My whole life my family has treated travel as something almost reverent. Something not to be taken lightly. We never went anywhere just for a pool and a buffet. Kind of like going to a country on a business trip sometimes means just seeing the inside of a conference room in a different place, sometimes vacation packages seem to just be seeing the inside of a resort that really could be anywhere. That’s not how I like to travel.

I love tasting, feeling, experiencing, learning about the places I go, learning the local history and culture. And food!

I can’t overstate how many countries I’ve been to where a local guide, educated in history, trained in street smarts, has made the experience AMAZING. Travel books and wikitravel don’t hold a candle to the experience of a local guide.