Brett’s post from earlier this week, “ Everywhere is a destination ,” struck a familiar note with me. I live in a popular tourist town, and while I love where I live, I’m guilty of often avoiding “touristy” things. When we’re not as open to our surroundings at home as we are when we travel,...

Yesterday I found a travel piece about my hometown (ok, about the fancy town next to my hometown) in the Guardian. I've been out of the area for five years, but it was still a challenge to accept the premise of the article: That, after crossing an entire ocean, a commuter town in suburban New...

"You're running away" is a common charge level at vagabonders of all stripes. Sometimes the criticism comes out of jealousy, sometimes out of genuine concern, sometimes a combination of those and other motivations. We've written before about how to handle such a response from friends and family , but what do you say when it's...

OK, I’ll say it. I actually like packing for a trip. From figuring out which bag to use, to cracking open my closet, to deciding if the laptop comes along or gets to rest—it helps me kind of warm up for travel. I don’t always need warming up. Sometimes, the suitcase never gets fully unpacked,...

Hue, Vietnam There is a problem with automobiles, and I'm not talking about break-downs or pollution. I'm talking about how they seal us off from the world around us. Listen to this excerpt from Paul McHugh's "The Pure Jones of It," as he compares the automobile to the motorbike: By contrast, most human drivers of...

Passports with Purpose is a group of travel bloggers making an effort to give back to the places they've visited. The group recently launched a fundraising effort to support American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC) an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for the youth and rural poor in Cambodia. The goal of this year's...

It’s widely acknowledged that travel widens your perspective. The more you open yourself to the world, the more of a chance that you may meet somebody who will change how you think about things for the rest of your life. A couple of years ago, my husband and I visited the island of Hvar, part...

The preparation of a feast is underway. Just-cut string beans, snow peas, potatoes. Scents materializing. Cabinet doors flying open and threatening foreheads, then smacking closed with a shot. A dozen socks competing for space on the tile floor. Bubbling oil and fast chopping. Aboriginal techno from an MP3 player. Water running. The chaos is streamlining...

In my traveling about the web, I keep an eye out for beautiful art that you can take with you. This little illustrated web story , about an exchange student who comes to visit, is from the Guardian. Everyone can use a little art to brighten their day.

Everyone remembers the strangers that stopped to point you in the right direction, offer a tip on where to eat or practice a bit of English, but what about the hundreds that passed you by? Tom Swick has a thoughtful essay over at World Hum , musing on the crowds of indifferent strangers that we...

Throughout all of my travels I have never once hoofed it to the road and ceremoniously raised a thumb in hopes of hitching a ride. Have I missed some sort of backpacker’s right of passage? Or have I avoided certain death? Hitchhiking has some kind of romantic allure to me, and I’ve always been keen...

Travel can be exciting—immersing yourself in a new culture and attempting to see and do everything you’ve dreamed of. But even the excitement of a new place needs to be balanced with quiet time, and often, these moments serve as more than just time to reflect and process. For me, those quiet hours come in...

There was a time when each of us didn't know a thing about travel. We had no conception of distance, of independence. We couldn't imagine the desire to spend a night away from home, let alone feel that desire. Far? The grocery store was far. But soon, childhood is drenched with the influence of exploration....

I once read that you can tell how "discovered" a place is by the dogs. If the stray dogs mind their own business, or are afraid of people, then congrats - you are officially "off the beaten path". If the dogs follow you around, looking for the scraps they've been accustomed to receiving from travelers,...

Travelers come in all shapes and sizes, but if there's one common element these days it seems to be that everyone is packing an iPod. Long bus rides, plane flights, layovers, lonely, deserted hostels and other familiar travel trials all seem to be a little bit easier to bear when you have a pair of...

Like most, I’ve afforded my Vagabonding freedom through a variety of jobs. However, none have been as stupidly lucrative as waiting tables. For years I slaved away as a server between my stints on the road. Knowing the transitory nature of my downtime, I would forgo the search of more permanent employment. My love for...

It’s never fun to run low on funds when traveling, especially when you plan to be on the road much longer than your budget may allow. While working opportunities in other countries may be limited due to lengthy or costly visa requirements, there’s a relatively easy way to extend your Australian vacation with a paycheck....

Indigenous food directly connects you to a place--the place literally assimilates into your body--but it also works the other way around. When you're home, food can bring you places by bringing those places into you. The standard Western supermarket has a wall of imported chocolate offering escape. Goya (and competitors) often claim half an aisle,...

I suppose you could call me an expat in training. I’ve dipped my toe in by purchasing property in another country (Honduras) and have even begun to build my island dream home. But I’m years away from actually chucking it all and living there full time. A few weeks ago, Matador Abroad featured an article...

Meeting an artwork at the right time and place can unlock new reserves of understanding. However, the same work in a different setting can bring you down like a black banana peel. Let's take music as an example. What happens when melody is mixed with new people and places? Stan Getz can drop the temperature...