Photo: A.K. Photography / Feature: Torley

Would you give up getting your hair cut, walk or take the bus to work, or limit yourself to one happy-hour beer per week to save for vacation?

In this economy, travel has taken a beating. It is often the first thing to go when budgets must be tightened.

But a family in Charlotte thinks that getting away is priority-numero-uno. So they grow their own vegetables, use old-school rabbit ears and a digital converter box on their TV, and drop off their trash instead of paying for pick-up.

They also search out free community events, and when they travel, stay in condos instead of hotels. Condos tend to be both cheaper and allow for cooking meals on the home-away-from-home front.

Plus, once on the road, you can always go the timeshare route for a freebie, if you can handle a nice big sales pitch. And BootsnAll Travel recommends the time-honored tradition of hanging out at your local port (no, not for prostitution purposes). Apparently, boat crews are often looking for a helping hand, and you can build up those muscles in the process (hey, a two-for!).

Personally, I plan to spend a lot less while traveling than I would living in Fairfax. At $1,000 in rent a month, plus general high cost-of-living, Marin, CA certainly ain’t a cheap place to settle.

Moving out of my pad also produced quite a few articles of clothing and shoes that went for sale in the front yard, along with finding their way into consignment stores. Oh, and I can’t forget the many books I bought for school that hadn’t been touched in a year - yep, you guessed it, now on the shelves of used bookstores and Amazon.

What are some things you have cut back on so that you could continue to travel? Share your thoughts below.

Community Connection

Check out Tim Patterson’s diatribe on how to travel the world for free and Ernesto Machado’s musings on how to figure out when budget travel becomes exploitation.

Photo: bowtoo

Apparently, Paganism is where it’s at these days. According to a recent Examiner.com piece, the amount of Pagans is doubling about every 18 months in the US, Canada, and Europe.

So naturally, this increase eventually showed itself in travel.

A record 35,000 attended the Solstice celebration at Stonehenge this summer, eco-retreats are doubling as neo-pagan travel, and there are Fairy/Fairie/Faerie festivals flying in and landing all over the world, from Maryland to Perth.

But beyond travel, the best of all has to be the job possibilities. Or possibility. BBC News ran a piece on the latest Job Centre opening that will bring in £50,000 a year for the right candidate.

Yep, they have a ‘witch’ vacancy. You must be willing to live in a cave at tourist site Wookey Hole, can’t be allergic to cats, and must be able to cackle. Teaching a bit of witchcraft to the people coming through is also a part of the deal.

Hmm, for that kind of money in this economy, I think my cat would dig the darkness and the people-watching. And I’ve certainly been known to let out a good cackle here and there.

What do you think about the upswing in Paganism? Share your thoughts below.

Statue of Santiago on top of the Alto de San Roque/ Photo: Fresco Tours

Through advances in science and technology, we have unprecedented access to knowledge. Yet the ‘Information Age’ has left us bereft of wisdom.

We are now entering a dangerous new period — an Age of Ignorance. The worldwide launch this week of the film, The Age of Stupid, suggests we are headed towards a 6th mass extinction, the 5th being the end of the Dinosaurs.

‘Change’ is the new buzzword. It was not only Barack Obama’s platform, but also became the catchphrase of the recent G20 gathering. Individuals in every country know that we have to dramatically shift our modus operandi to achieve a stable and sustainable future. More of the same is a recipe for disaster.

Enter the Camino de Santiago — pilgrimage routes throughout Europe that are a powerful agent for positive change.

Our Past and Our Future

Photo: compostelavirtual

Of course, every age has inspired humanity to grow to meet new challenges, but this time we have reached the limit to growth. The capacity of the earth to meet our incessant demands is reaching the end point.

Virtually every independent scientist (the ones not employed by government or by multinationals in the oil, motor, pharmaceutical, food and finance industries) and forward thinking individual accepts that fundamental change is now urgently needed.

Humanity’s collective greed spreads like a cancer that, if not checked, threatens to kill the host. For example, an increase in global temperature of a mere 4 degrees means humanity becomes history.

