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“The traveler, if he comes from a place of comfort, travels, in part, to be stood on his head; to lose track of tenses, or at least to be back to essentials, free of the details of home. ‘Teach me,’ as Thomas Merton wrote in his journal, ‘to give to a country names and words…
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I arrive at Bucharest’s Otopeni International Airport (OTP) and follow the exit signs that lead to the tourist bureau. I haven’t booked a room for my stay in advance, so I need to check on available budget hotels. Sadly, the tourist office is nowhere to be found. I finally locate an information counter to determine…
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It happens to me every time I travel overseas. I talk with people who hear about where I’m going, and they always say the same thing: “That sounds amazing! I wish I could do that.” My reply is always the same: “What’s keeping you from it?” I’m not being judgmental; I’m just trying to figure…
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In September 2006 I first considered the idea of trying to visit every country in the world, and I decided to write a short essay about everywhere I’ve been so far. Over the next year I’ll be posting one of the essays each week until I catch up. The compilation below is a short summary…
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An airport doesn’t always provide a good introduction to a country, but it can often be a good start. Airports are good places to test the system and find its breaking points. If the customs guy waives you through without a glance and the immigration guy hands your passport back without looking at it, you…
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