It's a well-written travel narrative about expatriate life and the honest feelings many people have about going home after living abroad or traveling long-term.
I put this article under the culture category because it deals with Thai culture and US culture, but maybe we should make an expatriate category, which could include posts about moving abroad, finding work, etc.
Expatriate Life?
This article focuses on how Vang Vieng has changed since the Lao government cracked down on its infamous party scene. The author presents multiple perspectives, and while he isn't upset about the loss of the wild parties, he also doesn't shame anyone who liked them. Most importantly he gives useful, detailed information for travelers about how to get places, what things cost, and what else there is to do in Vang Vieng besides tubing.
This was such an informative and mouthwatering post! Plus, I'd never seen this website before, and now it's definitely a new favorite. I think the experience I had with this post is proof that Outbounding is a great idea, and a system that's working.
This article is about travel styles and ignoring what you should do in favor of what you want to do. I'm not sure how to categorize it, so I defaulted to culture. Anyone have a better suggestion?
I love this post! I think it's a great intro to a country that many people know nothing about.
I know! I described this article (when I mentioned it on my blog) as "the history of luxury tourism," but it's so much more interesting than that makes it sound.
I loved this piece about crosscultural exchange and how just because we're consuming more of the same media doesn't mean we're experiencing it the same way. No concrete answers in the article, just a lot of thought-provoking suggestions.
This article was shared last week by monark26 (Hannah Lobb). It's a great piece, but we should figure out how to keep posts from being shared more than once.
Great photos, but I agree with Matt, it seems strange to candidly mention "pleas from local indigenous groups." The author is being disrespectful by making Uluru number one on this list, and not giving greater voice to the concerns of locals.
I loved this post. Just so lovely, and so human. It's nice to read a post that gives us permission to enjoy our travels for what they are and not stress over what they could be.
This is clever, unusual information that I had no idea I was looking for!
I love this article, which I guess should come as no surprise because it's written by Jodi Ettenberg, and I know her work doesn't need a +2 vote, but this article seriously did.
I was unimpressed by this article. I'm a big proponent of not judging other people's travel styles and I think the blanket statements the author was making (such as: people who travel are "fleeing themselves and the lives they’ve created") were overgeneralized and unfair. But I find most articles on Thought Catalog judgmental and arrogant, so that's my personal bias.
The friendliness rating was amusing! Most cities' ratings were in the 70's but Paris's was 52. Also, nice to see Krakow, a city I adored, getting praise from other travelers in such a big publication.
This video is the result of a kickstarter project, and shows some really stunning images of famous European landmarks.
Love this article!
This is so important! Thank you for sharing an image of African women that Westerners don't often see (and sometimes purposely overlook).
This article wowed me. I think its title does it a disservice because it's not a cautionary tale touting the dangers of traveling as a woman. It's a fascinating piece about what it means to be a female travel writer and the privileges afforded to Western white men "adventuring" around the globe. Thought-provoking.
I liked looking through this mix of photography styles and skill levels. It's cool that they included everything from HDR photos to cell phone photos, and landscapes to portraits. Plus, second place went to a woman from the town I was born in!
A great piece on travel and racism from the perspective of being Asian-American in Brazil
I was worried this article was going to be about foreigners paying more for taxis and in markets because I agree with Matthew that visitors have the responsibility to be informed about prices and to take the time to barter because otherwise we directly contribute to inflation.
I was pleasantly surprised that this piece was actually about tourists paying more for national parks and monuments because I agree completely with the author's points that locals have (in many cases) already contributed through taxes and just generally have a right to their country's resources. I also loved the bit about how we're all tourists even if we like to think of ourselves as something more. I agree 100%! (The tourist/traveler debate pisses me off to no end.)
Piggybacking off of Matt's first question, I'd love to know if you think some travel sites fold because they're too broad. By being destination-specific do you think you were better able to carve out an audience, a community, and sponsors than a more general travel site?
I agree with @goodnewsmuse that this is a fantastic article. I just want to add that in May, I spent 3 weeks in Senegal visiting a friend serving in the Peace Corps and we should draw a distinction between voluntourism and international aid. The Peace Corps is an international aid organization, and while we can absolutely discuss the effectiveness and ethics of international aid work, the Peace Corps Volunteers I met were offended to be compared to voluntourists. They learned local languages (my friend is now fluent in Wolof), received months of training, and committed to live in communities alongside local Senegalese people for two years, which is a far cry from a 1-week service trip.
What does "trip reports" mean exactly?