The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• I hiked right up to the Vatican’s back door on this underrated Italian camino [Adventure]

• Brazil's lagoon-filled desert you can hike barefoot [BBC Travel]

"Lençóis Maranhenses looks like a desert, but it's alive with shimmering pools, remote villages and ancient paths that only local guides know how to read."

• Yangon: What is life really like in a city at war? [Ilona Vinogradova]

"Why the hell would you travel there? And some brutally honest words about ethical and intentional travel."

• Into the wild [Tales of the Orient by Simon Ostheimer]

"How a side journey on the way to climb one of China's most famous peaks, became an adventure all of its own."

• The stilt villages [Odyssey And Meaning]

"Living on water in Aguégués, Benin."

• China broke our brains [Brent and Michael Are Going Places]

"We expected to be shocked and transformed. We were."

• Why tourist shops suck [Souvenirs]

"They sell imitation culture - not the real thing."

• Traveling to meet who I used to be [Be Back By Dinner]

"A journey isn’t just about finding yourself. It’s about encountering who you used to be."

• The tourist facade & the spectacle of Porto [Rewear&Care]

"How heritage tourism gives the illusion of authenticity."

• Don’t bunch up. Spread out. [The Conscientious Traveller]

• The ten best books about travel of 2025 [Smithsonian Magazine]

Travel resources

• Compare and save on train travel across 35 countries with Rail Europe - The easiest way to book European train tickets and passes.

• With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.

…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• Regenerating a nation [Wanderlust]

"As El Salvador and its people seek to move on from the violence of the recent past, what is now reportedly one of the safest countries in Latin America is still waiting for its global reputation to catch up."

• On this remote Canadian island, there are more wild horses than humans [afar]

"Sable Island National Park Reserve is one of Canada’s most distinctive protected landscapes. Getting there is an adventure all its own."

• Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere [Without Maps]

"Writer Jan Morris came before me, and showed me where to go."

• He set out to walk around the world. After 27 years, his quest is nearly over. (archive) [Washington Post]

"Karl Bushby is expected to finish his globe-walking expedition by September 2026."

• Three months in Brazil: useful and delightfully irrelevant observations [Wander, Wonder, Write]

• The case for taking the same holiday again and again [BBC Travel]

• What we should expect to see is what we will see [Scott Monaco]

"A journey to the quiet edge of Zimbabwe."

• These travel influencers don’t want freebies. They’re A.I. (archive) [The New York Times]

"Social media posts by A.I.-created travel avatars cost far less to produce, yet look and sound real. Human influencers worry they’re being elbowed out."

• Chania unwrapped: Venetian alleyways and Christmas lights [Claire in Crete]

• ‘When the church door opens, it’s like a miracle’: the phone app that’s a key to Italy’s religious art [The Guardian]

• Postcards from Paternoster [Marita Bester]

"Exploring the beaches, flavours, and local voices of Paternoster."

• Mdina in Malta is known as the 'Silent City'—here's why [National Geographic]

"With its Roman mosaics, grand stately homes and baroque city gates, this small Maltese city preserves traces of its ancient history."

Travel resources

• Compare and save on train travel across 35 countries with Rail Europe - The easiest way to book European train tickets and passes.

• With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.

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…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• There’s still one beautiful Southern European country with delicious food, great wine and no tourist crowds [CNN Travel]

"Spiked with ridges and peaks that deliver scenery running the full four-seasons gamut — from electric green slopes to snow-capped crags — North Macedonia offers one of Southern Europe’s final chances to take the path less-traveled."

• Weird and wonderful things you might have forgotten about holidays in the 1970s (archive) [The Telegraph]

• ‘It’s like striding across the top of the world’: the Pennines’ new Roof of England walk [The Guardian]

• India’s guest houses, where the living await salvation — Varanasi, India [Eastside Asia]

• When was the last time you got lost? [Laura Bronner]

"with no technology to save you."

• How I travel without a trust fund [redhead gone rogue]

"How I actually afford to travel full time."

• Week one living in Tangier: is this for real? [The Midlife Traveler]

"Most people never hear the truth about what the first week abroad actually feels like. SPOILER: It's not Instagram."

