Super-Short Travel Stories

Midnight stroll with friends in Paris. Metro closes so we keep walking: Louvre, Moulin Rouge, Sacre Coure. It was a l o n g night. #TLStory —@queenbeemrsbell

Pictured: Paris’s Louvre, at night.

#TLStory Watching my kids summon nerve, jump off rock ledge into WY’s Snake River rapids, then bob to surface, laughing, laughing. #PureJoy —@aegisnyc

Pictured: Jumping into the Snake River, WY.

Paddleboarding just off of Kona, Hawaii. Mid-day. Suddenly surrounded by small pod of dolphins who frolicked with us in the sun. #TLStory —@Becky_LK

Pictured: An ocean view from Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Inspired by my HS Shakespeare teacher Clara Sanchez, I traveled to Stratford-upon-Avon UK to see all things Bard...25 years later. #TLStory —@AntKristi

Pictured: The Shakespeare Hotel, in Stratford-upon-Avon’s Norfolk Square.

3:30am. Hiking up to Machu Picchu under the stars. Day breaks. Find a quiet spot without any tourists. Why hello, llama! #TLStory —@brookeporter1

Pictured: A llama atop Machu Picchu, Peru.

We finished touring the glorious Egyptian pyramids, with our friendly tour guide. 2 secs later, my feet met Egyptian camel poop #TLStory —@currentlysavvy

Pictured: The Great Pyramid of Giza.

Lost driving in Croatia, no phone, came across dirt bikers who laughed when we told them our destination—we were THAT far off #TLStory —@CoupleofTravels

Pictured: A rural road in the Croatian town of Murter.

Cape Town—morning wine tasting, afternoon hiking up Table Mt, many hours later lost on Mt—next time hike first, drink later! #TLStory —@booksnyc

Pictured: Table Mountain viewed from Signal Hill.

Club bouncer says: No entry. Us: We came from far, let us in. Him: No speak English. Us: Go to hell. Him: What did u say? #Istanbul #TLStory —@spilling_beans

Pictured: The bar-lined Istiklal Caddesi, Istanbul.

I grip. The driver insists on passing in 5-mile stretches, playing chicken with traffic. Grip. The speedometer says "0." #Tbilisi #TLStory —@foodieintl

Pictured: A busy intersection in Tbilisi, Georgia.

In a hot air balloon over the Karnak Temple. Dawn coming up. Call to prayer sounds. Balloon goes off course. Extended flight. #TLStory —@Overlaid

Pictured: The sun-drenched Karnak Temple complex.

Trying to use the remote to turn off the tv without closing the blinds and turning on bathroom lights at the Aria in Vegas #TLStory —@JTillard

Pictured: A deluxe king room at the Aria hotel.

#TLStory Hiked a Mtn outside of Zurich sweating all the way to find summit packed for wedding reception #Wie/sait/me/underdressed —@hcegner

Pictured: Mount Rigi, Switzerland.

Lots of thudding. 50 buffalo headed towards the lake (and our jeep). Then 50 more. 200 more. Happy hour in the dusty African sun. #TLStory —@girlgonewell

Pictured: A herd of approaching buffalo in South Africa.

Watched the sun set in Reykjavik, then bounce right back up. Daylight street party all night long. Delirious 48 hours, no sleep. #TLStory —@KarenEull

Pictured: Partying in Reykjavik.

Gettin stuck @ the Dublin airprt ovrnight bc of RyanAir, eating cereal 2 save $ & sleepin @ the Starbucks while they vacuumed 4 hrs #TLStory —@JillianKHunter

Pictured: Terminal 2, Dublin Airport.

Faust sold his soul to the Devil, but his Wine Cellar in Budapest is a slice of Paradise. Bull’s Blood & Aszu—heaven in a glass! #TLStory —@DFreeTraveler

Pictured: Inside the Faust Wine Cellar, in Budapest’s Buda Castle District.

"Liking Queenstown?" Obvi. "First bungee jump?" Yep. "Nervous?" Um... "Oh good, no worries then," he said, and let go of the rope. #TLStory —@lindseytravels

Pictured: Lindsey Olander, on her first bungee jump.

