The Matador team has a few suggestions on novels, novellas and short stories that evoke as strong a sense of place as good travel narratives.I ENJOY WRITING and reading both fiction and non-fiction, and when I finish a great book, quite often the characteristics that made me love it have nothing to do with whether or not the story is true.

Mary Sojourner observes life on the streets of Reno from within the depths of her addiction.I AM SITTING at the window of my seventh-floor room in the Sands Casino in Reno. The wallpaper is magenta and chartreuse, the bedside table purple formica. You don’t want to know about the carpet. I look out the window and pray.

Will the latest terrorist threat succeed in once again making us scared to travel?AND JUST WHEN you thought we were out of the red alert…or orange alert? Yellow, maybe? I never could keep up. Either way, right as we were beginning to feel a bit safe again, along comes another attempted terrorist attack.

Sometimes that sweet-sounding work-exchange gig is just that: work.The heavy August sun shines over the Ponte Scalzi as tourists pose for photos against the backdrop of boats skimming across the water’s surface. Squinting in the bright sunlight that casts shadows across their faces, they bare their teeth at the cameras and grin.

It’s Christmas in Martinique, an overseas region of France in the Lesser Antilles. Here are 4 vital components of local tradition.CordialShortly after All Saint’s Day in November, there is a seasonal abundance of oranges and mandarins on the island. For this reason Shrubb, an orange liqueur, is Martinique’s traditional Christmas beverage.

The following are the actual unedited notes from a recent Disney press trip undertaken by Candice Walsh.ORLANDO WASN’T DESIGNED for the single, childless woman.Slap a button on me.The cab drops me off at the park so I can buy tickets. I’m not sure where the entrance is and I start walking towards the gate, which apparently is barred.