Three mud-brick forts rise out of the Kyzylkum Desert, two hundred kilometers from the nearest city. They are called the Qalas. They were built over two thousand years ago to guard the trade routes that would eventually become the Silk Road. You have almost certainly never heard of them. We walked through them on a...Read More
On what Rome destroyed, what it could not erase, and the history that only becomes visible when you drive between the fragments with someone who has spent her career in the ruins. By Mary Collins | April 2026 Most ancient ruins stand in one place and wait for you to arrive. Carthage doesn’t work that...Read More
On arriving curious, finding history in layers, and the question Philippi gave me that I keep asking everywhere else. By Mary Collins | April 2026 The first morning in Thessaloniki, I could have been in any modern Mediterranean city. Waterfront cafés, people walking dogs, a promenade along the sea. Nothing that signaled what I was...Read More
The Deepest Connection — A Reflection on Forty Years of Scholar-Led Travel By Mary Collins, Owner, Far Horizons Archaeological & Cultural Trips | March 22, 2026 At Far Horizons, we’ve spent forty+ years building scholar-led expeditions on a single premise: the deepest connection to a place comes through the people who know and love it....Read More
Why the Trips That Change You Aren’t Just About Destinations By Mary Collins | January 2026 Last week, I listened to something James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, said on the Mel Robbins podcast. He was talking about identity-based habits — how lasting change comes from focusing on who you want to become, not the...Read More
