Writing my forbes.com articles
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Fun! Silliness! Sickness! Genius Mollusks! Death! Food! Romance! (Genius Mollusks?) Yes, you’ll find this and more in the following 11 posts, plus info about fascinating places you’ll be able to get to, let’s hope later this year.
This bespoke binge collection takes you around the world while you still aren’t getting out of the country, with what I consider my best travel posts of the past year. It’s become a tradition of mine over the last six years at forbes.com; this year a gift of good travel experiences in Europe, South Africa, Bali, Mexico, Guatemala, the U.S. and more. Easy to share them with friends who love to travel.
Let’s go!
I fell in love with “My Octopus Teacher,” the recent documentary on Netflix. It may be the most beautiful, thought-provoking animal/man connection I’ve ever seen. (Well, definitely the most touching mollusk/man connection.) And so when I realized I had traveled to the area at the tip of South Africa where that little smarty-tentacled octopus lived in a kelp forest, I wrote about the environs above and below the water, with great pleasure.
I was blown away with the ceremony and emotion of Dia de Los Muertos. I take you though a once-in-a-lifetime weekend in the Yucatan peninsula from a personal viewpoint.
This is a true story, one that’s much funnier after the fact. I was a clueless solo with ants-in-my-pants during a beautiful, solemn ceremony. Literally. Check it out and you’ll see.
Let’s get serious for a moment. I am among the many in 2020 who caught Covid-19. It was pretty bad, and the worst part for me was that it kept being bad from March to August. I am so much better now, but it was a long journey I never wish to take again. Please, keep yourself and others safe and wear a damn mask until the scientists tell us we don’t need to!
These American cities are among the best we can do for old-world charm — domestically.
Riding the rails in privacy throughout some of the most beautiful scenery on earth, and then stopping at parks along the way — nifty. This article will interest you even after the pandemic, and is a good one to share with nature lovers.
What will travel be like, post-pandemic? These travel mavens have some pretty interesting ideas. One of my most widely read posts ever.
Maybe this Easter you’ll be able to safely splurge and visit this amazing cultural event. Worth seeking out at least once in your life for the pageantry alone. And Antigua, Guatemala is gorgeous.
I posted this piece on Valentine’s Day, 2020, when I didn’t have much awareness of the devastating pandemic to come. After the fact, it’s especially dreamy.
As soon as I can safely haul myself into the world again, if I had to choose to visit one city — besides Paris, a given — it would be San Sebastian, in Northern Spain. That is, if they’d let me in. I can taste the fresh fish in the charming harborside restaurant, see the spinning art-nouveau carousel near city hall, imagine the sound of the waves at the festive beach area … soon. I hope.
I’ll end at the beginning — in January of 2020, when I thought about this somber topic. It’s a fitting end to my grouping of favorite posts, as it shows us how bad things can get, and that we can go on from there.