by Matthew Allison | Jan 26, 2025 | Caribbean, North America, Default
December 2024: Cuba has long been one of my favorite countries in the Americas. Despite enduring over 60 years of communism and crushing sanctions, its people remain kind and resilient. There is a genuine sense of timelessness in Cuba, a country untouched by heavy...
by Matthew Allison | Jan 5, 2025 | Africa
December 2024: I recently visited The Gambia for the second time as part of a week-long trip to Mali, with the main goal of reaching Timbuktu. My first visit to The Gambia was entirely accidental—the result of a flat airplane tire that stranded me there...
by Matthew Allison | Dec 9, 2024 | Africa
December 2024: The very name Timbuktu evokes the glory days of exploration and adventure—a distant land of gold and unimaginable wealth hidden deep within the vast Sahara Desert. For centuries, it eluded European explorers, many of whom paid with their lives in their...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 10, 2024 | Mexico, North America
October/November 2024: Halloween is one of my favorite times of year—a celebration of mischief and the macabre, filled with ghouls, vampires, witches, and all those creepy figures that have somehow transformed into charming characters for costumes and decorations. But...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 5, 2024 | Europe
November 2024: Iceland’s wild beauty and rich folklore make it a captivating destination. It’s a land of erupting volcanoes, vast lava fields, dramatic mountain ranges shaped by massive ice caps, and endless Arctic coastlines. The Viking legends of hidden people,...
by Matthew Allison | Sep 15, 2024 | Mexico, North America
August 2024:For my daughter Indie’s first birthday, my family and some friends rented a beach house on Playa Baja, south of Ensenada, Mexico, for the weekend. Despite living less than 20 miles away from Mexico, this was Indie’s first trip there and her...
by Matthew Allison | Sep 12, 2024 | North America
August/September 2024:At the end of August, I was able to meet up with my brother Jesse, his fiancée Lexie, and my 17-year-old nephew, who had never been on a plane prior to this trip. We had a 5-day adventure in Montana that included backpacking in Glacier National...
by Matthew Allison | Aug 3, 2024 | North America
August 2024: Washington State is a treasure trove of breathtaking landscapes, boasting majestic mountains, serene bays, and formidable volcanoes. Yet, what truly captivates me are the temperate rainforests, particularly the towering ancient pines of Olympic National...
by Matthew Allison | Jun 23, 2024 | Mexico, North America
May 2024: Chiapas has it all! It is one of Mexico’s most diverse states in terms of topography and culture, and it’s one of my favorite Mexican states. The state is massive, featuring a Pacific coastline, mountains, cloud forests, and the Lacandón, which is the...
by Matthew Allison | Jun 19, 2024 | Europe
In April 2024, as part of a three-week family trip across Europe and Morocco, my wife, mother-in-law, infant daughter, and I spent three days exploring the Alps of Northern Austria. We traveled by rental car from Munich, Germany, with Hallstatt as our primary...