So maybe you’ve been a Vagabonder your entire life and you’re starting to feel less of a thrill when you hop off a plane somewhere new, or your feet hurt from never being able to carry the right pair of shoes…or you find a great gal/guy and want to settle down…or you’re sucked in by a particularly pertinent cause and you want to work for them…or you’ve just started Vagabonding but realize already that it’s … Read more »

“Writers are often misled by the exoticness of foreign places. Their perceptions are distorted by it. As a result, they don’t consider the people they meet there as truly human in an everyday sense that they would ascribe to people ‘back home.’ So when I’m reporting an international story I do my best to strip away the exotic veneer of the place in order to write about my characters in a fashion that is recognizable … Read more »

Taking a long-term trip takes commitment – the same kind of commitment, one could argue, that a long-term relationship with another human being takes. So, if you’ve got one, can you have the other at the same time? Or does one of them have to suffer?

BootsnAll member benleb is in a tough situation. He’s in a relationship with a woman he really likes, and she’s starting to look at buying a house – … Read more »

There’s nothing like travel to lose a few pounds. Especially if you do budget traveling. Unless you’re being chauffeured around in an air-conditioned tour bus the whole time, you’ll spend quite a bit of time walking. It could be pounding the pavement in a big city or trekking up to the mountains.

Brave New Traveler had a great article about The Traveler’s Diet. It throws out a number of intriguing ideas, namely how cultural … Read more »

Hue, Vietnam

Robert Frost, in his poem Mending Wall, famously said “something there is that doesn’t love a wall.” And indeed there are many walls, past and present, in places like Berlin and Bethlehem, that are difficult to love. But this is not so with bridges. … Read more »

When something’s an unknown, it’s only natural to be afraid. But it’s not okay to let the fear stop you.

Chris Guillebeau recently wrote an inspiring—and honest—post about fear on his website, The Art of Non-comformity. His post didn’t dismiss fear; instead, he acknowledges that he—as much as everyone else—feels it.

There’s something magical in that. I think that once you acknowledge the elephant in the room, you can get to work to … Read more »

Ever wonder why travel magazines seem to think that those seeking infinity pools and expensive restaurants in Tuscany are the only travelers who buy magazines (national Geographic Traveler being a sometime exception)? Luxury hotels with infinite pools and spas aren’t exactly of interest to the average vagabond (arguably a rather large market) looking to spend less and get off the … Read more »

Your mom always said you should wear your seatbelt and be protected — and having travel insurance can’t hurt.  It’s cheaper and easier than trying to maintain some sort of home-based policy when you don’t really HAVE a home and plan to be traipsing around for extended periods of time.

Hands down, the best travel insurance website I have found is World Nomads, which quotes you a (very … Read more »

This Thursday, Vagablogging welcomes the debut of a weekly photo-blog by writer-photographer Joel Carillet. Welcome Joel!

And speaking of new contributors, I’m looking for 1-2 new bloggers to join the Vagablogging team in coming weeks. These new writers will post once or twice a week on vagabonding-related topics of their choice, from travel tips to destination suggestions to reviews of travel media. The ideal writer should be familiar with Vagabonding and the philosophy … Read more »

Matt Gross, who does the “Frugal Traveler” column for the New York Times, chatted with his physician, Dr. Morledge, to get advice for travelers.

Gross does a good job of capturing the dilemma of staying safe while still trying to stick to the adventurous spririt of vagabonding:

“Hungry and adventurous, we put things in our mouths we perhaps shouldn’t. Independent souls, we push our bodies to the limit on mountains, in forests, on the … Read more »