I hurt my thumb in Mexico and didn’t even realize it was actually broken for a month. It happened after getting off a resort bus in the Cancun Hotel Zone — the kind of moment that should have been forgettable. On the surface I blamed it on the drinking… but if you’ve ever had resort drinks, you know the truth: they’re often so watered down they barely qualify as misbehavior. The real reason felt more familiar than I wanted to admit. As part of my previous illness, I fell all the time. It was never dramatic. I’d be walking… and then I’d be on the ground. No clear cause. No obvious …
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The Riu Jungle Party: Worth It or Skip It?
If you’ve heard about the Riu theme parties in Cancun, you’ve probably wondered the same thing I did: Is this actually fun… or is it the kind of crowded chaos you’ll regret five minutes in? The Riu Jungle Party was my first one, and it turned out to be equal parts high-energy, friendly, and surprisingly well-organized. Here’s my honest take on whether it’s worth it, who should go, and what I wish I’d known before showing up. Quick answer: Worth it or skip it? Worth it if you… Skip it if you… My verdict: Worth it at least once if you enjoy lively social nights, and especially …
The Most Unexpected Moment in Cancun Wasn’t the Jungle Party
If you’d asked me what I’d remember most about Cancun, I would’ve guessed the obvious: turquoise water, an all-inclusive wristband, and a resort party with “jungle” in the name. But the most unexpected moment in Cancun wasn’t the Jungle Party. It was seeing my childhood best friend again, the one I hadn’t hugged since sixth grade, after nearly 50 years. How a Facebook post turned into a reunion plan A few years ago, my friend and I found each other again on Facebook. We’d kept in touch in that modern, low-key way: a like here, a comment there… enough to know the other person was …
Creepy Travel Stories: When Nature Adds a Plot Twist
The flashlight slowly scanned the top of the water, although I could barely see any actual water. There was a marshy scent in the warm summer air as I carefully scanned the thick lily pads sporting the occasional white and yellow flowers. The white flowers were beautiful water lilies and the others reminded me of little yellow teapots. Both usually had little gnat-like bugs swarming them, but that wasn’t what I was carefully searching for. It was summertime and I was on break in elementary school where we returned to camp every summer with our boat. We always …
5 Pieces of Travel Wisdom That Changed How I See the World
Travel Wisdom, Lessons, and Reflections from a New Year’s Eve in Santiago de Cuba, 1989 Some trips entertain you.Some trips relax you.And some trips — usually the ones that don’t go as planned — leave you with the kind of travel wisdom you carry for the rest of your life. My week in Cuba in 1989 was one of those trips. It began with confusion and disappointment: a rocky beach, a resort short on towels, a diving fatality just days before I arrived. But somewhere between moped adventures, stone dinosaurs, bread lines, and a New Year’s Eve lobster feast grilled over an open flame, Cuba …
