Ramblin' Randy

Ever been to the Travel and Adventure Show??? They are next level.

Come through this weekend in Long Beach. You’ll save some money on future trips. You’ll get inspired. You might even start planning your next escape before you leave the building.

Come by my booth - Slowjamastan. Of course we did!

Heading south ⬇️

Just dropped.

Santiago’s Turn Deja Vú I’d been to Chile once before—ten years back. Nice enough. Iquique had the sea, the sunshine, the breezy, sandblasted charm of a city that minds its own business. But I knew then, quietly and inconveniently, that I hadn’t scratched the surface. Santiago still waited. And now, en route...

An honor to be even mentioned among these trailblazers, not to mention actually be nominated. Thank you, NomadMania!

Voting on NomadMania Travel Awards 2025 The NomadMania Travel Awards is the annual event to celebrate achievements in travel organized since 2021. It meant to celebrate travelling efforts for the past year.

Back in Nogales, Sonora — chasing ghosts and carne asada. There’s a taco stand here, hidden deep in the backstreets, no signs, no tourists, no hype. Just smoke, mesquite, and a line of locals who know exactly what’s good.

Carne asada kissed by open flame, folded into a warm flour tortilla — a squeeze of lime, a touch of pico, nothing more. When the meat’s this perfect, you don’t need to dress it up.

And then there’s Beto. Same smile, same grill, still remembers me after twenty-five years. Maybe that’s what keeps me coming back — not just the tacos, but the feeling that some things, the best things, never change.

📍El Taco Nazo Real: Corner of Calle Aguirre and Ingenieros.

***

De vuelta en Nogales, Sonora, persiguiendo fantasmas y carne asada. Hay un puesto de tacos aquí, escondido en las calles, sin letreros, sin turistas, sin publicidad. Solo humo, mezquite y una fila de lugareños que saben exactamente qué es lo bueno.

Carne asada al fuego, envuelta en una tortilla de harina caliente: un chorrito de limón, un toque de pico de gallo, nada más. Cuando la carne está así de perfecta, no hace falta adornarla.

Y luego está Beto. La misma sonrisa, la misma parrilla, todavía me recuerda después de veinticinco años. Quizás eso es lo que me hace volver: no solo los tacos, sino la sensación de que algunas cosas, las mejores, nunca cambian.

📍El Taco Nazo Real: Esquina de la calle Aguirre e Ingenieros.

Sasabe, Sonora. A border town half-forgotten by the map, but not by its people. Dust hangs in the air like memory. The streets are quiet, but alive — a wave from every passerby, dogs trailing behind like old friends.

I’d heard stories of recent violence around here and couldn’t help but wonder if we were safe today — that uneasy balance between beauty and danger that lives on the border.

There’s a small plaza, a heartbeat of the place, and one little market where we grabbed some sweets and snacks. Nothing fancy. Just simple moments that remind you why you travel — to find life in the places everyone else forgets.

I’ve stamped every passport page, crossed every border worth crossing. But now it’s time to turn the lens inward—to shine a light on the stories hiding in our own backyard.

Wisconsin Breakdown 45 days. No sweets. No treats. Dropped 15 pounds and feeling smug as hell—until Milwaukee happened. More specifically, Leon’s Custard. A temple of temptation disguised as a roadside stand, lit up in enough neon to guide ships home in a storm. It broke me. Back to the Future Inside, it....

Return to Algeria...

Algeria: Second Sojourn Algeria Calling I couldn’t wait to get back to Algeria after wrapping up the 193. Out of all the countries I’d visited, Algeria was one that stuck with me the most. Why? Because it was the first place to completely shatter a stereotype I didn’t even know I was carrying. I remember 2016 like it...

Next stop, Saint-Pierre…

St. Pierre: A French Hangover on North American Shores St. Pierre is Miquelon’s older, louder sister. But before we go there—do yourself a favor and read the Miquelon entry first. Seriously. Otherwise, you’re missing the whole “drinking wine in France without leaving North America” magic. I won’t repeat myself. Go read it. I’ll wait. Now, ...

Just off the coast of Newfoundland lies a stubborn outpost of France—St. Pierre. A place where past and present blur like the morning mist rolling off the harbor. I went looking for a lost corner of Europe and found a café, a lighthouse, and a quiet reckoning.

This isn't Paris. But it is France. In North America. Who knew?

I really try my best not to bad-mouth any country...but they asked!

I've visited every country - but this tourist hotspot is SO overrated An American-Mexican radio DJ who has visited every country in the world has revealed which one he thinks is the world's most dangerous to travel - and which he thinks is the most overrated.