“Don’t judge a book by its cover!” It’s one of those familiar sayings we’ve heard so often that we could probably finish the sentence before someone else has a chance to say it. Mom said it. Teachers said it. We know the principle. And yet, despite how often we’ve heard […]
Flying can—and usually does—test the limits of human endurance. Our most recent trip did not disappoint. The penultimate leg of our journey took us from New York to San Francisco—two cities that, in their own ways, can feel like centers of the universe when it comes to financial and technological […]
As is often—no, always—the case, travel never fails to deliver a life lesson or two…or three. Our most recent trip took us abroad, which, in addition to the excitement of seeing new places, came with the familiar requirements of international travel: packing—what to take and what to leave behind—and making sure […]
There are certain places that seem to live on everyone’s lifetime bucket list: the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids at Giza, the Great Wall of China. The list is long. And somewhere near the top would surely be that enormous chasm in northern Arizona — described at various times as “an […]
Isn’t it funny how simple observation can open the door to deeper reflection—and, if I’m attentive, to introspection? On my return from an all-too-brief visit with my daughter in Southern California, I was struck by the dense fog blanketing the Central Valley. The contrast between the world swallowed by that […]
One thing is certain: whether as a parent, a husband, or just a person trying to make it through the day, listening is harder than it sounds—at least for me. Too often, communication is treated as if it’s mostly about talking. Spoiler: it’s not. The older I get, the more I […]
You know that feeling when a trip comes to an end—half joy, half ache? That quiet pause when the adventure is over, and you’re about to leave behind the places and people that touched you? That’s what I call melancholy travel. I love travel. Really, I do. The new sights, the […]
Travel can be tiring—really tiring. The packing. The journey to the airport and train stations. The shuffle through security. Boarding. Upright seatbacks. Cramped legroom. The long line for the (ugh) lavatory. Then you finally arrive—unpack, eat, try to sleep (not enough), get up, see this and that… and repeat. What I […]
When Travel Teaches You More Than You Expected Travel has a funny way of teaching lessons you never planned to learn. Sometimes it happens through a breathtaking view or a quiet museum. Other times, it’s through a single sentence from someone you’ve just met. That’s what happened to my wife […]
Lessons from a Journey Through Four Countries and One Kingdom It’s been an interesting season of travel. Though I’ve journeyed a bit over my six-plus decades, most of it has been within the United States. Europe, until now, had remained unexplored territory. Well, as the saying goes, there’s a first […]
