Azriel A long time ago I realized that I had ideas about people and places I only knew about through second hand sources. I began to wonder if I had any wrong perceptions. I could educate myself from afar, but all the material would be biased by the perception of the author/creator...

Photo: Allison Cross Journalist Allison Cross ponders how to deal with aggressive men in a culture steeped in inequality between the sexes. “Do you have a husband?” It’s a question I get asked every day, sometimes two or three times...

Water: we once thought it was an endless natural resource. Now we know better. Photo: mattman23 1. Over 1.5 billion people do not have access to clean, safe water. ...

A moment’s rest in the Azores, Portugal. Greetings readers! You may (or may not) have noticed I haven’t published an editor’s update for almost a month. That’s because I was off gallivanting in TV land, working with the crew on the reality series Word Travels...

It’s the first military coup in Central America since the cold war. Photo: rbreve Early Sunday morning the soldiers of the Honduran army arrested and exiled President Jose Manuel Zelaya...

All photos: Eric Warren Matador’s destination experts are here to help and ready to connect. For questions on the Big Sky State, this is the guy you want to ask. Eric Warren, a.k.a. advenjunkie, has spent the past 25 years digging deep into Montana...

Sea-Tac. Photo: aturkus Seattle writer Brandon Scott Gorrell navigates his way through the Bay Area on a book tour, seeking authenticity via “ragers”, street preachers, and hipsters with expensive-looking digital cameras...

Photo: jezarnold Perhaps even more eerie than graveyard tourism, abandoned-city tourism is alive and well for those who like the surreal. Here at Matador, we love the weird, wacky, and surreal...

Photo:Photo: Indie Type You have your passport, you have your toothbrush, What other things are essential for any overseas trip? This isn’t a list of the most essential accessories for overseas travel...

Beach at the Green Turtle Lodge / Photo above and feature photo: Stig Nygaard These are the destinations backpackers reminisce to each other about while squished into the back of bush taxis…affordable retreats you won’t hear about from the comfort of your couch. Until now. 1...

Photo: greenforall.org Our friends over at Wend alerted us to the Focus Roots Fellowship, a $10,000 grant for innovative clean energy projects...

Deanna Niles McConnell gives five experience-tested tips for hitting the road after giving birth. Photo: gregor_y A lot of people believe parenthood is the end of the party. The needs of a tiny person can be overwhelming, and it often feels easier to just never leave the house...

It takes quite a creative, knowledgeable mind to crack the codes in this painting, but once you know it, you can’t un-know it again. Economic disparity, the western affinity for our animals, capitalistic commodification of the human being, comfort vs. exploitation, privilege, world politics...

Perhaps their actions won’t result in the kind of political change they desire. But Iranian women’s en masse presence in the post-election protests is both powerful and significant. Photo via: misterarasmus By now, she’s a household name...

Wow, you know so much about everything! Save it for the book. Photo: Kyle May Alright, you’ve been to 220 countries. You’ve ridden in the front seat of a speeding Myanmar junta’s jeep, jumped into and splashed around the Citarum river, and kissed a woman (and a man) in Antarctica...

Summer is always the best time to see live music, whether it’s at the dingy little club in the rough part of town or in a farmers field somewhere in rural England. Either way, there’s no shortage of brilliant artists doing their thing. Don’t live near any of the action...

Photo: Ken Lund Broken Indian treaties and the KKK…how much do you really know about Mt. Rushmore? The L.A. Times’ online travel section recently published a list of trivia on Mt. Rushmore, the U.S...

Edmund from King Lear / Photo: Anthony Topper, Feature photo: Randy OHC The North American summer offers no shortage of Shakespeare festivals, most celebrated on outdoor stages. Here are five of our favorites: 1...

Continuing on with the tradition at Trips, we bring you our latest Destination Expert. Meet Turner Wright...

In a series here on Goods, we will be spotlighting various Matador community members and providing links to their favorite books. Matador Member - KatieHammel Photos by KatieHammel...

Take off your shoes. Watch some TV. Relax. You’ve just done four months’ hard time traveling, and it’s time to return home. Photo: srbyug But what to do now? All you know is travel...

With this morning’s news that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been re-elected, there’s no time like now to turn our attention to Iran. Ryan Van Lenning reports. All photos courtesy of Peace Action West...

photo; Joshua Johnson How do you approach strangers and encourage honest, candid encounters? Capturing spontaneous moments with strangers on film makes for the richest moments in your travel videos...

After 56 days of peaceful demonstration, Peru’s Special Forces arrived in the remote region of Bagua to disperse indigenous protesters in a violent and deadly display of force...

Photo by rednuht Lights spiral up a tall building, making it sparkle like a jewel in the dark. It is the tower of one of South America’s largest cell phone carriers...

Burmese Curry / photo by jackol You’ve gotta eat on the road, so why not eat informed? These blogs throw you into local food cultures and help you use food to discover the essence of place...

Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage. Photo: Petevity Matador takes a look at some of the UK’s seasonal stalwarts, as well as a few lesser-known newcomers. Don’t forget to pack your wellies...

A group of kids, Ethiopia / Photo Dave Bouskill Meeting children on the road is one of the joys of travel… unless they have an unusually painful way of showing their affection...

Photo: richardbessa Dusty tracks and desolate coast roads. Desperately bouncing the hire car down another cattle track, trying to beat the sun (or your flight home) to get one more surf in...

Save time with the pre-loaded slotRadio player and focus on more important things - like planning for your journey. Photo by James Cridland...

Matador member and new contributor Ryan Van Lenning read Emergildo Criollo’s letter and responded to Criollo’s call to stand in solidarity against Chevron...

Photo: bionicteaching So you’ve been to the Louvre and the Guggenheim and the MET. Bravo. Those are child’s play. If you want something truly unique and memorable, you have to check these out. 1. Iceland Phallological Museum Or, the Penis Museum...

Tired of hunting down mailboxes and checking on postage prices when you should be out exploring? Now with goPostal, you can send a personalized postcard directly from your iPhone or iTouch...

Editor’s note: if you’re interested in submitting your Journal Page, please check the submission guidelines her

Kids getting high / Photo: xav Who needs the illegal stuff when you’ve the whole world open for adventure? Highs. They’re good. Much, much better than lows. It certainly can be easy to turn that frown upside down with a little bit of chemical motivation...

Feature photo courtesy of the Open Source Initiative. Photo above by Think Mapp. Virtually all of the software you need is available for free: welcome to the world of Open Source. Computer users typically pay for expensive software when most of what they need can be obtained free of charge...

U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Newman watches the sunrise near Zabul, Afghanistan / Photo: armymil Former war correspondent Karen Schaler has published a new book on “travel therapy.” The goal: finding the right travel destination to match your needs...

Photo above: Seamus Murray, Feature photo: Author …Even If Your Sister-in-Law Is Offering Free Rent on Martha’s Vineyard. You have to stay close to home this summer. For East Coasters, that often translates to vacation destinations like the Vineyard, Cape, or Hamptons...

Photos: author Here at Matador, we have the globe covered with destination experts. To introduce our latest, we have to take you way, way down under...

A minister reveals the most frequent in-flight questions he’s asked by seatmates. Christine Garvin ponders the life questions she’d want answered. Photo: creativity103 What are some of the deep philosophical questions we ask in life...

It’s that special time of week… when editor Ian MacKenzie rounds up his favourite links from around the web. I wonder if they have internet...

English is full of traps, even for native speakers. Fall into one of them, and most people won’t notice or care—unless you’re submitting your work for publication...

The news out of Asia this weekend was both bizarre and sad. The economy has everyone worried. Photo:fab to pix First came the report that former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun had committed suicide by flinging himself off a cliff while hiking with a security guard...

Matt Kepnes, happy about new friend. Matadorian Matt Kepnes (aka Nomadic Matt) has just come out with his first ebook. Here’s whats up. We were stoked last week when Matador contributor Matt Kepnes aka Nomadic Matt sent us a copy of his first travel ebook...

The world is wide, wild and weird. Traveling can give you a sense of place, but getting involved in local events can pull you more deeply into a culture than any walking tour...

Feature photo courtesy of Hope Clark. Photo above by Seth W. Spotlight on freelance writing guru Hope Clark...

Photo: Bernt Rostad Some folks take the Trans-Siberian without making any stops. Don’t be that person. OK. You’ve decided you want to take the world’s longest and most famous train ride...

Seoul by TylerDurden1. Feature photo by Stinkie Pinkie Are you a recent college graduate in search of employment? Do not despair! There is hope for you in Korea. Make that liberal arts degree finally work for you! Come join the best and brightest of a generation and teach English in South Korea...

We’re living in a world gone travel-size mad. Feature Photo by klyphord. Photo above by morrissey Here are ten items that some people can’t seem to live without on the open road...

Photo: bloomsberries Valerie Ng explores a side of Houston where the familiar fallbacks of BBQ and Tex-Mex are strangely absent. Cruising Houston’s Bellaire Blvd, Adriana and I watched as the English and Spanish of storefront signs gave way to Chinese and Vietnamese...

In the true traveling spirit, Blind Pilot planned a tour that spanned from Canada to Mexico by bike. That tour was cut short when their bikes got ripped off in California. They just completed a second tour that spanned the West coast’s Highway 1...

San Francisco’s DNA Lounge offers everything, it seems. A full service kitchen serves Mexican food, while computers are made available throughout the club that features a wireless network as well. There is a main stage and a second stage that boasts its own sound system, and there are three bars...

Photo above: Mossaiq, Feature photo: laverrue Starting July 4, the crown will receive its first visitors in nearly eight years. Tourists, rejoice! Matador subscribers have likely already heard the buzz surrounding the reopening of the Statue of Liberty’s crown to visitors...

