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 travel

Read this if you like money-saving adventures, inspiring islands, popular consensus, or myth-busting

credit: wikimedia commons

credit wikimedia commons

I really enjoy writing these because the subjects have nothing to do with my day job, which keeps me on my toes. Hope you have as much fun reading them as I did writing them:

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In case you missed it: offline vacations, converting cruise-haters, overlooked wonders, and dream believers

MGM

MGM

Here’s where my travel column went last month:

Pretty sure I have the best job in the world

Courtesy 20th Century Fox

Twentieth Century Fox

When I was nine years old, I saw Big starring Tom Hanks. It’s a movie about a boy doing young-at-heart things in a grown-up’s body. That and being employed to have an opinion on (i.e. review) toys.

At the time, I thought it was the coolest movie ever made. I still think it’s pretty darn cool.

In reality, my work as a writer over the last decade is not unlike protagonist Josh Baskin’s. I get paid to have an opinion and ask a bunch of questions. I tinker with ideas, learn from those who are smarter than me, and slay the dragon of misinformation with research as my shield and a keyboard as my sword.  Continue reading…

The world’s greatest inventions have one thing in common

courtesy image

courtesy image

I recently finished Highbrow’s excellent 10-day course on inventions that changed the world.

In keeping score, half of the cited inventions quickened the sharing of information (writing, printing press, telephone, personal computer, internet). A third hastened our transportation (steam engine, automobile, airplanes). One marginalizes or maximizes physical dominance, depending on who owns more of it (gunpowder). And the last one lengthens our days (light bulb).

Interestingly, every one of these inventions involve some element of speed. The speed of a bullet. The speed of light. The speed of travel. The speed of knowledge. That’s why the world moves at an increasing rate. Our greatest inventions all involve speed.

Even this century’s greatest inventions largely involve speed. How fast you can get new or old music to your ears (iTunes, Spotify). How fast you can get answers to questions (Google). How fast you can connect with friends and family (Facebook, SMS). And how fast you can see the latest cat videos (YouTube).

Of course, many of these inventions involve size, frequency, and power. But when it comes to bigger, stronger, better, and faster—always bet on faster. It’s the future. And it’s likely what the “next big thing” will do more than others.

My latest columns: Dancing Matt, big impact countries, unrecognized beauty, mind travel

I hope the below will help you travel somewhere fun.

Thanks, Paste Magazine, for letting me write these adventurous stories last month

Paramount Pictures

Off the grid: Rethinking air travel, European detours, travel blunders, and Newfoundland

Here’s where my travel column went last month:

Oh, the places you’ll go! Here’s where my travel column went last month

credit: blake snow

credit: blake snow

Perhaps one of the below might inspire your next offline adventure:

Trains, hotels, tourist traps, and bucket lists: Have you read all these?

Courtesy Fox Searchlight

Courtesy Fox Searchlight

Last month I started a travel column for Paste Magazine. Here’s what I wrote about this month:

Thanks for reading.

Will do again: 5-star swimming at a 3-star resort

courtesy photo

courtesy photo

Lindsey and I took the kids to fabulous Mesquite, Nevada last month for spring break. The city bills itself as “The way Vegas used to be.”

With only three casinos and extremely limited food options, I’m not so sure about that. But I was charmed by the place and plan on returning soon the next time I crave a desert oasis. Here’s why.  Continue reading…

Introducing “Off the Grid,” my new travel column for Paste Magazine

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

I just started a new travel column for Paste Magazine. It’s called “Off the Grid.” You should read it.

First one up: 5 overlooked National Parks. To help you along the way, I’ll follow it up every week with all things awesome.

Thanks for reading (and for sharing if you like what you read).

My latest for USA Today: Fantastic fjords of North America

Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism

Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism

An edited version of this story first appeared on USA Today

North American is known for a lot of things. Transcendent, soaring, and gaping fjords isn’t one of them. For that, most travelers understandably head to Norway, New Zealand, or Chile first—all renowned for their glacier-carved “canyons” that outlet into swallowing seas.

But the northern half of the continent has its fair share of majestic cliffs cut by frozen (instead of liquid) water, especially in parts of southern Alaska and Canada. As a bonus, they’re more proximitous than Europe’s beloved Grainger Fjord, less travelled, and still rate at least 4.5 out of 5 stars, according to average visitor reviews on Google and Tripadvisor.

Behold, the most fantastic fjords of North America: Continue reading…

Me to my wife: “We gotta go to England!”

MGM

MGM

I watched Nicholas Nickleby over the holidays with my soulmate.

It’s worth watching, at least according to this romantic. Charlie Hunnam’s performance was uneven—brilliant when confronting his uncle, not so much when mourning the death of his friend. But it was obvious to me after watching it: Charles Dickens is a masterful storyteller. He’s proved it many times over. As have his contemporaries, including Jane Austen.

Upon finishing the movie and while channeling the most formal English I could muster, I commented to my wife, “We gotta go to England! The source of such great storytelling deserves to be honored with our presence.”

Plus, I’m a sucker for Ferris wheels, and I hear London has a rather considerable one.

See also

Eight stories I wish you would read

true-love

A client recently asked for links to some of my favorite personal writings. This is what I sent him:

Photo credit: Sara Snow

Don’t retire, vacation several times a year until you die

I have never believed in traditional retirement, the complete withdrawal from one’s occupation, business, or office near the end of one’s life. It’s a pipe dream. As millions of ex-retirees quickly realize after an uneventful year on the beach, idleness never was happiness.

But leisure and periodic breaks from work are an important part of life. When used properly, regular vacations can inspire and rejuvenate a willingness to work harder. And contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be rich or wait until the end of your life to vacation. Here’s how: Continue reading…

Places I’d like to visit: Crater Lake

photo credit: random stranger

photo credit: random stranger

UPDATE: Visited in 2014. ORIGINAL STORY: I remember seeing this marvel in an early Bond movie as a young boy. Apparently, it’s the deepest lake in America. Not only that, but it’s strikingly beautiful. Any readers ever been? It’s only an 11 hour drive from my house. (Asks wife if we can go this summer.)