In graduate school, a friend of mine had just returned from studying in Malaysia for a year. Her stories of the culture, food, and living there entranced me (yes, even the durian). Since then, I advise study abroad students who want a unique experience to look at programs in Malaysia (you included!).

To my left, tuk-tuks and moped drivers zoom by faster than I can say sawatdee ka (hello). To my right, the street is lined with hundreds of stalls of delicious smelling Thai food and handcrafted goods. Towering above my head are metal giants - skyscrapers. There is only one place I could be: Bangkok. 

Florida Culture for the Week of June 19, 2016 by Josh Garrick

Whether you are taking a gap year, spending a year abroad during university, or doing an internship in another country, working and studying abroad are wonderful ways to broaden your horizons, open yourself up to new challenges, and gain new experiences. Taking a year abroad could be the start of a lifelong love of traveling, and perhaps even a career as a travel writer.

Mexico’s famed Riviera Maya – a long stretch of land along Highway 307 in the state of Quintana Roo, on the Yucatán Peninsula – is much more than tourism in Cancun. It’s a perfect place for adventurers, families, history buffs, divers, ecologists, foodies, and luxury travelers.

It was a gorgeous August day - the kind you hope for when planning a trip, smile at your good luck with the weather during, and remember fondly for years afterward.

Florida Culture for the Week of June 12, 2016 by Josh Garrick

I have a new obsession with Pinterest. It’s a travel photographer's dream!

It’s not what you think. My obsession is actually finding the places I discover on Pinterest.

Castello di Sammezzano

Often-used phrases listed in travel books—most of them concerning directions to the nearest train station or restroom—are surely helpful tips to keep on hand when traveling, but having thank you in the local language as a knee-jerk response, without needing to look it up in a book or on our smartphone, will take us further with locals than we might realize. Even one word of thanks can create a lovely and memorable moment.