My Favorite & Most Popular Travel Posts of 2016

In case you missed any, here is a list (and links) to my favorite and most read blog posts of 2016.

My Favorite Blog Posts

Arusha, Tanzania: Four Days on Safari in Wild Africa
"In the coming decades and centuries, men will not travel to view marvels of engineering, but they will leave the dusty towns in order to behold the last places on earth where God's creatures are ..."

The Nameless Women Who Shaped My Travel Perspective
As I sat staring out the airplane window, I heard the thud of a large backpack landing in the overhead bin. A woman with short dark hair shoved into the seat next to me. She sighed ...

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii: A Civilian "Lost" in the Pacific
Guest Blogger: Stephanie Anderson. I'm on a boat. And while I may not have found myself lost in any foreign countries on my most recent vacation, I did get the chance to get lost on an aircraft carrier ...

Bratsk, Siberia: A Country of Contrast
"Everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece. Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash. We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair." Lorde's song "Royals" is bellowing ...

Thimphu, Bhutan: Stumbling Upon or Selling Shangri-La?
Shangri-La: a mystical, harmonious valley; an earthly paradise; a mythical Himalayan utopia where people are chronically happy and isolated from the outside world. For years many have touted ...

Cinque Terre, Italy: The Italian Riviera by Sea
Nothing is more breath-taking than admiring the Italian Riviera by sea. As we cruised down the Ligurian coast in our private taxi boat, we gazed at rolling green hillsides dotted with colorful ...

Most Popular Blog Posts (Based on Page Views)

Imatra, Finland: Fifteen Efficient Facts about the Finnish
Why didn't we think of that? Reflecting upon our two years living in Finland, we've discovered several items the locals have enlisted to make life easier ...

St. Petersburg, Russia: First Fifteen Days of #Fails
In my 36 years I have moved 19 times. While I've been fortunate to experience different places and make friends all over the world, the process of moving is stressful ...

Istanbul, Turkey: The Truth about the Traditional Turkish Bath
For me the thought of a massage conjures up reflections of gentle kneading and peaceful relaxation with the light aroma of lavender swirling ...

Ivalo, Finland: Scouting the Northern Lights from a Glass Igloo
A short drive from the northernmost commercial airport in Finland and tucked well within the Arctic Circle, sits the new world-famous Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort ...

Novi Skomorokhy, Ukraine: Unearthing Treasures in Old Country
"Even if you have to put some in your shoes or the pockets of your suitcase," my mom told me, "bring back as much as you can." Most mothers discourage their children from playing in the dirt ...