Just about everyone brings a camera when they travel, few bring microphones. Photographs are the lingua franca of travelers, and no doubt we all have a few photos that perfectly capture an experience abroad. But over the years I've noticed that what I remember most about my travels is not so much what I saw,...

Legal justice abroad (or the lack thereof) has been in the headlines in recent weeks. Roxana Saberi , an American journalist, was convicted of spying in Iran and sentenced to eight years in Tehran's Evin Prison. Her family was initially told that she was arrested for buying a bottle of wine - forbidden in the...

I give a hearty 'yes' to Travellious' recent post, Breaking the Rules: Don't Sightsee . Basically, the post questions how we travel. Don’t just follow the crowd and see something because it's in the guidebook or because you're expected to see it. Rather than seeing a place for the sake of ticking it off a...

Even the most hard core of travelers seldom actually travel for more than a few years at a time. There are notable exceptions, we've all met that wizened traveler who's been on the road for decades, but for most of us even extended trips are what you might call a "mini-retirement." But what if you...

Most of us have seen things in our travels that make us want to help the people and places we visit. Whether it be extreme poverty, oppressive governments or even slavery, the world is not always a pretty place. Traveler Allen Burt went a step further than most of us and set up a small...

The words "budget" and "Europe" often feel like an oxymoron when they're too close together. After all, how can a place where an espresso often sets you back 5€ really be budget friendly? The answer is to broaden your conception of Europe. Europe isn't just western Europe, there are plenty of gems to be found...

It's an ironic practice: criticizing other travelers. We're all foreigners to the place we're visiting, but we can't help but try to differentiate ourselves from the standard tourists. This MSNBC.com article discusses the 5 types of travelers that are killing tourism . As an American, I couldn't help but feel a bit stung at the...

First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria is an unconventional but enthralling love story about a young woman, Eve Brown-Waite , who falls in love with her Peace Corps recruiter. After she serves in Ecuador, she returns home to marry John Waite and they soon move to Uganda. Though the book opens up with a description...

It's time for another round-up of travel writing opportunities—from internships to contests to fellowships. Check them out and see if they'd be helpful for your travel, writing, and travel writing dreams. Sosauce Travel Internship Win: Eight-week marketing internship, followed by a two-week socially conscious travel experience. To apply: Register at Sosauce.com. Write a journal entry...

Sleeping in an airport is probably not high on any traveler's list of fun things to do, but the sad thing is, these days, it's almost inevitable. With the rise of cheap, but somewhat less reliable, budget airlines, and more flight cancellations than ever, it's no longer uncommon to find yourself stranded in an airport....

If you own a blog, especially if it's a personal one, you probably don't realize the power of your own voice on the internet. You can use your blog as a tool for change, whether you're doing it intentionally or not. Many bloggers across a variety of niches are discovering that the complaints and criticisms...

I recently had the good fortune of meeting Amtrekker (aka Brett Rounsaville). True to form, he was wearing a green hat, just like the iconic figure on his website. That hat goes everywhere with him—and what a journey it's had. Until just recently, he's been on a road trip of a lifetime, criss-crossing the US...

Nearly five years ago my old mentor Don George approached me with some interview questions for a book on travel writing he was putting together for Lonely Planet. My Q&A appeared on pp. 35-38 of Travel Writing , which hit bookstores worldwide in early 2005. With Travel Writing going into a second edition this year,...

Dealing with phone cards and other vagaries of international calling can be a major pain. Matt Gross, the New York Times journalist who does the "Frugal Traveler" column, has the perfect system worked out. In his article, Staying in Touch Internationally, on the Cheap , he presents the details of his calling system. It makes...

In a previous post here at Vagablogging, Lea Woodward encouraged travelers to use Twitter . This micro-blogging service seems to be gaining more popularity among the masses, especially since it's made it's way to the mainstream media. Many renowned journalists, politicians, and celebrities are now using Twitter. Although Twitter makes users prone to writing mundane...

When I was traveling in Thailand, I always found it curious that the easiest books to find in English were written about Westerners imprisoned in Thailand for various offenses (usually drug related). The English-language book stores had book after book after book about Westerners that made a bad choice (or a bad friend) and ended...

It's always inspiring to hear about people taking the leap of faith to travel for long periods of time—if nothing else than as fodder for planning my own trip. Two examples just came up on my radar—each for very different reasons and with different travel styles, but ultimately both require similar gumption. One is the...

Lonely Planet has pulled out all the stops for a very elaborate and funny April Fool's joke -- a new guide to " Bakpakhistan ." The spoof does a good job of mocking Lonely Planet cliches, from the often trite snippets of local language to the advice on when to go somewhere ("any time is...

Everyone loves to escape the crowds and find their own little slice of paradise, but how many are willing to head to war zone destinations like Iraq? The answer is of course, not many. But, as Marcus pointed out last week , there are some tourists already marking Iraq as a destination. It's easy to...

This IHT article narrates the adventures of a U.S. tour group in Iraq . Considering there is still a war raging there, people who decide to travel to Iraq are either really brave or insane, depending on how you look at it. For people who love escaping the tourist masses, that definitely won't be an...