Bob Payne
@bobpayne.bsky.social
Travel writer.
Author of 142-country memoir, Escape Clauses — Getting Away With a Travel Writing Life.
Co-creator of Without the Crowds - A world guide to popular destinations & their uncrowded alternatives
#travel #travelwriting #humor #tourism
Author of 142-country memoir, Escape Clauses — Getting Away With a Travel Writing Life.
Co-creator of Without the Crowds - A world guide to popular destinations & their uncrowded alternatives
#travel #travelwriting #humor #tourism
Today in Travel. Jan 4, 2004. NASA’s Spirit Rover lands on Mars, discovers what appears to be discarded Kentucky Fried Chicken 14-piece bargain bucket.
(Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Bobcarrieson.com
(Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Bobcarrieson.com
January 4, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Today in Travel. Jan 4, 2004. NASA’s Spirit Rover lands on Mars, discovers what appears to be discarded Kentucky Fried Chicken 14-piece bargain bucket.
(Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Bobcarrieson.com
(Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Bobcarrieson.com
Today in Travel. Jan 3, 1887. First person bicycles around the world, having spent much of the time wishing for invention of airplane.
(Image: Wikipedia)
Bobcarrieson.com
(Image: Wikipedia)
Bobcarrieson.com
January 3, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Today in Travel. Jan 3, 1887. First person bicycles around the world, having spent much of the time wishing for invention of airplane.
(Image: Wikipedia)
Bobcarrieson.com
(Image: Wikipedia)
Bobcarrieson.com
Today in Travel. Jan 2, 1974. Max speed limit in U.S. set at 55 mph, turning 99% of American drivers into lawbreakers.
bobcarrieson.com
bobcarrieson.com
January 2, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Today in Travel. Jan 2, 1974. Max speed limit in U.S. set at 55 mph, turning 99% of American drivers into lawbreakers.
bobcarrieson.com
bobcarrieson.com
Happy New Year to all my Facebook friends. Especially those who have publicly acknowledged that they sometimes understand what I seem to be saying.
January 1, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Happy New Year to all my Facebook friends. Especially those who have publicly acknowledged that they sometimes understand what I seem to be saying.
Today in Travel. Jan 1, 1914. First U.S. commercial passenger flight. Company, St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line, charges $5 per passenger. wishes it had thought of baggage fees.
bobcarrieson.com
bobcarrieson.com
January 1, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Today in Travel. Jan 1, 1914. First U.S. commercial passenger flight. Company, St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line, charges $5 per passenger. wishes it had thought of baggage fees.
bobcarrieson.com
bobcarrieson.com
New Year’s Resolution. Not to cheat. At cards. When playing with wife and daughter.
December 31, 2025 at 11:32 PM
New Year’s Resolution. Not to cheat. At cards. When playing with wife and daughter.
Today in Travel. Dec 31, 1907. Ball first drops in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, becoming international symbol for need for massive public gatherings to have public bathrooms available.
(Image: Hunter Kahn on Wikipedia)
Bobcarrieson.com
(Image: Hunter Kahn on Wikipedia)
Bobcarrieson.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Today in Travel. Dec 31, 1907. Ball first drops in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, becoming international symbol for need for massive public gatherings to have public bathrooms available.
(Image: Hunter Kahn on Wikipedia)
Bobcarrieson.com
(Image: Hunter Kahn on Wikipedia)
Bobcarrieson.com
Today in Travel. Dec 30, 1940. First freeway opens in Western U.S., followed by first recorded case of road rage. bobcarrieson.com
December 30, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Today in Travel. Dec 30, 1940. First freeway opens in Western U.S., followed by first recorded case of road rage. bobcarrieson.com
Today in Travel. Dec 29, 1845. Texas becomes U. S. state, on condition Cotton Eyed Joe will not be named state song.
Bobcarrieson.com
Bobcarrieson.com
December 29, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Today in Travel. Dec 29, 1845. Texas becomes U. S. state, on condition Cotton Eyed Joe will not be named state song.
Bobcarrieson.com
Bobcarrieson.com
Of course "nearby" is a relative term when you're talking about the Southwest wilderness.
Utah's Big 5 National Parks not enough for you? Try nearby Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. #travelsky #utahnationalparks #nationalmonuments #grandstaircaseescalante
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument: The Smart Traveler's Alternative
A vast wilderness of wind-and-water-carved rock formations whose middle-of- nowhere location keeps crowds to a minimum
withoutthecrowds.com
December 28, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Of course "nearby" is a relative term when you're talking about the Southwest wilderness.
Today in Travel. Dec 28, 1968. 100,000 attend Miami Pop Festival, including many who are expecting free soft drinks.
December 28, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Today in Travel. Dec 28, 1968. 100,000 attend Miami Pop Festival, including many who are expecting free soft drinks.
You mean like when to visit between islands you had to know how to bail out a canoe? The
December 27, 2025 at 7:52 PM
You mean like when to visit between islands you had to know how to bail out a canoe? The
in Travel. Dec 27, 1831. Only after Charles Darwin departs Plymouth, England, aboard HMS Beagle does he discover it is not the naturist cruise he had signed up for.
