The Long-Term Resident visa is one of the best things Thailand offers a foreigner — a ten-year stay, tidy re-entry, and a real sense of permanence. I’m glad I have it. But getting it taught me some expensive lessons, and … Read More
Travel Editorial
I’m Comfortable Alone. I Don’t Want to Be.
People watch me do this — land in a city where I can’t read a single sign, find dinner, sort the taxi, sleep fine in a room by myself halfway around the world — and they assume I’ve solved something. … Read More
Delta Almost Got Beyond Diamond Right. Here’s How I’d Finish It.
Let me say up front where I’m coming from, because it colors everything that follows: I love this program. My loyalty to Delta traces back to a Northwest frequent-flyer account I opened as a kid, before Delta ever absorbed it, … Read More
Go Get Your Passport. The World Is Cheaper Than You Think.
I have a friend who tells me, regularly, that he’s jealous of my life. All the places, all the stamps. And I’ve told him, just as regularly, that he could fly out and stay in my spare room for nothing … Read More
Delta Built a Perfect Loyalty Machine — Until the Moment It Matters Most
I didn’t expect to stop optimizing for Delta. But somewhere along the way, I realized that’s exactly what happens — not because I want to, but because the system quietly tells me to. For years, I’ve been a loyal Delta … Read More
An Open Letter to U.S. Airlines: Make It Easier for People to Say Yes to Travel
Why last-minute flight pricing discourages curiosity, connection, and movement Every now and then a trip begins with a simple question. “What if we just go?” The best trips often begin exactly that way. Airline pricing should make it easier for … Read More
Will This Country Let You Buy Food?
Will This Country Let You Buy Food? A practical guide to how you actually pay — and how you get there South Korea Food payment: Credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung PayTransport: Uber, KakaoTaxi, credit cardsKorea is fully modern. … Read More
A Beautiful Pause in Shanghai: Discovering Qiu Shengxian
I wasn’t expecting to feel much that day. Shanghai had been busy, polished, efficient—impressive, but emotionally distant, save the many friendly quick conversations I was able to make. But tucked away in a quiet pocket of the city’s art scene, … Read More
Isolation and Travel destination
When I first started traveling, the goal was straightforward: to navigate grief and rediscover connection through new experiences and distant places. As I glance back at the photos from these travels, I notice not just the joy or moments of … Read More
Seat Squatters: The Travel Annoyance Nobody Asked For
Ah, air travel — where humans squeeze themselves into glorified sardine cans with wings, all in the name of getting somewhere a little sunnier (or maybe just home). But recently, a new species of passenger has emerged: the Seat Squatter … Read More
