Want to discover a Western city with lots of moxie, Mounties and the inventor of Canada's national cocktail? Visit Calgary, Alberta. Part of my "Here Not There" series for National Geographic. www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/artic...

Feeling Czeched out of Prague? Try Ljubljana, instead. Slovenia's capital offers lots of similar charm but without the crowds. My latest in National Geographic Travel: www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/artic...

Screens and screams for Timothée Chalamet at the surprising feisty Palm Springs Film Festival awards gala. It didn’t bore.

A sly, oh-so British rebellion against over-tourism: posting glowing reviews of sub-par restaurants, thereby sending social influencers and tourists to them thereby keeping one's treasured local eatery safe from the gluttonous hordes:

I went for a walk last night in Palm Springs. It's a "dark-skies city" which means it favors stargazing over street lights and keeps the illumination at a minimum. This creates some moody, David Lynch-ian contrasts.

Here not There: Long shadows. Palm Springs.

Here Not There - what are destination dupes that you think good fits? Colorado's hot springs vs Iceland's? Fall colors in Scotland not Vermont? The Statue of Liberty in Paris not New York City (there's more than one). On the prowl for good pairings if you have any.

Delighted to spend an evening of discussion on travel and its changes with the delightful and thoughtful @amyalipio and @brooke.sabin — two wonderful Nat Geo colleagues. And a big shoutout to @bspokemind and @bia1973 for bringing this Manhattan salon together.

Reason to love Tucson: Teatro Carmen. Named for theatrical empresaria Carmen de La Rosa, the building served as a 1920s theater, a Black Elks Club lodge and a Chinese grocery. in the Barrio Viejo. Under restoration now it's returning bigger and better.

Gorgeous and golden. Santa Barbara is the closest America gets to the Cote d'Azur. It's not a perfect match. SoCal vernacular is more Spanish than French, but there's Cannes or Cap d'Antibes vibe. They even have the lavender. Read more in my book "Here Not There."

What all the curious travelers are reading. My book “Here Not There” from National Geographic explores and lists counterintuitive travel destinations across the US and throughout the world .

Go here not there for Nat Geo Travel: Versailles gets crowded. For imperial grandeur without the wait, visit Sanssouci, Fredrick the Great’s palatial getaway outside Berlin in suburban Potsdam. Fred's man cave has got the royal bling and trappings — but not the wait.

Enjoying a splendid back-on-campus day on my way to teach a class in destination resiliency. I’m in Charleston SC for 8 weeks for an express version of Strategic Narrative in Placemaking, my class where I’m introducing juniors and seniors to the best travel writers and editors in the world.

USA Today's Travel Editor Josh Rivera talks to my College of Charleston strategic narrative students on the differences between a newspaper's daily publishing schedule and those of a magazine's. Josh and Bay Area travel writer Jill Robinson explained the changes to the media landscape.

In an era of over tourism it pays to think counterintuitively. Rome is buckling as the crush of travelers grows. To see classical ruins without the wait try visiting Trier, Germany, which served as an imperial capital when (ancient) Rome ruled the world. My story for Nat Geo: