Mid-morning in Reykjavik and I am briskly walking down Laugavegur – the city’s main avenue – keeping my eyes peeled for a controversial food: whale meat. As a child of the Free Willy generation, I have about as much interest in tasting whale meat as I do in eating a tire. I am more… [Read More]
How Discrimination Impacts the World of Travel
Trump’s undeniable impact on travel was a central theme at last year’s Skift Global Forum in New York City, which brought together the industry’s top leaders to discuss the future of travel. The forum brought forward two key questions: How does the travel industry—founded on the premise of cross culture connectivity—thrive under the current president? How do minorities… [Read More]
Travel and Terrorism: How You Can Stay Safe (My First Cheddar News Segment)
Friday, August 18th, I had the TOTAL pleasure of going on Cheddar TV Live, a post-cable news program filmed here in NYC at the Flatiron Building and the NASDAQ floor. While I had spoken at various conferences and been a guest on radio shows before, this was my first time being on air, which… [Read More]
Bali Might Soon End Their Dog Meat Trade
Back in June, I traveled to Bali on behalf of Culture Trip to investigate the controversial dog meat trade that has been unfolding on the island. I had been to Bali before, but—like most travelers there—remained blissfully unaware of the many issues that plague “the island of the Gods,” distracted instead by my own solo travels and ‘Eat Pray Love’… [Read More]
Dispatch: Exploring the Dog Meat Trade in Bali
It’s the thin, white markings on Cinta’s otherwise black paws that are the first clue to her horrific past, evidence of being bound for days at a time. Cinta—whose name translates to ‘love’ in Bahasa—was rescued from a dog meat restaurant back in 2015, just one of an estimated 80 dog meat warungs (family-owned restaurants) found across… [Read More]
Trump’s Travel Ban and What it Means for your Travels
Last Friday, Donald Trump signed an executive order banning travelers from seven Muslim nations including: Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan, and Somalia. The unprecedented order created mass chaos and hysteria as protestors flooded airports, travelers with valid visas were detained or faced deportation. In response, the American Civil Liberties Union (or ACLU) sprang… [Read More]
Why Trump’s Global Gag Rule Matters
This past Saturday, I took to the streets of New York to join the Women’s March in protest of Trump and his skewed politics. I marched for my immigrant family - for my father and I who moved here from Colombia, for my step mother who came here from Russia. I marched for my… [Read More]
The Nasty Business of Fake Orphanages
I researched the truth behind orphanage volunteering, I was greeted with a photo parade of the smiling, blissfully unaware faces of global volunteers. A group of 20-somethings with large smiles stood kneeling beside skinny children in over-sized clothing at an orphanage in Nepal. Dreadlocked backpackers with handwoven wristbands swayed in tune to the dance performances… [Read More]
Dispatch: Living Through Slovakia’s Communist Regime
As we drove from the Slovakia capital city of Bratislava, we passed massive concrete buildings splashed with vibrant hues of red, blue and purple paint. Graffiti plagued the facades of many historical buildings that now seemed left vacant and boarded up—remnants of a harrowing and tumultuous past. With its skiing, hiking, vineyards and dramatic landscapes, Slovakia… [Read More]
