humor
Between language barriers, culture wars, and strange people at the airport, your trip is bound to be rife with laughter.
Night Kayaking on the Bioluminescent Bay in Puerto Rico
It was spring break of my junior year in high school. My family (consisting of my father and brother, Seth) went on another foreign vacation to San Juan, Puerto Rico. About halfway through our week, we had been advised to go night kayaking on the Bioluminescent Bay. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a body of water that has a certain bacteria that will emit light in a pretty shade of blue. This seemed like a cool and potentially "once in a lifetime" type of experience so we signed right up.
By Bridget Thornberry7 years ago in Wander
Hey, Chicago – Can I Come Back Now??
It was July 1, 1999, when my daughter-in-law, 2-year-old granddaughter, and I left Ashland, Kentucky for the big city of Chicago. From there, we'd catch a train to Great Lakes Naval Air Station to witness Kaela's dad graduating from boot camp. I hadn't been to the Windy City in decades, and they'd never seen it, so I thought was safer if we took the Greyhound™ bus.
By Chuck Hinson7 years ago in Wander
Balloons of Grand Central
I love balloons on the ceiling of Grand Central Terminal. Grand Central Terminal is an iconic landmark of New York; it’s starry ceiling, opal clock, and sixty-seven railway tracks draw 750,000 visitors per day. It’s the second most-visited tourist destination in the city, just behind Times Square. As a child, I was an adoring tourist. Despite living a mere twenty minutes from Manhattan and visiting the city on a somewhat frequent basis, every visit felt new and novel. I was in awe of the rushing commuters, the soaring tops of skyscrapers, and, of course, the experience of riding a train with the grown-ups into Grand Central.
By Katherine Conner8 years ago in Wander
Cyclists on Trains: An Epidemic
Roughly 1.7 billion passenger journeys are recorded nationally on trains every year, but it only takes one passenger to be the prick bringing his bike onto the train. Now I realise that cycling has grown in popularity since the Olympic success and bumbling Boris pushing for a fitter nation (advice he himself has clearly not taken on) but if one has the desire to bike to their desired destination, then I recommend making that the entire journey.
By Pippa Brown8 years ago in Wander
All Down Rhyl From Here
The day of the Katherine Ryan’s performance in Rhyl arrived. But as we were about to find out, the Katherine Ryan gig side of the day becomes secondary after you’ve spent hours in Rhyl. Thankfully that wasn’t the only place we went that day. There were sights to see pre-Katherine.
By Conor Hufton8 years ago in Wander
Thumbing It
Naomi, June, and I made up the usual hitchhiking ensemble. Naomi was this really "out there" type, small with glasses. She had hitched all over Europe. June was a big girl, tall and big hipped. Then there was me, smack dab in the middle. We would carry signs that were funny and sing and dance on the side of the road, putting on a show so people would see us as non-threatening. We were in college at the State University at Fredonia, so we'd pop into Buffalo, about 60 miles away, to visit friends. We went lots of places. We only had a problem once. We were hitchin' through Pennsylvania, and a semi stopped for us. There was one guy in the truck, and we were three, so it seemed safe enough. He suggested two of us sit in the bunk in the back. When June opened the curtain, there were two more guys inside. The tension went up instantly. We were darting glances at each other. They propositioned us and pulled into a sleazy motel parking lot. We just said "no thanks," and we got out. Now we were stuck on some backwater road, and while it wasn't late, it was dark. It could have gone very differently, but we lucked out. Towards dawn, we got a lift back to the main drag. It had been a long cold night, but we were safe.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Wander
Big, Bad Boston
Boston conjures up so many thoughts as to its history, architecture, sports teams, and more. When I think of Bean Town, I have memories of a different sort. There came a time when my parents went to Europe and left me alone with my younger sister. Big mistake. The house became party central. We didn't drink or do drugs. Instead, we hosted all night games of dictionary, charades, and Broadway musicals. There were people staying in the basement and wall-to-wall bodies sleeping everywhere else. We had lasagna for thirty people one night. In the midst of this mayhem, I suggested to my friend Joanne that we go to Boston for a few days. The last thing my dad said to me was "Don't use the car for anything other than going to and from work." So we packed up dad's old Skylark, filled up the tank with Jo's father's credit card and split. I quit my job, left my sister with a houseful, and disappeared with Jo. Responsibility was not my strong suit.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Wander
Rolling The Dice On Vietnam
February, 2017 Phu Quoc, Vietnam Earlier in 2017 I had a three week vacation coming up. I was getting off a ship in Singapore and had to be in Sydney for my next assignment. I was pondering where in Asia to spend my long vacation. Unable to make a decision I took to a strategy I had read about in a book a long time ago. I rolled the dice on it! First I asked my colleagues on the ship to suggest 6 countries in the area and we appointed a number to each country. The dice fell on Vietnam and my decision was made.
By Anna Balog8 years ago in Wander
Spring Lake
It was the third year in a row my brother Micah and I had come to Canada with our dad and joined our grandparents, our dad's cousin Randy, and his daughter Sarah. We'd been before the past few years, but both of us, only fourteen months apart, were too young to remember. It sounds pretentious; "we went to Canada over the summer." That's a whole different country, and we go there every summer? In reality, it isn't as glamorous as I imagine it sounds to people in our small school. Of course, the lake is beautiful. I should say lakes, for we visit many lakes. Each has its own personality. Some are dark green, brown, even black. Others are clear and blue. There are shallow lakes, deep lakes, sandy lakes, rocky lakes, muddy lakes, weedy lakes.
By Alexander Ender8 years ago in Wander
The Little Girl Who Finally Saw the Stones
My mama said to me on occasion, "There is so much more to life outside of Rogers, Arkansas." I remember when she would say this, I would just stare at her, then stare at the ground, shaking my head while sipping a juice pouch, and continue to play on the broken-down, highly dangerous tire-swing in the backyard.
By Jamie Stephens8 years ago in Wander
