MELTING AWAY
The world’s northernmost countries have a large part of their tourism from polar bear viewing, but it’s become more complicated. So some are going while they still can.
Brandon G. Withrow is a freelance journalist, author of nine books, and occasional adjunct lecturer in religious studies at a local university. His newest book (co-authored with Menachem Wecker) is Consider No Evil: Two Faith Traditions and the Problem of Academic Freedom in Religious Higher Education. His work has appeared in The Religion News Service, The Guardian, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and The Huffington Post. His blog is thecuriousape.com. Follow him on Twitter at @bwithrow.
GOING GREEN
My week in London was a road-biking, horseback-riding, cooking-class-crashing, beer-drinking, and food-eating-filled whirlwind that delivered an alternative view of the city.
BEST LAID PLANS
Partway through one of my recent epic cycling trips, I ended up flat on my back. If your cycling vacation falls apart, you want to be in Saguenay, Quebec, when it does.
PHOENIX
Standing in Cleveland today, it's hard to imagine a river so polluted that the few fish living in it were dangerous to eat, or that the river periodically caught on fire.
UNMADE BY MAN
If there is continued inaction on climate change, many of the country’s most iconic natural destinations will be indelibly changed.
PEDAL TO MEDAL
It also happens to be an excellent way to see some of the more interesting towns around this underrated city.
OLD IS NEW
It’s a unique project in the U.S. and it’s definitely ambitious—as in Lewis and Clark, but-without-the-colonialism, ambitious. But can it work?
KID AGAIN
Treehouses are one of the greatest symbols of childhood and in recent years, they have been experiencing an adult-ified revival.
JUST BREATHE
I prefer to plan my adventures, rather than roll the dice. I’m told that elements of my approach are neurotic—though thousands of incident-free miles might beg to differ.
THE ROAD IS PAVED
The volunteer travel industry comes with noble intentions, but choosing the wrong one can also do harm in ways the traveler may not know about.
