Travel costs money. Probably not as much as most people imagine, but it's best to keep these expenses to a minimum, especially during an economic downturn. Is it still possible to enjoy traveling in these financially unstable times? My answer to that is a big resounding "yes". Here's how we can do that: Plan for...

The Golden Arches can offer a comforting beacon when abroad, especially when a traveler's stomach starts to rumble. While there are times when the comforts of home seem very appealing, there are other times when a traveler wants nothing more than to check out something new and local. The following websites can help adapt a...

With Barack Obama now sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, the whole world is watching to see how he delivers on his promise of change. While the Obama administration faces a myriad of more import and pressing issues, traveler's have their own list of changes that they'd like to see Obama...

You’re in love and the road is calling...but it’s only asking to speak to you. Your significant other might be unable to get away for as long as you want to go, or couldn’t imagine wading through hipdeep mud to camp in the jungle in Guatemala, but you can’t think of anything better. So how...

I know I've been dwelling on my transition phase for the last few or more posts. But it's only really been over a month; yes, I'm allowing myself full grievance time. I'm still questioning my move back to Dubai, still wondering whether my career is as important as I thought it was. I was speaking...

Talk about traveling on the cheap. Leon Logothetis has made it a point to—on practically nothing. He has circled the United Kingdom on £5 a day, and made his way from Times Square to the Hollywood sign on $5 a day. And beginning January 25, in the third season of the show that documents these...

Last week I told you about the best job in the world . Well, best is, of course, subjective and from a traveler's point of view, sitting on an island shilling for the Queensland tourism board, might not sound quite as good as it does to your average citizen. If you're looking for something with...

New Year, new lists. The New York Times travel section just published a list of 44 Places to Go in 2009 . While some classic locations like Hawaii and Las Vegas made the list, there are also intriguing suggestions, such as Beirut and Kazakhstan. The list is also filtered into different categories, like "frugal" and...

The National Geographic Adventure Blog recently posted an article entitled " Deep Survival With Laurence Gonzales: How to Control Panic" . The article raises some important points about the effects of panicking and how it may help or hurt you during a threatening situation. An excerpt from the post : "Panic was really useful to...

The best job in the world is any job that you love. That said, who wouldn't love a job that primarily involves strolling white sand beaches, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef and take care of "a few minor tasks" on a tropical island? Australia's Queensland state government is currently offering what it calls "the best...

Traveling is often seen as a solo endeavor, and that image has an undeniable romance to it -- the archetype of the solo explorer traipsing through the jungle à la Dr Livingston is, for better or worse, well-ingrained in the collective consciousness. But, as I argued in my very first Vagablogging post, traveling with a...

Sometimes you might need some extra inspiration of places to go and things to see. So here are some magazines to give you the urge. Wend Magazine , for adventure travelers, conservation trips, and the wandering lifestyle. Wanderlust , a British magazine devoted to picking up and moving around. They have a very useful "Job...

Sometimes the best way to avoid crowds is to go to a place that's only recently been hit by a crisis. For example, Thailand is usually choked with package tourists and backpackers. But after the recent airport shutdowns by protesters, the streets are appreciably quieter. This Guardian UK article talks about the advantages of such...

Cell phone, satellite phone, SPOT , EPIRB . How much do you rely on these emergency forms of communication when you travel? A recent New York Times article by Mary Billard discusses this question. After the author's husband fractured his ankle in Indonesia, Billard noted, “Our cellphones — a BlackBerry and an iPhone (both with...

Recently, I came across this blog post from New Scientist entitled "Migration controls are the new apartheid" . In that post, Senior Environment Correspondent Fred Pearce had an exteme proposition: why not open up the world's borders to migrants? "It has always struck me as odd that we are so keen to allow the flow...

It's inspiring to see another vagabond family success story. The Cooneys —a family of five that includes three teenage boys—just returned to Orlando after four months on the road. Where did they go in that time? Mexico, Guatamala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. It was three years ago when they first...

It used to be that hostels were solely the domain of grungy backpackers looking to save their pennies and not especially concerned if the rat or two might be lurking in the shadows of their rooms. But, if online hostel service Hostelworld is to be believed, that quaint, cliche image isn't true anymore. According to...

Food is one of the great joys of traveling -- whether it's an exotic, possibly dodgy street food stall or just the local version of your favorite dish, for many, the food is the chief reason to go. But of course finding the best restaurants, street food and delicious out-of-the-way local favorites is difficult when...

As much as possible, I try to stick to public transportation: buses, subways, etc. But sometimes you just absolutely have to take a taxi. This Forbes Traveler article has some tips on how to avoid scams. It also has a slideshow of The World's Worst Taxi Rides . Here are some of my personal tips...

Over the holidays, I watched a video marathon of By Any Means , a TV series which follows actor Charley Boorman on an adventure that takes him from his hometown in Ireland to Sydney, Australia. The catch? Boorman and his party had to avoiding commercial air travel as much as possible. They mostly traveled by...