French – the language of love.

Actually, when the sexiest phrase that comes can come out of someone’s mouth is “j’ai un chien appelé Pongo” - maybe not so much. The beauty of travelling the world is that you can intentionally and unintentionally further your language skills so much quicker than back in the Motherland.

If just passing through, you may learn how to order a steak and then swear at your friends. If you stay a little longer, you might hold a basic conversation, or ask for directions to a museum. I’ve been yearning to go that step further.

Being the travel novice that I was, I decided that France was too close and French Africa was too daunting. That left the choice of Quebec, Canada. The problem was, being relatively handy at the language before I arrived, I wasn’t being challenged in day-to-day life. I could already order food, or thank a waiter, or query a ticket vendor (my French-Canadian friends would all speak English, to my frustration).

My saviour was the podcast. Downloading at least three new podcasts a day, I could walk from home to work, learning more conversational snippets in double-quick time. Podcasts tend to be more informal than the textbook, and offer that insight into conversational life that is invariably missing from the school curricula.

It isn’t just French, podcasts are out there for all major languages, and a lot of the less spoken forms. Michael Erard used Chinesepod to learn the language of the fastest growing superpower, and said:

“Compared to sitting in a classroom or language lab, learning a foreign tongue from a podcast doesn’t feel much like work. In the case of Chinesepod, a free daily podcast from Shanghai with lessons in Mandarin Chinese, language study is actually fun.”

And it is fun. Sitting at a desk, repeating verb after verb after verb, isn’t fun. Learning some friendly conversation, then using your newfound skills on your native friends, is incredibly satisfying. Immersion is great, but podcasts can add an extra dimension to your learning, and help you become a more complete vagabonder.

When deciding to take an extended stay in a country, a ‘working holiday’, it can sometimes become a story of ‘different place, same boredom’. It means going from a weekday job in your home country to probably a more tedious method of employment in your adopted country (on lower pay). There are ways to cure the tedium, in that lull between experiences. Here are some tips:

Create goals

Decide on where you want to be able to visit in the vicinity of your base, and work out how much it is going to cost you. Having a target, both physical and monetary, can give you something to drive towards, and make the work seem all the more worthwhile.

For me, it was making sure I could take a seaplane to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, and affording flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Pick some larger targets, and set about reaching them.

Find time to enjoy yourself

Don’t become a slave to the travelling. Going for a few friendly drinks is just as important as scaling Table Mountain or scuba-diving the Great Barrier Reef. Lasting connections are a massive part of vagabonding, and being social with your new work colleagues can be a great way of experiencing more culture, and discovering some fantastic off-the-beaten-track hot spots.

Try and do something new every week

Working all week can make it easy to sit and relax all weekend. Try and save it for Sunday, and get out on Saturday to see that gallery you heard about, or head to the Cheese Rolling Festival. Even if it is just for a few hours, taking some photos and seeing some human beings helps to give your week some meaning. Just because you are staying in one place a little longer, at the end of the day – you are a tourist!

If you play a sport, take it up

Being an Englishman, I enjoyed plying my (admittedly meagre) rugby skills in French Canada. It found me some great friends and I experienced a different way of looking at my game. Soccer players are everywhere, and most sports have some sort of representation all over the world.

Try and be productive outside of work

I love writing these entries, keeping my own blogs, and pecking away at my novel. It gives me something to enjoy in the evening and, in this case, I’ve connected with other great writers from around the world.

Whatever your interests, don’t put them aside just because you are travelling. Even if it is playing chess, or bird-watching, you can find someone to play, or observe the local wildfowl.

Remember what you are getting out of it

You may be staring at a blank wall right now, possibly the same tomorrow. But what about that plane you jumped out of last month, or that pride of lions that crept up against the jeep as you peered over the window?

While you are taking in African sun, or Japanese technology, a lot of your friends are still treading the streets and shopping malls that they have trod for thirty years. Take the experience as a whole.

Ready to travel but worried about maintaining your vegetarian diet while also maintaining a non-offensive position? It’s easier than many make it out to be, especially if you handle it all with a sense of humor.

Once in Korea I tried to order a vegetarian meal of rice and vegetables. I received (with a proud smile from the chef) a meal of rice with shrimp, sausage and ham because, “it tastes better that way”. A very frustrating situation to swallow for most vegetarians but fortunately it can usually be prevented.

Here are some suggestions:

• Request a vegetarian meal on flights. The vegetarian meals usually taste better and your food arrives before the non-veg meals.

