Scott McMurren

5 days ago | adn.com | Scott McMurren

The knock on the outside of our wall tent came too early. It was 5:30 a.m. and my alarm failed to go off. But I didn’t want to miss the sunrise over the Sahara ... particularly while riding a camel. The day before, we’d left the road system of eastern Morocco, unloading our belongings from our tour van into a collection of four-wheel-drive Toyota trucks. Then, we set out over the giant sand dunes of the Sahara.

2 weeks ago | adn.com | Scott McMurren

Going on a trip is fun and exciting. Packing up, I’m thinking of new places to visit, new friends to meet, new foods to enjoy and a nasty respiratory infection. Wait ... what? It’s true: Traveling to a new destination can put you in touch with all kinds of new things — including the latest bug or virus. Being a healthy traveler is something many of us may take for granted, until things go wrong.

3 weeks ago | adn.com | Scott McMurren

It’s no secret that to see some of the best of Alaska, you have to get high. Up in the air, that is. I still recall my first flight to Alaska, when I had a window seat on a Western Airlines 727. My face was pressed against the window once the mountains and glaciers started coming into view. I couldn’t believe the scene over Prince William Sound, where the glaciers were pouring off of the huge mountains into the sea. Alaska from 34,000 feet is a sight to behold.

1 month ago | adn.com | Scott McMurren

Rick Steves has built a business around his love of travel. Particularly travel to Europe. It’s hard not to run into Steves’ work: He hosts a TV show on PBS, produces a radio show, writes a travel column and has authored dozens of travel guides. Just a couple of months ago, I realized Rick and I were the same age. Further, we both had longer hair. Finally, we both launched our travel adventures in the 1970s with a backpack with a sleeping bag.

1 month ago | adn.com | Scott McMurren

If you haven’t mapped out your summertime flights, now is a good time to start. We’re planning a trip in August — and I just got a note from the tour company reminding me to make flight plans right away. The best flights and times are filling up. Now is a good time to talk about “the spread.” I’m not talking about that wrapped-up slice of butter on the side of your plastic plate for your first class meal.