Brent and Michael Are Going Places

6 days ago | brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com | Michael Jensen |Brent Hartinger

Some people are foodies, and some are beach bums. Brent and I are hikers. Sometimes we’re also foodies and beach bums — and sometimes bikers too. But our favorite thing in the world is simply walking. Whenever we arrive at a new destination, we immediately check out all the best nearby walks and hikes. (Incidentally, what’s the difference between a “walk” and a “hike”?

1 week ago | brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com | Brent Hartinger

The best public toilet I’ve ever visited may have been the one at the Blue Temple in Chiang Rai, Thailand. You enter through a swirling cloud of mist, past lush landscaping. But the foliage continues inside the toilet area, with openings peeking out into dense vegetation, bright skylights overhead, and even actual living trees growing between the urinals — everything befitting the restroom’s “forest primeval” theme. Yes, in Thailand, restrooms often have themes.

1 week ago | brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com | Michael Jensen

Note: This article originally ran in my Michael Takes Too Many Pictures newsletter. Buongiorno! And please note that this greeting is pronounced differently than it’s spelled. For you plebians, it sounds like “Bonjourno.”Regular readers know that Michael often shares pictures he’s taken accompanied by his written narration. Today, it’s a bit different. Today, I am your narrator — Michael’s Pixel 9 XL Pro. Yes, Michael’s camera.

2 weeks ago | brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com | Michael Jensen

Since becoming digital nomads at the end of 2017, Brent and I have stayed in all kinds of accommodations. Many have been excellent — others not so much. Here are some of the absolute worst!Brent and I had only been nomading two years when we arrived at our apartment in Tbilisi, Georgia, in the summer of 2019. Still being relative newbies, we were horrified by what looked on the outside to be a Soviet-era building in very poor condition.

3 weeks ago | brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com | Brent Hartinger

For the audio version of this article, read by the author, go here. Travel writers will often tell you that one of the easiest ways to reduce your travel costs is to avoid popular destinations during the busiest times of the year. But there’s another way to greatly reduce your costs — a method that even many travel writers don’t know. I call it the Hand-Holding Principle of Travel.