• Learn how to tell people in their language that you are vegetarian and (if you care to disclose) the reasons behind it. Try to get this in writing as well if you have trouble with pronunciation.

• Make your own laminated vegetarian picture card that can be used as a bookmark in your guide book. On one side draw pictures of animals and fish (and eggs and cheese if you’re vegan) and encircle them in the universally understood red “no” symbol. On the other side draw vegetables and fruits, breads and other acceptable foods. Be creative with your drawings or if you are artistically-challenged, find the images online and print them. This is easily understood all across the world.

• In some Buddhist countries (but certainly not all), telling people you’re Buddhist will imply that you are also vegetarian.  

• If someone offers you food you always have the option of saying you are simply not hungry. You can still accept if they insist you take it for later (often the most appropriate thing to do) and pass the food along to someone in need.

• Always remember you are the visitor, smile, be thankful and try to get your point across gently. In many places you will be laughed at or misunderstood. That’s okay, accept it with a smile.

•  Do your best not to be offended when people don’t understand (because sometimes and some places, they just won’t). 

• Lastly, consider a destination that fits your vegetarian lifestyle. Many countries (such as India and Thailand) cater to vegetarians and the only problem is choosing from the many options. Eating is often one of the most exciting parts of travel– don’t let it make you miserable!

Obstacles will arise. You will probably be misunderstood at times. Being a vegetarian traveler involves more communication at mealtimes than being a carnivorous one but try to use this as an opportunity to share differences rather than bring about conflict. Readers, please share any other ideas you may have.

The excellent documentary TV series PBS Frontline recently did a feature called Sick Around the World. In the program, veteran journalist T. R. Reid travels to five countries to find out how they launched universal health care. It’s available for viewing online.

I found the program to be pretty balanced, in that it did point out the flaws of universal health care (chronic underfunding, long waits, etc.) as well as the benefits. One of the frequent criticisms of Michael Moore’s Sicko was that it seemed to make other countries’ health care systems appear too perfect.

While primarily a work of investigative journalism, the program also made for a nice travelogue, as Reid goes through the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland.

As I live in Taiwan, I’m quite happy with the National Health Insurance here. I’d like to hear from other vagabonders about countries that delivered high-quality care at a reasonable cost.

For more information, check out this recent article on medical tourism that appeared in The Economist.

When I started traveling, I figured I’d want to see most of the world before I started retracing my steps. After all, why go back to the same old city when there’s so much more to see?

Since then, I’ve changed my tune. I’ve just arrived back in New Orleans for the third time in the past six months, and I’m already planning my next visit. (Though with Hurricane Gustav threatening to cut this trip short, I might pick a different season next time…) I’ve been back to New York City three times, too, and have made repeat visits to several spots in the UK.

In New Orleans, it’s the food, the people, and the architecture that hook me in. In Britain, it’s the history, the landscapes, the beer, and - wait for it - the weather. (Pleasant or not, nothing suits exploring a medieval castle on a moor better than gloomy, damp grey skies.) With New York, it’s harder to explain: I like the pace of the city, the feeling that things are really happening there. And with all three, there’s something inexplicable, too, beyond those concrete reasons.

There are plenty of other places I’ve visited that might be more exotic, more beautiful, and more interesting in the moment - but sometimes, with a few spots, there’s something intangible that just draws me back.

Which places keep you coming back again and again? And, if you can put your finger on it, why?

Dave Freeman, co-author of “100 Things to Do Before You Die: Travel Events You Just Can’t Miss” passed away after a fall in his home this week. From the book:

“This life is a short journey. Make sure you fill it with the most fun and visit the coolest places on earth before you pack those bags for the very last time.”

According to Freeman’s family, he has been to at least half of the travel events listed in his book.

This story resonates with me because I have my own list of things to do and places to visit. However, I don’t really agree with ‘before you die’ as a deadline. First of all, the date itself is unknown. Secondly, most of us are under the false assumption that we will live to a ripe old age. Freeman himself was not so lucky, since he passed away at 47.

I prefer a more set deadline for intermediate personal and travel goals. Right now, my list is based on the “1001 Day Project“, where people list 101 goals they want to accomplish within 1001 days. This allows me to have a more concrete date to accomplish my travel goals, since my deadline is on May 3, 2011. Knowing the date will allow me to plan better and to ensure that I make a little progress every day.

To ensure that we accomplish the travel goals on our list, we can write down the steps we need to take to get each item crossed out. Do you need to renew your passport? How much money do you need to save? Is there some training required for the activities you want to participate in? Once we know the steps we need to take, we can review the list monthly to see how close we are to crossing each item off.

