When I told my friends I was going to Iraq, some figured I’d joined the military or was planning to do something illegal. After all, what do most people think of when you mention this country? Tanks, blown-up buildings, bombs….. Face it, out of all the places in the world, Iraq is going to be at the bottom of most tourist bucket lists. Believe it or not, this...
I’m sitting in Istanbul getting ready to board a plane for Saudi Arabia. I don’t have a visa because tourists visas are practically impossible to get, but in my quest to visit every country in the world, I’ve found a loophole to visit this Middle Eastern country, even if it is only in the airport. Actually, I’ve found quite a few tricks to visit countries Americans...
Abu Dhabi has a mystical sound to it’s name. Like “Zanzibar” or “Singapore”, there’s something exotic about it and one can’t help but feel like James Bond while recounting their adventures in this part of the world. In spite of its cool moniker, this emirate has always played second fiddle to one of the world’s most popular destinations, Dubai. However, Abu Dhabi...
The Traveling Wizard, aka Bill Wiatrak Visits Germany for 2018 Oktoberfest. Beer, dancing, pretzels…what more could you ask for?
I was standing on the floor of what used to be The Berghof, or Hitler’s house. It’s always been hard for me to think of the world’s most hated man as being a real person, but he had a house, a girlfriend, he painted and he lived in one of the most beautiful areas of Bavaria. His home was obliterated off the map by Allied forces, but there are little...
We all heard the big news when Hugh Hefner died. His first playmate, Marilyn Monroe, the celebrity that helped launch his controversial magazine to super stardom, was someone he had never met. In spite of this fact, he chose to buy the last piece of real estate he would ever use right next door to her. After decades of a life that few of us can possibly imagine at...
We arrived at Shanghai Disney 30 minutes before it opened, but the crowds of Chinese tourists were already gathering by the trainload. The Happiest Place on Earth had expanded its universe to Shanghai a few years ago and business was booming. I was more than a little curious how Disney would fare in the Far East. Would Chinese kids recognize Mickey...
I’ve been traveling through China for the last 2 weeks. It’s a fascinating country with amazing archaeological treasures, breathtaking scenery and pandas. Yes, pandas. Although I’ve been here half a dozen times, I find travel here to be some of the most challenging in the world. It can be extremely frustrating because of language barriers and customs that westerners...
The Indianapolis 500 has always been on my bucket list as a thing I’d like to do someday, but like most items on my list, I knew next to nothing about it. I figured, given its name and my uncanny deduction abilities, it was probably in Indianapolis. I had no idea that the “500” referred to the number of miles that the racers must drive to win the...