Animal tourism is a huge issue in Southeast Asia. In developing countries where tourism is often one of the more lucrative ways to make a living, tour operations often overlook the wellbeing of these animals. This is the case with the elephant tourism industry in …

I’ve been playing most of my itinerary fast and loose in recent days, but with each country I visit, I have at least one or two things I want to accomplish. In Thailand, those things were: 1) Visit an ethical elephant sanctuary and 2) Get …

Welcome to wet season. June is a shoulder month, typically marking the end of hot season and the beginning of wet season in Thailand, and for us, it was both hot and wet. My friend, Allison, flew in for a whirlwind week from the U.S., …

My adventure in the Gili Islands began at 6am with an Indonesian man peeking over my top bunk in Kuta. “Excuse me, miss. Miss, your van to Gili is here.” Somehow I had misunderstood the pickup time and rushed to pack all of my things, …

I woke up to the Call to Prayer blasting through the walls of my bungalow. I’m not sure exactly where the mosque was located—in the middle of the island, perhaps—but Gili Air is not a large island, and we heard the entire service loud and …