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Travel

If you figure out a way to politely turn down baijiu, China's favorite hard liquor, please let us know.

Booze Cruise: The Best Local Liquors to Try While Traveling

Fermentation has been replicated independently in nearly every region of earth, and many of the drinks various cultures brew are well worth a journey

The author and his bike stand about 850 feet above San Francisco on Conzelman Road. Repeated 10 times, this little hill amounts to a world classic of climbing.

The World’s Best Uphill Bike Rides

Long, steady climbs on a bicycle are the holy grail of athletic conquests. We hill climbers measure the worth of a landscape by its rise over run

Cloud, sea and sun create a morning sky as spectacular as it is serene as Matt Rutherford enters another day on his solo voyage around the Americas.

Will Matt Rutherford be First to Circumnavigate the Americas Solo?

“Basically, I either fail and everyone thinks I’m crazy, or I succeed and I’m a hero,” says the sailor, who is on the homestretch of a one-year journey

An ocotillo flower

Wildflower Hunting in the California Desert

March is the traditional time to view the fab flora in Joshua Tree National Park

Few landscapes have inspired the author quite like the Picos de Europa of northern Spain.

Why Do You Travel?

What is it we look for over mountains and across oceans? Answer our survey and we’ll publish responses in the May issue of Smithsonian

17,000 feet

More Great Walks of the World

Which hikes are the best in the world, and which ones did we miss?

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Which Vacation Spot Changed Your Life?

Tell us what you think about traveling the world and your answer may appear in a future issue of the magazine

Meadows, lakes, snow and granite are the enduring elements of California's John Muir Trail, which leads through 211 miles of some of the world's most beautiful alpine wilderness.

Great Walks of the World

The fact that people opt to walk today tells us there is something virtuous and irresistible in the plodding of one foot forward after the other

This scene from Lake Wanaka captures much that is great about New Zealand, like the Southern Alps and the country's many gleaming lakes.

New Zealand: What’s Hot and What’s Not

From Stewart Island in the south to the Surville Cliffs in the north, New Zealand is a country almost as geographically diverse as the United States

Diagram of Grado ship relic

How a Ship Full of Fish Helped Recreate an Ancient Fish Sauce

A 2,000-year-old shipwreck held ceramic vessels full of fish sauce, as well as a giant tank for transporting live fish

On April 15, North Korea will open the tallest and swankiest building in Pyongyang, the Ryugyong Hotel.

A Fabulous New Luxury Hotel—In North Korea?

The 1,080-foot-high Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, opening in April, has also been labeled the “Hotel of Doom”

Caravans cram this campground in Akaroa in a scene typical of New Zealand. Cyclists and hikers, when camped among such fleets of vehicles, may wish for a patch of privacy somewhere in the nearest forest—if only there were access.

Free Camping in New Zealand: Don’t Bank on It

Wild camping isn’t just a pleasure; it’s a necessity for many cyclists

Fish Sauce, Ketchup and the Rewilding of Our Food

Fermented fish sauce has been a culinary staple since at least the 7th century B.C. What makes this seemingly disgusting condiment so popular?

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Peeling Open the 1947 Chiquita Banana Cookbook

What do ham banana rolls with cheese sauce and salmon salad tropical have to say about politics?

Billy Collins is a two-time poet laureate of the United States and Smithsonian's poetry consultant.

The Unfortunate Traveler by Billy Collins

Smithsonian’s poetry consultant writes a poem specially for the photography issue

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Is New Zealand Too Dangerous for Cycling?

A Christchurch gentleman claimed to have knocked two cyclists off the road with his black H-2 Hummer and threatened to “nail” more

The Canary Islands are known for their potatoes.

The Best and Worst of Canarian Food

There are two delicacies unique to the Canary Islands that every visitor should try at least once—and in the case of one of them, once is quite enough

Ryan Monger (at left) set out for Costa Rica in 2004 looking for waves. There, on the beach, he found something much better.

Love on the Road

Traveling does seem to facilitate encounters—especially between like-minded people searching for similar things

One of thousands of properties destroyed by the February 22, 2012 Christchurch earthquake

Shattered: Christchurch After 10,000 Earthquakes

The abandoned boulevards and blocks of condemned buildings look like a scene from an unhappy future

This oversized replica reminds passersby that sandflies could be a lot nastier than they are.

New Zealand’s Darkest, Bloodiest Secret: The Sandfly

Kiwi recommendations for stopping the biting beasts: DEET, geranium leaves, garlic, rancid bacon, Marmite, Vegemite. Does anything really work?

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