Through the exploitation of natural and human resources, we have created enormous environmental and social degradation. The core issue, however, is not about environmentalism or ethics — it is about the crisis of the human spirit.

The World Wisdom Council, and its affiliated Club of Budapest, are made up of some of the most illumined minds of our time. They include world leaders from a broad background of enlightened engagement, such as the Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev, Muhammad Yunus, and Desmond Tutu.

The Club’s manifesto includes reference to another Nobel Peace Laureate, Albert Einstein, stating:

The fact is, one cannot solve a problem with the same kind of thinking that gave rise to it. When all is said and done, we come to a basic insight: we need a more evolved consciousness. Entering the 21st century with the consciousness that hallmarked the 20th century would be like entering the modern age with the consciousness of the Middle Ages. It would be not only inappropriate, but dangerous.

So what does this have to do with the Camino de Santiago? Put simply, the Camino, with its winding roads and paths, offers respite from the business of modern existence. It provides a unique opportunity to reappraise our direction, and helps to shift us from the Age of Ignorance to the more evolved state noted by the World Wisdom Council.

The Camino allows time away from the familiar and habitual so that new insights can be revealed. A wider perspective opens up, where we begin to realize who we are and what we came here to do.

Our lives are currently lived at such high speeds that we often forget to press the pause button. Many find themselves at the end of life too exhausted to care, while others feel powerless to make any difference.

Making the Shift

It is a given that we need a more evolved consciousness, but how do we make the shift?

Photo: compostelavirtual

Barring divine revelation, such as Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, we are unlikely to make the leap to an entirely new way of thinking while our noses remain welded to the grindstone.

There are, of course, many different paths that we can follow that may help elevate our lives and our collective consciousness. We can join a yoga class, start a daily meditation practice, go on a retreat, take a mid-career break.

But there are always temptations that come to rob us of our new resolve. How easy is it to miss just one class and then another, to skip the morning meditation because we have a deadline, or to use our timeout to travel to some exotic location where we are tempted to drink too much Tequila or to eat too many Fajitas?

With the Camino, no such temptations arise. Each day is lived in the simplicity of the path where we travel at a more natural pace of just 2 miles an hour. This allows time to witness the rising sun, the sacred landscape that surrounds us with its rich array of fauna and flora.

We proceed slowly towards the welcome that awaits us at the day’s end where the warden of the next pilgrim hostel greets us. Along the Camino, these guardians are called ‘hospitaleros,’ a softer term from which we get the word hospitality.

The Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh has his main ashram adjacent to one of the Caminos in France. Here, he and his community practice ‘mindful walking’ every day.

He explains that mindful walking is one of the most effective forms of meditation for our frenetic western mind. He suggests that sitting meditation is simply too difficult for many of us and that meditation has to form part of an activity to be more generally effective.

The Divinity Within

Walking an overtly pilgrim route, such as the Camino de Santiago, reminds us every day of the divinity within ourselves and within all life.

As we walk through the landscape Temples of France and up over the Pyrenees into Northern Spain and Galicia, we are reminded every moment of that spirituality that connects us all, irrespective of our differing religions and philosophies. We find ourselves in the company of like-minded individuals that form a traveling community unique in the world.

Country cart path along the Camino / Photo: Fresco Tours

There are many pilgrimage routes, such as the way to Fatima, but that is exclusively Roman Catholic in orientation. The Hajj is exclusively Muslim, and the Kumbha Mela is sacred to the Hindus.

Only the Camino de Santiago transcends our differences to unite us in an eclectic bond of openness and shared values.

Only the Camino has been designated Europe’s First Cultural Itinerary, recognized by UNESCO, and given World Heritage status on account of “…the testimony to the power of faith and the 1,800 buildings of great historic interest that lie along its path.”

That power is as potent today as it was over a thousand years ago when the first pilgrims set foot towards Santiago. If you are in need of some spaciousness and change in your life, put on your boots and join a community dedicated to lifting collective consciousness by mindful walking along the Camino, which translates simply as ‘the Way’.

