One night at dinner with my friends Matt and Hannes in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand, I found myself buried in my iPhone, unable to pull myself away from the latest tweets. Matt and I were two confirmed iPhone addicts, and with unlimited data plans costing only $30 per month in Thailand, there was no reason not […]
Staying Charged While Traveling Read More »
If you’re 26 or younger, I’ve got news for you: 27 is a scary age. Why? That’s the big year of marriage. Sure, people get married younger than 27, but those tend to be the couples who have been together for years and years, whom you expect to get married. At 27, your single friends
An Offbeat Wedding in Augsburg, Germany Read More »
In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus spent ten years fighting in the Trojan War, then took the LONG way home — another ten years of sailing back to Ithaca and getting into many mishaps along the way. Seven of those years were spent on the island of Ogygia in the arms of the nymph Calypso. As
Mljet: Captive in Paradise Read More »
It was several years ago when I first began reading about the Balkans. I immediately became a Balkans junkie, dreaming of sailing Croatia’s islands, hiking Slovenia’s Julian Alps, partying on Belgrade’s river barges. But the place that captured my imagination the most was a little island off the coast of Montenegro called Sveti Stefan. Look
Sveti Stefan: A Travel Dream Fulfilled Read More »
If ever I had to banished to a small town for the rest of my life, never going beyond the city walls, there would be no better place than Kotor, Montenegro. I fell in love hard and fast with this beautiful little town. Kotor is brimming with things that I love: interesting architecture, an incredible
Kotor: Beauty and the Bedbugs Read More »
Ah, Montenegro. I knew I’d love it. I knew it would be beautiful. But I had no idea that it would have the kind of beauty to knock me off my feet and render me speechless! The scenery in Montenegro was tantalizing: the Bay of Kotor from every direction, storybook-perfect walled towns, mystical islands, a
Montenegro: The Most Beautiful Country in Europe Read More »
“What’s the secret, Max? You seem to have it figured out.” “I guess you’ve just gotta find something you love to do and then do it for the rest of your life. For me, it’s going to Rushmore.” –Rushmore I often get asked what the secret is. So today, on my 28th birthday (the sexiest birthday!),
28 Things I’ve Learned About Life, Love, and Happiness Read More »
When I got invited to join a food tour through New York’s Little Italy and Chinatown, I was excited — but a bit skeptical. Isn’t Little Italy a giant tourist trap? I thought. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for authenticity, shouldn’t you leave Manhattan altogether and head to the Bronx and Flushing? I was wrong. Little
Eating Through Little Italy and Chinatown with Ahoy Tours Read More »
After seeing the remnants of war all over Sarajevo, I thought I had seen my fill of Bosnian devastation. Little did I know that Mostar — beautiful, tiny, freshly rebuilt Mostar — would be even worse. This post was published in 2012, based on a June 2012 visit. Shortly after arriving at Hostel Nina, our
Mostar: The Rose That Grows Through Concrete Read More »
I’m in a midtown nail salon, watching as my toenails are layered in iridescent fuchsia. It’s been a while — since leaving Southeast Asia, I can’t justify paying more than $5 for a mani-pedi. And it shows. For most girls, a pedicure is just for decoration; for me, this time it was more like reconstrutive surgery.
Confronting My Ghost Life in New York Read More »