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Rob Crossan

Rob is a travel, lifestyle and culture writer based in London. His work appears in publications including the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, GQ, Monocle and The Guardian. HIs debut play, ‘The Gaffer’ premiered at the Edinburgh Festival in 2023. More info on Rob at www.robcrossan.co.uk
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Devil's Island
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The Devilish History of Devil’s Island

French Guiana's Devil’s Island has witnessed some of humanity’s hardest moments, from the brutalities of slavery to the punishments of penal servitude.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barnhill_from_above_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2230480.jpg
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Jura: George Orwell’s Scottish Hideaway

Discover the austere island retreat where Big Brother was born.
Beale Street, Memphis
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Memphis: The Roots of Rock in the Land of the Mississippians

Rising on the lands of an ancient agricultural system, Memphis has a long history of negotiating social conflict and change while singing the blues.
sunset on a Cancun resort with blue water
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Cancún and the Making of Modern “Gringolandia”

Created from almost nothing, Cancún has become a tourist playground that both celebrates and obscures the history of the Yucatán and its peoples.
Aerial view towards waterfront of Road Town, Tortola
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Becoming the British Virgin Islands

Grappling with a history shaped by colonialism, the British Virgin Islands have built a national identity that embraces change while distancing the neighbors.
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Brunei: A Tale of Soil and Oil

With an economy based almost exclusively on the oil industry, Brunei offers its citizens a high standard of living—but it comes with limitations.
Tongan beach with small wooden jetty and thatched huts
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Wooden Kings and Winds of Change in Tonga

The island nation of Tonga is home to the last Polynesian monarchy.
Luanda, Angola
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Luanda, Angola: The Paradox of Plenty

This vast Atlantic coast nation seems poised to become a tourist hot-spot, but uneven political and economic development may be standing in the way.
The rugged coast of the Isles of Scilly, England, U.K.
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Life in the Islands of the Dead

Though part of the mainland county of Cornwall, the Scilly Islands offer visitors an encounter with history and the environment like no other.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Arctic circle, Norway
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Svalbard: Seeds of Hope

The Arctic archipelago is a bellwether for global climate change, but it also offers a safety net in a planetary disaster scenario.
Nuremberg, c. 1890
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Nuremberg: City of Dreams and Nightmares

From a mercantile powerhouse in the Middle Ages to a stage for genocidal horror in the twentieth century, Nuremberg has played a pivotal role in German history.
Belize Cityscape with Lighthouse and Caribbean Sea
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Belize: On the Way to Somewhere

After declaring independence from Great Britain in 1981, the Central American nation directed itself down a path to tourism and transformation.
Aerial view of Darwin, Australia
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Darwin Down Under

The largest town in Australia’s Northern Territory, Darwin offers beautiful beaches, historic seaside festivals, and some tough socioeconomic problems.
Aerial view of University Square (Piata Universitatii), Bucharest, Romania
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The Three Cs of Bucharest

Three big Cs dominate the history of Romania and its capital city, Bucharest. You may know communism and Ceaușescu, but what about Cuza?
An aerial view of the shore of Praia de Santiago and the Praia lighthouse on a sunny day
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Cape Verde’s Dilemma(s)

While increased tourism may be a boon to the economy, increasing numbers of visitors may harm the environmental wonders that draw outsiders to the islands.
View of the Rock of Gibraltar as seen from the Sierra Carbonera Mountains of Cadiz, Spain
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Gibraltar: Where Two Worlds Meet, the Monkeys Roam

Home to the genetically unique Barbary macaques, Gibraltar serves up an intriguing mix of European cultures to residents and tourists alike.
Cape Town, South Africa
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Cape Town, South Africa

Although the apartheid era continues to cast its shadow on Cape Town, many of its neighborhoods have been enjoying a renaissance as tourist destinations.
Bright and colorful land- and seasape of St Kitts and Nevis.
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Saint Kitts and Nevis

Sandy beaches and luxury hotels seem to define this Caribbean nation, but it’s the music and architecture that truly speak to its complicated history.

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