A Journey Through Madagascar: Notes on the Privilege of Travel

Two years ago, I wrote about how privileged and lucky we are to be able to travel the world. No matter our circumstances, we are doing something most of the world will never get a chance to do. Most people never leave their own country, let alone their continent.

Even if we’re barely scraping two pennies together as we couchsurf the world, we’re pretty fortunate. I wrote back then (and sorry for quoting myself):

In the “quit your job to travel the world” cheerleading that happens so often on travel websites (including this one), we often forget that it’s not easy for everyone.

There are those for whom no mindset change, spending cuts, or budget tips will help them travel — those who are too sick, have parents or children to care for, face great debt, or work three jobs just to make rent.

After all, 2.8 billion people — nearly 40% of the world’s population — survive on less than $2 USD a day! In my home country of the United States, 14% of the population is below the poverty line, 46 million people are on food stamps, many have to work two jobs to get by, and we have a trillion dollars in student debt dragging people down.

Nothing any website can say will magically make travel a reality for those people.

Those of us who do travel are a privileged few.

That’s not to say that hard work doesn’t count, but hard work doesn’t exist in a bubble — the circumstances that create the opportunities for hard work to bear fruit are often just as important as the work itself: support from family and friends, jobs that allow for overtime, a strong currency, cheap flights, or golden passports allow you to find work overseas. All these things matter. Most of us who travel aren’t barely getting by or on social assistance nor do we wonder if we can afford the next meal.

Whether you are traveling the world on $10, $50, or $200 a day, the simple fact you are traveling for pleasure puts you in a global minority.

We’re a privileged bunch.

Traveling constantly teaches me to appreciate just how lucky I am to do what I do. It reminds me never to forget the fact that I have access education, support systems, and resources most of the world doesn’t.

My visit to Madagascar in September was my most recent reminder of this. Madagascar is a country of 20 million people that sees only 300,000 tourists a year. In Madagascar, 90% of the population lives in poverty, and 25% live in areas prone to natural disaster. Almost half of all children under five are malnourished, and the GNP is just $420 per capita (with 92% of the population living on $2 a day). Madagascar is also one of the ten countries most at risk from the effects of climate change. The country is 152 of 188 on the UN Human Development Index. Things are so bad there was actually a recent outbreak of plague. Yes, THE PLAGUE.

While I’ve seen poverty before on my travels, it’s never been as open, vivid, and widespread as what I saw in Madagascar.

My guide Patrick told me about Madagascar’s plight: corruption, environmental degradation, poverty, poor infrastructure, and a lack of education (including sex education) that has led to overpopulation, too many kids, not enough jobs, and a vicious cycle.

In Madagascar the roads have more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese, and there are too many cars and frequent accidents. Going 250km can take up to eight hours. While I was there, a bridge on the only north-south road collapsed because a truck was too heavy for it (weight station bribes are frequent). We had to wade through a river for another bus to pick us up on the other side.

And trains? The three train lines, built by the French in the 1960s, run only a few times a month, are mostly used for freight, and frequently break down. They are worse than the roads.

Madagascar is a place where houses reminded me of early colonial US settlers: dirt and mud homes with straw roofs and one tiny window for air. I visited a few villages, and inside these homes, I immediately noticed the musty air and lack of ventilation. I thought to myself, This is how people get respiratory diseases.

It is a country where kids wear an amalgamation of whatever they can find — and more often than not, it is filled with holes.

It is a place where people live in shantytowns and on riverbanks where they also dry their clothes (and where it floods constantly during the rainy season). They fish and farm in urban areas next to factories dumping pollution.

It is a country where I saw people mining for sapphires in conditions so harsh it could only be described as a scene out of Blood Diamond. This is place where the mining industry keeps people in company towns under terrible conditions simply because they know the people have no other option.

It is a place where the kind of poverty you read about became very, very real.

This is not to say I never knew this stuff existed. I’m not naïve or stupid. I read the news. I’ve been around the world. I’ve seen corruption, political turmoil, and poverty before. But it’s one thing to read about stark poverty in the news and it’s another to see it in front of you. It’s another to be confronted with it and have it confront your views.

This isn’t a situation where it’s like “Ohh, wow, it’s poverty! Let’s go take a look!”

This is one of those situations where you feel like you’re seeing for the first time.

This is one of those situations where your bubble bursts and what you see on TV and the news goes from abstract to real.

