While more and more Chinese travel abroad, inbound tourism to China continues to lag. The question remains: Why? 

Mae Salong sits along a winding mountain road in Northern Thailand. The village is in an isolated valley, the hillsides lined with terraced fields. Thirty years ago it would have been nearly inaccessible. Today, a paved road deposits tourists at a market at a crossroads not far from the town center. Some come for the tea, others for the scenery, but most are here to experience a cultural anomaly: A lost colony of Chinese soldiers from a forgotten war.

When I travel, I tend to only bring one (or maybe two) pairs of pants so I need pants which are durable, easy to wash/dry, comfortable, and which can be used in a variety of situations from the train station to the trekking trail to the meeting. Here are a few of my recent purchases and my recommendation for your next pair of travel pants.