Joseph "Rich" Francis is a travel writer and full-time traveler of more than 10 years. He's lived on multiple continents and in a hodgepodge of different destinations, from the beach towns of the Mexican Pacific to the idyllic isles of southern Thailand, the ski centers of the Alps to the historic cities of Central Europe. He's a niche expert in surf-travel and adventure travel, and has published work in leading travel brands like Lonely Planet, The Culture Trip, and Seeker.
Today, you can find him blogging about the latest in surf destinations over on The Surf Atlas or about the latest bars in Krakow on KrakowBuzz. You can also find his portfolio site at JosephRichardFrancis.com.
Saint Paul – The historic and uber-welcoming Capitol of Minnesota – forms one half of the sprawling Twin Cities. With a population just shy of 300,000 and all the urban areas of colossal Minneapolis just on the doorstep, the city strikes a fine balance between the laid-back and the metropolitan. Its southern fringes are lined …
Texas’ ninth most populous city can be found nestled between the rolling grasslands and prairies and the booming megacity of Dallas, right on the northern fringes of the Lone Star State. Home to more than 250,000 people, the city is far from small, and continues to attract settlers who prefer something of a slower pace …
Joined at the hip by subways and bridges, light rail and roads to the massive metro area of New York City across the Hudson to the west, Newark might look small next to its near neighbour but it’s still the largest city in the entire of the Garden State. That means travelers who make their …
Greensboro is a town steeped in history. Once the contact point of the British and Revolutionary armies during the American push for independence in the late 18th century, the city’s outer districts are still marked with battlefields and monuments to the fallen. When the Civil War erupted, the area was divided, half Dixie half Unionist, …
Straddling the divide between the Deep South and the Midwest as it sprawls out across the banks of the Ohio River (one of the major tributaries to the Mississippi River), Cincinnati oozes with a curious mix of American industrialism, BBQ heritage, baseball fanaticism, riparian come railroad character and a deep sense of its own history. …
The so-called City of Bridges might only be home to 300,000 folks, but boy does it pack a punch. Famed for its steel industries, largely long since died with the rest of the embers of the Midwest’s industrial boom, the metro area here is a place of red-brick facades, countless depots and arched bridges, utilitarianism …
Occupying the western banks of the Mississippi River, the great Gateway to the West is a place of energy, culture, deep history and cutting-edge modern charm. Once an outpost of the French Republic, the town quickly boomed thanks to its tactical position as a port on the river way between Missouri and Illinois. Steamers drifted …
Joined at the hip to the famed Mile-High City, Aurora (Colorado), forms one third of the colossal Metro Denver area; a sprawling metropolitan hub that totals more than two million locals in all. However, unlike its near neighbors of Denver and Lakewood, Aurora has done well to retain something of its small town character, balancing …
Straddling its very own bay on the Gulf Coast of southern Texas, the city of Corpus Christi began life as humble outpost in the midst of no man’s land between the continental United States and Mexico to the south. Battles were fought and won on its peripheries, while Corpus itself grew and grew into one …
Clinging to the southern edge of the fabled World Capital of Gambling, the city of Henderson has garnered a reputation as something of a more laid-back, suburban alternative to Sin City and the lights of the Vegas Strip. Its neighborhoods sit nestled between the rocky rises and towering hoodoos of the River Mountains and Sloan …