(Taylor Bond is a writer and content creator currently based out of Seoul, South Korea. She is a graduate of... The post All Hail the Mighty Japan Rail! appeared first on hippospit ..read more

(Lori Strongin dreams of being able to dip her foot into every ocean and sea across the globe — she’s... The post Chianti, Spite, and a Black Rooster appeared first on hippospit ..read more

(Lien De Wispelaere is a scientist by profession and a globetrotter by heart. She first set foot on African soil 10 years ago and has fallen in love with the continent.) I sigh. Things have been hectic here in Kidia. This rural Tanzanian village, located on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, will be my home away from home for the next months. In this last 10 day period, I spent my time on the mountain collecting leaves, soil and rain samples for my Ph.D. research. Today is my first day off. I decide to descend into the town of Moshi and visit some of the markets. Eriki, my favorite field a ..read more

(This piece comes from American travel blogger Miranda Moure. You can read more about her adventures here.) “Why do you say this, why do you say this word, zee?” “I’m not sure that we say that?” I responded, genuinely unsure of what he was talking about. “What word do you mean?”  “I mean like the last letter of the alphabet. You call this one ‘zee’ when it’s much better as ‘zet.’ We say ‘zet.’” “Oh right, well,” I stumbled a bit, as I truly didn’t care what anyone calls it, “I dunno, I guess we just don’t. We just call it zee. Maybe because it rhymes in the alphabet song?” At that point, I was ..read more

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(Born and raised in the American mid-west, Ree started traveling at a young age. Some of her favorite places are Madrid, Spain; Phi Phi Island, Thailand; Stonetown Zanzibar and Toronto, Ontario. She currently lives in Arusha, Tanzania and loves eating fresh pineapple year-round.) My first homestay in Tanzania was with a sweet family in a modest home in Arusha. I like to think it was educational on both sides, as they corrected my poor Swahili and I shared a few American recipes with them, most including cheese and potatoes. I rented a single bedroom for five months and shared the family’s com ..read more

(Charlotte North is a British freelance writer who has lived all over the world – including Africa, Asia and the Middle East. She wants to tell you all about it.) When the Japanese football team lost against Belgium at the World Cup in 2018, they could have been forgiven for leaving the stadium as quickly as possible. Instead, they left behind them an immaculate changing room. Outside, some Japanese supporters (with their fancy dress still on and faces painted) also stayed behind to leave the stands tidy.  Many tourists visiting Japan notice how few bins there are in public places and yet how ..read more

(Dan Goncalves, oftentimes writing under the name D.C. Gonk, is an emerging author of fictional and nonfictional prose from New Jersey. Most of his work is inspired by travel-related experiences and relationships with close friends and family. He has previously had fiction and nonfiction short stories included in the publications Burnt Pine Magazine and Wanderlust Journal. Currently, he is working on a family farm in Portugal and is seeking representation for his completed manuscript, “Don’t Forget To Write”.)      A fifty-year-old male nude model had told me about a hostel in the middle of th ..read more

24.11.19. Somewhere west of Nicosia, Greek Cypriots congregate for dinner in PLAKA. It is a small, traditional restaurant, serving meze for hours as guests dance to Ribetika songs. My friend and I don’t speak Greek – we are here with new friends, the owners of a fabric store on Onasagorou Street in the old town. I ask what the lyrics to one song mean, and one of our hosts turns to me. “It is a man, and he is asking ‘Why don’t you want me? Is it because I am a fisherman? My clothes stink, but I sell a lot of fish and I can make you happy.’” The post PLAKA appeared first on hippospit ..read more

(Ashleigh Force is a wannabe starving artist with an insatiable thirst for travel and minimalism.  She is a vagabond by day, jiu jitsu instructor by night. Continuously and neurotically planning her next escape whilst exercising her crippling ADD. Ashleigh’s hobbies include long pauses of day dreaming, staring at lengthy, inviting highways, and changing careers and locations as soon as life becomes even slightly manageable or comfortable. Lastly, she is a bleeding heart for animals facts and the ukulele. You can follow Ashleigh on instagram and youtube at AForceProduction.) That old phrase “ig ..read more