by Matthew Allison | Jul 23, 2019 | North America
March 2019: Yellowstone in Winter: A Different World Childhood Memories of Yellowstone When I was a kid, I visited Yellowstone with my family a few times. Back then, it felt like the most exotic destination I had ever been to, and I never noticed any crowds. The park...
by Matthew Allison | Jul 22, 2019 | Caribbean, North America
Swimming with Moby Dick Dominica: The Caribbean’s Untouched Eco-Paradise I categorize Caribbean countries into two types: large, bustling nations and smaller, quieter islands. I tend to prefer the latter, and Dominica fits this description perfectly—a relaxed, idyllic...
by Matthew Allison | Jul 10, 2019 | Caribbean
A Layover Adventure in Antigua In July 2019, during a day-long layover between our flights from: Montserrat Island – Exploring the Exclusion Zone where a volcano destroyed the capital city of Plymouth Dominica – Swimming with sperm whales, the world’s largest toothed...
by Matthew Allison | Jul 3, 2019 | Caribbean
Montserrat: The Pompeii of the Caribbean July 2019: Paula and I couldn’t visit the Lesser Antilles without stopping in Montserrat, a British Overseas Territory often called the Pompeii of the Caribbean. In the 1990s, a devastating volcanic eruption buried the...
by Matthew Allison | Mar 28, 2019 | Asia
March 2019: As part of a larger 10-day trip that involved visiting Afghanistan, I also visited Myanmar for 4 days, a country that couldn’t be any different on the cultural spectrum. This was my 3rd visit to Myanmar, one of my favorite countries in the...
by Matthew Allison | Feb 26, 2019 | Asia
A Return to Afghanistan: February 2019 This trip was part of a 10-day round-the-world journey, departing from Los Angeles and traveling through Myanmar, Thailand, and Afghanistan, before flying home across the Atlantic—a full loop around the world. After my first...
by Matthew Allison | Feb 4, 2019 | Mexico, North America
The World’s Largest Cave Shaft February 2019: Over a decade and a half ago, I watched the nature series Planet Earth on Discovery Channel. The episode on the worlds greatest caves opened with the narrator, famed English naturalist David Attenborough, saying...
by Matthew Allison | Dec 30, 2018 | Asia, Middle East
Saudi Arabia: The Once-Impossible Journey December 2018: For years, Saudi Arabia topped my list of must-visit destinations, but as a country closed off to tourists, it remained an impossible dream. The birthplace of Islam, home to Mecca, and ruled by the powerful Saud...
by Matthew Allison | Dec 23, 2018 | Europe
December 2018: On my way to Saudi Arabia-Entering the Kingdom as One of the First Foreigners to be Issued a Tourist Visa to Explore Desert Caves Only Known to Local Bedouin, Saudi Arabia | Venture The Planet, I had an 8-hour night stopover in London. It felt fitting...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 27, 2018 | Africa
November 2018: As part of a larger two-week trip across North Africa-North Africa | Venture The Planet, my friend Richard and I spent a few days in Tunisia with the goal of visiting the picturesque blue-and-white Mediterranean village of Sidi Bou Said and the...
