In Bocas del Toro, you might feel like you’ve stepped into an episode of Survivor. Which is not surprising, since a season of the reality TV game show was filmed here. You’ll find dense jungle with tangles of vines and forest palms spilling out onto empty stretches of white-sand beach, surrounded by an extensive coral reef ecosystem — in fact, it’s home to 74 of the 79 different types of coral in the Caribbean. To read the full story, click here.
Photo Copyright @ 2011 VH Media
I was flipping through a magazine the other day and came across an article about “most embarrassing travel moments.” The winner was a woman who went bungee jumping and lied about her weight to the super-hot instructor, telling him she was about 10 pounds less than she actually weighed. As a result, when she jumped, she didn’t graze the surface of the river below — she plunged in waist deep and, when she rebounded out of the water, her top was gone. To read the full story,
If you’ve ever dreamed of traveling through Pakistan (the Karakoram Highway, anyone?), or you’re an armchair traveler interested in a different perspective on the politics of this region, pick up a copy of Granta’s recent compilation on Pakistan. To read the full story,
When you’re traveling solo, there will undoubtedly be moments when you doubt your decision. Like when you’re being interrogated by corrupt officials with large guns at a border crossing. Or when some guy keeps trying to grope you on a 16-hour bus ride. Or when you’re curled up on a mattress in a $1-a-night thatched-roof hut with stomach cramps and fever. To read the full story,
He’s a man with a past. He’s intense, broody, dangerous. He makes you nervous, but you’re irresistibly drawn to him — perhaps against your better judgment. But you’ve seen another side to bad-boy Bogota. To read the full story, 
When I arrived in Bogota — the third-highest capital in South America — it was cold and rainy. According to my alarm clock (which has a handy thermometer) it was only 12 C in the middle of the night, so I was grateful for the bolsa de agua (hot water bottle) the hostel provided me with. To read the full story,
When I told people I was traveling to Colombia, the most common response was some sort of joke about becoming a drug mule. Unfortunately, this country has become synonymous with cocaine — and with violence, in the form of FARC guerrillas known for hiding out in the jungle and kidnapping people for ransom. To read the full story,
I have a confession: Up until a few months ago, I didn’t own a smartphone. I was still using an old cell phone that required duct tape to keep it together and a pair of tweezers to remove the SIM card. I’m not a technophobe, but part of me resisted the idea of being “on” all the time. When I travel, I like to disconnect from the hectic pace of North American life. To read the full story, 