Recent buzz around the web has suggested big changes in travel, but these trends are much more complicated than gradual increases in tourism as discussed last week by Chris and Marco . We know we can expect at least one billion tourists by 2012, but not everyone is joining the great migration. A controversial New...

Travel is an iterative process of experiencing, ruminating, and growing - with the growth often occurring long after we've returned from our adventures. Through the sites and sounds and smells of the unfamiliar we test our assumptions and lose the loosest notions of our long-held beliefs. In leaving the familiar we willingly leave behind who...

This post is the third in a series on pre-trip planning (see the Intro , post #1: research , post #2: travel insurance , and post #4: technology ). Ahh. Gear. The expense I always fail to calculate into my trip budget. Each of us packs differently, and each of us has different “must-have” items...

Today is International Women’s Day — cheers to all women far and wide! Global awareness of things such as women’s rights and a solution to curb the demand for sex traffickin g are dear to my heart. As a woman; I obviously experience the world differently than men do. As our very own Rolf Potts...

Plane food doesn't have the best reputation, and people love to complain about it . One family even sued American Airlines for killing their father with a chicken dish on a flight from Barcelona to New York. But don't get too attached to your mystery meat and stale dinner rolls. Celebrity chefs have taken to...

There has been a lot of talk on Vagablogging lately about the merits of slow travel and taking time to understand local culture when traveling. This was my goal when I came to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, to volunteer at an after-school program for a month, and I quickly discovered an even better, unexpected outlet for cultural...

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...

This post is the second in a series on pre-trip planning (see the Intro , post #1: research , post #3: gear , and post #4: technology ). When it comes to travel insurance, people play their own game. Some risk it and just pay medical fees abroad (should they incur any), while others purchase...

Vagabond travel is about the experience. It's less focused on the "stuff" you bring and buy, and more about the freedoms as an open minded traveler with a light backpack. Rolf shows us the pros of traveling stuff-less in his Round The World challenge trip, but if you know what you're looking for and have...

Along with the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, tourism has become one of the world’s dominant drivers of global, national, and local economic growth. At last tally, “the industry” – an aggregate of airlines, hotels and a slew of service businesses ranging from tour guides to street food vendors – employs a staggeringly high 200+ million...

This post is the first in a series on pre-trip planning (see the Intro , post #2: travel insurance , post #3: gear , and post #4: technology ). I don’t start any trip with a completely blank slate. There is usually something that attracts me to a country—maybe it’s something that I’ve read, or...

Traveling with pre-existing food allergies can be daunting. It is like playing Russian roulette three times a day with meals. Living on the edge is part of the excitement of travel. Food experimentation however, is not a luxury you can afford if having a reaction on the road can be potentially dangerous. The good news...

It was a 10-year process for me. Back and forth. Up and down. Should I do this, really? The decision to finally follow the dream of long-term travel is a difficult one, especially for those of us with an established career and lifestyle. For me, the decision-making process was all happening in my own head,...

Nancy made some excellent points in her post about healthcare abroad. It's incredibly nerve-wracking to imagine serious injuries or illnesses away from home, and the fear often inhibits people from international travel. Medical tourism , however, involves more than simply seeking treatment overseas in the case of an emergency. The idea that people can get...

Literally speaking a home is a place of residence, a domicile, yet that hardly does justice to the true meaning of the word. Is anyone in the habit of believing that the two-man ultra-light tent they set up in Banff National Park's back-country or the garish and gaudy walls of the Pink Palace in Corfu...

Eight years ago I left India and swore I’d never go back. The hassle. The beggars. The children, constantly tugging at your shirt as you walk down the street. The steadfast staring. The need to always be vigilant for potential scams. India is a tough place to travel. But due to a combination of free...

"The reason vagabonding is so addictive is that, joyfully, you'll never quite find what you dreamed. Indeed, the most vivid travel experiences usually find you by accident, and the qualities that will make you fall in love with a place are rarely the features that took you there." - Vagabonding Travel plans, whether for weekend...

The struggle to slow down is one well known to many travelers, especially if our time in a given place is limited. To take in the sights, to eat the notable local cuisine, to see the arts and hear the music - travel "to-do" lists can be inexhaustible and overwhelming (and pointless...). So, as Lindsey...

As I’ve made final preparations for my backpacking trip the past few months, I’ve come to realize there was one thing I completely underestimated: The act of telling people of my plans and dealing with their reactions is much more time-consuming and emotionally exhausting than expected. Even more surprising was that this happened in different...

Three kids recently asked if they could sing a song for me outside of Phnom Penh's National Museum . They were between five and ten years old, barefoot, and covered in dirt. Baffled, I obliged. They sang an adorable (and broken) version of a Sean Kingston song before breaking out into a more original number,...