Blake Snow

writer-for-hire, content guy, bestselling author

As seen on CNN, NBC, ABC, Fox, Wired, Yahoo!, BusinessWeek, Wall Street Journal
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Tagged National Geographic

Published works: Amsterdam’s tulips, Costa Rican creatures, Colorado TikTok’s

Here are my recent clippings—thanks for reading:

Recent travel stories I’ve published for CNN, NatGeo, USA Today, LA Times, and more

For nearly 10 years, I’ve written and published hundreds of travel articles for CNN, National Geographic, USA Today, LA Times, Lonely Planet, Fodor’s, Orbitz, Frommers, and Travel Weekly. For that last five years, I’ve served as the monthly travel columnist for Paste Magazine (8 million readers), which has taken me to six continents and dozens of countries. For my most recent articles, click here. For some of my favorites, consider these:

Best of 2022

  1. When traveling this year, don’t over prepare. Just go.
  2. Hiking Half Dome, America’s Most Demanding-and Perhaps Deadliest-Day Hike
  3. The Cheap, Doctor-Recommended Way of Turning Coach into First-Class
  4. Stop Underrating Brazil: Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Avoid South America’s Jewel
  5. A Tale of Two Canyons: One Colossal, One Confined, Both Awe-Inspiring
  6. Misjudging Madrid on Foot, Scooter, and Bougie Range Rover
  7. Hawaii: Seven Days, Four Islands, One Cruise
  8. It’s Okay to Just Hang Out at the Hotel and Do Absolutely Nothing on Vacation
  9. Despite Significant Delays, We Still Enjoyed America’s Most Scenic Train Ride
  10. 5 Cool Things about Virgin Voyages, the New Adults-Only Cruise Line
  11. Loyalty in Lisbon: Going to Portugal with Travel’s Largest Points Program
  12. You Don’t Have to Be a Patriot to Love Washington, D.C.
  13. Say Hello to America’s Newest National Park, New River Gorge
  14. 5 reasons to unwind at Cancun’s “newest” all-inclusive resort
  15. The 20 Best National Parks in America
  16. Here’s Why Mexico City Is One of the Trendiest Places to Visit Right Now
  17. Explore Utah with these proven transportation tips
  18. Everything you need to know before visiting: Table Mountain | Christ The Redeemer

Continue reading…

My recent travel writing: Portugal, National Parks, Tucson, Best Biking Cities

Courtesy Shutterstock

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After seeing this movie, I’m never complaining about air travel again

To paraphrase Louis C.K., “Aviation is amazing and nobody’s happy.” That’s the argument Living in the Age of Airplanes succeeds in making.

Because we’ve commercially enjoyed airplanes for half a century, however, we now take them for granted. We bemoan their 20% delay rate. We ignore an accident rate of LESS THAN one in a million (safer than driving). We overlook the wonderful places airplanes take us, the game-changing experiences they enable, and the beautiful things they deliver (including flowers).

Not anymore.

After seeing this movie, I’m gonna bask in their awesomeness. I’m going to treat airports as speed portals to this big round ball. The next time I pick up a two-day package from Amazon, I’m gonna pour a little out for the flying metal tube that brought the world to my doorstep. Seriously, not even monarchs had it this good. Continue reading…

The time I hiked Patagonia with National Geographic

It took the world a long time to discover Patagonia, the trendy adventure area shared by both southern Chile and Argentina. While other mountaineers had been hiking and climbing the Alps and Rockies for over a century, Patagonia wasn’t explored much until the 1980s. In fact, the recreational area didn’t become mainstream until the 21st century, when more accessible transportation, lodging and tourist amenities were finally added.

What’s all the fuss about? In between knife-like mountains, this is arguably the best place in the world to see moving glaciers. It is also a great place to meet gentle but playful people.

Last month I had the chance to examine this hauntingly majestic land up close on a guided tour with National Geographic Expeditions, the society’s official tour operator. Spoiler alert: it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Here’s what I witnessed hiking to what some call South America’s greatest “national park.” Continue reading…