The Freedom of Winging a Trip

In this post, I’ll take a detour from the travelogue to talk about the benefits of winging it. After the wedding, people began to go their separate ways. The people with jobs prepared for their flights back to their homes where they would return to being productive members of society. Given my current status as […]

A Meta-Travel Writing Piece, pt. 2

The other day I talked about the need to really draw your reader in with a short anecdote about something that could never happen in their lives right now, but could if they did what you are doing.  Another key to enhancing the reader experience is to include language that makes your movements seem just […]

A Meta-Travel Writing Piece, pt. 1

As a generalization, people who travel are interesting.  Not interesting in the sense that they are unique or intriguing (sometimes that is the case), but that they often tell good stories because they have fresh experiences to draw from.  And within the broader fraternity of travelers, the people who detach themselves from the grid and opt […]

How to Travel Alone, pt. 4

This is part four of a four-part post on the joys of solo travel. _ In this last installment, I will share my thoughts on the need to meet as many people as you can and be confident as you roam the world. – 7.  Be open “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” […]

How to Travel Alone, pt. 2

The following is part two of a three-part post on the joys of solo travel. The other day I talked about the need to be prepared.  Today, I will talk about going with the flow. _ 3.  Be adaptable “A good traveler has no fixed plan and is not intent on arriving.”  – Lao Tzu […]

How to Travel Alone, pt. 1

The following is part one of a three-part post about the joys of solo travel. “It seemed an advantage to be traveling alone. Our responses to the world are crucially moulded by the company we keep, for we temper our curiosity to fit in with the expectations of others…Being closely observed by a companion can […]

Dispatch From a Shrinking Planet

“I don’t know where I’m going but I’m on my way.” – Carl Sagan Develop Economies, the alter ego for my life on the road, is almost a year and a half old.  I’ve been to three continents, eleven countries, and spent too many hours in buses, planes, ferries, and motorbikes.  And the people I […]

Thoughts on Leaving

I’m writing this on the plane from Bacolod, where I have spent that last 10 months, to Manila. [Note: I got back 4 days ago, and only now am getting around to posting this] Tomorrow I’ll get on another flight to Tokyo, then another to Detroit, and one more back to Boston to the home […]