John Henderson's Travel Adventures in Rome and Beyond

January 16, 2024

Italy’s Most Underrated Towns 2024: Stay in Lazio

Every year around New Year’s I write a Most Underrated Towns in Italy list. In light of the second blog Marina and I started last year, TraveLazio, we spent a lot of time in 2023 crisscrossing Rome’s region of Lazio. This year’s list is exclusively from that region. All 10 places can be reached from Rome on an easy, cheap day trip. If you like getting off the beaten path, this is a must read. Every town has a link to a more expanded description from TraveLazio.

January 11, 2024

Ten years in Rome: A landmark anniversary and a new list of all the reasons I love living here

On this day exactly 10 years ago, I landed in Rome, leaving behind a 40-year sportswriting career in the U.S. I had three bags and lots of doubts. But I’m still here. And every year on my anniversary, I list a whole new set of reasons why I love Rome. I doubt I’ll ever run out of reasons.

January 6, 2024

Camping in comfort: Creating comfortable and stylish spaces for outdoor living and camping

For all those who think camping is rolling in dirt and spending days without comfort, camping can be quite luxurious. And you don’t even have to leave home. Guest blogger Caitlyn Bell lists some items that will make your next — or first — camping trip more comfy thn you ever imagined.

January 2, 2024

Ancient Rome in Algeria: Three North African cities reveal the wealth and depth of the Roman Empire

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The Roman Empire stretched from what is now Great Britain to Iraq and it built 600 cities in North Africa. Three hundred of them were in Algeria, many of which have well-preserved ruins. I visited three of them during my nine-day cross-country trip across the country.

December 26, 2023

Ghardaia: Algeria’s most traditional city likes the way it is

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Traveling to the most conservative city in a conservative country, I was overjoyed with the slice of Islamic culture I didn’t see in the previous 18 Muslim countries I’ve visited. To visit Ghardaia, you need to join a group tour and have permits and a tour guide. Nowhere else in Islam did I see married women covering up everything but one eye. The architecture is uniquely designed to keep houses cool during 120-degree summer temperatures and the food, again, was fabulous.

December 19, 2023

Sahara Desert: Camping in endless sand brings out the beauty and beast of Earth’s intimidating landscape

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The Sahara Desert is the size of China and Algeria’s portion is almost the size of Mexico. My Travelers’ Century Club and I spent a night camping in the desert and a day exploring the vast expanse that covered the southeast part of Algeria. The weather was perfect. We saw no other cars. But we saw plenty, including how intimidating a desert can be.

December 13, 2023

Algeria: In a bloodied nation where tourism isn’t a priority, this intrepid traveler explores an unspoiled culture

Not many tourists go to Algeria. Algeria doesn’t really care. What that leaves intrepid travelers like myself is an authentic country with so much to offer. A bustling capital. A beautiful desert. Ruins of Roman cities better preserved than the ones in Italy. I just spent nine days in Africa’s biggest country. This is the first of a series of blogs.

December 5, 2023

Alaska winter cruises: Escape the crowds and enter frosty serenity

Many people take Alaskan cruises in summer but the winter is too cold for most. Still, it’s an ideal time to visit. The light is better. The crowds are thinner. The landscape is whiter. Guest blogger Jamshaid Ali writes about some of the lures Alaska offers in the off season.

November 28, 2023

Africa: I’m off to Algeria, a rising star in international travel

I’m leaving Saturday for a nine-day trip to Algeria, a return to Africa where I’ve wanted to explore more for so long. I targeted West and Southern Africa but Covid stalled my plan. I’m ready to hop on the bandwagon as African tourism is growing like never before.

November 24, 2023

Business class travel: Three factors that make it worth it

With more people traveling after Covid, more people want to travel comfortably. Business travel has a reputation for being expensive but the comforts make it worth it. Guest blogger Harry Wilson gives three reasons to upgrade.

November 21, 2023

Italy soccer team qualifies for Euros as a nervous, embarrassed, rabid fan base finally exhales

Italy, a four-time World Cup champion, already had not qualified for the last two World Cups and was in danger in not qualifying for the European Championships of which it’s defending champion. But it beat North Macedonia in Rome Friday and tied Ukraine Monday to barely go through. I went to the Friday game. Here’s my report.

November 14, 2023

Fettuccine Alfredo: It’s only Italian by birth in 1914 and we went to its birthplace in Rome

You can find fettuccine Alfredo in nearly every Italian restaurant in the U.S. but hardly any in Italy where it was invented. Why? We went to its birthplace, Alfredo alla Scrofa, in Rome to find out. We also tasted it for the first time. Here’s what we found.

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