There’s been a great deal of focus on plastic pollution washed ashore and floating in our oceans recently and with good reason. Unfortunately, over 91% is not recycled. Landfills and the oceans are filled with refuse and eventually it makes it’s way back into the food chain.

Plastic is made from many chemicals that aren’t just bad for the earth, they’re toxic to living creatures as well. Once they reach the ocean, they become part of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch-a mass of plastic twice the size of Texas, or three times the size of France floating between Hawaii and California.Whether this plastic pollution is washed ashore or floating in the ocean, the consequences can be deadly.

Occasionally during your travels you get an unexpected surprise. After exhaustive research for my trip to Machu Picchu and Peru’s Amazon with AdventureSmith Explorations, the date to depart was suddenly here. Like many, I looked at my entry city as a jumping off point for the rest of the country. With few expectations, to my surprise, I fell hard for Lima Peru’s gateway. Take the extra days and discover the charms this interesting city has to offer; there’s something for everyone.

The numbers vary, with a range of three to four thousand, depending on who you talk to. One thing everyone agrees on is the importance of the potato in Peru’s culture. Allow me to introduce you to a favorite dish from my travels-Peru causa, a slice of potato heaven. It’s filling, versatile and full of Peruvian flavor that will always remind my of one of the best travel experiences of my life.

Celebrate Spring with a New England Staycation.

How are you? What’s been happening? Great to see you! These are not the usual greetings I get from my friends. Oh, don’t get me wrong. We are always happy to see each other. But, almost universally, the first words I hear when I walk into a room is: Where are you off to next?  I guess I have a bit of a reputation for traveling.

In the small village of Ponchampally outside of  modern, bustling Hyderabad, India, lives a weaving community working hard to keep the fabulous handwoven Indian ikats alive. Using age old techniques for the natural dying and weaving of these intricate Indian ikats, their struggles to make a sustainable business viable are real. For someone such as myself who spent over 20 years in the fabric design business it was a visual feast and authentic honor to meet this group of artisans.