How do you handle leaving life behind?

Last month we talked about the issues that long-term travelers have when they’re trying to transition back to “regular” life after a big trip. But there are things that can complicate the other end of the trip, too – things that can make leaving your “regular” life in the first place really challenging. Specifically for BootsnAll member globetrekker, the issue is that he’d be heading out for a year or so and leaving … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (1)  | December 20, 2008
Category: Notes from the collective travel mind

Using cell phones overseas

Independent Traveler.com has an article about must-have items from real travelers.  There’s always those little things that can make your trip go so much more smoothly.

If you’re traveling to a destination to meet up with friends who live there, I highly recommend bringing a mobile phone and buying a local SIM card as soon as you land.  As soon as I install a new SIM card, the first phone numbers I store are … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (2)  | December 19, 2008
Category: General

Vagablogging: Call for writers

Hey, want to write for Vagablogging?

We’re looking for two dedicated travel enthusiasts to post 1-2 times per week, on any vagabonding-related topics of their choice, from amazing destinations to travel blogging to the latest online booking tools. Ideally, applicants will also be familiar with Rolf’s book, Vagabonding, and/or the philosophy behind it. Knowledge of Vagablogging itself won’t hurt, either!

Sound like you?

Please send two previously unpublished sample blog posts (200+ words each), along … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (10)  | December 18, 2008
Category: General

Creators of ‘Roughing It’ documentary set sights on South Pacific

What drinks yak milk vodka, cites Werner Herzog as a cinematic influence and has an upcoming documentary travel series on PBS that doesn’t suck?

The answer is Christopher Rufo and Keith Ochwat, two travelers that chucked their jobs and college plans to strike off for Mongolia with only a video camera and the usual backpacker gear.

Read more »

Posted by | Comments (1)  | December 17, 2008
Category: General

Yohan and Dolina on long-term travel

The numbers could speak for themselves: a year-long trip covering 54,000 miles, 20 countries, and five continents. But we all know that’s only half of the story. What about the surprises, revelations, and just plain odd moments along the way? Thankfully, the pair who recently returned from this adventure—Yohan and Dolina—have documented some of the details in their website. It’s pretty cool—besides giving a run-down of their trip through blogs, photos, and videos, it … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (1)  | December 17, 2008
Category: Notes from the collective travel mind

Waiting until the last minute might be the best way to score airfare deals

Oil prices are plummeting and the number of travelers taking to the skies is dropping in the face of a worldwide recession, so how come airfares aren’t any cheaper? Are we really headed for a world where only the wealthy can afford to fly?

The answer is a bit complicated, but as the LA Times points out, last-minute deals for holiday travel are starting … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (1)  | December 16, 2008
Category: Vagabonding Advice

World Hum’s new look and top 40 travel songs

One of my favorite travel blogs (turned portal) World Hum has revamped their great website to make it even greater. It’s a very clean new format; still got lots of awesome stories, yet easy on the eye. They have a new video/podcast section which aggregates videos from their events and has some new ones. It’s really cool to see sites evolve. Check it out when you have time.

Along with the launch of … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (1)  | December 16, 2008
Category: General, Notes from the collective travel mind

Travel journaling for Vagabonders

As constant travelers, one might argue that it’s no longer a “travel journal”, but rather just a journal.  And why, you might ask, should you keep a pen and paper journal at all anymore, when blogs serve the same purpose and mean you don’t have to carry anything?

In the first place, having a space to write your own private thoughts, someplace that your grandchildren won’t be able to look up in Google in another … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (4)  | December 15, 2008
Category: General

Travel is as much a philosophical as a practical undertaking

“If our lives are dominated by a search for happiness, then perhaps few activities reveal as much about the dynamics of this quest — in all its ardor and paradoxes — than our travels. They express, however inarticulately, an understanding of what life might be about, outside of the constraints of work and of the struggle for survival. Yet rarely are they considered to present philosophical problems — that is, issues requiring thought beyond the … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (1)  | December 15, 2008
Category: General