Directed by STUDIO ORES & Guilhem Machenaud, INDIA shows skaters ripping in Bangalore, Delhi, and Jaipur, and yet somehow manages to make the place itself the main character.SO OFTEN what I find with skate, surf, and other action sports videos – as well as too many straight up “travel” videos – is that local people / culture get flattened into caricatures and/or “scenery.

How do you explain poverty and a broken government to your children?On the ride home from school, I found myself in a conundrum when my eight-year-old daughter asked, “Mom, are we rich or poor now?” My little girl was savvy enough to know that we had very recently been, by definition, “poor.”As the only parent of three small children, the kids knew what being “poor” was while I was unemployed.

Travel, stoke, beer! Matador and Hostelling International throw an event for travelers and storytellers – Joshywashington reports from the gathering.WHEN THE FIRST two attendees of the ‘Living Better Stories’ travel storytelling workshop walked in an hour and six minutes early and sat down on the couch, ready to rock, I knew it was going to be a good evening.

Is it funnier because it’s true?BINYAVANGA WAINAINA once wrote a little piece for Granta magazine, titled How not to write about Africa. It would turn out to be one of the most popular pieces the magazine ever published. It’s as sarcastic as it is perfectly executed, and if you haven’t watched it before, take a peek below.

Sometimes that sweet-sounding work-exchange gig is just that: work.The heavy August sun shines over the Ponte Scalzi as tourists pose for photos against the backdrop of boats skimming across the water’s surface. Squinting in the bright sunlight that casts shadows across their faces, they bare their teeth at the cameras and grin.

Negative cultural experiences can sour our joy of people. But it’s these critical moments of uncertainty that determine whether or not we cling rigidly to our perceptions or plunge forward into new territory.DURING MY RECENT solo trip to India, I found myself thinking about the darker side of traveling – the sense of distrust, alienation, and confusion that can result from negative or disturbing experiences with another culture or traveler.