It’s become so easy nowadays to travel in your comfort zone and never come face to face with aspects of the world that may utterly change who you are and what you think. It’s easy to visit developing or developed countries, stay on the backpacker trail, and never see anything that makes us confront our privilege. It’s easy to only see what you want to see, to stare at Facebook in hostels, visit backpacker bars, take big-bus tours, fly from resort to resort, and attend cultural events designed for tourists.

If travel is meant to push you out of your comfort zone and expand your mind, you need to visit places that do so. To me this is part of the beauty of travel. It forces you outside your bubble, which adds great perspective to life.

You realize how lucky you are to be able to travel — while getting to know how most of the world really lives. To see it, to experience it. While we argue on Facebook and debate Twitter memes, kids go to bed hungry across the world (and sadly too often in developed countries too).

This is not to say I am arguing for “poverty tourism,” but going to places so different from your own can open your mind to different cultures, lifestyles, behaviors, and income levels.

The locals in Madagascar were friendly, welcoming, and hospitable. They were genuinely curious in our conversations and appreciative of the fact we were there. They never made me feel like I didn’t belong. I loved all my interactions with people in the country and the happy smiles they had on their faces. I’m sure they would all love a little bit more fresh water, health care, food, and basic infrastructure. But it was nice to see kids playing in the streets not glued to their iphone. It was nice to remember that there’s so much beyond consumerism.

My trip to Madagascar was a deeply profound one because it pulled me out of my bubble and made me remember that’s there is stark inequality in the world and made want to do more about it.

It was a reminder to resubscribe to the Ralph Waldo Emerson school of thought:

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

Words without action are nothing. I must not become too selfish and I must endeavor more to give back to the places that give me so much.

So, as I end this article, I want to highlight some good local development organizations that are working to improve the living conditions in Madagascar. I donated $250 to each already.

• Feedback Madagascar is an organization that helps to alleviate poverty by working directly with communities to recognize the relationship between poverty, environmental degradation, and poor health. It gives priority to project sites in remote areas.
• SEED Madagascar specializes in sustainable development and conservation projects in the southeastern part of Madagascar. Its projects include school building, natural resource management, environmental conservation, and more.
• Madalief is a nonprofit organization run by a small group in the Netherlands, and it aims to give poor children in Madagascar a better future. Madalief also helps offer employment to locals on the project site, like at its eco-social hotel in Ambositra (which I stayed in).
• Hope For Madagascar – With a focus on disadvantaged children and women, Hope For Madagascar builds and repairs schools and offers scholarships to children in need. It also works to improve village self-sufficiency through clean water and permaculture projects.
• Reef Doctor – This non-profit has been implementing conservation projects in southwest Madagascar for 15 years. Reef Doctor works to restore and preserve vulnerable habitats and overexploited resources, while also creating projects to alleviate poverty in Madagascar.

In a country where a meal is less than a dollar, corruption is rife, and higher education is uncommon, a little can go a very, very long way.

I encourage you to seek out destinations that make you rethink your life; to find organizations that help others and the environment when you travel; to get off the tourist trail, expand your mind, open your heart, and, as Gandhi said, be the change we wish to see the in the world.

(And visit Madagascar. It’s a wonderful place. See my previous articles fawning over it.)

Amazon’s Best-selling Packing Cubes Will Finally Help You Become an Organized Packer

Courtesy of Amazon

Packing is almost always a hassle. From deciding on your outfits to trying to squeeze last-minute necessities into a carry-on, it can be an overwhelming task. To make the process a bit easier, travel experts will often recommend investing in packing cubes to save space and make organizing a breeze. If you don’t know where to start, Amazon shoppers have already done the hard work for you — over 2,400 reviewers claim the Bagail Packing Cubes Set are one of the best on the market.

The Bagail packing cubes come as a set of six, including two slim cubes, two medium cubes, and two large-sized cubes. They each have zippers, handles, and mesh panels so you can easily identify what’s packed in each one. Shoppers say they can fit much more than they anticipated in each cube, plus they come in 14 different color and pattern options so you can mix and match. Anne McAlpin, packing expert and founder of packing resource Pack It Up, suggests buying a variety of cube colors. So if you’re looking for, say, pants, you’ll know what exactly color cube to grab. “It took me years to get on the packing cube bandwagon, but using them has changed my life,” she previously told Travel + Leisure.

Courtesy of Amazon

To buy: amazon.com, $25

Amazon shoppers love the Bagail packing cubes so much that they’re the retail giant’s number-one best selling set and stand at an overall 4.8-star rating.

