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Sam Carpenter once worked 100 hours a week, struggling to support his family with his telephone answering service business. At one point, his two teenage children lived with him in the office because the family could not afford another place to live.
Now, he’s living well and working only a few hours a week through the life-management techniques he describes in Work the System- The Simple … Read more »
There’s a certain romance to traveling by ship — it’s a slower way to travel, steeped in the rich lore of 19th century authors like Mark Twain. It’s also very appealing for those of us who loath flying.
Unfortunately traveling by container ship (just about the only option for today’s traveler) isn’t the budget-loving affair you might suspect it would be. However, with airfare continually on … Read more »
What is it about September? Of all things, it happens to be the month for several unusual ‘holidays’—all internationally minded, and all within the next week or two.
9/21: International Day of Peace This day was established by the UN in 1982 as “an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date.” You might be able to find an organized event in your area—they’re everywhere … Read more »
I remember the first time I saw Matt Harding’s Dancing video; I happened to be in Asia at the time and, while I enjoyed the video (and subsequent updates), I couldn’t help thinking, damn, why didn’t I think of that?
Now that Matt has circled the globe two more times with Stride Gum inexplicably picking up the tab he’s undeniably the envy of many a vagabonder — nothing beats traveling for free.
If … Read more »
We were asked this question in my Spanish class today. My answer was: The amount of things you learn about yourself. And it’s things that you couldn’t possibly learn should you be in a familiar environment.
I’ve been living in Spain for over two years now. When I came here, I knew no one, and didn’t speak a word of Spanish. I came here on a very positive note: I couldn’t wait to leave … Read more »
Eating cheaply on the road involves doing pretty much the same thing as eating cheaply at home: don’t eat in restaurants, cook for yourself, make rich friends who take you out to dinner. But eating healthily, according to your personal iteration of healthy, can be harder.
Unfortunately for vegans, celiacs, and other people with highly specialized diets, food you can eat is probably going to be expensive if you can find it at all. You … Read more »
Just a quick note here to let you know that the “virtual book tour” for my book Marco Polo Didn’t Go There is underway. It started with a Q&A at Tim Ferriss’s 4-Hour Work Week and Lifestyle Design Blog, and will continue with a series of Q&As and short essays on a number of great travel blogs over the course … Read more »
Want to start a blog, but don’t have the slightest clue about page layout and html? Fancy posting all your pictures online, but don’t want to succumb to the craze of social networking?
While sites such as Facebook offer great photo uploading and, along with Myspace and Twitter, give some sort of blogging mechanism.
Personally, I use Blogger for my travel writing, but without any computer knowledge, … Read more »
Before you leave, don’t forget to get some form of traveler’s insurance, such as World Nomads insurance. This can be easily obtained and extended online. And don’t forget to carry your policy number with you and a scanned copy in your email account.
Know your blood type and if you … Read more »
In a previous post, I talked about how danger zones can be turn out to be the best travel destinations. The big problem is that they’re often accompanied by less-than-savory regimes.
For example, I really want to visit Uzbekistan, because it seems to embody my travel fantasy of mosques, souqs and monumental Islamic buildings. But its government gives me pause.
The dilemma is that tourism will always benefit the government of that country, … Read more »