Despite 5 years of traveling around the world I think I am still fundamentally the same person I was before I started traveling. I’m kind of a smart ass and a bit cantankerous. There hasn’t been any sort of spiritual epiphany which has lead to a brand new Gary. That being said, my attitude towards …
I have this crazy thing I do where I categorize people based on the number of continents I’ve met them on in person. It all started in the first year of my travels with some random German girl who I first met in Japan and I later saw in Australia. I realized “Hey, we’ve met …
One of the more iconic sites in all of Bosnia and Herzegovina—the old bridge in Mostar—is actually not that old. At least, the current incarnation of Stari Most is a lot newer than one might think, given the bridge’s long history. Originally built in 1557 under the administration of the Ottoman Empire, it was destroyed …
I’ve been working with my manager the last several months on a major deal with a large publishing outlet. After weeks of contract negotiations I’m happy to announce that starting today I am the new traveling correspondent for Newsweek Magazine! This deal is a dream come true for me and the fulfillment of years of …
Trier is amazing. I had no idea of the rich history of the city, which is the oldest in all of Germany. Just to give you an idea of what can be found when visiting Trier: Trier used to be one of the most important cities in the western world, a fact which escapes most …
From the World Heritage inscription: The Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany are a serial property comprising fifteen components. They represent an outstanding example of undisturbed, complex temperate forests and exhibit the most complete and comprehensive ecological patterns and processes of pure stands of European beech across a …
No matter how long I travel or how many places I visit, there are certain questions that I will never be able to answer. One of them is what you need to know to travel as a woman. I’ve talked to many female travelers over the last several years, and without question, they have to …
Last month I spent 2 hours exploring the Emperor Hadrian’s villa in Tivoli, Italy. It marked my 250th visit to a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here is a collection of thoughts and facts about world heritage sites that I’ve collected over the last 6 years: 1) As of the time of writing, there are 962 …
As 2013 comes to a close, I’m introducing a new feature: Gary’s Global Hangout. I will be using Google+ Hangouts to talk with interesting people from all around the world. The format will be an extremely informal interview style lasting around 30-60 minutes. My first guest is Elisa Detrez, who won the recent Best Job …