Joe’s articles on travel, business, culture, sports and general interest have appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Examiner, International Herald Tribune (Paris), Conde Nast Traveler, CNN Travel, USA Today, BBC Travel, TIME, Newsweek and Travel & Leisure.
World’s most beautiful castles
What is it about castles that fascinates so many people around the globe?
A lot of the allure derives from the history and human drama that played out within the walls, as well as the astonishing architecture that features on so many castles. More
South Africa’s most epic hikes
Mount Kilimanjaro may be the ultimate quest. But the undisputed champ of African hiking is that big country at the bottom end of the continent – South Africa. MORE
Winter is coming. These trips help you embrace it—or escape it
Oslo, Norway—Average January high: 32ºF
At the mouth of a gorgeous fjord, the Norwegian capital strikes a fascinating balance between centuries-old and contemporary, with dazzling modern architecture (a new museum dedicated to local artist Edvard Munch), Viking ships on display, and a buzzing performing arts scene. MORE
Best National Parks For Winter Sports
They may not have the Winter Olympics pedigree of Palisades Tahoe or Lake Placid, or an après ski scene of Aspen or Park City, but many U.S. national parks have a pretty cool winter sports scene. MORE
Alternative Amazon: Guyana’s Emerald Forest
Lots of people are fascinated by dinosaurs, their imagination stoked by popular movies and the possibility (no matter how remote) of Jurassic creatures coming back to life in modern times. MORE
The Yukon: North America’s Wildest Road Trip
Looking for somewhere to road trip this summer that doesn’t have bumper-to-bumper traffic on both its highways, city streets and wilderness trails? MORE
4 winter trips you need to take now
Have the blizzards and bomb cyclones, the atmospheric rivers and Pineapple Express got you feeling the winter blues? Maybe you can’t “fly off to saint somewhere” like Jimmy Buffett. But a road trip to sunnier climes goes a long way to curing a bout of cabin fever. MORE
These natural wonders aren’t US national parks. But they should be
“National parks are the best idea we ever had,” declared American writer and environmentalist Wallace Stegner. And like many great inventions, the park system became wildly popular. MORE
Call of the Caucasus
Situated at the intersection of Europe and Asia, Georgia is an ancient land of complex history and rugged landscapes. MORE
It’s one of Europe’s most popular destinations. Here’s how to avoid the crowds
In 2019, more than three million tourists poured into the fabled walled town along Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast and local authorities expect the number to reach that point again over the next few years as global tourism recovers from Covid-19. MORE
25 Best Lake Vacations in the U.S.
Waking up to another cloudless morning, you dive off your houseboat into the wild blue of Lake Powell in southern Utah. The water takes the edge off the heat, and you float along, contemplating a lazy day of navigating spectacular red-rock gorges and flooded canyons. MORE
Valley Highs
World-class vineyards and wineries aren’t the only draw card for epicurians in California’s Napa Valley – the region is a foodie’s heaven, from high-class fine dining establishments to cute bakeries and statement diners. MORE
Escape Rapa Nui
Home to a Polynesian population that traces its roots back over 1,000 years, Easter Island has long been an exotic but virtually ignored atoll in the South Pacific. MORE
22 of the USA’s most underrated destinations
Exploring Cannon’s Point
California dream machine
Something in the air
The future looks electric
Alaska tourism: Things are looking up on the Last Frontier
Anchorage (CNN) — “Everyone is going to Alaska this summer,” declares the woman sitting next to me on a flight from San Francisco to Anchorage. “When I told friends we were going, so many of them said, ‘So are we!'” MORE
Remote Big Bend sheds a different light on the US frontier
It’s late afternoon in Santa Elena Canyon — a 19-mile gorge that separates Big Bend National Park in West Texas and three national parks in Mexico — and we’re setting up camp along a remote stretch of the Rio Grande. MORE
Take a look back at John Steinbeck’s sojourn in Laguna Beach.
