Cairo, Egypt When I returned to the United States this past weekend after spending six weeks in the Middle East, I didn’t have all that much in my backpack. One thing I had almost packed but didn’t was a chunk of rock. It was one of thousands thrown outside my Cairo hostel, by Tahrir Square,...

Last year, when my travel plans were thwarted by ludicrously high ticket prices, I let my dreams of exploring Bali fall to the wayside in favor of cheaper options. This year, however, I was prepared. I began scouting tickets as early as December of last year, and I'm happy to say my trip is booked...

Those vagabonders funding their travels by working abroad in Korea, or those simply traveling through the country, will be happy to hear of Air Asia's new service to Korea. Korea has rested infuriatingly outside of the budget travel loop for quite some time. However, in November of last year, Air Asia began offering flights from...

Rice wine is a fairly popular staple of Asia. Its popularity, over history, has spread its way West and become a common enough spirit there. Rice wine doesn’t share the same fermentation process as fruit based wines, but rather undergoes a brewing method quite similar to beer. As with the brewing of beers, first the...

If you’re on the road in Asia it is definitely worth checking out a few of the treatments that Oriental Medicine has to offer that are perhaps too expensive to try out at home. Here in Korea I recently tried acupuncture for the first time. Acupuncture aims to release energy that is perhaps not flowing...

If you’re in Korea, or traveling through the region, one thing you should be sure to experience is the Korean jjimjilbang. A jjimjilbang is a Korean sauna, though referring to them as such is perhaps a little lacking, as they offer so much more. For around 5,00won, about US$4, travelers can take advantage of many...

Southeast Asia draws travelers for many reasons; for the experience of a foreign culture quite unlike one’s own, for the lush scenery, or the life experience. However, like most other areas of the world, there is an undeniable amount of party culture associated with this region that draws a certain traveler. I’ve seen photos and...

Damascus, Syria "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," wrote Charles Dickens in the opening line of A Tale of Two Cities . He was referring to life in an area of Europe in the late 1700s, but one could also feasibly slap this line into a book about overnights...

The most popular staple of all Korean cuisine is, undoubtedly, Kimchi. Korean cuisine is famous for its many banchan, or side dishes, that come in endless variety. You never quite know what different assortment will accompany a meal. However Kimchi is utterly indispensible from the Korean table and often eaten with every meal of the...

Maaloula, Syria If passing through the Syrian town of Maaloula , particularly if you are passing by the slightly expensive restaurant some 100 meters shy of the entrance to Mar Thecla Convent , you might notice a young man with Aramaic writing tattooed on his arms. Curious, you might then walk over and ask, “Excuse...

Food in the Philippines provides great variety. One can find the same standard American style fast food chains found all over the world. There is also a good presence of Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, and Italian restaurants to choose from. Depending on where you go in the country, this variety is either more or less plentiful....

Jordan Valley, Israel/Palestine It’s not everyday that you stand on the side of a highway, a car pulls over, you get in, and moments later the driver says you’re an answer to prayer. Up until this car stopped, the day had been full of disappointments. I had left Jerusalem that morning and gone to Jericho...

Dead Sea, Israel There's something to be said about sitting at 3:00 o'clock in the morning on a rocky beach 1385 feet below sea level, gazing up at the Milky Way as your mineral-slimed body smells of the Dead Sea , that famous body of water from which you've just pulled your own not-quite-so-famous body...

Since the glory days of Ernst Hemingway and Gertrude Stein in Paris, there's been a certain glamor about being a writer while living abroad. CNNgo had an article about the expat writer scene in Bangkok . The piece quickly bursts the bubble of starry-eyed dreamers. The writers interviewed were frank about the state of the...

Rolf's latest travel project is the No Baggage Challenge -- a journey that will take him around the world without using a single piece of luggage. Every few days, we'll be updating Vagabonding with a recap of the latest to keep you up to date on the adventure. Rolf ended up staying three nights in...

Rolf's latest travel project is the No Baggage Challenge -- a journey that will take him around the world without using a single piece of luggage. Every few days, we'll be updating Vagabonding with a recap of the latest to keep you up to date on the adventure. Rolf spent a few days off the...

Asia's big cities are a great place to live the "car-free" lifestyle. Thanks to onerous taxes levied on cars and license plates, many governments also encourage usage of mass transit to relieve traffic congestion. Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia did a round-up of the rails: Asian city public transport guide . Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei,...

As readers may remember from July, I was a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand for their “Thailand Today” Mega Familiarization Trip , celebrating TAT and Thai Airways 50th anniversary. One of over 500 travel industry professionals, we were given the opportunity to experience several activities in and around Bangkok and Chiang Mai ....

The novelty of being a foreigner can lead to unexpected job opportunities, as this article in The Atlantic explains: Rent a white guy . The shady nature of the job and over-the-top pay could be a symptom of a bubble economy, reminiscent of 90's Japan. Or at least racial stereotyping. CNN did a similar story,...

After 12 days of traveling, I am back home from exploring Thailand. While the surety and comfort of staying in luxury rooms and participating in organized tours isn't the typical life of a vagabonder, one of the best parts of the trip wasn't on the itinerary. Late one morning after rising with the dawn and...