What do you think about the possibilities of the Camino de Santiago? Share your thoughts below.

Community Connection

Interested in other spiritual pilgrimages? Check out an interview with Spirit Quest Tours’ founder in Greg Roach Wants You To Make A Spiritual Pilgrimage, and amazing places to worship throughout the world in The World’s 12 Most Spectacular Houses of Worship.

Ian Usher selling it all / Photo: vnecono.vn

Some of you probably heard about the guy in Australia who was selling his entire life - house, furniture, car, friends - on eBay.

Along with the Russian girl selling her virginity in Germany, things didn’t go quite as originally planned. The bidders all dropped like flies once the person with the $400,000 winning bid couldn’t make it happen.

Nevertheless, the guy behind ALife4Sale, Ian Usher, is now cruising around the world in order to complete 100 goals in 100 weeks. These goals range from the life-selling-scheme, to nude sky-diving, to watching a baby being born.

He also includes some charity work, such as trying to raise $50,000 for bowel cancer research. Check out the full list here.

Of his decision to “sell his life” and take on the world, Usher says:

I have had goals and dreams for as long as I can remember, but like everyone else, I have found that living often gets in the way, and goals get put aside for too long! It’s time to start ticking off some goals. It’s time to challenge myself!

I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with some of his out-there endeavors, such as spending the night in a haunted house alone and driving a car off a jetty and escaping it as it sinks (ok, that probably would not make my list). He plans to see the Northern Lights, and just about every cool place you can think of in the world.

And he wants to secure a book deal. Ah, yes of course.

Photo: divemasterking2000

There also is the little tidbit about how the idea to sell his life came from his wife leaving him, which he has since written about in detail.

Readers were able to get the first part of the story on his in-depth website, but had to pay AUS$2.95 to find out how the story ended.

He’s also wrangled out quite a few sponsors, and Disney has optioned a movie deal about the eBay life-selling fiasco.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that to take on 100 adventures all over the world, it can’t be just about making money. Adventure travel has to be in his heart to even have the energy.

But I wonder if we are getting to the point where every move we make is for sale, including our own suffering. Some could say he has turned heartbreak into something positive, but others might say he has exploited himself and his ex-wife in order to make himself famous and rich.

Do you think Usher is a spirited adventurer, or simply a smart businessman? Share your thoughts below.

Community Connection

What isn’t for sale in society today? Check out Asanas For Sale: The Privatization Of Yoga for a look at the yoga trademarking trend, and Nature For Sale: The Growing Trend Of Wilderness Consumption, which questions the commodification of nature.

While clever, the animation is obviously highly selective in the historical dates it chooses. That said, there is still a strong argument for the legalization of the plant - check out an interview with pro-pot activist Rick Steves, and our Guide To Smoking Pot Around the World.

Enjoy the weekend!

Shy / Photo: a hundred visions

When cruising the streets of any hectic Asian city you will see them. You will judge them. You will either respect them and it or you will not.

You might see them walk hand in hand. Maybe he will have an arm around her. Maybe she will cling to him as if there’s no day tomorrow. You will see her dedication to him. And maybe you will see how much he enjoys the attention of a young feisty girl.

It’s all about the love between two people. A young Asian girl and an old grey man that has seen better days.

Can you call this love?

It all depends on the definition of the word “love”. There are many different levels of love and many ways of feeling this “love.”

More or less any poor Asian girl knows that if she lands a Westerner it means security. She needs it and she wants it. Her family is dependent on it and they know if there’s no cash on the table there’s no food in the belly.

Another Perspective

Through her eyes: picture a family of eight and where the youngest sister recently returned home with a new born baby, all living in a one room shed. A hole in the floor functions as a toilet and a bucket provides a cold shower. The kitchen is the fire they start outside their wooden entrance and only door.

You get desperate. You need money. You need security and you do not care how. Desperation for survival eats its way inside you.

