Adventure travelers are obsessed with this tiny patch of jungle
The Darién Gap is a wild and beautiful place that’s become a dangerous obsession for generations of travelers.
Vermont travel writer Jen Rose Smith covers adventure, remote places, and traditional cuisine from a home base in the Green Mountains. Her articles have appeared in National Geographic Adventure, American Way, Nexos, Condé Nast Traveler, Backpacker, AFAR, Rolling Stone,USA Today, and Outside Online. Jen is also the author of six travel guidebooks to Vermont and New England, including the award-winning New England Road Trips.
From tropical mountains to the desert, Jen's writing has taken her to some of the world's most spectacular places. Recent adventures include trekking the Borneo highlands, cycling around Peru's highest peak, and a long walk from the Red Sea to the summit of Mount Sinai. She's currently training for the American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race.
American Way •
4th September 2019
Colombia is for Cyclists
We traveled to Colombia to explore the mountains and we found a country in love with bikes.
Adventure.com •
10th June 2019
What can an economist teach travelers about risk?
After a close call on a flight over New Jersey, writer Jen Rose Smith wanted to learn more about how travelers can better deal with risk and uncertainty. So she got in touch with Allison Schrager—an economist, of all things.
Hook and Barrel •
28th August 2019
Fly fishing is back—and it's bigger than ever
"It's gonna happen sooner or later—you'll hook yourself or hook your friends, so pinch down your barbs." I'm knee-deep in the Battenkill River when I remember that advice...
Backpacker Magazine •
24th March 2019
America's Hardest Hikes
Whether it’s big elevation changes, big miles, or big moves, these 23 routes prove that the best hikes are often the hardest. There’s a world of adventure out there—if you’re strong enough to seize it.
CNN Travel •
18th July 2018
Trekking Bolivia's Cordillera Real
For travelers, the diminishing snowpack and melting glaciers lend some urgency to travel planning -- or they may arrive to find that snow and ice have given way to an entirely new landscape.
Outside Online •
20th December 2016
Sleeping Alone in the Woods While Female
When camping alone, I have a ritual that spans two or three nights. On the first evening, I stay up late with a novel, then half-sleep until sunrise, turning my ear toward every snapping twig. If one sleepless night doesn’t exhaust me, a second is sure to do the trick. By my third solo night in the forest, I could sleep through a horror film marathon.
Adventure.com •
5th December 2018
The Human Carpentry of Catalonia's Castellers
Equal parts flesh and architecture, the castellers’ craft is a kind of human carpentry, using their own muscle, sinew and bone as tools.
CNN Travel •
25th March 2019
Visiting a country that doesn't exist
A buffer zone splits this easternmost Mediterranean island in two, a 180-kilometer scar maintained by United Nations peacekeepers in one of the longest-running missions in history.
Atlas Obscura •
22nd March 2019
The Istanbul Food Detectives Recreating Ottoman Cuisine
Here’s a basic shopping list if you’re chef to the Ottoman sultan: The dried glands of a musk deer, a bushel of violets, ambergris from whale bellies, and handfuls of desert-harvested frankincense.
USA Today Go Escape •
21st June 2019
Katahdin Woods and Waters
Clear rivers and hiking trails unspool through dense forest in Katahdin Woods
and Waters. An ancient landscape, it’s also one of America’s youngest national monuments.
Playboy •
4th November 2018
Welcome to the Catalan Republic
A layer of white smoke waves over the crowd, along with hand-painted banners, Catalan flags, and a shower of sparks from a sputtering flare. “Ni oblit,” the people shouted, hoisting clenched fists and small children above their heads, “Ni perdò.” Neither forgotten, nor forgiven.
WorldNomads' USA Guide •
28th May 2019
A Slice of Portugal on Cape Cod
Steering between Cape Cod’s cranberry bogs and sand dunes, I spin the car radio dial in search of music. What I find surprises me, because instead of pop hits or country, I pick up the haunting sounds of a fado song coming from a Portuguese station.
Condé Nast Traveler •
13th May 2019
Hotels Where You Can Chase the Midnight Sun
For the ultimate midnight sun experience, travel beyond the Arctic Circle—at 66˚ of latitude, that invisible line marks the place where the sun stays above the horizon for 24 hours on the solstice.
CNN Travel •
8th May 2019
Amazing destinations with almost no tourists
In 2017, nearly 87 million international tourists arrived in France. That same year, a mere 2,000 international tourists visited the South Pacific country of Tuvalu, where it's easy to find a beach — or even an entire island — to yourself.
AFAR Media •
4th April 2019
11 Lost Cities You Can Actually Visit
Whether you’re among the dusty palaces at Xanadu or walking along ancient Troy’s battlements, you can channel your inner explorer while visiting these ruins, whose cultural breadth and evocativeness show how enduring lost cities can be.
Travel By Lightfoot •
13th July 2019
Baking With Bedouins In The Sinai Desert
In the arid wilderness of the Sinai Desert, fresh-baked bread nourishes body and spirit.
Nexos •
2nd April 2019
Colombia is for Cyclists (Spanish)
An adventurous bikepacking trip through the Andes reveals a culture where cycling is sacred.
Backpacker Magazine •
15th November 2018
Done in a Day: Holy Hikes
Make a modern-day pilgrimage to one of these sacred sites.
AFAR Media •
15th January 2019
AFAR: Why Your Next Trip to Europe Should Be on the Canals
Compared to urban vacations, which can rush through countries at the pace of an Instagram scroll, a European canal cruise is the definition of slow travel. The historic barges keep to a leisurely pace of four miles an hour, following man-made canals dug for transporting everything from wine casks to royal entourages.
Load More Articles
