Exactly one year ago, I found myself high above the Atlantic Ocean, bound for Cairo, Egypt, eager to embark on an eleven-day odyssey through the land of the Nile. It marked the start of one of my most cherished adventures yet, and I’m excited to celebrate the anniversary by going old school Venga, Vale, Vamos: no listicles, SEO bait, or journalistic ambitions. Join me for a classic diary-style series recounting last year’s month-long escapade through the enchanting landscapes of Egypt, Jordan, Italy, and Malta. In the courtyard of the Muhammad Ali Mosque at Cairo’s Citadel of Saladin In a p ..read more

When I closed my full-time travel chapter in 2017, having lived abroad for years and then backpacked for sixteen months, I thought my long-term travel days were behind me. I knew the grind of a regular job would force me to limit future trips to short getaways, a reality that unfolded over the next five years. And so I figured it would continue until retirement. Then came the end of 2022, and with it, an unforeseen turn of events. This is the story of how a jarring setback wound up paving the way for one of the most rewarding chapters of my life. Wadi Rum, Jordan, one of the most spectacular ..read more

As someone who’s always been a sucker for deals and freebies, the phrase “all-inclusive” is like music to my ears. So a free all-inclusive experience? Now you’re really speaking my language! Moreover, a free, all-inclusive stay on an idyllic Caribbean island? This must surely be the stuff of dreams. But my trip to Barbados last September was no figment of my imagination. Here’s how I won a free stay at an all-inclusive resort in Barbados last year and spent four fabulous days immersed in paradise. Feeling lucky in Barbados Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner Somehow, over the past few years ..read more

Life may look a little strange during these, ahem, “unprecedented times,” but if there’s one tried and true tradition I can stick with, it’s my annual travel recap. Can you believe I’ve now been doing this for a whopping twelve years? Last year’s post may have come nearly six months late, and my blog has certainly been a little quiet this year, but I found fewer excuses to procrastinate in the final days of 2022. Why? Because I spent my holidays in isolation. After nearly three years of playing it far safer than most of the world, COVID-19 found me at last. Hierve el Agua, outside of Oaxaca ..read more

When I returned from my latest trip to Spain in the fall of 2019, I never imagined it would be another 31 months before I next left the country. Then again, nothing about the past few years has been normal. But when things started feeling a little safer this year, I, inspired by many friends and family who were traveling overseas again, jumped at the chance to plan a trip of my own. I’d been dreaming about Oaxaca, Mexico for years, and the more I researched, the more I suspected it would be an ideal destination for seeing something new while staying virus-free. Oaxaca’s Santo Domingo Church ..read more

A year-end recap published in June? That is just wacky. But one of my favorite traditions is my annual travel year in review post: since 2011, I’ve wrapped up each year by looking back on all the places that year took me. I may be very (very, very) late in finally writing this 2021 review post, but I can’t let all of 2022 pass me by without celebrating the fact that some travel was possible last year. And, having just returned from my first trip out of the country since 2019 (thanks, Oaxaca!) I’m feeling somewhat inspired to actually write about travel. So, here goes! Visiting the Columbia R ..read more

It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that five years ago, for an entire month, my daily life consisted of waking up in a tropical paradise, biking along the Caribbean Sea, and then spending my day holding baby monkeys, feeding sloths, and playing follow the leader with a brain damaged anteater. But that’s exactly how I spent my days when I volunteered at the Jaguar Rescue Center in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica for one incomparable month in 2017. One of the sloths I grew to love at the Jaguar Rescue Center If you missed my first post on the Jaguar Rescue Center, I shared the story of how I ..read more

The holidays are upon us, and to celebrate the season and spread some cheer, I’m thrilled to announce I’m hosting a new giveaway! And this is a big one, especially for Southern Californians or visitors to Southern California. Keep scrolling to win a 4-pack of Knott’s Berry Farm Season Passes! If you’re a regular reader of Venga, Vale, Vamos, you’ve seen a lot of posts about Knott’s Berry Farm over the past two years. Since returning to L.A. a few years ago, I’ve enjoyed writing about local destinations, and Knott’s in particular has always been very near and dear to my heart. Because of thi ..read more

In the immortal words of Rose Nylund, “Miami is nice, so I’ll say it thrice,” or, better yet, “Miami, you’re cuter than an intrauterine.” Fine, I’ll admit that most of my knowledge of Miami, Florida comes from The Golden Girls. I think I visited as a young child, and I returned in 2011 for a ten-hour layover en route to Peru, but it’s a city I have yet to properly explore as an adult. That’s why I’m excited that the latest installment in my Travel Talk Interview Series is with Margie, a Miami native who knows plenty about the south Florida city. Miami Beach (photo credit) Margie is a teache ..read more

Oh hello, long lost friends! It’s been a few months since my last post (though if you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you’ve seen me there), and instead of waiting until I finish one of my many in-progress drafts about a favorite travel topic, I figured I’d check in with an informal update. (And, of course, I couldn’t resist some good alliteration in the title.) Celebrating Halloween at Descanso Gardens’ Carved I suppose it should come as no surprise that it’s been hard to keep a travel blog active in an era of such major disruptions to tourism. Just when we thought things were looking p ..read more