Part of the A to Z Challenge series featuring the Czech Republic — C is for Community Guide books, blogs, vlogs, and social media posts point you to the same destinations as you plan your trip to the Czech Republic: They suggest similar sites in Prague, a few surrounding castles, a stop at the beer museum in Pilsen, and perhaps the small town of Karlovy Vary. The…

The benefits of very slow travel, featuring Peru — When my family began our worldschooling year, two or three weeks in a country felt luxurious. We researched our destination, choose spots within its borders to visit, booked accommodation for a few nights, and we were off and running. A few months into the journey, though, we lagged. We languished…

A travel tale featuring Egypt and Guatemala — Mothers feather nests When I was little, my mother was a nester: She created spaces like a mother bird, ensuring my sister and I had the coziest pillows, homemade meals, and warm coats in winter. As an adult, when I returned home for visits, my mother set out slippers and robes in the…

A new perspective from the air: “December Freestyle” — Waking up at dawn IS better. Waking up before dawn has never been my first choice; in fact, I’ve avoided it at all costs. Yet somehow, in every country I visit, tour operators promote sunrise experiences. Boat trips to spy blue whales off the coast of Sri Lanka depart at dawn. Guided tours to Guatemala’s Mayan…

Bali and its neighbor, Lombok, show two sides of Indonesia — B is for Beauty The beauty of Bali blows you away. Every morning, you watch women gently carry offerings to the sidewalk, palm-sized square grass baskets filled with fresh flowers, cookies, a handful of rice, sometimes a cigarette, a wrapped candy. They murmur words over a cup of water and sprinkle the water on…

Gratitude for the greatest of travel companions — A few blocks from the central plaza in Cusco, Peru sits the Church of Santo Domingo, one of hundreds of Catholic churches that dot the city. It’s unremarkable in almost all ways. Only the abundance of vendors marks the church as significant. …

In the path of the Incas in the Sacred Valley of Peru — A is for Altitude You can stay along the coast of Peru, visiting pre-Inca sites along the Pacific or feasting on dishes adorned with flowers in Lima, but of course, you move east. Machu Picchu beckons. And once you do, you immediately hit altitude. The Andes Mountains are second in height only to the…

A travel tale featuring Mali, West Africa — I awake in a small village in Mali, West Africa and pull water from the well in my enclosed yard. After carrying it to my roofless outhouse, I pour cups of lukewarm water — the perfect temperature on this hot day — over my hair in the shade of a…

A travel tale featuring Italy — My daughter and I wove down cobblestone streets and out a primary gate of Orvieto, Italy, a town that sits atop a plateau of rock high above the plains of Umbria. To reach Orvieto, one must ascend 1,000 feet via elevator, funicular, footpath, or windy road. …