan of Airline Food’

‘Australia’: The Next Big Travel Movie?

National Geographic’s ‘Herod’s Lost Tomb,’ FTW

How Can I Save on Transportation During a Round-the-World Trip?

Vagabonding traveler Rolf Potts answers your questions about travel

13 Great Travel Horror Movies

The Hollywood horror archives are filled with tales of bad trips. To celebrate Halloween, Eva Holland and Eli Ellison sift through the carnage to pick their favorites—and lose a little sleep doing so.

Matt Weiland: Through 50 States With 50 Writers

The coeditor of “State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America” talks to Frank Bures about the book, the WPA and how the United States hasn’t been “bulldozed for speed”

Love Herring in Sweden

From artery-clogging casseroles to a fermented concoction that smells alarmingly like vinegary flatulence, Lola Akinmade digs in to a smörgåsbord of herring and explains how to best appreciate Scandinavia’s favorite fish. 

The Water Is Wide

Bronwen Dickey considers Tim Butcher’s “Blood River: A Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart,” which takes readers deep into the Congo

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. 

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.

Dark Days on Galapagos

Hi Julia:

That’s sad about the sea lions in the Galapagos. I agree that every effort should be made to preseve this unique and fragile ecosphere. Even if it means that we can’t actually see it personally. I hardly agree with the island’s most famous visitor, Charles Darwin, though. Even though “biodiversity” created a unique playland for wildlife here (mostly birds, sea turtles, and the usual suspects), there is a larger issue here. Evolution is overrated. If man descended from the apes, then why are the apes still here?

This is absolutely awful! I really hope the perpetrators are caught and severely punished.

And that visits to the islands are very limited from now on - currently the tourist parade is killing the place.

I hate to say it, but maybe if it cost $10,000 to visit, the place could be saved for future generations?

Some tourists are paying $10,000 to visit, and they tend to be the ones harming the islands the most.  I was fortunate enough to spend a week on the islands with an Ecuadorian school group 2 years ago.  The seals were so used to humans they swam within two feet of us as we snorkeled.  The best way to see is the islands is educationally, supplementing the required, certified guide with a biology professor from the mainland and to stay in the villages overnight (good for their economy, good for the ocean).