How to respond to beggars on the road

beggar thumbLast week, my Yahoo! News “Traveling Light” column dealt with the very complicated issue of dealing with beggars on the road. From my article, here are five principles to help navigate this sadly common and difficult travel situation:

1) Spend some time in the community before you give to beggars

Not only will a few days … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on How to respond to beggars on the road  | February 19, 2016
Category: Travel News, Vagabonding Advice

Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in Rosedale, Mississippi

Last month, while I was driving down the Mississippi River on a magazine assignment, I had a curious experience in Rosedale, Mississippi. As I was eating lunch in a place called Leo’s Market, a waitress mentioned that Rosedale is the place where the legendary bluesman Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for musical genius (an event alluded to in — among other places — the Cohen brothers’ movie Oh Brother, Where … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (83)  | June 26, 2015
Category: Rolf's News and Updates, Travel News

Does news media effect your wanderlusting spirit?

For every travel destination, there is always someone with an opinion about why you shouldn’t go there. One person will say “I would travel pretty much anywhere, but never India.” while another person says, “I could go pretty much anywhere but never Mexico.” For a long time Colombia was the place I figured I’d never go.

I’m writing this article from Cali, Colombia, feeling perfectly fine about being here, though practicing a bit more caution … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (4)  | September 11, 2014
Category: Travel News, Travel Safety

Considering a career break? The time is now: meet. plan. go.

Location Independent

Too many of us are stuck on the merry-go-round of dreaming about a long term travel adventure and a break from the 9-5 of our careers. It seems like something that other people get to do, the lucky ones, not us. So, we stalk their blogs, we wish we knew where to start, we keep … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on Considering a career break? The time is now: meet. plan. go.  | August 19, 2014
Category: Travel News

New museum to see: The “English Pompeii” is finally on display

As a fan of great museums, England, and historical stuff in general, I’m excited about a brand new museum that has just opened this week.

Located in the historic dockyard of Portsmouth on England’s picturesque south coast, the Mary Rose Museum houses the sixteenth-century hulk of the HMS Mary Rose, the pride of Henry VIII’s navy. Built in 1511, the massive warship sank off the coast of England in 1545 while fighting the French fleet. … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on New museum to see: The “English Pompeii” is finally on display  | May 31, 2013
Category: Europe, Family Travel, General, Notes from the collective travel mind, Travel News

Towns of oring and Dull plan epic celebration of all things uninteresting

We all know that most cities are desperate for tourism money in this lousy economy. Some are going to great lengths to generate interest. Now a PR man (or woman) has looked at a map and cooked up the tourism industry’s latest publicity stunt:  Two towns, separated by an ocean and thousands of miles, plan to launch a joint promotional effort to entice tourists with a day of celebration that boldly promises to be a … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (3)  | February 22, 2013
Category: Europe, Images from the road, North America, Notes from the collective travel mind, Travel News

Global data plans becoming more affordable

AT&T this week rolled out new international data packages with prices cut nearly in half, a change that comes six weeks after Verizon announced a new international data package. Although these options are still more expensive than using an international SIM card, the changes signify progress toward making smartphone internet use more affordable and accessible for travelers.

AT&T’s new international data package tiers, available for these 135 countries, are:

120 MB for $30/month … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (1)  | June 6, 2012
Category: General, Travel News

How many websites do you need to plan a trip?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjY_hJL3nxY

Planning a trip can be a logistical tangle.  At any one time, I’ll have more than half-a-dozen tabs open in my web browser, each a different website.  For example:

Wikitravel – Get general info. Air Asia – Find cheap flights in Asia. Hostelworld – Book hostels. Urbanrail – Look at subway maps. Travelfish – Read hostel and guesthouse reviews in Southeast Asia. Facebook – Find friends who live there. Gmail – E-mail friends for … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (4)  | May 7, 2012
Category: Notes from the collective travel mind, Travel News, Travel Tech

More travelers, less tourists…

If you haven’t read last week’s post on the “Rise of the Tourist“, I suggest you give it a quick once-over before reading on.   Short on time?  No problem.  I’ll sum up the broader points:  Tourism is big business and in 2012 there is expected to be 1 billion global travelers.  This trend will continue so long as there is economic progress in previously economically depressed nations, and, so long as there … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (5)  | March 5, 2012
Category: General, Travel News, Volunteering Abroad