World Hum’s Most Read: Aug. 23-29

What We Loved This Week: Las Vegas, Maui and the Street Art of Sao Paulo

R.I.P. ‘Staycation’

‘The Internet is About the Best Thing to Happen to Geography Nerds Since the Sextant’

A Tourist With a Shovel and a Hoe

When she arrived in Kenya to volunteer with the Maasai, Daniela Petrova looked down her nose at tourists there to have a good time. But was her own motivation much different?

How Should I Spend My Time in Spain?

Vagabonding traveler Rolf Potts answers your questions about travel

Paul Theroux: Invisible Man on a Ghost Train

Jim Benning asks the author of “Ghost Train to the Eastern Star” about his new book, aging and the challenge of disappearing in the age of the BlackBerry

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.

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”

My Travels, My Feet

After taking one too many headless torso shots of herself, solo traveler Sophia Dembling started snapping photos of her feet around the world, from the Grand Canyon to Red Square

Seven Reasons to Have a Foreign Fling

Sure, having an overseas romance is fun. But Terry Ward points out seven other benefits to cross-border love, mon petit chou.

The All-American Train Ride?

Well, people don’t really see mass transit though trains as efficient as airplanes when traveling.  I think for the average American, traveling mean only the destination point and not the experience of getting there.

I’ve tried twice in the past few months to choose rail over air for trips and unfortunately, the cost is just too prohibitive. If I was a springy 22 year old, I could go without the sleeper, but since I don’t have the resilience to do that anymore, I’m priced out. I get that it’s apples and oranges - a five day journey with overnights and meals is not the same as a five hour flight, but given that I can find a way to spare the time, I’d be willing… if I could afford it.

@ Pam

Hey, what is the usual price difference of the trains and airplane that you saw?  Train rides deal with more stops so I thought that they might be cheaper sometimes.