“I got these packing cubes on a whim, for a trip I am taking. I had no idea that they would end up being so great! I was mostly interested in the smaller ones, but I ended up using all six in my medium size suitcase. I found that I can keep my shoes, shirts, pants and so on separate and neat. It's amazing how much you can actually fit into these things,” one customer wrote. “I got 4 pair of shoes in the medium sized one and 10 shirts in the big one. And needless to say, my suitcase is organized and I know where everything is. I won't have to do the scavenger hunt through my suitcase when I need something. These are a great travel must have, especially for the price.”

If you’ve already been considering packing cubes for your next trip or need a solution to unorganized packing (we’re not judging), this Bagail set may be worthy of earning a spot in your suitcase.

How to Visit Alberto Gutiérrez, the Stone Carving Hermit of Nicaragua

Updated: 07/01/2018 | July 1st, 2018

Nicaragua is a place that attracts visitors with its surf, beaches, hiking, volcanoes, and delicious food. You’ll never be short of something to do. But if you’re looking for something different and personable, travel north to Esteli and search out Alberto Gutiérrez, the town’s stone-carving hermit.

He’s not easy to get to but he’s worth the trek.

I got lucky. A friend of mine connected me with a local named Rodney McDonald, who runs a great program teaching communities about fire safety and EMS. (Tragically, it’s not very common in Central America.) Rodney would show me around the area, including taking me to see Alberto.

“Not many people get out to see him. Most don’t even know about him. If you want to break up your hiking, typical sightseeing, and drinking, we’ll go in the morning.” Rodney said to me.

I was intrigued.

How could I say no to that?

Alberto is something of a local character and has been carving figures and images into the rocks around his house for nearly 30 years. While he’s no hidden secret (I wish I could say I was the first to visit with this amazing man), since he is hard to get to, not many people actually endeavor to visit him. (Do a quick Google search and you’ll find very little information on Alberto.)

And so, the following morning, Rodney, one of his employees (you can hear her translating in the video), and I climbed into his pickup tuck and headed out of town. We drove to its edge, into rural Nicaragua, where houses became trees and small street stalls. “This is definitely out of the way,” I thought to myself.

We suddenly turned onto a dirt road. There was nothing around but rolling green hills and farms. No signs pointing our way. The road seemed as random as the adventure. We passed horses and a few houses up this bumpy, windy dirt road until eventually, we stopped. On our left was a footpath through a stranger’s farm.

“We’ll head down there to Alberto’s house,” Rodney said to me.

We trekked down the hill, taking time to marvel at the beautiful scenery, before continuing down a small cow path through the woods, eventually coming upon what seemed to be the only house for miles.

A woman came out, greeted us, and led us behind the house, where a sun-kissed, scruffy man with an ear-to-ear smile came out to greet us. It was Alberto — and immediately he began to tell us stories of the local woods, plant life, and his carvings, all of which are summed up in this week’s video:

The day we spent visiting Alberto, hearing his story, seeing his carvings, and wandering around this remote area in Nicaragua was one of the most unexpected and enjoyable days I had during my visit. If you find yourself in Nicaragua and want to see the most jovial and interesting man in the country, head up to Esteli and visit Alberto.

Tell him I say hello.

Directions: Getting there is a bit complicated. To visit Alberto Gutiérrez, take a bus or taxi to the Tisey Estanzuela Natural Reserve. Ask to be dropped off at the entrance to El Calejate or Eco Posada. If you are dropped off at Eco Posada (where you can get lunch, buy drinks, etc.), keep walking up the road and eventually you’ll come to a big clearing on your left with a well-worn road going slightly down the hill. There will be a sign that says “El Calejate.” Go down this path, admire the stunning view, and then veer left down the footpath down the hill. Keep walking and you will see a sign that says “Bienvenidos a Galeria Esculturas en Piedras.” Cross the wooden gate and start calling out. Alberto will come out to greet you. Roam Nicaragua also has a tour for $30 USD if you don’t want to try to find Alberto by yourself! They also visit a market and go hiking.

Book Your Trip to Nicaragua: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight to Nicaragua by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines. Start with Momondo.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel in Nicaragua with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates. (Here’s the proof.)

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never ever go on a trip without it. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. You should too.

Need Some Gear?
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use!

Want More Information on Nicaragua?
Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on Nicaragua for even more planning tips!

