prague

A large map of the world, plastered with clusters of brightly-colored sewing pins, hangs in the home of 73-year-old Myrna Towers. Each pin marks a place that Towers, her husband, Dave, or one of their six children has visited. Myrna and Dave have traveled extensively, and have lived in Great Britain, Cambodia, and Hong Kong. What the map does not show, however, is where they have slept on their travels. A cabin on the African savanna, a chateau in the Alps, and a hut in Mexico are only a few. “If you stay in Best Westerns everywhere you go, you’ll have a very typical trip,” says Towers. They are always on the alert for rare lodging opportunities.

Known as the “City of a Thousand Spires,” Prague is one of the hidden gems of Europe. The capital of the Czech Republic is one large outdoor museum of beautiful architecture ranging from the fourteenth century to today. Because Prague was relatively spared during World War I and II, many of the buildings are still in their original condition.

The release of this winter issue of Stowaway marks two years since the magazine’s premier issue in January 2010. In the short time Stowaway has been published, it has received two national awards of recognition: a Bronze Award for “Best Editorial/New Publication” and an Award of Excellence for “Custom-Published Magazines and Journals.”

When we landed in LAX after 12 months and 28 countries, my wife, Sara, and I looked back and couldn’t believe our trip had cost each of us only around $900 a month—a little over $10,000 a person! It was cheaper to be traveling for that entire year than it would have been to stay home.