New Year’s resolutions for a long long term traveler

Like the counting down of the second hand of a clock before it strikes midnight, the year is coming to a close. Every year at this time, I tend to wake up earlier.

I grab a cup of coffee and find myself staring out the window of wherever I happen to be in the world. As the steam rises from the cup in my hands, I can’t help but reflect on my greatest joys and … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on New Year’s resolutions for a long long term traveler  | December 29, 2015
Category: Vagabonding Styles

Want to travel? Wait until you are old

old travel thumbAs I was sitting in Patan’s Durbar Square a few weeks ago, I noticed a couple elder tourists escorted by a guide: they were taking pictures, bending into unnatural shapes. The DSLR cameras they were shooting with looked like some sort of futuristic gear they could barely handle. They seemed quite clumsy and out of … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (10)  | December 18, 2015
Category: Senior Travel, Vagabonding Styles

Review: Osprey Kestrel 48 backpack and how to choose a great backpack

backpack thumbA good backpack can make or break a trip. Drenching rain, language barriers, delayed flights — you can weather all with humor and go-get-’em attitude.

But a good backpack is the foundation upon which your trip rests. It holds your entire life in one place. It protects it. Sometimes you wear it so often it feels like another … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (1)  | November 25, 2015
Category: Backpacking, Travel Gear

Long-term travel, consumerism, and purging

stuffLong- term travelers of all kinds will tell you that one of the most important preliminary steps to taking off is The Purge. That period of time that you devote to deciding which material possessions will still be necessary and dear to your heart after traipsing all over the globe in pursuit of clarity, freedom, connection, adventure, and … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on Long-term travel, consumerism, and purging  | October 23, 2015
Category: Ethical Travel, Ethics, General

How Not To Travel the World

Lauren had never eaten rice.

Yet she had just purchased a one-way flight ticket to Eastern Europe.

Maybe you’ve dreamed about traveling the world. Ideas of where you’d go, what you’d see, how you’d pack, and those pristine white beaches fill your quiet moments.

But the thought of leaving your comfortable life and its solid routines scares you. It’s an huge world and despite those jaw-dropping beach photos, you’d be tackling this vast unknown-ness by … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (1)  | October 21, 2015
Category: Female Travelers, Travel Writing

Want to travel the world full time like I do? Prepare to be uncomfortable.

Nearly nine years ago, I made the most drastic decision of my life. I walked away from 36 years of corporate life to pursue a career as a travel writer and photographer. I remember very clearly the day I left the U.S. I was exhausted from years of working 70 hour weeks and excited to start a new phase in my life, but most of all I was terrified. Although I’d traveled all my life, … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on Want to travel the world full time like I do? Prepare to be uncomfortable.  | October 14, 2015
Category: Female Travelers, Senior Travel

3 Ultimate Adventures

Adventures help us grow. When we push ourselves past our fears and attempt something new and exciting, we learn more about ourselves.

Throughout the years, through all my travels, I have always pushed myself to seek out adventure. I have to be honest, at times it has made me reach beyond my boundaries and tested my limits, but it also has made me a stronger and more rounded traveler.

The world is full of the … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on 3 Ultimate Adventures  | October 3, 2015
Category: Adventure Travel

Solo female travel – right or wrong, dangerous or not?

I struggled down the narrow aisle of the rattletrap bus to my seat near the back, where the stench of gasoline permeated the air. Concerned that other passengers would not be able to get by, I stuffed my backpack on the floor behind my feet and my suitcase in the aisle next to me. I needn’t have worried. As the bus filled up, both were quickly buried beneath satchels, giant plastic shopping bags, and sacks … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on Solo female travel – right or wrong, dangerous or not?  | August 12, 2015
Category: Female Travelers, Senior Travel

Cuba – forbidden fruit, no more

Vagabonding-07-Cuba-Havana-classic-convertibleI stepped from the dimly lit terminal into the parking lot at at Havana International Airport. Blinking to let my eyes adjust to the brilliant sunshine, I marveled at row upon row of classic cars, their rounded silhouettes a chorus line of humpback whales. I knew about Cuba’s classic cars, but had not expected to see so many. … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on Cuba – forbidden fruit, no more  | June 17, 2015
Category: Female Travelers, Senior Travel