Photog’s note: “Children hang around the Ghatts selling baskets of small hand-woven leaf bowls...

From trekking the Himalayas to conquering Quebec’s Mont Megantic, Matador community members sent in their favorite hiking shots from around the world...

How to best handle this recession/depression, you ask? Don’t worry, FTRD, Recession Junction, and The Onion have the answers...

Lajpat Nagar by Wili_hybrid First, please dump the clichés. For ages, India has been viewed as a symbol of the mystical and exotic East. Dismissing India as a cliche runs the serious risk of placing India in a timeless zone outside of the real world, which is increasingly modern and complex...

Photo by Tallkev______Feature pic. by Mhogan35 Essential Tips For Sushi Eaters. Keep your sushi simple. Avoid rolls with mayonnaise or anything deep-fried. ...

Iraq is becoming a brave new frontier for adventurous Western travelers. If you’re thinking of visiting Iraq, here are some key safety points. Iraqi Army soldier, Sab al Bors, Iraq. Photo and feature by jamesdale10 Do Your Research...

All photos: jamesdale10 Is this a legitimate attraction, or does it strike you as just a little bit…off? A few days ago, NPR reported on one of the world’s newest tourist attractions…in one of the world’s most unlikely places...

In honor of National Bike Month, Matador Trips co-editor and cyclist Carlo Alcos offers some tips for road users–those on two wheels and those on four...

If you can’t trust a reverend, who can you trust? When Reverend Run speaks, you better listen, homeboy. This 1984 Run DMC track seems prophetic with the current economic situation and the swine flu: Hard times! Spreading just like the flu. Watch out, homeboy, don’t let it catch you...

Photos: jgbrandt Jgbrandt isn’t just a model Matador member — we’re also proud to call him our destination expert on Ecuador. In a little over a year of membership, jgbrandt has racked up 73 blog posts on the Matador community site...

Photo: McPig From Portugal’s lush mountains in the north to its cork and olive covered south — and all along its wild coastline — it’s possible to eat, pray, and love in a single moment. The vineyards and golden sun of Portugal rival any scene from southern France and the south Pacific...

There are other options beyond flowers and cards, you know. Photo by kevindooley Annually, sons and daughters of varying ages and melanin deficiencies empty their wallets in feeble, yet fragrant attempts to show gratitude for the women who bore them...

Whether or not you want this life to end may have to do with how happy you are in it. Photo: Azam Sa’ad I tend to believe that many of us want to live forever. Or at least think we will. At age 20...

Feature Photo: L’osservatore Photo: Sir Sabbhat “We’re more isolated from the world than ever,” wrote my Mexican partner in an email this morning...

Photo: Julie Schwietert Collazo More than Matador editor and good looks, our own Julie Schwietert Collazo is also resident know-it-all for Havana, Cuba...

All photos courtesy of Lynette Chiang I “met” Lynette Chiang after snagging The Handsomest Man in Cuba from a New York Public Library bookshelf. I approach narratives about travels in Cuba with one part interest, one part dread...

Editor Ian MacKenzie rounds up his favourite links from around the web-o-sphere! Lighting the way, Cartegena / Photo: Ian MacKenzie One of my personal “worst case scenarios” with backpacking is when you’re in a dorm… and someone is snoring. Worst. Sleep. Ever...

“Big deal you get to fly. You ain’t nothing but a waitress in the sky.” Sure, there are great flight attendants. The kind of men and women who do the job effortlessly, not panicking at the$10 bill you just handed them for a $5 bottle of wine...

I continue to be astonished at the alacrity at which the visible underworld of forgery fastens itself parasite-like to the newest publication in the Colombian marketplace...

Photo: Courtesy of author Many volunteers have harbored secret dreams of what the headlines will say when they return from their heroic adventures: “Volunteer saves rural village from mudslide.” ...

Don’t try this in downtown San Jose...

This clip from a Japanese TV show never fails to crack me up. Do you enjoy toilet humor? Check out Turner Wright’s recent Matador article The Best And Worst Toilets In The World

Photo: satbir I’ll be honest. For a long time - over a year - I received e-mail updates from Glimpse.org and archived each and every one of them without going to the website...

The publishing industry–at least in the United States–is in danger, according to experts. Sales are down and readers who love the feel of words in their hands worry about the impact the Kindle and other electronic readers may have on traditional books...

Yesterday I took a bath with a cherry blossom bath bomb. It was a rainy day in Japan. Photo: Sarah Menkedick I work a mad Monday-Friday 7-7 schedule, between the commute and a lunch “hour” that inevitably turns into a photocopying extravaganza with bites of supermarket sushi thrown in...

Photo: Tempo No Tempo Maybe you read our Earth Day article earlier this week and rolled your eyes with a sense of exasperation and self-satisfaction. “I already use rechargeable batteries and carry a reusable bag and a travel mug...