by Matthew Allison | Sep 8, 2019 | Europe
September 2019: Making the Most of France—One Layover at a Time I’ll admit it—France is a country I’ve yet to fully give the attention it deserves. Despite its rich history, incredible food, and undeniable cultural allure, I’ve never dedicated an entire trip solely to...
by Matthew Allison | Sep 8, 2019 | Europe
September 2019: I visited Slovenia via Italy, taking a direct overnight bus from Venice to Ljubljana. Initially, I had planned two full days in Slovenia and had hoped to rent a car to explore the northern mountains near the Italian border, along the Isonzo Front....
by Matthew Allison | Sep 5, 2019 | Asia
Break-Away Republics South Ossetia: A Breakaway Republic in a Geopolitical Tug-of-War September 2019: South Ossetia is an independent country in name, but in reality, it is best described as a breakaway republic—a land that has declared independence from its former...
by Matthew Allison | Sep 2, 2019 | Europe
September 2019: Journey to Poveglia Island An Obsession with Haunted Places Haunted places have always fascinated me, and when I first learned about Poveglia Island, I knew I had found the ultimate destination. Often described as one of the most haunted places on...
by Matthew Allison | Sep 2, 2019 | Europe
September 2019: As part of a larger two-week trip through Southern Russia, South Ossetia, and Italy, I spent a day in Helsinki, Finland, on a stopover with Finnair en route to Moscow. Finland, a fascinating country in northern Europe, was recently voted the happiest...
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...