Renting a car and getting lost in Uluwatu Bali only to discover numerous secluded beaches with the best views #TLStory —@kheyansory

Pictured: A stretch of secluded beaches in Uluwatu, Bali.

GATE 1: Miami! GATE 2: Nassau! GATE 3: St. Thomas! Us? GATE 4: St. Louis, MO. Then Quincy, IL. Feet so cold. #TLStory —@Msmargarita1

Pictured: Quincy, IL, in a snowstorm.

Kyoto, best damn sushi for dinner then geisha hunting at night in the rain, found one and got a picture! #TLStory —@omandaway

Pictured: A geisha, found.

Went to Iceland and had a gloomy rainy day but headed to countryside it was still beautiful ;-) #TLStory —@chowandchatter

Pictured: The happy traveler in Iceland.

For my 50th bday took a helicopter to a glacier in Alaska. Drank the purest water ever. Felt alive & very small at the same time. #TLStory —@rcravatta

Pictured: The Colony Glacier in Girdwood, Alaska.

Driving through La Rioja, #Spain and seeing a man with dogs and a donkey herding a flock of sheep #TLStory #travel —@jacinthsohi

Pictured: A rural scene in La Rioja, Spain.

Marrying @ito_ocampo in St. Peter’s Basilica, meeting Pope John Paul II & receiving his newlywed blessing #TLStory —@Tippi_Ocampo

Pictured: The newly married couple outside St. Peter’s Basilica.

Overslept, mad dash to catch overnight train to Marrakesh. Missed it by 5 mins, slept in station. Punctual traveler ever since. #TLStory —@BySarahKhan

Pictured: The Gare de Marrakesh train station.

Watching the sunset over Venice from Lido. Once in a lifetime view #TLStory —@rscalzo8

Pictured: The view of Venice from Lido.

#TLStory Discovering Monastery of Satyros amidst residential neighborhood, Kucukyali on the Asian Side of #Istanbul —@SedefsCorner

Pictured: The Monastery of Satyros, Istanbul.

Dear drive-thru window lady @BessingersBBQ. Why no napkins? Hands now smell of mustard sauce. Blessed mess. #TLStory —@shanegoesforth

Pictured: A barbecue plate from Bessinger’s Barbecue.

Woke up early for a hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia Turkey #TLStory —@TroyM26

Pictured: The view from the hot-air balloon ride.

Swiss lounge being fed chocolates and hugs, wish I had a guitar so I could play Kumbaya. #zurichterminalE #TLStory —@Shteyngart

Pictured: Zurich Airport’s Swiss Lounge, Terminal E.

Took a cab in Casablanca & the driver blasted Shania Twain’s "Man, I Feel Like a Woman". Unexpected culture shock. #TLStory —@DawnCorleone

Pictured: Stuck in Casablanca traffic.

Paddling Zambezi in 2-man canoe. Sunlight glints; hippos grunt. 18-ft croc slinks under boat. Paul (guide) not talking. Um…Paul? #TLStory —@peterjlindberg

Pictured: A hippo in Zambia’s Zambezi River.

A tiny café, a glass of Barolo. The air redolent with clove cigarettes, a swirl of language. I close my eyes. Paris? No. Nolita. #TLStory —@danijshapiro

Pictured: New York’s Nolita neighborhood.

Trip idea: visit the Campari factory outside Milan to confirm that the aperitif’s main ingredient is cinnamon gift soap. #TLStory —@hankalf

Pictured: The Galleria Campari.

Winter in Yellowstone: Geysers filling air w/steam. Snow covered bison, wapiti. Icicles on my beard. Peaceful silence & reflection #TLStory —@medinakansas

Pictured: Yellowstone’s Steamboat Geyser.

Car broke mid-Utah. Instant regulars at only game in town—Don Ho’s Mexican American Chinese Café. Tumbleweeds & joy of slowed time. #TLStory —@sachsmo

Pictured: A dirt road in the Valley of the Gods, Utah.

Rome 2003: Owen Wilson’s place overlooked two fountains and had books everywhere, among them F. Scott Fitzgerald’s "The Crack Up." #TLStory —@thomasbeller

Pictured: Fitzgerald’s 1945 collection of essays, “The Crack Up.”