Between the world wars, Laguna Beach evolved into a small but thriving West Coast version of Paris—a gathering place for artists, writers and actors searching for both a literal and metaphorical place in the sun. MORE
Bigo Live: Connecting In A Time of Disconnection
In the crowded social media universe, only a few platforms have a chance to dazzle a global audience and rise above the competition. MORE
Throwback digs, safely distanced: A travel trailer vacation revival.
The global pandemic has sparked a lot of unintended consequences — some of them a throwback to simpler times. MORE
Confessions of an RV rookie — and former naysayer
I had no idea when I decided to take the family on an RV vacation this summer that I would have to learn a whole new vocabulary. MORE
Stingray Soars into the Stratosphere
It took more than half a century, but the new 2020 Chevy Corvette finally lives up to all the hype. A road beast that ranks with Europe’s supercars. MORE
California Dream Machine
California car buffs are a finicky bunch. It takes something out of this world to grab their rapt attention, like the latest version of the Porsche 911 Targa 4, a bona fide head-turner that elicits shoutouts from other drivers as you’re cruising up and down Pacific Coast Highway. MORE
Course Concierge
The Waterman Caddie program at Monarch Beach Golf Links combines traditional services with expert knowledge to create an unmatched experience. More on Page 26
A Birder’s Paradise
They may not be as wild as the Everglades or Amazon, the beaches, wetlands and bays of Newport Beach offers some pretty awesome bird-watching especially during the winter months MORE
Unforgettable last-minute road trips in North America
Stumped about spring break? Drive to these volcanic peaks, high deserts, and the New World’s only Viking settlement. MORE
Splendid isolation: 8 great wilderness areas to inspire
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike,” John Muir famously declared. MORE
The Guianas: South America’s ‘Lost World’ rediscovered
Taking time off from his Sherlock Holmes mysteries, Arthur Conan Doyle penned a tale about a remote corner of South America where dinosaurs and other colossal creatures stilled roamed the earth. MORE
Food in Egypt: 13 delicious dishes and drinks you shouldn’t miss
Although seldom named among the great food cultures of the Mediterranean or Middle East, the flavors found along the Nile are just as tasty — and often more intriguing — than the traditional cooking of Lebanon, Turkey or Greece.ey or Greece. MORE
Earth Before Man
The name Serengeti derives from a Maasai phrase that means “endless plains.” Tanzania’s iconic national park certainly feels that way — a seemingly infinite expanse of rolling grasslands, wooded river courses and rocky outcrops that safeguards one of the last great bastions of nature. MORE
Jewels of the Nile: 11 awesome Egyptian museums
For much of the 20th century, the Egyptian Museum in the center of Cairo was the gold standard for collections along the Nile.Mainly because among the many nuggets inside were the glimmering death mask of Tutankhamun and all the other relics discovered in the boy king’s tomb by archeologist Howard Carter in 1922. MORE
World’s most beautiful castles
What is it about castles that fascinates so many people around the globe? A lot of the allure derives from the history and human drama that played out within the walls, as well as the astonishing architecture that features on so many castles. MORE
A Bostonian’s Guide to the Other Greatest Places in the World
If the thought of holiday shopping has you dreaming of a warm Christmas somewhere far, far south of Newbury Street, consider escaping to the Cape Verde islands, an exotic archipelago off the coast of West Africa. MORE
Everything to know about Glacier National Park
“Crown of the Continent” is an apt nickname for this pair of parks, which feature some of the most impressive mountain scenery in North America. Joined together since 1932 as the world’s first international peace park, Glacier National Park in Montana and Watertown Lakes National Park in Alberta offer a contiguous high-country wonderland of rock, ice, water, and wood. MORE
Sleeping in history: Egypt’s vintage hotels
Egypt has been attracting tourists for nearly as long as the pyramids have been around.The ancient Greek author Herodotus, the spiritual father of travel writing, called it “the gift of the river” Nile. MORE
National Geographic Grand Canyon
Celebrating 100 Years of the Park. MORE
These historic lodges are the perfect way to see North America’s wild parks
Glamping has nothing on these lodges. With a grand mansion or rustic inn as your base camp, you can get a glimpse into 19th- and 20th-century history before heading off into the park to explore some of North America’s most beautiful landscapes. MORE
