New Site Feature: Click on the Daily Photo

I just want to tell everyone about a new feature I added to the site. Starting today, and with the other Daily Photos on the front page of the site, if you click on the image, you will see a nice big 900 pixel wide version of the image. If you are familiar with such …

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Amateur Traveler Interview – The World Heritage Sites of the USA

Once again, I was recently a guest on the Amateur Traveler Podcast with Chris Christensen. This time we talked about the UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the United States. As of the time of recording in 2015, there are 22 world heritage sites in the United States, and I have been to 21 of them: …

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Amature Traveler Podcast Interview – Micronesia

I am featured on this week’s Amateur Traveler Podcast where I talk about my trip to Micronesia. (Hence, the photo of Palau for today’s Daily Photo.) The Amateur Traveler Podcast is one of my favorite travel podcasts along with the Indie Travel Podcast. Both podcasts focus on talking to real people, not just having tour …

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Caesar in Ponhpei

When you travel on the seat of your pants like I do (not booking far in advance and doing things at the last minute) there is always the risk of not being able to go somewhere at the time you want. The biggest risk is running into a busy weekend or a convention and there …

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So that thing about the thing….

So…..now I am going to Musandam. Arun, who lives in Oman and met me on Twitter, came through and figured out where I had to go. The ferry company is in a very nondescript building with a temporary sign out front behind a tree With all the money they spent on the boat, they forgot …

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Back to Samoa III

I’m back in Samoa for the third and last time. I got to fly first class from Tonga to Samoa for a whopping one hour. Next few days will be logistical work. Today I get my visa at the Chinese Embassy (small countries are a great place to get visas. The embasies have nothing else …

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Sitting in a cafe…

I’m writing this on my iPod in a cafe in Singapore. I just got back from the Asian cultural museum, which is one of the better museums I’ve been to on my trip. (oddly enough, japan and Korea weren’t mentioned). I finally got a cell phone yesterday. I haven’t had one in over a year. …

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Port Vila Quickie

I’m alive in Vanuatu. I’m working on my arrangements for this weekend. I’m hoping to spend two days on the island of Tanna. Initial impressions: Obviously much poorer than New Caledonia – around Tonga/Samoa levels of income it seems. They have put much more effort into tourism than other countries I’ve seen in the Pacific. …

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Sometimes you just get rucky

When you travel by the seat of your pants and make things up as you go along, sometimes you strike out and sometimes you hit it big. Yesterday, I hit it big. Totally by accident. I reserved a hotel room online in Kagoshima. The cheapest one available was in Kirishima, which I assumed was a …

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