Wandering Earl

Workout and relaxing on a rooftop, part of my simple routine here in Bangkok.

This is Bún Chả, and if you haven't tried it, it belongs on your list.

It's a Hanoi original: grilled pork patties and sliced pork belly, served alongside cold rice vermicelli, fresh herbs, pickled vegetables, and a sweet and tangy fish sauce dipping broth. The whole thing works perfectly together.

It became internationally famous in 2016 when Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain sat down for a bowl in Hanoi.

Have you tried it?

Some places just keep pulling you back. You know the ones.

A quick update on availability:

Most of our 2026 tours are nearly full or sold out. A few spots remain on South Africa, Romania, Vietnam, Iraq, and Bhutan — but not many.

For 2027, some trips are already nearly full, and many are still more than a year away.

Every tour maxes out at 12 people. When it's full, it's full.

Full details at wanderingearltours.com/tours

A QUICK STORY (If you read my newsletter, you may have already heard about this. If not, subscribe at wanderingearl.com)

On a recent Wandering Earl Tours trip to Bhutan, the itinerary was built around a specific festival in a remote part of the country. That was the main highlight. Then, 2 days before the tour started, the government suddenly cancelled the festival. The grounds where it was to be held wouldn't be ready in time.

In such a situation, the easy thing to do is shrug, call it a free day on the itinerary, and move on. But that was never going to happen.

As soon as we heard about the cancellation, our entire team kicked into action, including our wonderful local network on the ground in Bhutan. Within 36 hours, in that same remote area, in a village where tourists never visit, we managed to put together our own celebration. It was a real celebration of culture - not something fake for foreigners. And it brought our guests and the local people together in a remarkable way.

Villagers came to observe, to share their traditions, to dance, to eat, to talk. What started as a "we have to do something" scramble turned into one of those days you’ll never forget - eye-opening, completely unscripted, full of the kind of human exchange you can't manufacture. The kind of day that, honestly, ended up being better than the original festival would have been.

That's the part I'm most proud of. No matter what gets thrown at us, nobody on our team is willing to write off a single day. Our tour leaders, local guides, local friends, partners on the ground… they are all so dedicated and passionate about making every single day matter as well. That’s the difference.

If Bhutan is on your list, we have a Bhutan trip coming up in October this year!

Mongolia keeps coming up on travelers' bucket lists, but few actually make it there.

Next May, we're taking a small group across the country for 14 days - sleeping in traditional ger camps under the clear night skies, riding horses with local herders across open country and shallow streams, and soaking in outdoor thermal pools as the evening cools around us.

This trip is built around the people we'll meet, the places they'll open up for us, and the moments that don't appear in any guidebook.

Details in the comments.

What’s one unexpected experience from your travels that you’ll never forget?

Traveling through India is immersive in a way that’s hard to describe until you’re there.

There’s always something happening. The sounds, the colors, the movement, it all pulls your attention in different directions at once, in the best way.

From quiet moments in temples to the rhythm of everyday life unfolding all around you, it pulls you in fully and doesn’t really let go.

It’s not a place you sit back and observe. It’s a place you’re fully part of from the moment you arrive.

Some destinations are best experienced quietly, with room to wander, ask questions, and let the place reveal itself instead of trying to impress you.

What kind of destinations appeal to you the most?