I’m familiar with a location where few people are. It’s the type of area where the silica-rich sand creaks beneath your feet, where you quit wearing shoes, don’t even think about combing your hair, and where, since there are no mirrors, you stop thinking about how you appear. It begins to become whatever you feel, which is comfortable and as if your spirit is being cleansed. The water is ideal for Goldilock’s personality since it is neither too hot nor too cold. It’s only. The weather is also ideal in November, neither too damp nor too hot, with a pleasant

An African safari is one of those experiences I’ve wanted to have ever since I learned that “Z is for zebra” in my early years. Illustrated books flooded my head with thoughts of what Africa would be like. I pictured a bright, brilliant sun with animals roaming nonchalantly, coming out of nowhere. At the national parks, this was completely true. It was precisely how I pictured it as a youngster. When travelers come to Southern Africa, most visit Kruger National Park, South Africa, drive to Cape Town, and depart without seeing anything else. While these two areas are renowned for

Have you ever felt truly isolated? Not in terms of a lack of unity with your next guy (or woman), but of pure and lovely freedom? Nothing around you, nothing encumbering you, what appears to be the entire globe at your feet, nothing obstructing your vision in every direction, and not a soul in sight to ruin the wonderful moment unfolding before you? It is for sure a rarity. That type of boundless space and the exquisite sense of being the only human on planet, even if you know deep down that it’s not true, provides a kind of bliss

The sea laps against the cliffs and sandbanks in long, soft waves. The water rushes in and out smoothly, as it usually does, thanks to the moon’s grace. We, an international group of observers, one from California, one from Canada, one from South Africa, and three from Germany, stroll in time with the waves along the grassy cliffs. Every now and again, I can’t help but halt and observe the lads as they go about their business. I take lengthy breaths and steal little moments from myself. I was missing the sea. I was reminded of Ireland since the scenery

Leaving South Africa triggered a flurry of unsettling emotions in my chest. It usually happens to me when I leave a place: I get a pang of nostalgia in the pit of my stomach. My heart rate has increased somewhat. I have a sudden want to stay, as well as the enticing appeal of the unknown ahead of me. It’s like an internal conflict between a sentimental longing for the familiar on one side and a curious want for the new on the other. Did this happen to you as well? It’s called a bittersweet goodbye, I believe. Following nine

Following a fantastic few weeks hitchhiking down Chile’s Carretera Austral, it was time to call it quits on Ruta 7. Although the accommodations were modest, the WiFi hardly worked, knowing Spanish was a must, and the gravel road required hours of driving to cover even short distances, this section of Chile has a unique charm that cannot be found anywhere. Individuals are humble, open, and inquisitive. The terrain is unparalleled in its raw beauty, and the isolation and harshness of it all meant a true off-the-beaten-path experience that most foreigners do not get in Patagonia (but if you read the