Seeing the elderly Westerners who you know are looking for a good time, you start getting ready. Throw on your nicest piece of clothing and whatever make-up you are lucky enough to have and out you go. The bars, the streets, the restaurants even the corner of any highway.

When people look at you, they know. They think their thoughts about you and you feel humiliated, cheap and scared. But what you are most scared of is not being able to feed your sister’s baby and your family.

A man comes up to you and starts a conversation. You feel insecure about what to say. You want to say the right thing. You want him to like you, to take you in, to fall in love with you. To save you.

The Dream

It happens, the greatest thing you ever dreamt of happens. You pinch yourself making sure it’s real, that in this moment, in this time, in this place. It’s real!

Looking back / Photo: i see you

He feeds you, takes you to nice up beat restaurants, you hold his hand. You sleep with him and he treats you well. He’s a good man. An old man but a sincere man. You get to know more about him and him about you. He tells you he’s lonely and lives in a cold country on the other side of the world.

You cling to him; you feel “love” for him. You tell him you “love” him and after a while he says “okay.”

Your family starts to eat better; the baby is safe and healthy. He gives you money twice a month to help you and your family lead a better life.

Then he’s gone, back to his home country and your whole world falls apart. What now? The desperation you felt before meeting this wonder of a man starts burning inside of you again.

Then he calls: “Let’s go open a bank account and I will transfer the money to you while being home”. You feel relieved. You feel calm and most grateful to this God of a man.

A Reason To Live

Is this love? The answer would be yes and no.

She loves him of the fact that he helps her. We, the ones born and raised in a country where hunger is not an issue; far away from the world of poverty. We don’t see things the same way.

What we care about is having the right car, the cool shoes, the modern brands, the fashionable clothes, and the only desperation you feel is being cool enough join the community of the ridiculous materialistic world you live in.

He loves her too. She gives him a reason to live, even at home. He calls her, tells her what he’s been doing and how his side of the world treats him. They share stories, thoughts, smiles, and maybe even secrets.

They do have a relationship; they are together as a couple. Their exist in a world of their own.

What would you think if your father began dating this girl?

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Wisdom from experience / Photo: tiago.ribeiro

“Up top,” the old man said. He demonstrated, opening wide to reveal his tongue touching the roof of his mouth. “Easy, see?”

Sure. Already the tiny hut was hot. We sat in a half circle around the rusted oil drum, five Americans and the old Aleutian. Inside the drum a fire torched, causing sweat to run down our naked torsos. A rough ceiling hung inches overhead. Heat and sweat.

A small room. The old man wanted to know if we were ready. Sure.

Gently he dipped the aged soup can into the bin of boiling water. We watched him stretch the crudely fashioned dipper over the heat. He smiled, then began to methodically pour the water onto the small rocks covering the drum. The rocks hissed and belched narrow towers of steam.

For three seconds nothing more happened. Then a blanket of heat struck, reflecting from the outer walls. The painful burn flayed my back and I felt real fear. A blur of human flesh bowled through the tiny door before me, pursued by Hell’s climate.

Then a layer of steam clouded the tiny room, diminishing visibility. Remembering the old man’s words I pressed my tongue upward.

A Traveler’s Tale

When I think on travel it’s the truest moment that comes to mind, like the old man sharing his life in the midst of Alaska.

The river wild / Photo: code poet

That my own story should strike me as a traveler’s tale seems odd. For so long I’ve idealized the true traveler. He’s always shown superior understanding, enlightenment, and fulfillment. A man of the road, heightened by awareness.

I am not that man. Yet, I’ve traveled and seen places, acted occasionally as a tourist, but attempted to learn. Did I somewhere unknowingly become the true traveler? Or am I a tourist fascinated by travel? I can only answer by returning to the beginning.

First, there was the desire to travel. Then there was the plan. We’d carry backpacks, stay in hostels and explore without a plan, all in an effort to capture the spirit of travel.

But even as we moved I felt us failing my romanticized notions. Yes, Christina and I ran to trains lugging our packs and lost our way in the streets of Venice.

