Recently, I came across this blog post from New Scientist entitled “Migration controls are the new apartheid”.  In that post, Senior Environment Correspondent Fred Pearce had an exteme proposition: why not open up the world’s borders to migrants?

“It has always struck me as odd that we are so keen to allow the flow of cash and goods across borders without let or hindrance, but try so … Read more »

Cell phone, satellite phone, SPOT, EPIRB. How much do you rely on these emergency forms of communication when you travel?

A recent New York Times article by Mary Billard discusses this question. After the author’s husband fractured his ankle in Indonesia, Billard noted, “Our cellphones — a BlackBerry and an iPhone (both with AT&T) — turned out to be the most valuable things we could have packed” (despite the $902.82 phone … Read more »

It used to be that hostels were solely the domain of grungy backpackers looking to save their pennies and not especially concerned if the rat or two might be lurking in the shadows of their rooms.

But, if online hostel service Hostelworld is to be believed, that quaint, cliche image isn’t true anymore. According to the site, hostel bookings by North Americans increased 20 … Read more »

It’s inspiring to see another vagabond family success story. The Cooneys—a family of five that includes three teenage boys—just returned to Orlando after four months on the road. Where did they go in that time? Mexico, Guatamala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.

It was three years ago when they first decided to do the trip. Since then, they sold practically everything (they haven’t been able to sell their house … Read more »

Food is one of the great joys of traveling — whether it’s an exotic, possibly dodgy street food stall or just the local version of your favorite dish, for many, the food is the chief reason to go.

But of course finding the best restaurants, street food and delicious out-of-the-way local favorites is difficult when you don’t know the city. We’ve pointed out some tried and … Read more »

That’s the tagline of The World’s Greatest Travelers Global Scavenger Hunt. It’s a blind date because you will not know in advance the countries you will be visiting, you will be told as you board the plane!

So, if you ever really wanted to go on a properly planned, round-the-world scavenger hunt, here’s your chance. For the 5th year running, participants (in teams of two) will travel across 10 countries and 4 continents … Read more »

When you’re on the road long-term, or permanently, there are a few important details to contend with.  While you may not need to pay electricity and gas bills any more, you probably still have a credit card bill, bank statements (hopefully), possibly a cell phone bill, and potentially important documents (I’m currently locked in a wrestling match with an old insurance provider involving lots of letters).  So what do you do with them if you … Read more »

“Travel is a form of digression, a digression from daily life. We travel for difference, and so we concentrate on those things — the buildings, the food, the people — that distinguish this place from that, and not on what they have in common. On the one hand that lets us see what the inhabitants themselves no longer can, the things they take for granted, bedding perhaps, or ways of giving change. On the other, … Read more »

As much as possible, I try to stick to public transportation: buses, subways, etc. But sometimes you just absolutely have to take a taxi.  This Forbes Traveler article has some tips on how to avoid scams.  It also has a slideshow of The World’s Worst Taxi Rides.

Here are some of my personal tips for taking taxis:

–Try to find an official taxi stand or taxi counter. The taxis there will be official … Read more »

Over the holidays, I watched a video marathon of By Any Means, a TV series which follows actor Charley Boorman on an adventure that takes him from his hometown in Ireland to Sydney, Australia. The catch? Boorman and his party had to avoiding commercial air travel as much as possible. They mostly traveled by land and sea, with the mode of transportation depending on what was suitable to the country they were in. Overall, they … Read more »