The hytte in the Lofoten Islands was exactly what I’d dreamed about—a weathered red cabin perched on stilts above crystalline water, mountains rising like giants behind it. What I hadn’t dreamed about was the single electrical outlet. What I pack: The charger that kept my phone alive when outlets vanished for days — European Travel … Read more
Six months after returning from two weeks in Japan, I sat on my couch with a cup of cold coffee, scrolling through 3,847 photos on my phone. There was the vermillion torii gates at Fushimi Inari, glowing pink in the dawn light. There was the bowl of ramen in that tiny Shinjuku alley—the one with … Read more
I stood at the edge of Skógafoss waterfall in June—technically summer in Iceland—watching my face get systematically sandblasted by what felt like a horizontal hurricane. The waterfall itself was magnificent: 60 meters of glacial meltwater thundering down dark basalt cliffs, the kind of sight that makes you understand why Iceland appears in every travel magazine … Read more
I was standing in the middle of Oaxaca’s Central de Abastos market at 2 p.m., sweat running down my temples, holding a paper cup of agua fresca that a vendor had just prepared in front of me. The drink was electric pink, impossibly cold, and topped with what looked like crushed ice. I was thirsty. … Read more
I watched the red helicopter circle twice over the Bright Angel Trail before it dropped lower, its rotors kicking up dust that hung in the June heat like a warning nobody had heeded. It was 2 p.m., 104°F in the inner canyon, and somewhere down there a hiker was being loaded onto a stretcher. What … Read more
The moment I’ll never forget happened approximately 3.2 seconds after the Jadrolinija catamaran hit the wave. What I pack: The waterproof bag that kept my camera dry through Croatian ferry spray — RAINSMORE Camera Bag, a waterproof sling bag specifically on Amazon → I was standing at the bow railing during the Split-to-Hvar ferry crossing—my … Read more