We thwarted the Lonely Planet recommendations in order to find the world’s best kept dining secrets. In Rome we crossed verbal swords with an unscrupulous guide and took victory. We overcame logistical obstacles and breathed the experiences, history, and culture home couldn’t offer.

We were, in short, on vacation. And isn’t vacation the enemy of travel?

A Wealthy Warlord

That realization introduced guilt to an otherwise rewarding experience. By scanning online posts, watching documentaries, and reading insightful articles I began to educate myself on the parasitic tourist.

Words and pages filed by the Zen nomads reprimanded me for my apparent disregard for human suffering. I became, through their words, a “wealthy warlord lobbing missiles into the hearts of the environment and foreign cultures.” I was entirely disconnected from the art of travel.

So I decided to change. I couldn’t—or wouldn’t—eliminate travel. But I could determine to travel responsibly, with an eye for local immersion. Travel and understanding, I reasoned, could coexist.

Feeling my “rich, white man’s burden” lightening, I chose Alaska as a destination. Not Anchorage, Denali, or cruise ship Alaska, but working Alaska. Westbound for a job in a salmon cannery.

Go North

In western Alaska I spent a month mucking about with dead fish. I lived in housing constructed of plywood and corrugated siding, beside the gray Naknek River. Bald eagles flew over daily. A grizzly heaved himself into the mess hall dumpster occasionally.

Alaskan ship awaits cargo / Photo: author

I toiled through long hours and lost too much sleep. My coworkers were Ukrainians, Dominicans, Mexicans, Japanese and Turks. Many were Aleutian natives who annually hopped from cannery to cannery, following the fish. Together we worked and ate and walked into town.

The old man taught us about the native sweat hut. His tongue trick allowed us to grit through the inferno until we began to sweat like Aleutian men.

In the heat the old man shared a sliver of culture, a moment of camaraderie, a touch of humanity in a wild land. Something museums and tours couldn’t offer.

Since Europe and Alaska I’ve struggled with the traveler versus tourist debate. The words from both parties are too irate for sensible, worldly citizens who claim awareness. Neither group, it seems, can accept that I view my experiences as equally rewarding. So I’ve been forced to manufacture my own ideas.

To Plunge Right In

The difference between a tourist and a “true” traveler is not that their directions are so misaligned. It’s that their stopping off points differ.

Where a vacationer goes to view another place and culture a traveler goes to plunge right in. Europe for me was informative, pleasurable, and wildly exciting. It was a world where each day was a joy. Do I now know how the Italians, Swiss or English live? Not really, I tell the pundits, but I know how they welcome foreigners.

The salmon cannery showed me a side of Alaska beyond the glaciers and grizzlies. I learned what life is like for thousands of natives, but never did I misinterpret that knowledge as total understanding.

At times it was fun, mostly it was work and waiting. I wasn’t on vacation. Instead I was living ordinary life in an extraordinary place. The good was tempered by the bad.

Now when I travel I prefer to journey on a budget. Often I sleep in tents, cook meals on a camp stove, and take strangers up on offers of dinner, a backyard, or coffee.I ride a bike because it’s cheaper and more enjoyable than a car. I do these things because it’s the only way I can afford to travel.

If I won the lottery tomorrow, would I give it up for first class and fancy restaurants? Never, but I’d probably spring for a vacation once a year. I now have a tough time believing that my enjoyable week harms underdeveloped nations.

Miserable people don’t change the world.

What are your thougths on the myth of the true traveler? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo: Allison Cross

“Do you have a husband?” It’s a question I get asked every day, sometimes two or three times.

It’s usually as I ride on the back of a motorbike on my way into town from my house, which is out in the country. Clutching tight to the small handle on the back of the bike, doing my best not to fall off, I’ll lean forward to try and hear the driver as he talks to me from inside his bulky helmet.

“Are you married?” he’ll ask, again.

In the beginning, I was mostly honest. I’d say I wasn’t married, but I’d fib a little and say I had a serious boyfriend back in Canada.

