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Austin to Lisbon, Caribbean to Candelaria

travel story on street art in Austin

Take a break from reading the depressing news and check out four new long-form stories from book authors in Perceptive Travel instead. The March issue is out now, with stories from four past contributors.

One of the articles is from Mexico and it is an article on a tradition that baffles many of us who live there or visit the country before around Christmas: the Baby Jesus doll phenomenon. Why are each of them wearing what looks like a frilly dress, and why are there so many of these outfits for sale? Lydia Carey has the answers to this and more and attends the big mass for them in Candelaria: When 1,000 Dressed-up Dolls Come to Mexican Mass.

There’s also a bit of Mexico in Sherry Shahan’s article about the rich stories behind the paintings on the building walls in Austin, Texas. Amidst the hyper-growth and the pains that come with it, she zeroes in on a smaller part of the picture in Austin’s East Side: Art for the Masses. Lisbon tile art

Then we pop over to the great city of Lisbon in Portugal, where Beebe Bahrami check out the city of local hero writer Fernando Pessoa and a creative festival taking place in the city. See Disquiet in Lisbon

Gillian Kendall returns with a story on traveling with a Coast Guard crew as a lecturer on one of their ships. The formalities fade away and she needs to take a leap of faith when the crew takes a break to dive off and go swimming. See YOLO, FOMO, and Semper Paratus on Swim Call in the Caribbean.

Bill Caverlee reviews three new and notable travel books: Feel the Wild, Ten Years a Nomad (which we talked about with the author here), and Divine Encounters: Sacred Rituals and Ceremonies in Asia.

Who could use a new laptop backpack for travel? 

Each month, one of our winners comes away with something cool for traveling. Last month’s champ was Kevin K. from Illinois. He will receive a big stash of useful travel books coming his way from Matt Kepnes, Jen Ruiz, Mike and Anne Howard, and yours truly. He will soon be ready to take on traveling the world and will do it for far less money than others.

Perceptive Travel newsletter offering

This month, we’ve got a great backpack to give away from Day Owl, a company using recycled plastic bottles and other sustainable materials to produce this nice-looking, useful travel laptop backpack. Follow that link to learn more about their pack and process. They make a version for regular laptops, which is the one we’re giving away, and one for 13-inch ones or tablets.

How do you score this $149 bag and get a shot at future prizes? Join the Perceptive Travel e-mail issue update community. Then watch for the entry instructions near the beginning of each month. You can also follow them on Facebook and pay close attention to the feed. The odds are quite good you’ll score eventually, so get on it!

James Junior

Wednesday 18th of March 2020

Travelling is my passion. I really love to travel new places.Thank you for sharing this article with us.Great Idea.