Good news for any vagabonders heading to Europe: the hostels are getting even better. In this New York Times report, a ex-backpacker revisits the hostel scene with his teenage daughters in tow.

It’s great the writer can put his perspective on the development of hostels, as he can draw on memories of how they used to be much more, ahem, basic. No longer. As backpackers become mature and command better incomes, hostels have come … Read more »

Whether I’ll be away for a week or a month, I always follow this rule: take only one bag with you. This may seem like an extreme rule, but there are just too many benefits to traveling light. The most obvious benefit is the convenience. If you’ll be traveling by plane, you just have one carry-on bag. You don’t need to check-in your luggage when … Read more »

Some snobbish travelers like to say they don’t use guidebooks, they don’t do research and that you do should plan less, forget the map and let your happy, happy soul lead you to travel bliss.

Here’s thought: throwing away the guidebook, being willfully ignorant and walking in circles is a recipe for getting ripped off, missing out on the richness of cultural history and … Read more »

In an age when many people doubt that it’s realistic to travel or find work, it’s great to see someone who’s combining both to prove them wrong.

Check out Daniel Seddiqui’s undertaking: traveling to all 50 states and working 50 different careers in 50 weeks. His website, LivingTheMap.com shows that he’s more than half-way done—now in week 32. His latest job? None other than … Read more »

Just about everyone brings a camera when they travel, few bring microphones. Photographs are the lingua franca of travelers, and no doubt we all have a few photos that perfectly capture an experience abroad. But over the years I’ve noticed that what I remember most about my travels is not so much what I saw, as what I heard and smelled.

Rickshaw motors twisting through the streets of Cochin, wedding firecrackers exploding around Leon, the … Read more »

With so many businesses, and almost all airlines, offering some variant of frequent flyer miles — points you can collect from going on flights or buying products, that you can reddem later (theoretically) for goods and services — it seems like a no-brainer for an enterprising Vagabonder.  Earn points on flights, and redeem them for other flights.  Earn … Read more »

This month at the RolfPotts.com Travel Writers page, I interview Eric Weiner, author of The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World. Weiner has reported from more than 30 countries for National Public Radio, and his commentary has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Slate and … Read more »

Even though all the travel industry gurus keep telling us that prices on international airfare are going to keep going down and we’ll be seeing more great deals right through summer, I continue to be amazed at some of the incredibly low fares being offered. And that’s true for simple round-trip tickets and more complicated multi-stop tickets. I know it’s small consolation for many people, but cheap travel really is the silver lining to … Read more »

Need to read some Vagabonding success stories? Look no further than this MSNBC article about becoming a permanent tourist.

Many of the strategies will be familiar to vagabonders: travel light, go slow, and keep your sense of humor in the face of stressful situations.

Aside from the inspiring stories of ordinary people following their dream of travel, there is also good practical advice, like keeping a physical address and trying to have a “portable” … Read more »