How I'm Dealing With My Anxiety By Not Planning While in South America

I had a plan. Well, a vague idea. I came back from exploring Southeast Asia after only two months for two reasons: to speak at a NYC travel show in January and to give a keynote speech in Orlando in February about connecting with consumers on social media.

It didn’t make sense to fly home, back to Asia, and then back again, so what to do with the time in between talks?

“South America,” I thought. It’s a place I haven’t visited much, so what better way to spend my time than seeing the continent?

(Well, at least part of it.)

With the seven weeks I had, I planned to explore Argentina and Chile. Then, upon realizing that Uruguay was a ferry ride from Buenos Aires, I thought, “Let’s go there too.” So my seven-week trip was going to look like this:

Buenos Aires (Argentina) –> Colonia (Uruguay) –> Montevideo (Uruguay) –> Rosario (Argentina) –> Córdoba (Argentina) –> Mendoza (Argentina) –> Santiago (Chile) –> Torres del Paine (Chile) –> Bariloche (Argentina) –> Santiago (Chile)

A little fast-paced but still not too fast.

I picked this route because it made the most logistical sense. Whereas my itinerary in Southeast Asia revolved around a purpose (to see Isaan), this itinerary came about because I drew straight lines and these places fell on the lines!

But, after two days in Buenos Aires, I changed my plans.

This time it had nothing to do with being pulled in another direction or meeting people and deciding to travel with them.

It had to do with the fact that I was metaphorically drowning.

See, I’ve always been a high-strung person. I work too much, I don’t balance work and play, and I make myself vague promises that tomorrow I’ll do things differently — but I never do. I have that New England work ethic (which I have no regrets about), but since December, it’s caused me anxiety. The kind that makes your eye twitch.

My assistant Erica describes my work ethic as “super full-time,” which normally isn’t a problem, but lately it’s developed into one. I’m juggling too many projects. While I’ve always done that, after talking to a really close friend, I realized that the difference between now and the past was that I did all my previous juggling while in one place. I could create a schedule. Now, I’m trying to do eight things (literally) while traveling, and it’s been hard to maintain.

Moreover, there’s been some really big personal and family issues going on that have just added to this “weight.”

Something had to give and, unfortunately, it was my sanity.

In an effort to reclaim my sanity and health and recommit to creating the balance in my life I promised myself months ago after my friend’s passing, I decided to make a change. Mind you, I’m not unhappy (my life is pretty awesome) or feeling ungrateful, and I know I brought this upon myself, but I can’t go on like this.

So what does that mean? Besides dropping projects left and right, my itinerary now looks like this:

 

 

 

Can’t see anything? Where’s that map? Nope, your browser is not broken. That’s no mistake. There’s no itinerary anymore. I now have no timetable for this trip. I’ve spent the last week in Mendoza, Argentina, drinking wine and finishing a couple of projects I needed/wanted done, but with those complete, all that is left is whatever blog posts I choose to write. I don’t plan on really seeing much other than Netflix (please, no Making a Murderer spoilers!), the end of many good books, and the great outdoors as I hike the shit out of Patagonia.

As I thought about the causes of my anxiety and feelings of panic, I kept coming back to the word have. I have to do this, I have to attend this event, I have to go to this meeting, or I have to say yes to this. My friend James Altucher wrote a book called The Power of No, and I’ve thought a lot lately about that liberating word — no. I feel in our modern life we fall into “the busy trap” where we say yes to everything. Suddenly, we get caught up in a cycle and we’re going nonstop. We’re overcommitted, burnt out, and drinking energy drinks or coffee to stay awake for it all.

But beyond a few basic needs (eating, drinking water, taking care of family, and working), we don’t have to do anything. We don’t need to say yes to everything or everyone. We can say no. We are the masters of our ship, and if we don’t want to do something, we don’t have to! It’s our lives. Who cares what people think? I always knew this on an intellectual level, but it wasn’t until my eye started twitching and I felt like I couldn’t handle it all that I finally realized it on an emotional level.

I got caught up in the cycle and didn’t realize until I was drowning. I let it get out of control.

So I am saying: no more.

I turned down that keynote. I don’t plan on running tours this year. I said no to all upcoming podcasts and interviews. I cleared the calendar, nuked the inbox, put up an out of office, and let go of some people in my life that shouldn’t have been there.

Now, I am off to Chile, where I’ll take an Intrepid tour of Patagonia. After that, I’ll stay in Patagonia and very slowly make my way back north to Santiago.

A few weeks ago, I watched the movie The Way. There is a great line in it: “You don’t choose a life. You live it.” But I only partially agree with that. I think you do make a choice.

