The Beauty of Cultural Immersion Some of my most meaningful travel memories have nothing to do with famous landmarks. They begin with people. In 2018, our International Travel Lovers group traveled through Vietnam, from the misty mountains of Sapa in the north to the vibrant cities of central and southern Vietnam. We stayed at the breathtaking Topas Ecolodge in Lao Cai, where our room overlooked endless green valleys, rice terraces, and mountains disappearing into the morning

One feeling that often arises when I travel is a quiet sense of awe. Out of all the countries in the world, somehow I find myself in one very specific place, at one very specific moment in time. Sometimes it happens while walking a pilgrimage path like the Camino, the Shikoku. Sometimes it happens during something very simple — sharing a meal, walking to dinner with someone, or pausing in a small street somewhere far from home.