December 27, 2025 at 3:48 PM
in Travel. Dec 27, 1831. Only after Charles Darwin departs Plymouth, England, aboard HMS Beagle does he discover it is not the naturist cruise he had signed up for.
Today in Travel. Dec 26, 1846. Donner Party gives Christmas leftovers a bad name.
(Image: Wikipedia)
Bobcarrieson.com
(Image: Wikipedia)
Bobcarrieson.com
December 26, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Today in Travel. Dec 26, 1846. Donner Party gives Christmas leftovers a bad name.
(Image: Wikipedia)
Bobcarrieson.com
(Image: Wikipedia)
Bobcarrieson.com
Christmas Day is always difficult for me. My reindeer underwear, or the ones with Santa on them? (Image not available.)
December 25, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Christmas Day is always difficult for me. My reindeer underwear, or the ones with Santa on them? (Image not available.)
Today in Travel. Dec 25, 1776. Knowing Christmas is cheapest day to travel, Washington crosses Delaware, surprises Hessians.
(Painting: Emanuel Leutze)
Bobcarrieson.com
(Painting: Emanuel Leutze)
Bobcarrieson.com
December 25, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Today in Travel. Dec 25, 1776. Knowing Christmas is cheapest day to travel, Washington crosses Delaware, surprises Hessians.
(Painting: Emanuel Leutze)
Bobcarrieson.com
(Painting: Emanuel Leutze)
Bobcarrieson.com
To all my friends, and, especially, to all who are not. Peace on earth, and the moon, and mars, and, especially, all the worlds at the edge of the Milky Way. Goodwill toward all.
December 24, 2025 at 11:47 PM
To all my friends, and, especially, to all who are not. Peace on earth, and the moon, and mars, and, especially, all the worlds at the edge of the Milky Way. Goodwill toward all.
Live Christmas tree. Arizona style. Happy Holidays.
December 24, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Live Christmas tree. Arizona style. Happy Holidays.
Looks like those extraterrestrials are at it again.
This Asian temple looks a lot like the Mayan step pyramids of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. Coincidence or cosmic convergence? #travelsky #overtourism #kohker #pyramids #ancientcivlizations #adventuretravel
Koh Ker: The Smart Traveler's Alternative
Koh Ker, a mysterious temple complex in Cambodia, is much less crowded than its neighbor, Angkor Wat, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
withoutthecrowds.com
December 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Looks like those extraterrestrials are at it again.
Today in Travel. Dec 24, 1893. Henry Ford builds his first gasoline-powered engine, can't decide what to do with it.
Bobcarrieson.com
Bobcarrieson.com
December 24, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Today in Travel. Dec 24, 1893. Henry Ford builds his first gasoline-powered engine, can't decide what to do with it.
Bobcarrieson.com
Bobcarrieson.com
So serene that the only sound was the splash of me falling off our bamboo raft.
A peaceful Jamaican getaway that's worth going the extra mile. withoutthecrowds.com/port-antonio... #portantonio #overtourism #jamaica #quietjamaica #travelsky
Port Antonio: The Smart Traveler's Alternative
A funky beach town surrounded by jungle, Port Antonio is one of Jamaica's most serene resort areas, much less crowded than Negril.
withoutthecrowds.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:26 PM
So serene that the only sound was the splash of me falling off our bamboo raft.
Today in Travel. Dec 23, 1986. First non-stop round-the-world flight without refueling
completed, crew runs for airport restroom.
Bobcarrieson.com
completed, crew runs for airport restroom.
Bobcarrieson.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Today in Travel. Dec 23, 1986. First non-stop round-the-world flight without refueling
completed, crew runs for airport restroom.
Bobcarrieson.com
completed, crew runs for airport restroom.
Bobcarrieson.com
Today in Travel. Dec 22, 2001. Would-be airline shoe bomber Richard Reid complains about poor quality of fuses in Europe. Urges all terrorists to buy American.
Bobcarrieson.com
Bobcarrieson.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Today in Travel. Dec 22, 2001. Would-be airline shoe bomber Richard Reid complains about poor quality of fuses in Europe. Urges all terrorists to buy American.
Bobcarrieson.com
Bobcarrieson.com
I bet that's one noisy maternity ward.
Here's a place that's not too crowded. Unless you count the 8,000 wildebeest born every day. #travelsky #adventuretravel #africatravel #serengeti #tanzania
THE WILDEBEEST CALVING GROUNDS: THE SMART TRAVELER'S ALTERNATIVE
One of the highlights of the great wildebeest migration is calving season in the Serengeti. Here's how to plan a visit.
withoutthecrowds.com
December 21, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I bet that's one noisy maternity ward.
New York City tourist uses Facebook to mark himself safe after fight for taxi at Broadway and East 12th.
December 21, 2025 at 5:01 PM
New York City tourist uses Facebook to mark himself safe after fight for taxi at Broadway and East 12th.