Each day is a chance to get one step closer to your ideal, because if you don’t try to make tomorrow better than today, what’s the point?

As I make my choice to get closer to my ideal, I don’t know what the future holds, but I know I’m on the right path and that brings me a lot of comfort.

47 Signs You Might Be a Backpacker

Updated: 8/20/2018 | August 20th, 2018

Backpacking. It’s more than just slinging a pack over your shoulder and setting off into the wild blue yonder. It’s a way of seeing the world and interacting with it. It embraces chaos, challenges, and serendipity. It’s wanting to get under the skin of a destination, to get out of your comfort zone, to try new foods, meet new people, and skip the fancy resorts.

Backpacking isn’t a vacation. It’s an adventure.

It’s a way of life.

When people ask me what kind of traveler I am, I always say I’m a backpacker. It’s just who I am as a person. Even as I get older, it’s a style of travel I continue to identify with.

But how do you know if you’re a backpacker at heart? Here are 47 tell-tale signs that you too might be backpacker:

You don’t know what to write down when asked for your permanent address.

You don’t know what to write down for occupation on the customs forms.

Pasta has been your main meal for months in the hostel kitchen. Sometimes you mix it up by putting chicken in it.

You also live on rice, trail mix, and other cheap foods.

You wear the same shirt for a week (or longer).

You wear the same jeans for two weeks.

You do your laundry in hostel sinks.

Everything you own fits into one pack.

You think nothing of sharing a room with the stranger you just met five minutes ago.

Hot water is often seen as a luxury.

So is a comfy bed.

So is a bathroom IN your room.

So is air conditioning.

You will sleep anywhere as long as it is cheap and bed bug free.

You have a warped sense of cost. Three dollars for a room? Great deal! Three dollars for a meal? Outrageous! Five dollars for an Uber? I’ll walk the extra thirty minutes.

When you go back home, you find it weird that you can’t haggle over prices.

You can’t sleep without earplugs anymore, even if no one is snoring.

You haven’t slept in a room by yourself since you left home.

You can never remember what day of the week it is.

Or the month.

You’re excellent at using hand signs and pantomiming for things you want.

You ask people where they’re from before you ask them what their name is, and you remember them according to where they came from.

No matter where you go, the beer is never cheap enough.

You have permanent flip-flop tan lines on your feet.

You find it odd to be surrounded by people who have the same accent as you.

You can say “cheers” in more languages than you’d like to admit.

You are pleasantly surprised when you find toilet paper in the bathroom.

You believe that a good shower constitutes running water.

You have learned to say “beer” in 10 languages.

You fill your pockets with as many bread rolls and jam packets from the free breakfast as you can so you can eat lunch today.

You haven’t showered without flip-flops in months.

Your budget revolves around how much alcohol you can buy in one night.

You plan your travel around getting free accommodation on a train, plane, or bus.

You’ll spend a night in an airport to save money.

You know the nationality of everyone in the hostel just by looking at their backpacks.

You’re permanently tired.

You see a television as a luxury and a waste of time.

But you instantly want to become best friends with someone that has Netflix subscription with them!

You still think the three shirts you have been wearing for the past 6 months are fashionable.

You have fisherman’s pants.

You know what the words “visa run” entail and how painful one can be.

You consider a dorm with “only” 8 beds a luxury.

You get disappointed when you enter a new country and don’t get a stamp.

You repeatedly swear “this is your last time flying Ryanair” until the show up as the cheapest flight on your next search result.

You swear you’ll never take an overnight bus again and do it anyways.

As you get older, you swear you give up dorms and then book one for tomorrow night. It’s so cheap!

No matter where you are in the world, you know it’s exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines. Start with Momondo.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates. (Here’s the proof.)

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never ever go on a trip without it. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. You should too.

Need Some Gear?
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use!

Want More Information?
Be sure to visit our robust travel guides for even more planning tips!

Why Going Home Does Not Mean Failure

Posted: 08/12/2013 | August 12th, 2013

“You’re going home?” I asked her as we sat in the hostel’s common room.

“Yeah, I really miss my boyfriend and family. This long-term travel thing just isn’t for me. I’ve cut my trip short and will be going home in a few weeks.”

“Wow!” I replied. “Well, it’s important to do what makes you happy. At the very least, traveling taught you something about what you do and do not like. That’s a win.”

And, with that, we moved on with the conversation.

