As travelers, we often find ourselves talking to friends and strangers alike at parties, at work, wherever, about travel and how to do it right. We evangelize for travel, extolling its opportunities and benefits. We often go on at length about the magic of our favorite places, the addictive high that comes from filling up...

As part of some tips for successful travel and freelance writing, I decided to interview Joe Henley . He is a Canadian freelance writer and death metal singer for Taiwanese band Revilement who has spent the past few years living in Taiwan, and will released his debut novel, “Sons of the Republic” , on American...

In the final entry in my series of posts on the subtle but interesting variations in how European cultures celebrate Christmas, I take a look at one of the finest places to spend the holiday season, England. It’s not just a beautiful country with a joyous approach to the holiday; it’s also the spot where...

Growing up in the Midwest, my Thanksgiving was the traditional spread of turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, devoured at a relative’s home in suburban Chicago. But I grew up to be an inveterate traveler and spent the holiday in many places—one of the best was the historic, colorful Belgian city of Bruges. Several years ago...

“Yes, we can just try to do it in about ten days.” It is a strange feeling dawning on me when I realize I AM the object of the conversation. It has been said quite a few times on Vagabonding before, how the ten days holiday can be a step towards the opening of the...

After I read this article about motorbike travel in Indonesia, I started thinking of my own experiences: I switched the focus from great memories of incredible biking trips around Southeast Asia and India, and I considered my actual situation. I concluded that I could not lead the same comfortable life if it wasn’t for an...

It was 2010 and I had been working and traveling in Asia for three years filled to the brim with excitement, discoveries and cultural experiences into the ‘Other’. Time was going slow, and it was a good sign: I learnt that when you start feeling that you have more time than you can handle, it...

Argentina recently enacted new visa rules, according to this post on The Flight Deal . U.S. citizens must pay a "Reciprocity Fee" of $160. More importantly, this must be paid before entry . If you don't do this, you'll be denied entry on arrival. The reciprocity refers to how if Country A charges Country B's...

Usually, vagabonding starts with a separation from our previous existences made up of obligations, 9 to 5 routines and homely surroundings. After the liberation, always generally, someone storms off to a different corner of the globe, makes experiences, meets people, open his perspectives and spends his hard earned money. And always usually, when this hard...

Here's the deal: free housing, living in a beautiful island and some fun work. Oh, and the boss is far away and can't micromanage you. Sound too good to be true? That's what Meg and Tony of the Landing Standing blog experienced in their post titled Housesitting in Thailand: live for free in paradise ....

To your friends and family back home, it might seem like you're living an endless vacation. Especially if you only share cool photos on Facebook (I've been guilty of that). But long-term expats know better. The challenges of residing in a foreign country are very real. There was a discussion thread on Quora titled, What...

"What do I bring?" is a vexing question that most first-time expats face. You don't want to bring something and carry it when you could just buy it on the ground. On the flip side, you don't want to be stuck without an item you really need. Nick and Tim from The Elevator Life ,...

Dancing in the Fountain how to enjoy living abroad written by Karen McCann Now available in print and on e-reader, August 2012 “Living abroad is an opportunity to reinvent yourself that rarely exists outside the witness protection program.” ~Karen McCann From their first date, Karen and her husband-to-be, Rich talked about living abroad. Instead--after getting...

Kek Lok Si temple @ Penang - Picture by Kit Chan 2010 Most people passing through Penang do so because of the UNESCO World Heritage status given to this Malaysian tropical island on July 7 th , 2008. Few stay more than the couple days needed to breeze through the main sites and have a...

Considering costs is a vital part of planning your entry into expat life. Neglecting budgeting can abruptly cut short a stay. On the other hand, a little financial planning can pay off in a longer and more enriching lifestyle than you dreamed possible. A great web-based tool for this is Numbeo . Just type in...

There has been a recent debate about budget travel against cheap travel: the article draws some interesting comparisons between budgeting your trip, and actually being too much of a cheapo to make the best out of it. As much as I agree with many of the statements presented in the article, I had to stop...

Have you ever returned home, only to feel like home was more foreign than any of the exotic locales you've visited? You're not alone. Reverse culture shock has a way of ambushing people, despite how much you may have heard about it. When we travel, we have our awareness up. We know we must learn...

Most career break literature out there is focused on the employee who requests a leave of absence from his boss. Rarely is it about the boss who takes a sabbatical from his own business. Inc. magazine had this story: Inside the mind of a runaway CEO . While most office satire is about the workers...

Pop quiz, hotshot: what are the best travel tips you can share? I'm more comfortable writing stories about other travelers. This time, I was on the other side. Jessica Spiegel, a fellow vagablogger, put me in the hot seat in Budget Traveler Interview: Marcus Sortijas . The piece was displayed on the website CheapTicketLinks ,...

Working as a writer abroad is like tackling two dreams at once: writing and travel. Tough to pull off, though especially if you want to earn a living. Graham Holliday, an experienced journalist, laid out his strategies for success in this Slideshare presentation: Frontline Club - solo foreign correspondent . My favorite advice was in...