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.
Touching the Sky
Back in 2020 (yes, THAT 2020), I took my very first steps towards becoming an international traveler. I was 25 years old, and up to this point, the furthest I'd ever traveled alone from my home state of New Jersey without my family was to West Virginia.
Emily Marie ConcannonPublished a day ago in WanderGay your life must be
“My Dad’s got itchy feet” I would say. I don’t know where I first heard this phrase, but I parroted it often as a child, a vague but sufficient explanation for the fragmented answers I offered to “where did you….” questions. The assumption was that we were a military family. When I went to Sixth Form College and completed the full two years without moving, I set a personal record for time spent at any one educational institution. But we were not a military family. We were a family governed by a restless soul, for better and worse, and now, well into my adulthood, I am the restless governor of a home loving family.
Hannah MoorePublished 8 days ago in WanderStanding 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 5 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 5 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 11 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 12 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.
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.
The Frozen Mountain
As I trudged through the snow, my feet heavy with every step, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. The frozen mountain loomed above me, its peaks shrouded in a mist that seemed to writhe and twist like a living thing. I had been warned not to come here alone, but I had to see it for myself. The stories of strange occurrences and unexplained sightings had drawn me in like a moth to a flame.
Isra SaleemPublished about 3 hours ago in WanderThree Years and the Ghosts of Yesterday
The trip I want to describe was not important for its physical distance (less than 20 miles from my home) but for the visit I took down memory lane.
Beneath the SurfaceJ
"Palawan's Underwater Caves: A Must-See Wonder of the Natural World" As an avid diver, I've had the privilege of exploring some of the world's most stunning underwater landscapes, but Palawan's caves are in a league of their own. The sheer size and scale of these formations are truly awe-inspiring, and the opportunity to witness them up close is nothing short of magical. From the moment we entered the first cave, I was captivated by the otherworldly beauty that surrounded us. One of the most famous underwater cave systems in Palawan is found in the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.
Adventure Awaits
Independent is a strong word. It evokes a sense of pride and accomplishment. Alone, on the other hand, evokes the feeling of an absence or an isolation from others, not the freedom that comes with being independent.
Alyssa NicolePublished about 10 hours ago in WanderWonderful Maryland
Ocean City is among the most popular beaches of the mid-Atlantic coast. Here you’ll find ten miles of free public beach and a three-mile classic wooden boardwalk. There are shops, a Ferris Wheel, a roller coaster, a 1902 carousel, and kiosks selling delicious food. A tram will take you to all the attractions. On the beach are free concerts, movies, and other evening activities. The Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum has a saltwater tank where you can get a look at local sea creatures.
Rasma RaistersPublished about 11 hours ago in WanderBeautiful Debrecen
Debrecen is the second largest city in Hungary and the regional center of the Northern Great Plain region. White Rose Of The Revolution is a lovely monument that was erected in front of the University Reformed Church. It is a reminder of the 1956 attempted revolutions and those who died in the struggle. The sculpture was designed and created by Miklos Melocco, a member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts.
Rasma RaistersPublished about 11 hours ago in WanderBeautiful Jaffna
The capital of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, Jaffna is the Jaffna District's administrative headquarters. It is located on a peninsula of the same name and is Sri Lanka’s 12th-largest city.
Rasma RaistersPublished about 11 hours ago in Wander𝕐𝕠𝕕𝕖𝕝 𝕙𝕒𝕪𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 “𝕄𝕒𝕪” 𝕕𝕒𝕪𝕤 : 𝕀𝕥’𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕠 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟.
To those, Who stand steady, most in need of a season to add that spice to life! Dive! It’s a beautiful thing to observe nature in all it’s forms. But to notice how it emerges to make life more meaningful is often a matter of perspective.
Madhu GotetiPublished about 14 hours ago in Wander
Creators We’re Loving
The creative faces behind your favorite stories.
Jenifer Nim
56 published stories
Susanna Kiernan
11 published stories
Emily Marie Concannon
83 published stories
Geoffrey Philp
77 published stories
Ian Vince
66 published stories
Mike Singleton - Mikeydred
2208 published stories
em
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Crystal A. Wolfe
57 published stories
Kendall Defoe
534 published stories
Kevin McLaughlin
16 published stories
Nicole Fenn
39 published stories
Rose
28 published stories