She, like many others I’ve met on the road, headed back home, not in defeat, but victorious, content in the knowledge they discovered more about themselves.

When I began my travels, a million and one fears and worst-case scenarios went through my mind. What if I can’t make it? What if I can’t find friends? What if I get so lost I can’t find my way back? What if I get sick? What if I run out of money?

What if, what if, what if!

Thanks to the many emails I get, I know those thoughts go through the minds of others too.

Many of those “what ifs” keep people from going on the road. We can become so paralyzed by our fear of failure that we forget that all those fears don’t matter because no matter what happens, we can always come home.

It’s OK to say, “You know what? I miss my home, I miss my friends, I hate hostels, and it turns out my idea of travel involves moving from one luxury resort to the next.”

The most important thing is that you tried and you learned.

I had no idea long-term travel would work for me. My original trip was only for a year, and I could have decided to come home three months in.

But here I am, seven years later, still in love with travel. I would have never known if I didn’t ignore my fears and try.

We can give in to fear, the “what ifs,” and the worry, and instead stay safe at home. Or you can head out the door and try.

Who cares if you decide to cut your trip short? Who cares if you think “this life isn’t for me?” You travel for yourself. You do this for you.

When I decided last year that after over six years of almost constantly being on the move, it was time to settle down and create roots somewhere, a lot of people emailed me, expressing sadness that I had “given up” traveling.

But times — and people — change. I had nothing to prove by continuing to travel when my desires lay elsewhere. Travel is a personal experience and at the end of the day, how you feel about it is the only thing that matters. I still believe life on the road is amazing — but sometimes I want to head off that road for a while and sit in front of my TV watching a movie.

So if you’ve been thinking about traveling but worry you can’t make it a full year around the world or that you might not have the skills to travel, I say to you: Who cares? You can always head home if you want.

So what if you can’t make it? What if others think that? I say it doesn’t matter.

Because returning home is not a failure.

Travel teaches us about ourselves and makes us better people. Deciding to come home simply means travel taught you something about yourself you wouldn’t have known otherwise — that extended travel is not for you.

And there is nothing wrong with that.

Take a chance.

Because the path back will always be there, but the path forward might not.

So travel and learn something about yourself.

Even if what you learn is you’d rather be home.

This $53-million Super Yacht Has Walk-in Closets and a Marble Jacuzzi

What would you do with $53 million?

If visions of sailing the world while lazing around between your expansive sun deck, al fresco dining room, and marble jacuzzi tub come to mind, your dream yacht is currently for sale.

The Athena, a 295-foot super yacht that Boat International lists as the one of the largest in the world, is on the market because its owner, WebMD and Netscape founder Jim Clark, simply has “too many boats.” Poor guy.

But as they say, one man's extra yacht is another man's treasure, so let's take a look inside.

This Is What Air Travel Will Actually Look Like In 100 Years

Say goodbye to turbulence, mechanical delays, and airport security lines, and hello to a slew of crazy innovations: according to insiders at Boeing, air travel is about to get a whole lot more exciting.

A hundred years ago, planes were limited to super-short flights (think less than a minute, in the case of the Wright Brothers) and military seaplanes. That’s when Boeing first entered the picture. So who is to say what air travel will look like in another century? 

If anyone is qualified to take a gander, it’s Brian Tillotson and Kevin Bowcutt, two of Boeing’s Senior Technical Fellows who specialize in space travel and hypersonics, respectively. They’re the ones on the front lines of aerospace innovation—engineers who think about crazy concepts like space travel and vertical liftoff, as well as practical innovations like airplanes that can diagnose their own mechanical failures or automatically avoid turbulence. Oh, and then there’s the whacky (but surprisingly practical) idea about making airplanes fully transparent—and not just so that you get a (scary) good view.

So on the eve of the company’s centennial, they talked to Travel + Leisure about the future of flight—in all its potential permutations. Also on the agenda were innovations that will change the way we travel to and through the airport—enhancements to security, the ways that smart home technology can enhance the safety and efficiency of airport terminals, and how our very day-to-day commutes might take to the skies.

It all sounds like something pulled out of the Jetsons, but some of these innovations are truly in the works—Tillotson and Bowcutt estimate that at least one of the following projects will actually come to fruition on a commercial scale by the year 2035. Others are further off in the horizon, but all are grounded in reality, whether they stem from existing technology or are in some early stage of development. Even if they don’t all pan out as expected, one thing is for sure: travelling in the year 2116 will be faster, greener, and a whole lot more exciting.