Michael Jensen

2 days ago | brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com | Michael Jensen

For the audio version of this article, read by the author, go here. My first crush had round eyes, a chubby body, and a racing stripe down his back. I was five, he was five. It was meant to be. His name was Herbie — the Love Bug, to be exact. The star of the 1968 kids’ movie about a sentient car. Oh, you think kids’ movies are so much smarter now? May I remind you there’s currently a thriving franchise about, yes, a group of sentient cars. Anyway, five-year-old me adored Herbie.

1 week ago | brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com | Michael Jensen

In C.S. Lewis’ classic children’s novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, eight-year-old Lucy Pevensie steps through the door of a nondescript wardrobe into enchanted lands. The same thing happens in San Miguel de Allende, a Spanish colonial town located on the high plains of central Mexico.

3 weeks ago | brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com | Michael Jensen

For the audio version of this article, read by the author, go here. Last year, Brent and I lived in Fethiye, Turkey, just a few blocks from a public market that set up shop once a week. You could find almost anything at the “Tuesday Market”: fresh produce, meat, cheese, and street food, but also hats, dresses, pants, shirts, shoes, purses, and all kinds of household items. If it was something you could carry home, it was probably for sale somewhere in the market.

1 month ago | brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com | Michael Jensen |Brent Hartinger

Donald Trump’s first election as President of the United States in 2016 wasn’t the only reason we decided to leave America and become digital nomads. We’d always talked about doing long-term travel “eventually,” and we’d also always disliked certain aspects of American life: the car culture, the consumerism, and what seemed to us like too much jingoism. But that election did push us over the edge. Within months, we’d sold our house and were making arrangements to indefinitely travel the world.

1 month ago | brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com | Michael Jensen

For the audio version of this article, read by the author, go here. In many fantasy stories, there are things known as “Words of Power” — a simple magical word or phrase that can make amazing things happen. In the world of Harry Potter, the words “Wingardium Leviosa!” cause objects to levitate. And in The Lord of the Rings, the word “mennon” magically unlocks a tightly sealed door. Not everyone realizes it, but such Words of Power exist in the real world too.