As more and more men asked for my phone number, asked to see me every day and asked to be my Sierra Leonean boyfriend, I upgraded the serious boyfriend to a fiancé. But I soon discovered this didn’t dissuade the constant winks and offers for love, marriage or sex.

The men in Sierra Leone are aggressive. They whistle and hiss at women as they walk the streets and I’m told I get the brunt of the public attention because I’m a foreigner.

Roaming Eyes

Some days it’s easy to ignore the calls, but other days a knot will form in my stomach, my cheeks will burn and I’ll long to turn around and release stream of expletives in their direction. But I’ve never done that. Instead I’ll keep my eyes forward and keep walking.

And it isn’t just men who see me on the street. Boys as young as ten lick their lips and call me “baby” as they try to sell me fruit. Men I meet while out working with local journalists will lean very close to me as we talk – too close – and let their hand fall from my shoulder and trail down my back.

Others won’t look me in the eye as we talk, instead letting their eyes roam up and down my body.

Speaking to veteran journalists before I came to Sierra Leone, they warned about the male behaviour, and how it might shock a Canadian like me so accustomed to political correctness. But they counseled me to use the attention to my advantage, and seek out interviews male foreigners would never be able to attain.

Fight or Flight?

Speaking to a local female journalist for advice on how to avoid so much attention, she recommended I placate the men who sought me out, and tell them that although I’d love to spend time with them, I’m committed to my fiancé and to my work.

I was encouraged to laugh about it and throw some humour on the whole situation. I didn’t want to burn any bridges with these men, she told me.

I didn’t like this advice. I didn’t like the idea that I had to appease men in order to stop them from harassing me and touching me without my permission.

Some men take disturbing liberties with the bodies and freedoms of women in Sierra Leone. The West African country has extremely high rates of rape, forced and underage marriage, teenage pregnancy and female genital mutilation.

Widows regularly lose their property when their husbands die, after his brothers or children from previous marriages claim it as their own. Sexual violence was used widely as a weapon of war during Sierra Leone’s brutal 11-year civil conflict.

But speaking up against abuse hasn’t been a part of the female culture in Sierra Leone. Three laws enacted by parliament in 2007 made domestic abuse and child marriage illegal, but many rural women are still unaware of what their rights are.

The Dilemma

Speaking up about abuse can mean women are ostracized by their husbands and exiled from their communities.

None of this is to say many women haven’t successfully entered aspects of public and political life in Sierra Leone. But the liberties men continue to take with women’s bodies are unacceptable to me.

Living abroad requires finding that tricky balance between holding on to your own ideals and adapting to the ideals of your host country.

For me, it’s eight months of uncomfortable but generally harmless advances by men. Whether I stand up or not only matters to me and whether I feel offended or unsafe in a certain situation. But there’s much more at stake for a woman in Sierra Leone.

I’m left wondering if it’s better to try and take a stand, to set an example, or to let their fight for equal rights and respect run its own course.

As a foreigner, what’s the best way to deal with sexual harrassment in other countries? Share your thoughts in the comments!

There are all kinds of reasons why travelers seek out temples, mosques, synagogues and churches on the road.

These holy buildings literally house tradition and history, offer insight into local cultures, and do so while putting irreplaceable works of art and architecture on display — often for free. And of course, they’re also popular destinations for spiritually-minded visitors, too.

Whether you’re seeking buildings with powerful religious or historical significance, or simply an overwhelming visual experience, here are 12 memorable houses of worship from around the globe:

1. St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. St. Peter’s is a triple threat — it’s the centuries-old seat of Catholicism, home to one of the finest art collections in the world, and a visual feast in its own right. Found it overhyped and overcrowded when you visited? Here’s a hint: show up early. At 8am, you’ll have the place to yourself./ Photo: edbrambley

2. Golden Temple, Amritsar, India. Amritsar’s Harmandir Sahib, or “Golden Temple,” is the holiest site in Sikhdom. It’s located in the Punjab, in north western India. / Photo: estetika

3. Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang, Malaysia. Kek Lok Si’s giant Kwan Yin statue dominates the road to Georgetown, the main city on Malaysia’s Pulau Penang, and the various segments of the temple proper seem to spill down the mountainside. I’m sure there are plenty of more famous Buddhist temples in the world, but this one has stayed with me for years. / Photo: shanemcg

4. Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Mecca is the historic and spiritual heart of Islam. Millions of devotees flock to the vast mosque complex each year for the hajj, the world’s largest pilgrimage. At present, Mecca is open only to hajjis — so for now, unless you’re a practicing Muslim, file this one under “daydreams.” / Photo: Wiki Commons

5. Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain. Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece (under construction for 127 years and counting) is a mixed-up fantasy of shapes and colors, light and space. The scaffolding and other signs of construction only add to the awesome confusion of a holy sensory overload. / Photo: jurvetson

6. Aya Sofya, Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul’s Aya Sofya (also called the Hagia Sophia) began life nearly 1500 years ago, as a church. 1000 years later, after the Muslim conquest of Turkey, it was re-invented as a mosque: its mosaics were plastered over, and replaced by Islamic calligraphy. Today it’s a de-consecrated museum — the mosaics are being slowly uncovered, and displayed alongside their later replacements, showing the literal layers of religious history at the junction of Europe and Asia. / Photo: vshioshvili

7.Jain and Hindu Temples, Khajuraho, India. If you’ve walked the tourist trail in India, chances are you already know Khajuraho — the erotic sculptures that cover the walls of the village’s temple complex are a big hit with visitors. / Photo: sankaracs

8.Il Duomo, Florence, Italy. Officially known as the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence’s “Duomo” (Italian for cathedral) has two ways to awe you: First, there’s the massive dome, the largest ever to be constructed in brick, and one of the first major domes to be constructed since Roman times. And second, there’s the facade, an intricate marble pattern in pink, green and white. Honestly, I don’t think I’d ever get tired of looking at this building. / Photo: chrisbuckridge

9.Great Synagogue, Budapest, Hungary. Also known as the Dohany Street Synagogue, Budapest’s Jewish temple is the second largest in the world. Theodore Herzl grew up next door. / Photo: harshilshah

10.Great Mosque, Xi’an, China. Xi’an’s Great Mosque was built more than 1300 years ago, and still serves local Chinese Muslims today. If you’re expecting domes and minarets, though, don’t hold your breath — the complex is built entirely in the traditional Chinese style, and — visually — has more in common with the Forbidden City than with Mecca. / Photo: andreweland

11.Rock-Cut Churches, Lalibela, Ethiopia. Lalibela is a hub for the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian community, and the area is home to a cluster of rock-cut churches — that is, holy buildings carved downward into the ground, instead of built upward from ground level. Ethiopia’s Christians have a history all their own, and (as you see below) an architecture to match. / Photo: herr_hartmann

12. Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.This modern-day cathedral may not be entirely to my taste, but there’s no denying the power of a church built 250 feet high, with floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows climbing 210 feet. / Photo: soldan

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

These are a few of the buildings that have fascinated me in recent years, whether in person or in photos — but I know there are many more remarkable houses of worship out there. What are some of your favorites? Even better, got a photo link to share?

And before you go see these places for yourself, why not brush up on how to respectfully visit holy places around the world?

A moment’s rest in the Azores, Portugal.

Greetings readers!

You may (or may not) have noticed I haven’t published an editor’s update for almost a month. That’s because I was off gallivanting in TV land, working with the crew on the reality series Word Travels.

Now in its third season, the show follows the talented travel writers Robin Esrock and Julia Dimon as they scope out stories and battle deadlines around the globe. I was privileged enough to work with the small team that makes the magic happen, visiting three countries in 3 weeks: Georgia, Italy and Portugal.

In the coming week I’ll be publishing an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at how a travel show is put together, offering an intimate glimpse into the personalities and process.

In the meantime, feel free to check out my Flickr galleries showing my favourite shots from the trip.

Until then!

- Ian