We’re Dawn and Dennis, veteran travelers who, separately and together, have visited more than 70 countries and all but a handful of states. That experience has taught us an unexpected lesson. Our stories are better if we approach day-to-day life with the curiosity of travelers, but focus on the commonplace and local culture when we travel.

Dennis

Dennis is a travel, science, and business writer who has traveled all his life. The son of an Air Force pilot, he was born in England and lived in ten states growing up. Much of his youth was spent in Hawaii and Southeast Asia, where he traveled widely, including extended visits to New Delhi, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vientiane, and old Rangoon.

As an adult (more or less), he has remained peripatetic, never missing an opportunity to visit unusual places and learn about the history and culture of the people who live there.

Dawn

Dawn is a Smithsonian-trained entomologist. She spent months in the rainforests of Ecuador and Panama collecting insects and studying the biology of spiders. Later, as nonprofit executive, she organized butterfly farming cooperatives in Costa Rica and Mexico; studied endangered birds in Hawaii; and collaborated with local communities to preserve the nearshore fisheries of Palau, Micronesia, and Papua New Guinea.

Dawn is also a weaver and a maker who takes a deep interest in local craft and culture everywhere she goes.

Together

Dawn and Dennis now live in historic Southern Maryland on the Western Shore of Chesapeake Bay. Previously, we lived nearly 30 years in downtown Washington, DC, and more than a decade in Hawaii. Through it all, we have traveled, both locally and internationally. We’ve hiked the Appalachian Mountains and paddled the Susquehanna and Potomac rivers. We’ve camped in the redrock canyons of Utah and Arizona. As backpackers, we’ve visited scores of lesser-known sites in Europe, as well as Thailand, Mexico, and the Caribbean. And as sailors, we’ve cruised the Chesapeake, barebacked in the Greek Islands and the British Virgin Islands, and made the offshore passage to Bermuda.