Economics

Corporations are culturally polymorphous “I am a citizen of the world,” I’ve heard some travelers exclaim on occasion. By citizen of the world, they mean they are just at home anywhere on the planet as they are in the country they came from, that they are regarded as part of the landscape wherever they go, [...]

These are all workers in the independent economy of Colombia. Otherwise known as hawkers, street vendors, shoeshine boys, and money changers these unregulated laborers sell their wares and offer their services to all who pass through the urban streets of this country.

CARTAGENA, Colombia- “I ran away from my country,” an Argentinian traveler spoke. His name was Alfredo, and he just opened up a little juice bar/ restaurant next to the Hotel Marlin in Cartagena. Like thousands of other travelers from his country, he came up to the northern stretches of Latin America, working when he can [...]

If you ever want to see prime examples of human ingenuity go for a walk through one of the many shanty towns which sits at the outskirts of nearly every major city in the developing world. There you will find entire neighborhoods constructed of trash, discarded materials, and just about anything that the occupants can [...]

The Impact of Status on Poverty Culture I remember an old traveler complaining to me once in the jungles of Peru about how he could not believe it when the people there would build concrete houses to live in. Apparently, after 20 years of world travel, jungle people living in concrete houses had not yet made it [...]

El Chopo Punk Market in Mexico City The El Chopo Punk Market is located near the Buenavisa Metrobus and Subway stop on Aldama street. It is a flea market which functions on Saturdays throughout the year. MEXICO CITY, Mexico- “I thought this was going to be a bunch of punks selling their old stuff, but [...]

The United Kingdom, or London more precisely, was once a great air travel gateway into Europe. I would purchase one budget airline ticket from the USA (or wherever in the world I happened to be) to London for around $200, and then buy another budget airline ticket from there into the heart of Europe. But [...]

Or Why the Airline Industry is in a Race to the Bottom SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, Mexico- Old, respected airlines around the world continue to go bankrupt, continue to go out of business. Why? I must ask. Mexicana Airlines, formally known as Compañía Mexicana de Aviación, S.A. de C.V, was one of the more recent [...]

Country exit fees – What am I paying for? Perhaps one of the most onerous onslaughts against the modern traveler is governments and airports charging fees to exit a country. These taxes often jump up on a traveler by surprise, and many people have been stuck in no man’s land with their jaws hanging, as [...]