John

The afternoon sun catches the red trim of Victorian storefronts as I stroll down Water Street in Excelsior, Minnesota. I’ve just walked the entire historic district in fifteen minutes flat. That’s what happens in a town of 2,224 residents packed into merely 0.63 square miles of land. What’s remarkable isn’t Excelsior’s size, but what they’ve … Lire plus

I’m watching an orca’s dorsal fin slice through the water, barely 300 feet from Friday Harbor’s waterfront. In this tiny Washington town of just 2,806 residents, spread over a mere 2.14 square miles, I’m experiencing what marine biologists are calling 2025’s most exceptional whale watching season. The morning ferry from Anacortes delivered me to this … Lire plus

The fishing boats bob gently at the marina as I arrive in Jurien Bay, Western Australia. This small town of 1,600 residents seems unremarkable at first glance, but I quickly discover its outsized secret: it’s the epicenter of a $122 million crayfishing industry. Within hours, I’m aboard a commercial vessel watching massive Western Rock Lobsters … Lire plus

The first light of dawn silently spills over a village that time seems to have forgotten. I’m standing on a dusty path in Sagarhawa, Bihar, just 175 kilometers northwest of Patna. While thousands flock daily to nearby Bodh Gaya, this unassuming hamlet receives fewer than 20 international visitors annually. Yet local historians whisper that these … Lire plus

I’m standing on pristine white sand that crunches beneath my feet like powdered sugar. The waves of Playa Cristal lap gently against the shore as our boat captain pulls away, promising to return in five hours. This hidden beach within Colombia’s Tayrona National Park stretches before me, impossibly clear waters revealing colorful fish just meters … Lire plus

I’m standing at the edge of Moskstraumen, a swirling mass of water so powerful it swallowed ships whole in Norse mythology. Looking around, it’s hard to believe just 1,263 people inhabit this entire dramatic island. The contrast is mind-boggling – a tiny human population maintaining a fragile foothold beside one of nature’s most fearsome displays … Lire plus

I’m standing at the edge of two rivers, where they converge like liquid history beneath the morning light. Just 20 minutes from Tbilisi, Mtskheta rises before me – a tiny Georgian city of 7,392 residents that’s been continuously inhabited since the 5th century BC. What strikes me immediately isn’t just the age, but the density … Lire plus

I’m standing at the edge of a limestone bluff, gazing across the Mississippi River’s shimmering expanse as it carves through the verdant valley below. This is McGregor, Iowa, a town of just 718 residents that punches far above its weight. In the next 8 weeks only, visitors can experience this pocket-sized marvel’s most captivating secrets … Lire plus