When researching Romania and Moldova for Lonely Planet, I’m also obliged to visit the self-declared, breakaway republic of Transdniestr (A.K.A. ‘Transnistria’). It’s yet another one of those countries-that-don’t-exist jobbies that you hear about occasionally in the news. Though they haven’t had any headline-grabbing military action since the brief, but bloody…

What the… I’ve been back in the US for one year already? Holy crap! What happened to all that time? All I did was leave town seven times (four internationally), write four guidebook chapters for two countries, write nine travel magazine articles, write 55 buyer’s guides for MSN, write countless…

I’m often reverently described as a modern Renaissance Man, to which I always answer, ‘Damn straight, mom!” So in case any of you were curious about what the 2008 version of a Renaissance Man looks like, I present you with the following evidence. First, going straight to Renaissance Ground Zero,…

If you’ve been watching the election news coming from the US this past month, unsure whether or not the shenanigans you were hearing about vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin were true or just some silly political trash talking, I have some sad, horrifying news for you. Yes, it’s true that…