As the dust and dollar signs from Black Friday and Cyber Monday settle, the little engine that could, Giving Tuesday, chugs along — tugging on your purse strings in just the same way as its predecessors. But this time, the payback is so much more impactful. After all, it’s all about donating to the causes that you believe in the most.

While inboxes fill with clever subject lines from every nonprofit and charity you’ve remotely come in contact with (thanks, targeted e-mail marketing), the strategy for Giving Tuesday is just as essential as the commercial holidays — focus on what you really need. …

Illustrations by Ryan Johnson

It’s ironic that I was born a Pisces: I’ve never been comfortable in open water, I get seasick, and I’m petrified of fish. When I was in first grade, I’d check to make sure a goldfish hadn’t sneaked into my sandwich. During a family trip, I ran from an Oahu beach screaming when I saw that I was surrounded by schools of fish. Nowadays, I weasel my way out of beach getaways — and have had friends go through magazines and use Post-its to cover up fish photos before I read them. …

The world has become more accessible than ever. Countries that felt dis-
tant, such as Bhutan and Morocco, now top bucket lists, thanks to Instagram popularity and affordable direct flights. But a spike in travelers (the 1.3 billion international tourists in 2017 is predicted to surpass 1.8 billion by 2030), along with the effects of climate change, overdevelopment, and pollution, are harming our planet in ways we never imagined — and the
whitewashed reefs, receding glaciers, and plastic-littered beaches are proof.

While the future of the planet may feel bleak, the solutions lie in all of our hands. “One step we can take is to familiarize ourselves with what it means to travel sustainably,” says Kelley Louise, founder of the Impact Travel Alliance, a nonprofit travel advocacy group. Booking direct flights, going in the off-season, using mass transportation, and supporting local businesses can have positive effects on the people, environment, and economy of a destination, she explains: “By searching for ways to be more respectful of local communities, we’re also more likely to discover authentic experiences.” …

Illustrations by Ryan Johnson

I forced my eyes open, blankly stared at the ceiling, and groaned. This was not good. I had just arrived in Helsinki mere hours ago and the thought of even moving an inch was painful. All I wanted to do was melt into the bed, completely ossified. I had chills, but I was also sweating. My head was spinning and my throat was burning … and I was very much alone.

I’ve traveled solo extensively around the globe — from the Galapagos and Patagonia to Morocco and Romania — and I thought I had gotten it down to a sick-free science. The paranoid germaphobe in me packs a carefully curated first-aid kit stocked with a variety of antibacterial products including Wet Ones for my hands, Clorox wipes for the plane’s tray tables, and, of course, bottles of Purell just for good measure. The travel nerd in me studies every map and learns the key phrases of the local language I need to know to maneuver on my own. And the solo-meets-FOMO adventurer in me meticulously stitches together a fast-tracked itinerary to make sure I pack all the essential museums, restaurants, and landmarks into a short amount of time. …

Photographs by Kyoko Hamada

As the 1965 Oscar-winning best picture The Sound of Music fades out, the triumphant ending shows the von Trapps escaping Nazi-occupied Austria by crossing the Alps into the safe haven of Switzerland. But in 1938, the real family simply crossed the street and boarded a train. While there was fear that they wouldn’t be allowed out of the country, the refugees were fortunate. …

Photographs by Ian Allen
Illustrations by Grace Hemler; map by Holly Wales

IN SEPTEMBER 2017, Category 4 Hurricane Maria leveled 70,000 homes and 80 percent of Puerto Rico’s utility poles. For a community mired in a 12-year recession, it was a devastating blow. In the nine days following the storm, the federal government spent $6 million on the territory’s recovery, in stark contrast to its response to Hurricane Harvey, weeks earlier, when $142 million was put toward the Houston area.

Now, over a year later, the island continues to struggle, but locals are embracing visitors — and your vacation can make a difference. …

I was one of the tens of thousands of people who ran for their lives at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City’s Central Park on Saturday

All I remember is the silence. The eerie hollowness of tens of thousands of people running toward me in the dark, as I stood stunned and confused.

At the Global Citizen Festival concert in New York City last Saturday, a mass stampede of reportedly 60,000 people —including me — barreled out of Central Park after a bottle popped, causing a sound some mistook for gunshots.

I didn’t hear the sound. I didn’t see any smoke. I didn’t feel any immediate sense of panic. …

One voice lost in a hundred can prove to have quite some resonance, as I discovered while singing in Lincoln Center’s debut of “In the Name of the Earth”

First and foremost, I am not a singer.

Yes, my mom put me in voice lessons in high school, I sang in chorus in college at UCLA, and, for the last 14 years, I’ve been an alto in Cantigas Women’s Choir in Hoboken, NJ.

Whenever anyone finds out I’m in a choir, the first thing they say is: “Sing!” …