Cold, Hungry and Happy in the High Andes

Just 40 bucks in cash, a warm sleeping bag and plenty of wine carry the author through his final days in Ecuador, in the remote high country outside of Quito
March 08, 2013 | By Alastair Bland

Biking Ecuador’s Spectacular Avenue of the Volcanoes

Home to a string of high peaks, including 20,564-foot Chimborazo, the area offers some of the finest cycling, hiking and adventuring country anywhere
March 03, 2013 | By Alastair Bland

Vilcabamba: Paradise Going Bad?

Life in this legendary town in Ecuador's Valley of Longevity may be too good—and too long—to be true
February 20, 2013 | By Alastair Bland

A Short Bike Ride in the Peruvian Andes

The author kicks off 2013 with a 1,100-mile cycling journey through the Andes from Lima, Peru, to Ecuador's lofty capital of Quito
January 03, 2013 | By Alastair Bland

Should Trophy Hunting of Lions Be Banned?

Some argue that tourist safari hunts generate important money for African nations—but can lions afford the loss?
December 07, 2012 | By Alastair Bland

Volcanoes: The Top Hotspots of the World

Volcanic landscapes draw countless tourists to rumbling mountains, rivers of lava and boiling geysers. Here are a few of the hottest destinations
October 19, 2012 | By Alastair Bland

Where Travelers Go to Pay Their Respects

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum is not a fun place to go, yet tourists flock here, and to other somber sites around the world
October 09, 2012 | By Alastair Bland

Six Things to Do and Places to See Before Climate Change Swamps the Party

Get out and view a wild polar bear and visit Tuvalu and other low-lying islands while you have a chance
September 20, 2012 | By Alastair Bland

Wolves Are Returning to Oregon–but Not All Locals Want Them

In 1947, the last wolf in Oregon was killed for a bounty fee of $5 just outside of Crater Lake National Park. Now, after more than 50 years of absence, the animals are staging a comeback
August 31, 2012 | By Alastair Bland

At a Glance: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Oregon Coast

The coastal Highway 101 route, through rainforest and redwoods, is as beautiful as it is popular
August 29, 2012 | By Alastair Bland

Where Has the Heat Been Most Oppresive This Summer?

This year is shaping up to be among the warmest on record—not only in the United States but worldwide. Here are a few of the hottest hotspots
August 16, 2012 | By Alastair Bland

More Great Books and Where Best to Read Them

A continuation of last week's list of the author's favorite reads
July 27, 2012 | By Alastair Bland

Great Books—and the Best Places to Read Them

Reading while traveling can serve as a sensory supplement to one's surrounding environment. Here's a list of some of my favorite books and where to read them
July 21, 2012 | By Alastair Bland

A Short Talk With a Legend of Rock

"Climbing without risk isn't climbing," says Yvon Chouinard, American rock climbing pioneer and founder of Patagonia
April 03, 2012 | By Alastair Bland

The Fight to Save the Tiger

The great cat is disappearing throughout its range because of habitat loss and illegal hunting, but an innovative scientist in India may have discovered a way to avert extinction
April 2012 | By Phil McKenna

Waging War on Mammals in New Zealand

The family spent days in a government cabin eating food, all provided by the New Zealand Department of Conservation, which only requested an effort to stomp on kiwi-killing vermin in return
January 10, 2012 | By Alastair Bland

Journey to the Bottom of the Earth – Almost

Anyone would be a fool to visit the South Island and not see the cliffs and marine scenery of Milford Sound, maybe the closest thing the real world knows to the fabled “Cliffs of Insanity" of The Princess Bride
January 04, 2012 | By Alastair Bland

Best Bets to See a Big Predator

Get your grizzlies, polar bears, big cats, wolves and crocs here
December 30, 2011 | By Alastair Bland

Descending Into Hawaii's Haleakala Crater

A trip to the floor of the Maui volcano still promises an encounter with the "raw beginnings of world-making"
December 2011 | By Tony Perrottet

Six Sacred Sites of Hawaii

Take a tour of the idyllic sites across the many islands where native Hawaiians have longstanding spiritual connections
November 16, 2011 | By Megan Gambino

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