Top 10 wildlife encounters in parks
Originally supported—at least in the United States—by hunting enthusiasts eager to safeguard big game, parks have a longstanding connection to wildlife preservation. Today, wildlife tourists are becoming more mindful than ever of the balance between enjoying the parks they support and keeping a healthy distance from wild animals. MORE
Explore 10 amazing river trips in North American parks
Rivers knit ecosystems together, providing some of the best widlife watching around—and some adrenaline-fueled recreation, too. Here are 10 of the best river trips in parks across the United States and Canada. MORE
Everything to know about Grand Canyon National Park
Imagine the Grand Canyon with no people. Just the psychedelic-colored canyon walls, the wind, and the river silent and milk chocolaty at the bottom of the gorge. That’s how it must have looked to the Native Americans who lived in and around the Grand Canyon 12,000 years ago, and to the Spanish explorers who laid eyes on the rift in the 16th century. MORE
100 Parks, 5,000 Ideas
In the sequel to the best-selling 50 States, 5,000 ideas, Joe Yogerst turns to the most pristine and adventure-filled national, state, and city parks in the U.S. and Canada. Showcasing the best experiences, both obvious and unexpected, each entry in this robust guide provides an overview of the park, detailed travel advice, fascinating facts, insider knowledge about wildlife, and expert tips. MORE
18 travel books to inspire your next vacation or feed your wanderlust
- If you didn’t feel like hopping on a train, plane, or car to a new, unexplored destination before now, you will after reading one of these 18 travel books.
- Their eye-catching photographs, romantic descriptions, and useful travel tips will inspire you to pack your bags and book a ticket ASAP. MORE
8 breathtaking photos of some of North America’s best national parks
Editor’s Note: The following are images from “100 Parks, 5,000 Ideas” by National Geographic’s Joe Yogerst. Explore the top national, state, and city parks throughout North America. National Geographic turns to the United States and Canada’s most pristine — and adventure-filled — national, state, and city parks with 5,000 ideas for the ultimate vacation. MORE
Top 10 sweeping views of iconic parks
Whether you’re an adrenaline junkie with a head for heights or simply looking for sublime vistas, North America’s breathtaking summits and manufactured monuments deliver. Here are ten of the most amazing panoramic views in parks across the United States and Canada. MORE
The best of ancient Egypt
(CNN) — Like the legendary curse of the mummy, ancient Egypt refuses to stay buried in the past. Every so often it comes back to life — in the 1920s with the discovery of King Tut’s tomb; in the 1970s with the global tour of those golden masks; and most recently with a flurry of astonishing discoveries using 21st-century archaeological techniques. MORE
20 best things to do in Kenya
Folks who have never been there tend to think of Kenya as a one-trick pony — an awesome safari destination and little more. But East Africa’s No. 1 travel destination (nearly 1.5 million international visitors in 2017) is actually a multifaceted place with a wide variety of adventures both rural and urban MORE
12 reasons to visit the beautiful Cape Verde islands
Once a hugely important gateway used by explorers en route to “discover” the Americas, the Cape Verde islands fell into obscurity in more recent times.But the archipelago, located in the North Atlantic about 570 kilometers (about 350 miles) off the extreme western tip of Africa, is enjoying a renewed surge in visitors. MORE
Eight of Kenya’s most beautiful beaches
(CNN) — Despite the powder-soft sand and seawater that runs a dozen shades of blue, Diani Beach on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast always has you looking skyward.At the black-and-white colobus monkeys swinging through the trees and scampering over the roofs of the seaside villas. At the skydivers and kitesurfers hovering high above the strand. MORE
16 of the world’s best coastlines
(CNN) — Coastlines are one of the most alluring of our planet’s geographical features. The clash of land and water is often mesmerizing, as are the plants, animals and human activities that flourish along a shore. In classic novella “Heart of Darkness,” seafaring author Joseph Conrad wrote. MORE
Namibia’s Skeleton Coast: A journey through the ‘end of the Earth’
It seems more like a mirage than real life — lions stalking seals along a dazzling white sand strand that wouldn’t look out of place in the Caribbean.
