A lifetime of friendship on the ski slopes is a bond unlike any other for Jules Older.
Why Belfast Blew My Mind
For James Daffley, a Belfast city tour with a burly veteran of the troubles revealed not only a rejuvenated city coming to terms with its tumultuous history but, also, an insightful glimpse into its future.
People Watching Abroad: A Story of Parents and Teens
No matter where in the world writer Bobbi Lerman travels, she has only to give herself time to sit and watch to find a story. During a trip to the Isle of Skye, it was an overheard conversation between an errant Scottish teen and her father that served as the inspiration behind this delightfully universal tale of parental love and aggravation.
Where are you from?
For global nomad, Bhavana Gesota, the question “Where are you from?” is not an easy one to answer. Are people asking, she wonders, where she was born? Where she lives now? Or, are they asking which passport she carries? Is there a single answer to this single question? Read on…
Searching for the Familiar
Many of us travel in search of the different, the unusual, the exotic. But, for B.J. Stolbov, wherever he travels, he often finds himself searching for the familiar. Not the things that remind him of “back home,” but, rather, the moments of connection—to others, to nature, to himself—that each journey inspires.
Travel Dating, Serendipity, and China
When a dating website leads to a last-minute invitation to China, Tammy A. Kosco set aside her fears and said “yes'“ to a romantic adventure with a stranger. (Spoiler alert! — he was not a serial killer.)
Travels with Rain Man
Kristine Mietzner shares the joys and challenges of travel with a disabled adult, and points toward the truth that everyone benefits from travel.
Trekking Into The Stone Age
A trekking adventure in West Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, a place where some people still hunt their food with bows and arrows, challenges preconceptions and produces unexpected insights for intrepid traveler Barbara Brown Allen.
The Silence of Indifference
In this travel essay, writer E.M. Panos argues the merits of vacationing in places where she doesn’t speak the language.
10 Years In 25 Words: A collection of very, very short stories
It’s that time of year again when we challenge YourLifeIsATrip.com writers to tell us a story in 25 words or less. This time, we asked the question: What are you doing now that you didn’t do ten years ago? From mixed martial arts to truth-telling and overcoming a lifelong fear of drowning, here’s what they had to say…
Flamenco: How I Went from Nay to Yay
Watch the performance that transformed a flamenco naysayer into a fan in this visual video travel story by writer-photographer Paul Ross.
Lost In Venice
Staying with strangers and getting lost on a rainy November night in Venice was just part of the adventure for Natalia Marchuk.
Finding My Mother in San Miguel de Allende
Only weeks after her mother’s passing, Laurie Gilberg Vander Velde traveled to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, on a previously scheduled vacation. San Miguel was also the place where twenty-four years earlier her mother had sought refuge from grief and Laurie finds memories of her mother everywhere.
Flamenco and the Art of Emotion
During a visit to Madrid, Spain, Melissa Paquette attended a flamenco show. Just as the first performance ended, a baby in the audience began to cry. Little did she know it, but the baby wouldn't be the only one in tears before the night was through.
Close Call In Kin
The true story of a mugging in the Congo by Mike Chambers.
Following Elen of the Ways across Wales
Inspired by a visionary encounter with the goddess Elen of the Ways, author Elyn Aviva and her husband set off on a spiritual trek across Wales with little more than synchronicity, symbols, and signs to guide their way.
Better Than Machu Picchu
During a walking holiday in Peru, writer and hiker Nancy King found that her most powerful and memorable moments occurred in quiet solitary interactions far away from the tourist throngs at Machu Picchu.
Where is the Garbage?
When B.J. Stolbov travels, he sometimes find answers; other times he finds more questions. During a recent trip to Korea, he was struck by the absence of public litter which triggered this essay about what is valuable and important in a culture and for its people.
A Bovine Travel Tale From Goa
It was a morning like any other in Goa. Lazy, languid, leisurely. But also not like any other, as Priya Florence Shah would soon discover.
A LOOK AT MY BOOK
Frequent contributor Elyn Aviva shares the opening chapter of her newest book.