Somerville, Mass – Here we are in the deepest darkest days of December. The weather is cold in grey. The nights are long. We are looking at four months of winter. And what shows up on my doorstep, but copies…
Boston vs Chicago
I go head-to-head with my Chicago-based colleague, debating which city is best to visit, Boston vs Chicago. “I am a Midwesterner by birth and a New Englander by choice, so I feel well qualified to weigh in here. And considering…
Costa Rica on a Budget
Traveling in Costa Rica on a budget? It’s easy to experience sticker shock when checking into eco-lodges and renting vehicles and booking tours in Costa Rica. Indeed, it is the most expensive country in Central America, thanks to a booming economy and…
How to get around Costa Rica
Costa Rica packs a world of adventure into a relatively small area. Limited infrastructure means that getting around can be a challenge, but it’s also one reason that Costa Rica is the wild and wonderful place that it is. Do…
Things to know before you go to Costa Rica
Originally written for LonelyPlanet.com but they took it down, so now you can read the whole thing here! On a recent trip to Costa Rica, on a hike in the remote forests of Volcán Tenorio National Park, the sky unexpectedly opened up,…
NEW Lonely Planet guidebooks to Costa Rica
After writing guidebooks for 20 years, it can be anticlimactic to receive the final products–sometimes as much as a year after completing the research and writing. There have been times that my author copies languished in the box for weeks,…
Boston’s Hidden History at BBC Travel
Some travellers come to Boston to follow The Freedom Trail past famous sights from the US’ colonial and Revolutionary history. Others wander around the hallowed halls of the Boston Public Library and the red-brick buildings of Harvard University. But Boston’s hidden history is rich and…
Tour of Boston’s Universities at BBC Travel
Some cities run on money, while others run on politics, but Boston runs on learning. Ever since Harvard College was founded in 1636, a cool 140 years before the US became a nation, Boston’s higher education institutions have been the…
Boston’s North End on BBC Travel
A small peninsula jutting into the harbor, Boston’s North End is one of the city’s oldest and most storied neighbourhoods. Puritans from England settled the area, followed by waves of other European immigrants whose red-brick homes still crowd the narrow,…
Kid-friendly Boston on BBC Travel
From the New England Aquarium and Museum of Science to the Boston Harbor islands, local expert Kelley Heyworth shares her picks of the city’s best experiences with children. Welcome to Boston, Massachusetts: hotbed of history, artistic capital, higher education hub…