I also have a ‘penalty’ included in my list. I have to donate $10 to charity for each item I don’t complete by the deadline. If that’s too easy for you, some people recommend writing a public contract on your blog stating that if you don’t fulfill your goals, you’ll have to give a certain amount of money to a person or cause you don’t like.  It may be harsh, but it works for some people.

Freeman was right - life is a short journey. But, if we live deliberately, we can make each step of that journey count.

What travel goals are on your list? What steps are you taking to accomplish them?

Airlines loath raising prices, and rising fuel costs are driving them to employ some creative ways to pry money out of your pocket without actually raise the fares. The cornerstone of their new strategy is fees and, quite frankly, things are getting out of hand.

Want to check two bags? That’ll cost you up to $50 extra. It’s a great incentive to pack light, but it could get worse: U.S. budget airline, Spirit, is charging $25 for the first bag. And what happens if you want a meal on that seven hour flight? United will charge you $7 for the privilege of eating.

The cynical might wonder when the oxygen fees will arrive — $100 if you want to breath all the way to your destination.

For the vagabond on an extended trip, airfare will likely be the single largest expense you encounter. Despite how it might appear, it is still possible to find good deals on plane tickets, but you need to pay attention to more than just the fare.

SideStep, an airfare search engine, recently compiled a list of common fees on major airlines, which is worth checking out if you’re in the process of planning a trip. Most the listings are limited to U.S. and European carriers, but even budget, vagabond-favorites like EasyJet and RyanAir are included.

SideStep cautions that you should refer to the specific air carrier websites for the latest on fees since, “airline fees are changing rapidly and they can vary by specific flight, seat assignment, and frequent flier status.” Still, for a rough overview of all the ways airlines will try to squeeze the money out of you, SideStep’s list makes a good starting point.

If the whole experience of buying a plane ticket leaves you feeling frazzled and ripped off, consider Steven Colbert’s suggestion, “Airfare by the pound, just like ground round,” and try to find some humor and solace in the notion that yes, things could be worse.

[Photo by Mike Licht, Flickr.com]

Volunteering abroad: let me count the ways. Thankfully we’re not at a loss for programs that connect globally-minded volunteers to communities that could use assistance. But while I was looking through several programs listed recently on TravelWritersNews.com, one stood out as an option I hadn’t thought of before: volunteering as a photojournalist.

It makes sense—plenty of charities need on-the-ground documentation, whether capturing the destruction of a hurricane or following the progress towards rebuilding a community. The photos become helpful for everything from applying for grants, to creating educational materials, to improving public awareness.

Charity Guide links to several programs, including One World Photography and Idealist.org. Some photojournalism experience seems to be required, but I think it’d be worth looking into—some programs might be more flexible.

And in other photography news, if you have a favorite photo that you’ve taken, you might be interested in pitching it to the photo contest run by World Traveler (Northwest’s in-flight mag). The winner gets to travel to a photo shoot for the tv travel series “Rudy Maxa’s World,” and contribute his/her own photos from the trip to the inside front cover of the episode’s DVD. They’re selecting two winners: one amateur, one professional. Be sure to enter by October 1st.

Travelers today have it easy. Sure vagabonds around the world strike out for the farthest corners of the earth, but in general our trips are pretty safe compared to those of times past.

Consider the fearless Greek traveler Odysseus. He sets out after the Trojan War with a group of, depending on how you count, upwards of a thousand men. How many make it through the entire ten-year journey? Um, let’s see.. just one? Now that’s a powerful argument against organized group travel.

Of course the story of Odysseus’ travels is myth, but consider some of the many real, ill-fated journeys in the history books — Robert Scott’s horrifying journey to the South Pole and back, Livingstone’s travels in Africa, Amelia Earhart’s flight around the world… the list of history’s perilous journeys gets rather long rather fast.

Yes, we have it relatively easy in this age of established transportation routes, internet cafes, and other modern conveniences.

But if you’ve ever wanted to retrace the steps of some earlier, more difficult voyage, the folks over at Good Magazine, recently put together a very cool map listing a number of famous journeys — everything from Marco Polo’s travels to some notably fictional treks like Phileas Fogg’s route in Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days.

Not every route on the map is necessarily a famous journey (like the Pan American highway, which is, well, a highway), but there’s plenty there to whet your appetite for a long trip retracing the footsteps of those who set out back in the days before Lonely Planet guides. If any enterprising vagablogging readers have attempted to recreate a famous journey, let us know your experiences in the comments below.