Travel

  • Lower-Risk Engagement

    Lower-Risk Engagement

    Things are unsettled right now. That is not a political statement. It is an observable reality. Situations escalate faster than they used to. Authority is exercised unevenly. Explanations often come later, if they come at all. That reality changes how responsible people need to think about engagement in everyday life. This is not about telling…

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  • The Roman Forum, a place haunted by death, history and something darker. Hell.

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  • The Hidden Tokyo

    Tokyo is a city that never really sleeps. It hums, it glows, it moves like electricity through glass. But that is not the Tokyo I chase. The one I love lives quietly behind it all, in the soft hum after the song ends. It is the Tokyo that hides under stairways, down narrow alleys, and…

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  • Every morning I go down to the onsen in our hotel and soak for about a half hour. It has become a ritual for me, not just relaxation but something deeper. The Japanese onsen is steeped in centuries of tradition. There is a right way and a wrong way, and before you go, you must…

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  • The research behind Zombie Road is unlike anything I have ever done before. Every chapter has its own bibliography, and the full list of sources runs eleven pages long. I wanted readers to be able to trace the information, explore further if they wish, and see how each thread connects. This same approach will guide…

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  • I was talking with my husband, Rick, the other day—just one of those quiet moments after we’d dropped our bags and taken a deep breath. We’ve been on the road for a month now, weaving our way from one city to the next, and I could tell he sensed something in my mood. Madrid had…

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  • When I was little, my mom told me she was going to redecorate my room. I remember the thrill of choosing paint swatches—so deep a royal blue it felt like diving into the night sky. As the first coats went on, the room took on a hushed glow, and we pressed glow‑in‑the‑dark stars into the…

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  • I was in the St. Louis airport going through immigration after flying in from Mexico just this week. They are doing random extra vetting. The family right in front of me was sent into an extra vetting room while I was let through. They can search your phone—so make sure you don’t have anything on…

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  • “Gone fishing” has always been my favorite way to announce an adventure—back when it meant heading out on a well-earned vacation. And now, my husband Rick and I are truly “gone fishing” for memories over the next month. Our journey kicks off this Thursday as we head to St. Louis for a week-long family reunion.…

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  • A few years back, I found myself wandering through Rome’s enchanting Piazza Navona, completely captivated by its timeless beauty. I paused in front of Bernini’s famed fountain—one of those mesmerizing spots that just pulls you in. That’s when I first heard the local lore: couples who fail to circle the piazza in a strict clockwise…

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