Feature Articles
Even the most famous destinations have new stories to tell. These in-depth articles take you on a deep dive for travel perspectives you haven’t heard.
Alabama: The Mystery of the Welsh Caves
A little-known cave system links a medieval legend, a colonial expedition, and the greatest cataclysm in human history.
“… Revolted by the violence, Prince Madoc, said to be one of Owain’s youngest sons, decided to flee the territory by sea. He cobbled together a crew and readied a ship.
Legend tells that Madoc sailed west into the unknown, heading toward a land that colonial explorers would one day call the ‘New World’…”
Tangier: City of Spies
This Mediterranean destination was once a haven for secret agents and home to a shadowy character named Dean.
“… Walter Harris, the British author, socialite, and journalist who reported on Morocco in the early 20th century for London’s The Times, is also buried at the church.
There’s yet another gravestone of note at St. Andrew’s, one that’s steeped in legend. Cracked across the middle and set level with the earth, it simply reads ‘Dean, Missed by All and Sundry, Died February 1963.’
The tales surrounding this shadowy figure are at the center of espionage lore in Tangier, a former international zone that was once a haven for secret agents…”
Nevada: TOPGUN and My Grandma's Legacy
TOPGUN: Maverick, the greatest fighter pilots in the world, and a remote mine near Fallon — this is the story of Helen Hall.
“… The scene cuts. Tom Cruise, actually in the backseat of the fighter jet, and his pilot, a Navy aviator, begin their return course to Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon in Nevada’s Forty Mile Desert. To the east in the Fairview Valley, the boom from the jet’s supersonic engines echoes off land handed down to me by a real-life rebel.
Her name was Helen Hall, my grandmother…”
Tikal: The Day the King Died
In January 378 CE, a mysterious military force marched into the jungle city of Tikal, changing Maya civilization forever.
“… As the Gregorian calendar turned over in 378 CE, the number of sentries on the western boundary of Tikal was assuredly bolstered. Lookouts would have surveyed the rainforest from atop the pyramid of the Lost World, anxiously trying to catch the first glimpse of the approaching army. The plazas of Tikal were likely in a state of whispered alarm or maybe outright panic.
Sometime in the middle of January, military forces made it to the city. The account of the landmark day is recorded on Stela 31…”
Choquequirao: The Last Stand of the Inca
As the Spanish tightened their grip on Peru in the 16th century, Manco Inca and the remnants of his empire defied colonialism from the fortresses of Vilcabamba.
“Near the end of my first trip to Cusco in September 2022, I slowly browsed the art gallery at Qorikancha, the former Inca capitol building that was famously plated in gold. One painting, an oil on canvas entitled Requeirmiento, stopped me for a few minutes.…”
Teotihuacán: Down the Avenue of the Dead
The ruins of Teotihuacán were once Mesoamerica's greatest city. They are now one of history's most perplexing mysteries.
“Fastening the buttons on my flannel shirt to shield myself from the brisk early morning air, I turned south onto Teotihuacán’s mammoth avenida.
Hot-air balloons flew over me, scattering orbs of bright colors across the cloudless blue sky. Along with the whooshing sounds from the pilots working their burners, I heard awe-struck exclamations from passengers as they floated near the Pyramid of the Sun…”
Haunted South: Beyond the Grave
Including my own encounter with the supernatural, these are my favorite ghost stories from the Southern States.
“There was something at the bottom of the well.
Just a child then, I was spending the night over at a friend’s house in the rural Appalachian foothills of Northeast Alabama. He told me about an abandoned homestead deep in the woods behind his parents’ land. Like many children growing up in the countryside of the American South, my friend and I roamed the pastures and forests of our hometown freely. Property lines meant little to us…”
Carcavelos: Wine of the Legends
One of the most rare wines in the world was nearly lost to autocracy. This is how a public project in Portugal saved it.
“It was the morning of April 25, 1974. All was quiet at the Largo do Carmo, a small square near the center of Barrio Alto in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. At the northeast corner of the plaza, armed sentries stood outside the Quartel do Carmo, guarding the seat of power of Western Europe’s most isolated autocracy.
Suddenly, music began to play, and a revolution was launched…”
Jamaica: The Road to Redemption
Using Bob Marley's lyrics as a guide, this is the inspiring story of the nation's triumph over colonialism and imperialism.
“Assault rifle held at low ready against his military fatigues, the young man stepped aboard our bus.
He methodically made his way down the aisle, checking the identification of each passenger. Once he was within a few rows of our seats, I could make out the settings on his weapon: The selector was at three-round burst, and the safety was off.
This was not a drill…”
Seattle: An Indictment of American Plutocracy
The Emerald City has become notorious for homelessness and drug abuse. The underlying cause is a nationwide problem.
“’I don’t have the passion anymore, and so remember, it’s better to burn out than to fade away.’
So reads the most well-known line from Kurt Cobain’s suicide note, penned in his private residence only a short drive from Seattle’s Belltown district. The artistic incubator that was 1980s Belltown gave us grunge bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam…”
Out West: The Fight to Protect Our Federal Public Lands
America's public spaces are under unprecedented assault from oil corporations and their powerful D.C. lobbies.
“A gleaming red blur, our Ford Mustang convertible rocketed across the Eastern California desert.
My brother and I had left Las Vegas a few hours earlier on the boomerang route northwest toward Death Valley…”
Peruvian Andes: The Violent Reckoning of Pax Americana
The United States' prevailing doctrine has been anything but tranquil for Latin America.
“His luck had run out.
As the cavernous reports of gunfire slammed off the barrio’s rooftops, one of the world’s most wanted men made a desperate dash toward his getaway vehicle…”
Lisbon: A Warning to the Free World
The rise and fall of the Portuguese Empire reads like a parable. The modern West should listen to its message.
“… Five centuries ago, Portugal – along with its Iberian ally Spain – was its era’s equivalent to America and the post-war West. Five decades ago, the Largo do Carmo is where the former empire bounced off the bottom. And if we don’t learn from the past, the alliance overseeing the current rules-based world order is destined to follow a similarly decadent course…”