But the sand dunes towering a hundred meters (300 feet) behind the shore and the fact there’s nothing man-made — other than shipwrecks — for a hundred miles in every direction indicate that there’s something very different about this section of Namibia’s 1,570 kilometer coastline. MORE
Dare to bare: 15 of the world’s best nude beaches
(CNN) — Although still taboo in many places, casting aside your clothes at the shore has become a customary practice around the world in recent times. From rocky coastlines to talcum powder fine sands, and big city bays to secluded shores, there are now hundreds of beaches where it’s perfectly legal (or at least de facto legal) to sunbathe, swim and otherwise frolic beside the sea in nothing more than your birthday suit. MORE
The Heart of Hawaii
Probably the most laidback of all the Hawaiian islanders, it takes an awful lot to get the people on Lāna‘i excited about anything. But on a breezy weekday morning, when most of them should be in a workplace or classroom, a good number of the island’s 3,000 residents are gathered around Manele Bay awaiting the arrival of a very special boat. MORE
Puerto Rico tourism slowly bouncing back
San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN) — Last summer, Puerto Rican tourism officials were getting flooded with calls about “Despacito” (“Slowly”), the sexy megahit by Puerto Rican crooners Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee that made history as the most streamed song of all time. MORE
On the Waterfront: Boating in Orange County
With 42 miles of coastline and the Pacific Ocean as its backyard, Orange County is a boating paradise. Lagoons, harbors and a half dozen bays between San Clemente and Seal Beach, offer up numerous ways to glide across the water, from hourly rentals and week-long bare boat charters to guided island treks. MORE
Deep in the Heart of Texas
Marking its tricentennial this year, san antonio is gearing up to party like it’s 1718. But for all its history, the south texan city has an even More intriguing present, as a recent visit attests. MORE
Film Festival Rising
Sometimes an off-the-cuff remark is all you need to get things started, to plant the seed that blooms into something great. Such was the case with the Middleburg Film Festival, created by Sheila Johnson after a good friend suggested that the property she had acquired in rural Virginia—a 340-acre property that would one day sprout the Salamander Resort & Spa—would make a great location for movie fest. MORE
11 reasons (besides the NCAA Final Four) to visit San Antonio
(CNN) — Deep in the heart of Texas is a place where hoops trump football as the leading local sport — the city of San Antonio — home to the NBA Spurs and this year’s Final Four of NCAA college basketball. MORE
18 best places to visit in 2018
What do you get when you blend Brazilian, African and Iberian influences in a place already blessed with incredible weather and scenery? The Cape Verde Islands off the west coast of Africa, which are finally coming into their own as an exotic vacation destination. MORE
Africa’s Best Water Adventures
“Going up that river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world … an empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest,” wrote Joseph Conrad in classic novella “Heart of Darkness.” MORE
Brazil’s other wild place — the Pantanal
(CNN) — Our boatman gets a radio call that a jaguar mother and two cubs have been spotted moving along a riverbank in the Pantanal wetlands of southern Brazil about 20 minutes from our present location.But when we arrive, there’s no sign of the big cats.That’s because they’re in the water — swimming across the Cuiaba River right in front of our boat. MORE
A Guiding Force
They show is where we’ve been, where we are going and where we are right now. Without them it would have been much more difficult to explore our planet, carve out new states or countries, or plan the towns and cities we live in. They exist on paper, in digital form and even in our minds. MORE
Cruising, Asia Style
