I was really glad to see Tim Leffel's recent blog " 5 Reasons It’s a Good Time to Be an American Backpacker. " For all of the woebegone news circulating about the economy and the reasons to stay home, I think it's a good reminder that yes, it's actually a good time to travel. (I...

One long-time vagabonder told me, "At best, even current guidebooks are already 2 years out of date. The writer probably went there 2 years ago, and the publisher took a year to ready it for publication." When doing pre-trip research, finding a good website feels like striking gold. This happened to me when I discovered...

Playing a few rounds of "How well do you know your world?" is a great way to kill a little time and hone up on some geography knowledge. This game from Travel Pod displays the name of a geographic location (round one is major world cities) and players race the clock to mark that spot...

Looking for somewhere to publish your favorite travel stories and hilarious narratives? Matador Travels' "notes for the road" section is once again accepting submissions . Matador's "notes for the road" is a bit different than most travel writing submissions on the site (and elsewhere for that matter) in that there's no how-tos, guides, top ___...

Exchanging money can seem inimidating. You're faced with a huge electronic board filled with numbers, and you can't tell what anything means. Before your trip, it's a good idea to check exchange rates at the Universal Currency Converter . This will give you a rough guide to what a fair rate is. When you're looking...

Just before I left on my first trip abroad, a friend's father said to me, "you know, people are more or less the same everywhere, they just build their houses differently." While I would disagree somewhat, since in my experience ingrained cultural and religious beliefs translate to some pretty radical differences between people, his remark...

Last week we told you about the fascinating new book from David Grann, The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon . Well, good news Vagablogging readers, we have a copy to give away. If you're interested in a free copy of The Lost City of Z , just post...

The sad fact is that some of the coolest cities in the world are also the most expensive. But Budget Travel magazine did a feature story about doing Expensive Cities on the Cheap . Staying in hostels, taking public transportation and eating at local food stalls are classic Vagabonding strategies. This article included some destination-specific...

Even while winter winds are still blowing and flakes of snow are swirling outside, the dedicated vagabonders who journey on their feet are preparing for the 2009 thru-hiking season for long distance trails in the United States (including the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine and Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada). Hikers like...

This article from CNN Travel caught my eye today since it talked about how more and more college students are opting to do volunteer travel during the spring break, rather than resort to the usual partying. These volunteer trips address several social and environmental issues. La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), Break Away , and...

Did you make the cut? The field of applicants for "The Best Job in the World," which Scott blogged about a few months ago, has been narrowed down to 50 . Lucky bunch. "Job" is a pretty loose term for the Island Caretaker role, considering it includes exploring the Queensland islands and clearing the stray...

The ultralight backpacking craze started with one Ray Jardine and the Pacific Crest Trail Hikers' Handbook , which outlined Mr. Jardine's efforts to hike the PCT with the absolute minimum weight of pack. Since then, ultralighters have refined their gear until a tent can weight 2 pounds, a backpack 4lbs, and a stove only 12...

I love those little moments of living abroad where you feel like you've gotten deeper into the local scene: finding that bus that goes directly to your favorite restaurant, discovering a street stall with great food, visiting a local friend's home to meet their family. Those are the moments I treasure the most. Matador Abroad...

Lonely Planet is currently polling readers about their favorite travel blogs and websites. The nominations closed out last week and voting has already started -- there are a variety of categories and anyone can vote. Curiously, most of the nominees are not sites that I had heard of before. If you've been living under a...

I don't know about you, but I always find the most irritating thing is finding some good radio stations to listen to when I'm traveling. If you're in a place with a good wireless connection and you have a laptop, you can hook in to one of the numerous radio stations that offer web-listening. My...

The sad thing about job hunting abroad is that there's no one website where you can find jobs for anywhere in the world. Usually, you have to go to local websites run by expats to get more up-to-date job listings. Before, you had to be in-country to hear about these websites from fellow travelers. The...

According to a recent study, using money to achieve life experiences -- like traveling -- leads to greater happiness. Spending money on things like traveling, satisfies what psychologists call "higher order needs" -- like the need to feel truly alive and part of the world. Spending money on material objects is much less likely to...

Do you ever spend your time traveling thinking about how you can be an ambassador for your country? Whether you like it or not, when you travel you provide the most personal and immediate connection to your home country that most of the locals you're visiting will ever see. Ask a hostel owner or restaurant...

Creative Writing Workshop at the Paris American Academy July 1 st through the 28 th , 2009 For the fifth year running, I'll be teaching an intensive, month-long creative writing workshop next summer at the Paris American Academy . College credit is available for this hands-on English-language writing program, which includes courses in: Fiction Poetry...

Visas can be complicated and troublesome for even the most organized of travelers. Not all countries issue visas on arrival, so it's important to research which countries require you to apply for visas before you get there. China, India, and Vietnam are some examples in Asia for U.S. passport holders. It's also worth knowing whether...