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Heady days in Cuba! Now that after all these decades the dam has finally broken – relations between Cuba and the USA nearly normalized, travel restrictions relaxed, and a flood of new air routes, hotels, and other Cuban tourism helpers underway, more visitors have been pouring into the singular island country. And among other things, they’ve been rediscovering the Nobel-prize-winning gringo literary legend whose larger-than-life persona became a major part of late pre-revolutionary Cuba.

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by Andy Jarozs

In his 1999 documentary series Hemingway Adventure, Michael Palin, the Monty Python star turned traveler (no relation to Sarah, as far as we know), visited Cuba to see for himself the many places on the island that are associated with the famous writer. He even attempts to secure an interview with Fidel Castro himself; it’s too bad that Castro turned him down, as it would have been fascinating to hear the Bearded One’s memories of fishing and talking politics with his old equally

Since 2004, UNESCO has been promoting cities where literature plays an important role, including festivals and literary events and the existence of libraries and bookstores. Cities like Melbourne, Dublin and Edinburgh were given the chance to promote their local creative scene, as part of of being chosen as Cities of Literature. Trace the footsteps of some of world's most famous writers with our literary cities for 2012:

London, England: Hometown of Virginia Woolf, Charles Dickens and many others

Authentic travelers are adventurous. Unlike tourists, we’re open to the unexpected and crave out-of-the ordinary experiences. It’s not that we never go on tours; it’s that we don’t go on “normal” tours that race from one “top attraction” to another.I want you to introduce you to a delightful friend of mine who has been taking small groups to follow in the footsteps of Franz Kafka.

Yes, that Franz Kafka – the mysterious genius – and Dora Diamant the remarkable woman who kept his literary flame a

So every once a while, there's a story you really, really want to do. I have one coming up next month: I'm covering the Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay, England. The festival is held every year, but this year is a big one, as it's the 120th anniversary of Dame Agatha's birth. As a dedicated fan, I've read all the books, seen all the films and BBC programs. And now I'll get to visit Christie's home, see her manuscripts, typewriters, memorabilia--and the garden of poisonous plants used to knoc