It’s not often that you come across monkeys scampering across a tropical beach. Or coconut-palm-shaded strands where yours are the only footprints in the sand. Or towns that give you a police motorcycle escort because you’re the first tourists who have visited the place in more than 60 years. MORE
Namibia’s Caprivi Strip
(CNN) — If there was ever a candidate for an obscure question on a television quiz show, it’s the Caprivi Strip in northern Namibia. A classic panhandle, the ultra-narrow strip separates Botswana and Angola as it runs 280 miles (450 km) west to east from the main part of Namibia to the Zambezi River on the eastern border. MORE
Old School Urban. America’s Best Old Towns
From coast to coast, old towns add bygone flavor to many of North America’s leading cities. Many cities preserve their heritage in old towns, neighborhoods that were somehow sidestepped in the rush to modernize MORE
12 of Montreal’s best neighborhoods
Montreal (CNN) — Montreal is home to more than 200 ethnic groups that have all stitched their own patches into the urban quilt, and the city is full of distinct neighborhoods — some created hundreds of years ago and others born of the 21st century. MORE
Cowboys and Wildlife-Spotting in Brazil
The Pantanal is the biggest swamp on the planet, a seasonally flooded expanse of grasslands, savannas, and tropical forests that harbors not only a unique cowboy culture but also the greatest concentration of wildlife in South America. MORE
Paradise found: 12 crowd-free Asia island escapes
(CNN) — Finding an empty beach in Asia was a breeze a few decades ago, but it’s not quite so easy anymore. As zealous souvenir hawkers follow busloads of tour groups to Asia’s most famous islands, discerning travelers must look farther afield for more authentic getaways. MORE
Underwater Adventures
Some call it inner space—the more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface that lies underwater. Since the dawn of human history, people have wondered what sits below the surface and tried to figure out means by which they could explore the submarine world. MORE
St. Louis and Kansas City bounce back
(CNN) — Anchoring either end of Missouri, St. Louis and Kansas City are 250 miles apart along Interstate 70. And while they have distinct personalities and urban landscapes, the two also have an awful lot in common, both now and in the past. By the end of the 19th century, they had grown from burly frontier towns into cutting-edge urban America, MORE
A Mountain Turned Runway at 17,000 Feet
Paul Claus dares to go places and do things that few aviators would even dream about. “Wanna land some cool places?” is his opening line to those arriving at his lodge deep in the wilderness of Alaska’s Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve. MORE
Experience Mexico’s Hidden Gems
California might have its gold and South Africa its diamonds, but the glitter of choice in Mexico is solid, sterling silver. Discovered during Spanish colonial times, the cities of Taxco, Zacatecas and Guanajuato all boomed on a silver rush and continue to be the best places to shop for exquisite silver jewelry, dinner pieces and decorative arts. MORE
6 Safari Honeymoons on Any Budget
African safari honeymoons are notoriously expensive, but it’s totally possible to go without busting your budget (unless you really want to). Splurge: Camp in Comfort The “tents” at Chinzombo Camp might be made of canvas, but each spacious interior features a king-size bed, a private plunge pool and a bathroom with a rain shower. MORE
13 Affordable Honeymoon Destinations
Feeling a little stretched by your wedding expenses? Don’t let that impact your honeymoon fun! We did the math on 13 of the best affordable honeymoon getaways where travel budgets stretch longer and wider. MORE
9 Crazy Cool Places to Elope
If running off to Vegas and getting hitched by an Elvis impersonator isn’t wild enough for you and your honey, try one of these crazy places around the world to elope. MORE
10 Luxury Honeymoon Destinations on a Budget
On a honeymoon budget that can’t budge? If you think you can’t travel to swanky honeymoon destinations, or stay in fantastic romantic resorts, think again. Here’s how to honeymoon like the 1 percent, even though you’re in the 99. MORE
