Pride can be a powerful thing. It’s a terribly strong emotion. You can be proud about any number of things in your life—from your nationality to your ethnicity, your gender to your sexuality. You can even be proud about things that you get to decide and control: such as your religion or an adopted home. There’s no doubt that pride can also be dangerous. It’s often blinding and narrows one’s view. But for those people that are open to understanding and appreciating other cultures, pride can be powerful and useful. Personally I’m proud of many things about my life. Sure, there…

When I was growing up, I wanted to be an archeologist. I loved history (and still do), and the thought of uncovering temples and tombs in jungles excited me. I used to read books on Greek and Roman history and have discussions with my history teacher, even as young as 13. In short, I was a huge geek from the get-go. Being such a huge history geek, visiting Pompeii, the city destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, has always been high on my list of things to do. When the volcano erupted, the falling ash came so quickly that…

Earlier this fall, four of us — total novices at long-distance treks — hiked around Europe’s highest mountain. (On the first day, big birds of prey circled high overhead. My hunch: They were vultures just waiting for one of us to drop.) The Tour du Mont Blanc is a 100-mile, ten-day hike — but we cheated a bit, hiking the best 60 miles in six days from mountain lodge to mountain lodge, catching local buses through the less exciting parts, and letting a “sherpa service” shuttle our bags each day through France, Italy, and Switzerland, from Chamonix to Chamonix. The…

What did the extended Roads & Kingdoms family learn in the hills of Emilia-Romagna? Let’s start with these eight simple rules for travel. Over five days in February, we gathered in a rainy, bucolic corner of Italy to think about the future of this small but tenacious shapeshifting organization. Of the many questions we asked ourselves over the course of the retreat, some were easy to answer, like is there such a thing as too much piadina? Incontrovertibly, there is. Others were more complex, like how does an independent media company stay viable amid the thrashing tumult of Trump-era late…

Posted by Riley Wilson on Tuesday, February 12, 2019 · Leave a Comment  It’s hard for the cosy, coastal interior design (featuring exposed brick; restored stairs; a crisp white moulded ceiling; and all original sash and double-hung windows) to compete with the view of the rotunda and Balmoral Bay. But the corner-set Pasture of Balmoral Sydney gives it a very good crack. Owners Lizelle and TJ Viljoen, neither of whom come from a hospitality background, are striving to make a conscious and positive environmental impact with Pasture, using vetted producers and Earth-friendly measures (no plastic straws, and an I-Milk bench-top…

A staple hiking and lunchbox snack, GORP mix is loaded with salty-sweet flavor and is an energizing pick-me-up any time of day. GORP, or “Good Ol’ Raisins and Peanuts,” is a classic, no-frills trail mix that hardly needs a recipe—it’s two ingredients, and they are both in the title! That being said, plain raisins and peanuts start to taste a little dull after a few handfuls. It’s a good concept but definitely could use some variety. A quick glance at other GORP recipes, and you’ll find lots of attempts to glam this recipe up, adding mini marshmallows, peanut M&Ms, pretzels,…

Home » Travel Tips » 20 Fascinating Facts About Lyon, France: The Heart of Culture and Industry Lyon, often overshadowed by Paris and Marseille, is a city brimming with history, art, culture, and innovation. Nestled at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, it offers a unique blend of old-world charm and modern dynamism. Whether you’re a history buff, a food lover, or a lover of art, this French gem has something for everyone. Below, we dive into 20 fascinating facts about Lyon that make it one of France’s most interesting cities. 1. Rhône Embankments: Natural Beauty and Function…

Most people aren’t born savvy travelers. It’s something that only comes with on-the-road experience. Travel savviness is a process born of missed buses, foolish behavior, cultural unawareness, and countless tiny errors. Then, one day, you begin to seamlessly move through airports and integrate yourself into new cultures like a fish to water. In the beginning, you’ll make a lot of travel mistakes.But I want to help speed up the process and help you avoid my mistakes (and I often make a lot of them), so I put together this giant list of my best travel tips that cover everything under…

  Hiking Europe’s Tour du Mont Blanc was a totally different slice of European culture for me: Coming upon a remote farmhouse-turned-thriving-cafe serving wonderful lunches…flowers and cows (with classic bells) scenically sprinkled throughout…and an esprit de corps where everyone is like family.   Our trail went through three countries — France, Italy, and Switzerland — before returning to our starting point in France. This cow is totally Swiss. One of the delights of the TMB is coming upon an old farmhouse on a mountain alp (or pasture) that, these days, is a thriving little restaurant for…

Cláudio Silva reflects on moving from Angola to the United States as a child, founding Angola’s largest food and travel platform, and what the country’s current flourishing means not just for Angolans but for the world. I was born in Luanda, Angola. My father moved myself and my siblings to the Washington DC suburbs when I was five years old for political reasons, and I immediately understood that this place is not like the other place. There’s a huge difference in development, in wealth, in the way people live—I’ve never forgotten that feeling. There was also profound ignorance about where…