Orange County may be known as a glitzy (at times obscenely so) pocket of wealth, but as Los Angeles writer Jessica Ritz discovered on a road trip with her family, its more interesting for its beaches, ships, and intricate Lego offerings.ORANGE COUNTY – Southern California doesnt have the sharply defined urban/suburban/rural boundaries that were used to throughout the United States, but locals know that doesnt mean its one monolithic bl

A weekend in Newport usually includes lobster rolls, waterfront mansions, and more lobster rolls. Our pals Laura House and Kate Thorman, lovely editors at the boutique hotel site Mr & Mrs Smith, spent a night in the coastal Rhode Island town and found a few spots that break the mold. Add them to your Newport list. No need to drop the lobster rolls.NEWPORT, Rhode Island – Team Mr & Mrs Smith kicked off summer with a good old-fashioned r

The books we read each summer are only as good as the beaches we read them on. Fathoms professional beach-reading intern Tess Falotico looked into both: What to read and, more importantly, where to read it.THE BEACH – All summer books are not created equal, and neither are the beaches we read them on. A light, breezy book is great on one of those hungover mornings in Miami. But we like to devote a whole quiet afternoon in Montauk  

Want to know a good time to head to Costa Rica? When all the tourists clear out. Fathom editorial director Jeralyn Gerba heads to the Papagayo Peninsula on Costa Ricas Pacific Coast at the start of low season.PENINSULA PAPAGAYO, Costa Rica – The Andaz Peninusla Papagayo Resort opened at the end of 2013 on a quiet, 28-acre stretch of lush forest on the Pacific coast. Local architect Ronald Zurcher took an organic, design-driven approach

Hasbrouck HouseStone Ridge, New YorkCozy, $$ (from $225)Turn a summer fling into a fine fall romance at Hasbrouck House, a chic and polished farm-to-fork B&B in an 18th-century Dutch Colonial mansion in New Yorks Mid-Hudson Valley. Formerly Stone Ridge Inn, it reopened in 2016 under new ownership with incredibly thoughtful design details, high-end amenities, beautifully manicured grounds, and an incredible restaurant. Wandering around the p

Surf and Sunshine. Next year, swap the hectic life in the urban jungle for the simple one in the great outdoors: take care of elephants in Thailand, fall in love with sea lions in the Galapagos, be a hero on horseback in India.

Is it even possible in this day and age to travel somewhere out of cell phone range and beyond internet connectivity? Were resolving to take at least one unplugged vacation — for solitude, for peace of mind, for the sake of our own sanity.

Fathoms Jeralyn Gerba goes on safari in Zambia to experience the best of planet Earth in 3-D.THE BUSH, Zambia – One early morning in Zambia, I wake up to a pride of nine lionesses relaxing below my thatched-roof verandah. They are no more than twenty feet away, looking spectacularly lazy as impala, baboons, and hilarious little warthogs roam nearby. “Okay,” I think to myself. “I can go home now.”But it’s only day three on my safari in

Traveling often makes us feel like were on top of the world. Thats why we love it. When Fathom intern Alison Weissbrot traveled to Peru, she was literally standing on top of the world — no hyperbole or metaphor involved. It was quite the great adventure.MACHU PICCHU, Peru – Machu Picchu is incomplete without the looming green mountain that stands behind the ruins. The infamous peak, called Huayna Picchu, juts through the misty clouds

The continent is too large to describe. It is a veritable ocean, a separate planet, a varied, immensely rich cosmos. Only with the greatest simplification, for the sake of convenience, can we say Africa. – Ryszard KapuscinskiPicture this: Youre in a Land Cruiser roaming the open plains among dazzles of zebra and towers of giraffes. Youre in a hot air balloon at sunrise taking in the thunderous migration of a million wildebeests. Youre hikin

Sydneysiders and tourists alike crowd Circular Quays wharf three to cross the harbor to the north Sydney seaside suburb of Manly, for scenic sands, good eats, and the lively scene. Fathom intern Daniel Schwartz spent three weeks studying at the International College of Management this January, at the peak of Australias summer. Forced to leave, missing it dearly, and seriously contemplating a move, hes reliving it through his list of Manly e

Fathom summer intern Jordan Siskind-Weiss spent a fleeting twelve days on safari in Sub-Saharan Africa and barely slept a peep. She was too mesmerized by the wilderness. Back at Fathom HQ, she regaled us with quirky travel tales of adrenaline-pumping activities and pure, untouched savannah.SOUTH AFRICA – American students studying abroad in Cape Town anxiously anticipate mid-semester break more than final exams. Our group of twenty students

The vast wildlife and natural beauty of the Kenyan bush could only be improved with a little bit of romance. Writer Ariane Marder regales Fathom with stories of her un-tamed adventures in Kenya.KENYA – Its frigid when the sun comes up over Mount Kenya, where weve spent the night camped alongside Lake Ellis. I listen for the sound of the nearby leopard, but he seems to have moved on with the daybreak. Lucky me, my camping buddy has come prep

Cycling 100 miles through the Rocky Mountains sounds pretty daunting. But Fathoms contributing koan editor (yes, we really have one) James Sturz took the challenge and brought us along for a ride filled with stunning vistas, moose sightings, and lots of Lycra.COLORADO ROCKIES – At 9,300 feet, approaching Rabbit Ears Pass in Grand County, Colorado, there was an unmistakeable thfwish as my bikes front tire went over a lumpy yellow-bellied mar

Playing with sea lions, roaming with turtles, squawking with boobies. Tune into the vibe of the Galapagos and become one with the animals. A reader story.GALAPAGOS ISLANDS – In crystal blue waters, I frolick with sea lions. Its a dance with twisting and turning currents, and the sea lions out-wit me every time. Their eyes open so wide the whites are almost comical through the lens of my goggles. Holding my breath, I try my best to

Shark Week has resurfaced once again and this year were safely dipping into the sea through an excerpt from the inaugural issue of Sidetracked, one of our 24 Best Indie Magazines for Travelers. In it, professional husband-and-wife freediving team One Ocean One Breath writes about coming face to face with Caribbean Reef Sharks in the spectacular blue waters off Honduras. ROATÁN, Honduras – Deep below the surface

INSTAGRAM – Do you live far from the coast? You can still dive deep with us this week. Live vicariously through these Instagrammers.See the slideshow.

LONG ISLAND, New York – When you get out to Long Island’s East End, take the fork less traveled.STAYThe North Fork Table & Inn 57225 Main Rd., Southold; +1-631-765-0177 The only thing better than rolling around in Frette linens on a gorgeous summer morning at this tiny farmhouse-chic hotel, is knowing that there’s a delicious restaurant (and vintage Ford lunch truck) waiting right downstairs. EAT LOCALThe Frisky Oyster27 Front St.

Becky Cheang, Fathoms gregarious intern extraordinaire, decided to spend a weekend alone on the sleepy island of Nantucket. So what happened? She talked to strangers, took gorgeous pictures, and broke into at least one church. Heres the album.NANTUCKET – Growing up in Singapore, I only heard Nantucket mentioned twice — once, in a limerick about the man who kept all his cash in a bucket. Then again in Moby Dick, which I

If youre going to do something as memorable and once-in-a-lifetime as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, do it in style. Heels, shades, attitude, Chanel. Take that, middle age.KILIMANJARO – If theres one piece of advice I would give to anyone headed up Kilimanjaro, its this: Do not do the sunrise summit. Why? Because it will be you and about 200 other people up there, all trying to get a photo in front of the famous sign in semi darkness.The way t