• Voodoo people [far from here]

"A beheaded chicken and promises of a better mental health in Benin."

• Paradise on a budget: How the Maldives became (surprisingly) accessible [BBC Travel]

"Once a destination for the ultra-rich, the Maldives is now embracing a more local, sustainable model of tourism that's changing who gets to experience paradise."

• Is Vienna dull? Austria invites entire Scottish village to find out [euronews]

Travel resources

• Compare and save on train travel across 35 countries with Rail Europe - The easiest way to book European train tickets and passes.

• With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.

Submit a travel read

Articles for newsletter consideration can be submitted via Facebook:

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Contact The Travel Wire

For advertising and other enquiries, please reply to this newsletter or contact me at thetravelwirenet @ gmail . com.

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…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• The sights and sounds of Bhutan [Wait But Why]

• Notes on Buon Ma Thuot – The coffee hub in the heart of the Central Highlands [Nomadic Notes]

• I’ve been traveling to Bali for 40 years. This is how it’s changed for better and worse [Adventure]

• Catstanbul: Inside the city where cats rule the streets [BBC Travel]

• The ark of humanity [Nomadic Mind]

"Take a Greek ferry. You will not regret."

• It used to be Cambodia’s capital. Now it’s a city of the dead [CNN Travel]

• In search of Mongolia's last wild horses [Travel + Leisure Asia]

"An off-the-beaten-track adventure traces Mongolia's native takhi to a conservation project on the country's central steppes."

• Travel and the pursuit of happiness [The Travel Paradox]

"Plus 5 (sometimes silly) ways to make me a better traveller. (Results for others may vary)."

• What happens when the tourists stop coming? [The Wandering Environmentalist]

• Postcard from a Turkey that still bites [With Gusto]

"Thanksgiving — from the other side."

Travel resources

• GetYourGuide Black Friday Travel Deals — Up to 50% off 

“Discover epic Black Friday travel deals with up to 50% off tours, activities, and attractions.”

• Black Friday hotel deals from Booking.com

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…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• Greenland is notoriously expensive. I tried to visit on a shoestring [Independent]

"Most people visit the country on an expensive cruise or guided tour – Anna Richards attempted to backpack it."

• Sukhumvit under siege: A bar, a coup, and a very bad idea – Bangkok, 1992 [qbarandrew]

• The European region with a 'split personality' [BBC Travel]

"Straddling Italy and Austria, the Dolomite Mountains blend three languages, two identities and one breathtaking landscape – but their delicate balance is being tested."

• If Somalia is dangerous, why is it experiencing a surge in tourism? [CNN Travel]

• Our road trip in Japan: Searching for autumn colors in the mountains of Honshu [Brent and Michael Are Going Places]

• This country is so obscure, no guidebook for it exists. So I wrote one (archive) [Traveller]

• Is the border officer in a good mood? [Without Maps]

"Traveling with my muslim & queer friend when the world still builds walls."

• Why Ek Balam remains one of the Yucatán's hidden gems [Mexico Soul]

• The gap year I finally took — 35 years late [Benthall Adventures — A Slow Travel Journal.]

• An ode to Vũng Tàu, Saigon's unwavering summer crush [Saigoneer]

Travel resources

• Compare and save on train travel across 35 countries with Rail Europe - The easiest way to book European train tickets and passes.

• With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.

Submit a travel read

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For advertising and other enquiries, please reply to this newsletter or contact me at thetravelwirenet @ gmail . com.

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…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• When places change [A Sense of Wander]

"I just spent a week in New Delhi, India. It is an annual ritual, a pilgrimage of sorts, this return to my soulplace. I find it restorative—and unsettling. The Delhi I fell in love with in 1993 is not the same Delhi today."

• All the canals and charm of Amsterdam. None of the crowds. (archive) [NY Times Travel]

"Leiden, a city whose university is often called the Oxford of the Netherlands, features museums, gardens, murals and plenty of ways to stretch your mind."

• A stop in Levuka – Fiji’s original capital [Shellphone Chronicles]

"An off-the-beaten-track colonial era port town in the South Pacific."

• My City: Beirut [Roadbook]

"Beirut’s complex identity reveals a charismatic city of vitality, decadence and cultural revival. A native writer recalls the rhythm and contradictions that define the Lebanese capital."

• ‘Wintering’ - Cretan style [Claire In Crete]

• ‘There is bounty almost everywhere’: why you’ll always find me in the flea market on my travels [The Guardian]

• If you love gloomy villages (and unspoiled bays) then this place is for you [Wander,Wonder, Write]

"On drunks, fishermen, awe, and the grim history of Ilha Grande, Brazil."

• The quantity vs. quality debate [The Travel Paradox]

"Do I check off the must-see places, one by one? Or do I give up the list to travel and live more deeply?"

• Takayama and the Japan I was looking for [Globe-Trotting Addicts]

• Exoplanet Travel Bureau [NASA Science]

"We worked with NASA scientists, futurists, and artists to imagine exoplanet tourism. From nearly 6,000 confirmed exoplanets, our experts have selected seven dream destinations for discerning travelers. Choose your adventure with guided tours, in English and Spanish. Read along, or turn your sound up as you scroll through."

Travel resources

• With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.

• Compare and save on train travel across 35 countries with Rail Europe - The easiest way to book European train tickets and passes.

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…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• Every tree can be a Buddha [Kottke]

"The Chōishi-michi pilgrimage route is an amazing 12-mile trail that winds its way up through the forest from the Jison-in temple in the town of Kudoyama in the valley to the Danjo Garan temple in the town of Kōyasan in the mountains."

• Orphans of history: the forgotten republic of Transnistria – photo essay [The Guardian]

• From Putin souvenirs to Soviet lunches: Why has travel to Transnistria gone viral? [Euronews]

"The mini Soviet nation remains internationally unrecognised, but it seems tourists can’t get enough."

• The fair at the edge of the desert [A Mind on the Move]

"Among horse traders, desert magicians, and jewelled camels, India reveals its irresistible, bewildering self."

• William Dalrymple: rediscovering the ancient wonders of eastern Turkey (archive) [FT]

"Forty years after he first visited as a student, the historian takes a road trip across Eastern Anatolia, finding restored monuments, new museums and archaeological digs that shed fresh light on the region’s complex past."

• The pull of India: a country I never wanted to visit, but can’t stop returning to [The Making of a Journey with Ilona Vinogradova]

"Radically kind Kashmir, the Syrian Christians of Kerala and the magnetism of Auroville."

• What if your lodging was a travel partner, not a prop? [Go Unpacked]

"A tiny house in the forest showed our family how where you stay can define a trip."

• How this Italian town came to be known as the ‘City of Witches’ [Smithsonian Magazine]

"Centuries ago, it was said that Benevento was a gathering place for the occult. Today, superstitions still run deep."

• Beyond Dubai’s glitter, glimpses of life before oil (archive) [NT Times Travel]

"The smaller, less visited parts of the United Arab Emirates offer a window into the past of a country whose riches once came largely from pearls."

• How fear almost stopped me from one of my greatest travel experiences 😨 [Itchy Feet]

"My life would have never been the same."

Travel resources

• Compare and save on train travel across 35 countries with Rail Europe - The easiest way to book European train tickets and passes.

• With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.

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Contact The Travel Wire

For advertising and other enquiries, please reply to this newsletter or contact me at thetravelwirenet @ gmail . com.

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…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• From Steel City to Cottonopolis: a new walking trail through a post-industrial Peak District [The Guardian]

• Walking Zhengzhou (China) [Chris Arnade Walks the World]

"A rust belt city, without the rust."

• The European train that travels by sea (archive) [BBC Travel]

"Italy's sleeper from Milan to Sicily ends with a rare rail-ferry crossing that's threatened by a new mega bridge."

• The Michinoku Coastal Trail... [Sam’s Yoga Letter]

• Why you should hitchhike [Britain By Thumb]

"The case for a dying art."

• A country in a cup: understanding Vietnam’s coffee journey [Eastside Asia]

• The village where devils go to party! [Claire In Crete]

"48 Hours in Kapetaniana."

• Rome Diaries: The grandeur of antiquity [Tom Fish Is Away]

"Keeping my head on a swivel in the Italian capital."

• Why slow travel matters in a digital world [Paradise of Exiles ~ Insider Italy]

• The beautiful chaos of Naples [Nomad Foodies]

"Embracing and escaping the madness of this marvellous metropolis in late summer 2025."

• A week in Chengdu [Asia Sentinel]

"Our traveling correspondent finds a native animal almost too cute to bear."

Travel resources

• With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.

• Compare and save on train travel across 35 countries with Rail Europe - The easiest way to book European train tickets and passes.

Submit a travel read

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…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

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Travel reads

• The monumental cathedrals and chapels of Wallis Island [Shellphone Chronicles]

"Traditional Polynesian culture mixes with the Roman Catholic faith in a big way on this remote island nation."

• Ghost Month: When the streets of Taipei belongs to the dead [Michael Takes Too Many Pictures]

• A train tour of Europe’s cool northern capitals: from London to Vilnius, via Berlin and Warsaw [The Guardian]

• Paquimé: Mysterious Mexico World Heritage site that still puzzles archeologists [Mexico Soul]

• Not every paradise stays that way [Benthall Slow Travel]

"Belize taught me that beauty never stays still — and as we head to Bali, I’m reminded that memory is its own kind of travel."

• Is Lombok the new Bali? Some think so - but not everyone's impressed (archive) [BBC]

• Digging for the deeper story in Yunnan's "Tibet Disneyland" [Crossing the River by Feeling the Stones]

• Beautiful Brazil is changing me, one samba step at a time [Wander, Wonder, Write]

"On the transformative power of music, dancing, and being together."

• Christmas Island wants more tourists but luggage is often left behind [ABC]

• A pilgrim route in Norway: Berries, bogs and a Viking king (archive) [NY Times Travel]

"Following one of the nine St. Olav Ways, a photographer trudged with soggy feet through tundras, forests and wetlands. Here’s what she saw."

• The digital-analog city [A Sense of Wander]

"Welcome to Vienna, where the centuries coexist happily."

• China's 'special forces'-style tourists packing big itineraries in small budgets [ABC]

• Heart And Soul: 8 old friends rekindle a pact to travel together [The Star]

Travel resources

• Compare and save on train travel across 35 countries with Rail Europe - The easiest way to book European train tickets and passes.

• With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.

Submit a travel read

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Contact The Travel Wire

For advertising and other enquiries, please reply to this newsletter or contact me at thetravelwirenet @ gmail . com.

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…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• A pulse-revving motorcycle journey on Vietnam’s ‘Happiness Road’ (archive)[NY Times Travel]

"The roughly 230-mile Ha Giang Loop, six hours north of Hanoi, thrills riders with breathtaking views, cultural wonders, and plenty of twists and turns."

• It’s cold, rainy, hideously expensive and everyone wants to go there [Marklands]

"Iceland is trying to keep its tourist numbers down. Here's why they didn't succeed in my case."

• One fine day in the high Himalayas [A Mind on the Move]

"Adventure, altitude, and avalanches on the trail to Manaslu Base Camp."

• Jeju – my ultimate Korean dolce vita [Travel Mishmash]

• It's a state of mind [The Perennial Nomad]

"I have been pondering how nomadic travel has changed over the decades since I first hit the road."

• You can never return to the same place [Scott Monaco]

"Because you can never return to who you were the first time."

• If you can’t find beauty here, that’s not the city’s fault [Benthall Slow Travel]

• Busing + boating Kerala's backwaters [and by the way]

• Sardinia's sacred Neolithic 'fairy houses' (archive) [BBC Travel]

"Throughout Sardinia, these newly Unesco-inscribed stone necropolises tell the story of the island's pre-Roman funerary customs. But for locals, they're the enchanted homes of fairies."

• How we always fail Paris [The Daily Grog]

"On French police sirens and a brief rant about travel content."

• Instagram made me do it: When ‘hidden gems’ stop being hidden [Awakened Voyages]

"On how discovery becomes destruction and the dilemma of sharing secret spots."

Travel resources

• Compare and save on train travel across 35 countries with Rail Europe - The easiest way to book European train tickets and passes.

• With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.

Submit a travel read

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Contact The Travel Wire

For advertising and other enquiries, please reply to this newsletter or contact me at thetravelwirenet @ gmail . com.

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…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• How a century of tourism shaped the Bali we know today [Travel + Leisure]

"A designer and author traces the lines between memory and marketing, place and performance behind tour beloved Bali."

• Chile's Route 7: A tough, lonely drive to the end of the world (archive) [BBC Travel]

"Chile's Carretera Austral remains one of the world's most remote and spectacular road trips, where every kilometre tests your resolve and rewards your persistence."

• Notes on Bao Loc – Like Da Lat as it once was [Nomadic Notes]

• An orangutan sanctuary in Borneo is giving the endangered primates a second chance, just when they need it most [Smithsonian Magazine]

• On travel writing [New Worlder]

"My history with the medium and a question for the future."

• Wong Kar-wai's Bangkok: The sites of "In the Mood for Love" [draft punk]

"A love letter to memory, diaspora, and Bangkok's Chinatown."

• I went on a cold vacation and I didn't hate it [Get Lost with Lonely Planet]

"Maybe the beach isn't all it's cracked up to be..."

• ‘It’s more than a pretty backdrop’: crime writer Ann Cleeves on the magic of Orkney in Scotland [The Guardian]

• Finding home after a lifetime of motion [Roberta Hill, Wander After 70]

"What returning after fifty years away revealed about belonging."

• Taiwan’s underrated east coast is a gem for nature lovers (archive) [NY Times Travel]

"The island’s lesser-known rugged side delivers staggering natural scenery and a range of outdoor experiences."

• Turkmenistan is not cool. [Nomad Life]

"Part 1: The Gates of Hell."

• Adventurer crosses Moroccan desert on Norway-to-Amazon expedition [ExplorersWeb]

Travel resources

• Compare and save on train travel across 35 countries with Rail Europe - The easiest way to book European train tickets and passes.

• With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.

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For advertising and other enquiries, please reply to this newsletter or contact me at thetravelwirenet @ gmail . com.

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…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• Postmarked: Wallis and Futuna [Shellphone Chronicles]

"Meet the tiny works of art that inspire travel dreams around the world."

• This is not a travel story [Trying!]

"I built my career on artful narratives of adventure. But was I lying to my readers — and to myself?"

• The 'cool Camino': Why hikers are heading north [BBC Travel]

"Every summer, Spain's iconic Camino bakes under extreme heat, but Norway's St Olav Ways offer pilgrims a quieter, cooler path to redemption."

• Rwanda - the country that breaks the stereotypes you hold about Africa [Ilona Vinogradova]

• Exploring diverse lives at legendary Copacabana Beach [Wander, Wonder, Write]

• Into the wild: a surfer girl’s guide to hidden wave hunting in Asia [Eastside Asia]

• Wildflower days and wine-flowing nights in Slovenia (archive) [NY Times Travel]

"Home cooking, natural wine, majestic vistas and rustic guesthouses: A road trip through this small Central European country yielded a rich array of surprises for a first-time visitor."

• Why do we consider travelling as “living” when it’s the opposite? [Kayla Doris Is Away]

• I swam from Asia to Europe. A surge of hope kept me going [CNN Travel]

• S is Singapore. A few notes on a two hours' flight. [Hungry for travel by Igor]

Travel resources

• Compare and save on train travel across 35 countries with Rail Europe - The easiest way to book European train tickets and passes.

• With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.

Submit a travel read

Articles for newsletter consideration can be submitted via Facebook:

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Contact The Travel Wire

For advertising and other enquiries, please reply to this newsletter or contact me at thetravelwirenet @ gmail . com.

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…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• Welcome to Syria’s fragile paradise [New Lines Magazine]

"On a once-exclusive strip of Mediterranean coast, DJs, influencers and beach bars are testing how far freedom can stretch in a country emerging from war."

• James Joyce went by train from Dublin to Trieste. A hundred years on, it’s a very different experience [The Guardian]

"It is more than a century since Joyce crossed Europe by rail but there is still inspiration to be found on the overland journey to Trieste."

• Dilly-dallying up and down the mountain [Dispatches from the Wave]

"Maybe I should listen to mountain experts a.k.a. three panic attacks on Mt. Triglav, Slovenia."

• How travel makes me feel more like myself [Thoughtful Travel]

"Reflections after a week in Bangkok."

• Meet the travelers who visit the world’s most dangerous places (archive) [WSJ]

"Somalia and Afghanistan might not be at the top of your travel list. But for these travelers, the risks are dwarfed by the rewards of getting way off the beaten path."

• What Australia really taught me about travel [GlobeFoxing]

"A trip down under as a fifteen-year-old completely altered my outlook on what it means to travel."

• An encounter with a wild diver in Denmark [Travel and Culture]

"When wildlife suddenly appears tame."

• Your favorite trip was probably a disaster [Scott Monaco]

"Why the worst days make the best stories."

• Dead before dawn [Nomadic Mind]

"The night the hill disappeared in Sarakina."

• When I’m hungry at an airport, there’s only one thing I want to eat (archive) [Traveller]

• The small English town that changed global travel (archive) [BBC Travel]

"Two hundred years ago, Shildon in north-east England changed the way we travel forever – and its legacy shaped rail networks around the globe."

• Solving the mystery of whether a Bolivian salt flat is the world's largest natural mirror [Phys . org]

Travel resources

• Compare and save on train travel across 35 countries with Rail Europe - The easiest way to book European train tickets and passes.

• With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.

Submit a travel read

Articles for newsletter consideration can be submitted via Facebook:

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Contact The Travel Wire

For advertising and other enquiries, please reply to this newsletter or contact me at thetravelwirenet @ gmail . com.

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…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• Five travel rules you should always break [A Sense of Wander]

A new newsletter by Eric Weiner, author of The Geography of Bliss, among other great travel books.

• She went from accidental hiker to climbing 87 mountains and building a women’s trekking community [CNA]

"Hazleen Ahmad never planned to be a hiker. But one climb at Mount Kinabalu inspired her to start her outdoor adventure company, Amazing Trekkers Club. Since then, she says it has united women through trekking excursions that foster connection and support."

• On the Rize: a road trip to Turkey’s fairytale north-east [The Guardian]

• The simplest, hardest way to "live like a local" [Souvenirs]

• If these walls could talk [Claire In Crete]

"The most under-rated tourist attraction in Heraklion."

• Din Tai Fung is Taiwan's most beloved restaurant. But is it worth a two-hour wait? [Brent and Michael Are Going Places]

"We're in Taipei, and everyone told us we absolutely needed to eat there. But oh, that line!"

• Shipyards, nightlife and community—why Newcastle is worth a trip [National Geographic]

"Equal parts Victorian elegance and industrial grit, this northeastern UK city offers travellers neoclassical architecture, warehouse districts and a lively nightlife scene, all set beside the River Tyne."

• How a noisy, polluted city of 30 million cleaned up its act (archive) [Traveller]

"Low pollution, moderate traffic, good public transport and clean, quiet walkable city streets: I’m in the heart of Shanghai and there’s none of the noise, pollution and general intensity I assumed would be standard in a city of more than 30 million people."

• I saw the best of unspoilt France on a €1 train ticket [Independent]

"Flora Medford discovers little-known Occitania for less than the price of a café au lait."

• Strange and funny signs from Thailand [Thai Island Quest]

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James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• Has Tulum lost its luster? [Mexico Soul]

"Facing sargassum, beach fees and inflated prices—can Tulum reverse the trend?"

• When the cows come home in the Alps, the Swiss eat raclette [Smithsonian Magazine]

"Every September, dairy farmers herd cattle from high-alpine pastures back to the villages where they reside for the winter and celebrate the occasion by roasting cheese over a fire."

• Shanghai, according to Xiaohongshu [Peking Quack]

"For its 376 million users, this Chinese lifestyle app is a gospel. Want a good restaurant? A fun weekend plan? A trending photo spot? Just search on the app, and you’ll find posts titled things like “Highly recommend for good photos,” “High photo success rate,” or “Best photo spots here.”"

• Grief on the Nile: What it is like to get the worst news on a dream trip [Jessica Lockhart at Lonely Planet]

• I was the first digital nomad in Yakten – here's my guide to this quaint Sikkim village [Travel + Leisure]

"Experience slow living, community stays, and remote work from the mountains of Yakten, India’s first Digital Nomad Village in East Sikkim."

• Decadent Catania, wild Crete: How mass tourism creates hidden worlds [Nomadic Mind]

• The new marathon? Crossing an entire country under your own power [Thrillist]

"Whether on foot or two wheels, the latest adventure trend is to travel border to border."

• An ‘anti-tour’ of Suva shows visitors another side to Fiji [The Guardian]

• This town was swallowed by a mountain. Now it’s become a door to adventure in the Andes [CNN Travel]

• "Dalifornication" grips China (archive) [The Economist]

"On tour with the low-income leisure class."

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James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• Notes on Sri Racha – The Little Osaka of Thailand [Nomadic Notes]

• All aboard the Doğu Express, the cult Turkish train you’ve never heard of [Adventure]

"Traveling 800 miles from the Turkish capital Ankara to the city of Kars, the 26-hour Doğu Express has long been a fixture on Türkiye’s night train circuit. But after a Swedish YouTuber shared a video, local people realized they had an epic route on their doorstep, and it became a (literal) overnight railway sensation. Author and keen train traveler Monisha Rajesh joins the crowds."

• Carefree or clueless? [Couchfish]

"When exactly does carefree become clueless?"

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• PHOTO ESSAY: Tracing pre-canal Panama’s forgotten crossings and colonial routes [AP News]

• From drones to robots: tourists flock to China to glimpse a ‘cyberpunk’ future (archive) [SCMP]

"Social media hype about China’s ‘futuristic’ technology and urban infrastructure is attracting a growing wave of foreign tourists."

• Lost Beyond Elounda... [Claire in Crete]

"Craig and I are lost - somewhere between Plaka and Milatos, in the thorny, mountain hinterland of East Crete where it feels as if you could tumble over the edge of the world…"

• In Western Uzbekistan, a rich design heritage is the foundation of the future (archive) [CN Traveler]

"While exploring a remote corner of the country, Michael Snyder learns how millennia-old craft and design traditions are forging a modern culture among the ruins."

• ‘An idyllic escape from the world’: Slovenia’s Jezersko valley [The Guardian]

• When travel takes you beyond your comfort zone [Thoughtful Travel]

"Flying in an aerial motorbike, performing mountain-top handstands, or "just" taking a solo trip ..."

• From tribal life to thieves: Vietnamese YouTuber conquers 195 countries [VnExpress]

"After traveling to 195 countries, a Vietnamese YouTuber reflects on a journey defined not by check-ins but by experiences like sleeping in African tribal villages and mugging in Colombia."

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For advertising and other enquiries, please reply to this newsletter or contact me at thetravelwirenet @ gmail . com.

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James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• Sarajevo [The Unplugged Traveler]

"There were the Middle Eastern tourists who come in part for Sarajevo’s mosques and Ottoman history, but perhaps more for the refreshing temperatures and– if the line of ladies crowding the aisles of Cosmetic Market at 9pm on a Saturday night are any indication—for the shopping.

And then there were the Europeans and Americans who, if the results of my constant eavesdropping were any indication, were almost uniformly there for the war."

• Albania seizes its moment in the sun (archive) [NY Times Travel]

"Gorgeous beaches, unspoiled nature, unusual historical sites and low prices have made this former “hermit state” one of Europe’s newest destinations."

• So, uh, I walked through Shibuya [Craig Mod]

"A little walk across Tokyo thinking about just where this all goes."

• Twenty seven hours on the Aussie dog [Chris Arnade Walks the World]

"From Townsville to Alice Springs, by Greyhound."

• Sleeper hit: how Europe is revelling in the return of the night train [The Guardian]

• Daytrip: Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina — Beautiful but heartbreaking [Brent and Michael Are Going Places]

• Why Finland’s oldest city prides itself on its future legacy [Wallpaper]

"Rediscover Turku, a city of islets and saunas, which is growing and changing with tradition, sustainability and climate as its guides."

• Across a country on foot [Scott Monaco]

"114 kilometers and 144,868 steps exploring Liechtenstein."

• The French Riviera's picture-perfect car-free island escape [BBC Travel]

"A brief ferry ride from the glitz of the French Riviera, the Hyères Islands offer an idyllic escape into protected pine forests, unspoilt beaches – and one of France's most unique communities."

• Conversations on the Shatabdi Express to Aurangabad, India [Intrepid Times]

• Festa de Gracia: The neighbourhood festival of all festivals [The Local Insider]

"Catalan creativity is at its highest in August in this Barcelona barrio."

Submit a travel read

Articles for newsletter consideration can be submitted via Facebook:

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…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes) - Editor.

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• Is Taiwan one of the world’s most underrated railway destinations? [Adventure]

• He bought the world’s oldest passenger ship — and spent $18 million turning it into a hotel [CNN]

"Now, after more than a century at sea, the ship has come to rest — on dry land — in Bintan, a tropical Indonesian island known for all-inclusive beach resorts."

• A hiking trail linking 46 ancient Greek villages [BBC Travel]

• Afghanistan isn't a headline [Ride with Ian]

“Biking to Japan Week #28”.

• Less Bad Travel [Couchfish]

"A new way to think about your travel."

• From contaminated land to community tourism: MAG’s work in Cu Nam, Vietnam [Mines Advisory Group]

• Into the Hill Country: Tea trails and the quiet roads to Kandy [Travel Essayist]

"Hiking through Sri Lanka’s highlands in search of solitude, stories, and the soul of slow travel."

• Hot springs, empty beaches, forests and wine: exploring the unspoilt Greek island of Ikaria [The Guardian]

• When you want to drink like F. Scott Fitzgerald in Rome, [Souvenirs]

"go to - or avoid completely - the Hotel Quirnale, and don't punch the ticket inspector in the face."

• What it's like tracking Namibia's desert rhinos in the storms of a decade [National Geographic]

"As rare rains sweep across northern Namibia, its landscapes spring to life, with flowers blooming in the desert, wildlife returning to the water-soaked bush — and a rhino population that carries on regardless."

• Take the train to Certaldo for the perfect Tuscan getaway [Independent]

Submit a travel read

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…

James Clark (@nomadicnotes)

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• Notes on Bac Ninh: The booming manufacturing powerhouse near Hanoi [Nomadic Notes]

"On the railway to China, the hidden ancient citadel, and visiting the Koreatown and Chinatown in this booming manufacturing hub of Northern Vietnam."

• The lost art of hitchhiking: What we can still learn from travel's most radical mode? [BBC Travel]

• Looking for adventure? Try this hill-tribe trek in Vietnam [National Geographic]

"A fledgling community tourism project with northern Vietnam’s White Thai people offers a quiet alternative to hill-tribe trekking in busy Sapa."

• You’ve probably been traveling wrong your whole life [Scott Monaco]

"All those stories about group tours, hostel friends, and the magic of getting lost in conversation? Great for some people. Terrible for others."

• I spent a month solo hiking in the Himalayas. I recommend it to everyone. [Afar]

"As cliché as it sounds, sometimes you have to lose yourself to find yourself."

• Slow travel in Essaouira [Travel Doorways]

"Two weeks in a Moroccan port city filled with history, charm, and delightful experiences."

• Backpacking Eel Pie Island [Nomadic Backpacker]

"Eel Pie Island is an 8.9-acre island in the River Thames at Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames."

• A taste of Swedish island life – but on the mainland, near Stockholm [The Guardian]

"Stockholm’s 30,000-strong archipelago is rightly famous, but the sandy beaches and cabins just down the coast are more accessible and full of local flavour."

• Seven habits of highly effective travelers (part II) [Souvenirs]

• Walking Hakodate. Part 1. Cape Tachimachi, Mount Hakodate, historical district, Hakodate Marina and Oomori Beach. June 2025. [Hungry for travel by Igor]

Submit a travel read

Articles for newsletter consideration can be submitted to The Travel Wire Facebook Group.

Follow The Travel Wire on Bluesky.

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James Clark (@nomadicnotes)