Discovering the Soul of Mexico in Palenque, Chiapas

Palenque is about 9 hours from the sunny coast of Quintana Roo, nestled in the jungle on the north eastern edge of the Mexican state of Chiapas. Mexico is a huge country, and the climate and culture varies drastically from place to place. You might think...more

Unique Things to do and See in San Francisco

I recently was asked contribution a short piece for an ebook put together by TheDepartureBoard.com. The idea was that travel writers and travel professionals from around the world would share a fun and interesting fact about their home town.  Being a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, I chose to write about a historic fire hydrant. (Sounds weird...more

My week in Merida, Mexico

It always starts innocently enough: A morning coffee, a stroll down to the beach to enjoy the a bit of sunshine, stop to chat with a friend, friend offers you a beer, you head to the store for a couple more beers to repay the favor, and suddenly, it's 4AM and you're slamming shots of mescal and savoring 6-peso tacos al pastor. This is the way of life...more

Day Trip to Akumal from Playa del Carmen, Mexico!

Playa del Carmen may be known as more of a party town than a cultural center, but there is actually a lot more to do here than just lay on the beach all day and party in the clubs all night. While I was studying spanish at International house, the staff...more

Tough and Beautiful – Strenuous, Scenic Hikes in Hawaii

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This Guest Post from the good folks at Aqua Hotel & Resorts shares some great hikes in Hawaii! In most cases, the view from the top is the best, both metaphorically and literally. Of course...more

Learning Spanish by Speaking with the Locals

One of the biggest hurdles you’ll face when learning to speak a foreign language is when you transition from the classroom into the real world and start speaking with the locals. The bennifit of studying a language in a total immersion program is that every interaction you have with the local population is in their language, and thus, a learning...more

Cash in Your Chips! Things to do in Las Vegas Besides Gambling

By Jordan Blake. While Las Vegas is well known for casino gambling, there is much more to do in the city than gamble.  If you are a first time visitor to Vegas, you may not know of some of the best attraction to see...more

Interview with Rocio Delmote, Director of Spanish At International House, Playa del Carmen

In this interview, Rocio Delmote, director of Spanish at International House, Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, talks about why the IH Spanish language school, the teachers, and the city of Playa del Carmen are ideal for learning Spanish Abroad! After studying Spanish for a month at IH, with Rocio as my teacher, I can confirm that the staff is fully...more

A day in the life of a language school student in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

As Ice Cube once said, today was a good day.  So good, in fact, that I thought I would share some of the details with you, dear readers. Partially so that you can get an idea of what it's like to study Spanish in Playa del Carmen, and partially to make you jealous of my life here in paradise. Truth be told, the day started terribly.  It was the...more

Video Tour of My Spanish Language School & Student Interviews

  Last week, I shot some video of my Spanish Language School and interviews a couple of the other students about their experience at International House. International House in Playa del Carmen features a bright and sunny courtyard, a small cafe with home-style Mexican meals cooked and served by friendly staff, a nice computer room with free...more

Spanish Lessons and Dinner Parties

I’m just wrapping up my second week of Spanish lessons, and I have to say, it’s been a hard week for me! The first week was a bit of a refresher course for me (which was much needed, I assure you).  We covered a lot of things I had already learned in high school Spanish class, and I was introduced to some new words, and new verbs, but nothing...more

Learning Spanish Outside the Classroom

I’ve just completed my first week of intensive Spanish lessons at International House in Playa del Carmen, and I’ve already noticed a major improvement in my Spanish skills.  I’ve certainly learned a lot in the...more

Studying Spanish in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

After spending some time in Cancun, it was time to take the short journey southward to Playa del Carmen.  Locals usually shorten the name of this coastal city to simply Playa, which makes one thing clear from the start – this town is all...more

British Columbia’s Top 5 Mountain Bike Trails

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Guy Arnold leaves British Columbia's  restaurants, hotels, and seaside resorts behind, in search of the best mountain biking trails BC has to offer! Canada’s western most province and my destination, British Columbia...more

Top 5 Hotels in Ontario

[sponsored content] Regular JustinWasHere contributor, Guy Arnold shared his favorite Hotels in Ontario Canada! Having travelled around Canada’s second biggest province, I was lucky enough to stay in some of the best hotels Ontario has to offer. In no particular order of preference, here are my top five: Comfort Suits, Ontario Airport Right off...more

4 Things I Did Wrong at Mardi Gras in New Orleans

After road tripping from California, through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana I finally arrived in New Orleans and I was eager to get the party started – maybe a little too eager.  Julia had miraculously booked a last minute hotel, just a few miles from the French Quarter.  It was called the Crescent Palms Motel, and even though it is...more

Life in Eternity’s Sunrise

The sun was shining today, warming this frigid October canyon and breathing life back into my world, which for the last few months and weeks had felt stale, repetitive, and worst of all: normal....more

A Glass of California Cabernet

I had a glass of wine tonight.  Actually, I’m finishing my third glass right now – half way through the bottle.  It’s a 2005 California Coastal Estates Cabernet Sauvignon – probably cheap, but I honestly wouldn’t know.  The bottle had been stashed for who-knows-how-long in my sister’s room behind a locked door.  The door itself was...more

Absolute Zero –The Penniless Freedom of the Backpacker

I’ve been broke before. In fact, I’ve been completely broke far too often in the last few years.  So broke that for weeks at at time, my diet consisted almost entirely of 2 minute noodles.   So broke that I'd buy 4 liter boxes of $10 goon (box wine) and get blackout schwasted before going out in an attempt to save money the bars.  So broke...more

home sweet homeless

My flight back from Israel was long and uncomfortable. I had spent that morning riding horses, mountain biking, and four-wheeling in the Maktesh Ramon, and my back was not happy to be constrained to an El Al economy seat for sixteen hours. I was lucky to have an entire row to myself on the almost full flight, but it was still an uncomfortable ride...more

NYE

Just after 2am, my booze-clouded mind convinced me that it would be a good idea to walk home from the bar. It was New Years and I had somehow gotten separated from the pack and was sitting alone at a private booth in the Cabana Club on Sunset and Ivar. The table was strewn with empty bottles of beer, booze and chasers. It was beautiful. Amongst...more