On the streets of Hong Kong in 1938
Hong Kong in 1938 was smaller in scale, more human, much poorer and more unjust
The long, strange journey of checked luggage
Finally, the answer to how many chances are there along the way to steal my valuables
My family in central Turkey, 1948
A nothing moment on their travels that seems to capture a life now lost
Boat expedition possibly on Lake Titicaca, Peru, c1940s
On a lake in Peru, all the elements came together in a near perfect composition
How I got to Libya one month after the embargo was lifted
Ten years ago the US lifted its embargo on Libya. I landed a month later. It was complicated
Every flight in 24 hours
This video reveals flights, yes, but also population densities, wealth, and history
My new Hermès article is now out
I travel to French Basque country for the latest in the series I write and photograph for Hermès
My twenty years in Egypt
My first trip to Cairo was in 1992. Here are some thoughts on how it has changed
Hand-drawn ryokan map, Kyoto, Japan, 1990
How inexpertly drawn kanji led me out of Asia to the Middle East and Europe
A vial of Saharan sand from the Acacus region in Libya
The Acacus felt so remote that, now, only something as material as sand confirms I was really there
Visiting the land of ethnic cleansing
The triumph of Sarajevo: cosmopolitanism survives the nativists’ war
You are not alone
Artist Corinne Vionnet captures the banality of seemingly unique travel experiences
Visiting the oyster heaven just north of San Francisco
Oysters may be an acquired taste but Tomales Bay is definitely the best place to acquire it
Another dinosaur nears the end, this time in Yemen
Yemen is a hard place to govern but Ali Abdullah Saleh has done a poor job of it all the same
The great China infrastructure build-out is almost over
China’s building boom has been going on for 20 years; a recent visit to Fujian shows that’s ending.
The truth about travel guidebooks
They are no joy to write and they don’t change as much as you think
Blue Guide to Yugoslavia: Paris, France, 1970
A travel guide to Yugoslavia, before war tore it apart
A journey through the Khyber Pass in 1930
A journey in 1930 across the Indian frontier into Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass