Wander
Where to go, where to stay, what to do. The ultimate site for travelers and wanderers.
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Top Stories
Stories in Wander that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.
Standing Still
There are very few moments in life where time truly stands still. When your breath is taken from your chest and your body hangs weightless in that moment. Just long enough for it to stay with you from that day onwards. Deep in the red sands of the Australian Outback, I found that moment and clung to it forever.
Kevin McLaughlinPublished 2 days ago in WanderCan You Drive a Ford Fiesta Through a Desert?
I’m flying down the B1 highway from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop with a map and a boot full of camping gear. I’m excited for the first stop of my Namibian road trip: the Quiver Tree Forest. I spot the sign and turn onto the C17, off the tarmac and onto the gravel. I’ll be there soon; it’s only ten miles or so. I am unprepared for what comes next. The car slides and slips across the road. I am not fully in control anymore. I slow to a crawl. The car judders and shudders, the noise deafening, the vibrations rattling the teeth in my skull. It takes me around an hour to drive the ten miles. I arrive at the campsite relieved to be in one piece, even if it feels like all my bones have been shaken slightly out of place. I will later learn that this is what happens when the gravel road becomes “corrugated”, and that the roads authority goes round once a week to “grade” them. Seems I arrived about 6 days after the grader had last been round.
Jenifer NimPublished 2 days ago in WanderSitting in DNA Soup
I am sitting in “DNA soup”- actually, a Jacuzzi at the Melia Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas. It might as well be a soup though, from the amount of people sitting in it. I’d wager that if you were to take a ladle from that hot tub and send it to a DNA testing facility, you’d have genetics from every corner of the planet.
Kelley SteadPublished 8 days ago in WanderThe Great Maine Lighthouse Tour
Two Months Out I have the train ticket. The time off approved. My friend Phil is getting married in a place called Bangor, Maine.
Stephen A. RoddewigPublished 9 days ago in WanderA Gneiss View
It was a bright day in early March, the sun was shining and a substantial fall of fresh snow lay pristine under an arching blue sky. I stepped off the train at Lairg, midway along the branch line that winds its way from Inverness to Wick in the far north of Scotland and wondered whether the postbus would be in the station car park or somewhere between where I stood and Lochinver, lodged up to its headlights in snow.
The Meeting
READ "PART I" HERE: My third adventure outside the United States was to Putian, China (the second was with a college friend to London for Spring Break—a unique choice that I'll write about later). It wasn't exactly a study abroad opportunity, but I was still in college, and a philosophy professor recommended the experience to me. She knew I was interested in Eastern philosophy, focusing on Daoism, and thought a trip to a Buddhist temple in China might be up my alley. She was right.
A Siberian Story: Tag, You’re It
Snow shimmers in -24 degrees. Trees that usually wear their forest green coats are dusted by frost, looming tall and piercing the pastel coloured sky like sentinels for a citadel of silence. Finland is made of frozen moments, standing so still in between breaths of icy air. It’s serene. It’s like a dream. It’s the most enchanting thing I’ve ever seen.
Inshallah
Istanbul is a city bristling with life, a place where past and present, sacred and profane, intertwine under the watchful gaze of the Sultan Ahmet Mosque. As I explore this crossroads of cultures with Maya, my nine-year-old niece and the daughter of my late brother-in-law Frank, and my wife Nadia, Frank's sister, I find myself on a journey not just through Istanbul's history, but also into the depths of my own beliefs. Staying with Maya and her mother Elvan, my sister-in-law, I begin to see the city anew through their eyes, and to understand why James Baldwin said it "revived" him.
Geoffrey PhilpPublished 11 days ago in Wander
Collections
Themed story collections curated by the Vocal moderators.
Travel Do's and Dont's
Walk a mile, or a thousand, in someone else's shoes. Travel Do's and Dont's from those who have been there, done that.
Guides
Wander smarter, and talk shop with those who've been down that road before.
Beginner Backpacker
The world is yours for the taking. Where will you backpack to next?
Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Wander.
Altruism, Avidity, and Aesthetics
AAA Motivations: 1. Altruism- to live by helping others, even at the cost of self. This is like the lighthouse bucket, because the lighthouse is constantly helping to lead others on their path.
Shelby HagoodPublished about 13 hours ago in WanderHitting the Road
When I was a kid, one of my favorite times of the year was the beginning of Summer. Asides from the fact that this meant two months out of school and sleeping until noon, it meant that it was time for us to pack up to head out on our annual summer vacation. Every year meant a new location. Sometimes we'd go to visit out of state relatives, and sometimes it was just to have fun. Either way, I knew I was going on an adventure.
Judith JaschaPublished about 17 hours ago in WanderThe Gift of a Snowstorm
It all started with an offer we couldn't refuse. A local airline advertised a deep discount in the price of tickets to Las Vegas to celebrate the Superbowl. Our dream to travel together to visit the Grand Canyon several tears earlier had been thwarted by unexpected issues in life at the time. This discount would make it possible for us to finally afford the trip.
Gail WyliePublished about 17 hours ago in WanderOne of the World’s Narrowest Streets is Located in Vrbnik
Fairy tale. This is the first word that comes to mind as you approach the enchanting town of Vrbnik on Krk Island,Croatia. Nestled on the landward side, the town is surrounded by vineyards where the indigenous Vrbnik Žlahtina wine variety is cultivated. The name Žlahtina derives from the Slavic adjective “žlahten,” meaning noble. The natural beauty of this landscape is complemented by the sky-blue sea, whose gentle murmur can be heard beneath the 50-meter high rock upon which Vrbnik is perched.
Magic Exists
The best trip I’ve ever taken is no trip at all. It’s semantics, really, but a trip assumes a destination, and since this trip has no Terra firma destination, I would describe it as a quest.
Matthew FrommPublished about 20 hours ago in WanderSomewhere Only We Know
Throughout my six-month post-college-graduation Europe backpacking trip, there were whispers about the best hostel ever. “It was so cozy,” a starry-eyed backpacker exclaimed. “It felt like coming home,” another backpacker sighed. “It’s got a dog,” another promised. However, no one could pronounce the name of the town it was in, and few people even remembered the name of the hostel.
Kevin McLaughlinPublished a day ago in WanderA Memorable Day
It was a crisp autumn morning when my friends and I decided to embark on a fishing trip that we had planned for weeks. The anticipation had been building, and we could hardly wait to get our lines in the water. The destination was a secluded lake known for its pristine beauty and rumored to be home to a mysterious golden bass, a legendary fish that no one had ever caught.
Tripping Through Cinematic Universes: From 'Star Wars' To 'Harry Potter' To 'Game Of Thrones'
Star Wars, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones - just but three of my favorite things in the world. Joy is also having a BFF who love these pop culture phenomena as much as I do.
Marguerita TanPublished a day ago in Wander
Creators We’re Loving
The creative faces behind your favorite stories.
Susanna Kiernan
11 published stories
Erica Wagner
28 published stories
Mike Singleton - Mikeydred
2201 published stories
Kevin McLaughlin
16 published stories
Test
159 published stories
Sh*t Happens - Lost Girl Travel
78 published stories
Kendall Defoe
532 published stories
Jenifer Nim
56 published stories
Ian Vince
66 published stories
kp
76 published stories
Nicole Fenn
39 published stories
Sean Callaghan
90 published stories