Few travelers make it to the “-stans”. Visas are hard to come by, infrastructure can be almost nonexistent, and danger is rife. Ted Rall ventured there anyway, writing (and cartooning) ”Silk Road to Ruin: Is Central Asia the New Middle East?” . This book is an excellent read for anyone curious about Central Asia; Rall’s...

When I first read about Mark Boyle's quest to walk 9000 miles from Britain to India -- without money -- I was impressed at his boldness and confidence in humanity. The plan was to walk 15-45 miles a day offering his skills in return for food and accommodation, all in aim of going back to...

It's Monday again, and you know what that means: resource updates! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, let me give you a quick recap: A few weeks ago I announced that Rolf's book, Vagabonding , will be going into a second edition within the year, complete with a fully updated resources section....

Monday already? You know what that means: resource updates! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, let me give you a quick recap: A few weeks ago I announced that Rolf's book, Vagabonding , will be going into a second edition within the year, complete with a fully updated resources section. We put...

In retrospect, Jim Soliski's " Does Your Meter Work? " was an unfortunate choice of reading material for my daily commute on public transit. But only because it made me desperately want to rush to the airport and take the first flight out of town- not a way to remain gainfully employed. "Does Your Meter...

Welcome to the 4th week in a 10-week-long series here on Vagablogging where we're asking you, faithful readers, to help us compile the biggest, baddest collection of links for the resource section of the yet-to-be-released second edition of Rolf's book. This week we're dealing with the second section of chapter 4's resources, which was broken...

It's Monday, and you know what that means: resource updates! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, let me give you a quick recap: A few weeks ago I announced that Rolf's book, Vagabonding , will be going into a second edition within the year, complete with a fully updated resources section. We...

The classic village health care handbook "Where There Is No Doctor" is one of over a dozen publications available for free download on the Hesperian Foundation website. The manual covers a wide range of medical topics including: first aid, family planning, HIV/AIDS, healing without medicine, and many other health issues around the world. Also available...

Hi there, me again! Bringing you up to speed, a few weeks ago I announced that Rolf's book, Vagabonding , will be going into a second edition within the year, complete with a fully updated resources section. We put a call out for you to help us update that resource section for the second edition,...

Like every child, I was brought up being told "don't talk to strangers". The minute I began traveling, I completely ignored this rule. When I travel, I trust everyone until I have reason not to. Unless my instincts shout otherwise, I give everyone I meet, local or not, the benefit of the doubt for which...

In case you missed it, last week I announced that Rolf's book, Vagabonding , will be going into a second edition within the year, complete with a fully updated resources section . We put a call out for you to help us update that resource section for the second edition, and this is the first...

Pilgrims' Progress is up and running, the blog written by the Kiwi family that is planning a round-the-world trip with eight children. Vagablogging profiled the family in September. Now, they have received some of their gear and are further along in the planning stages of their trip, scheduled to depart in August. However, they are...

Vagabonders, unite! We need your help. Rolf's book, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel , will be going into a second edition within the year, complete with a fully updated resources section . But a lot has changed since the first edition made its debut; in particular the Internet is...

Journey Woman , a resourceful site for women travelers, has launched a travel-writing contest looking for the most inspiring tales of determination and courage. They want to read your stories and know how you overcame either a personal barrier or an external one in order to make your journey a successful one. So women, women,...

It seems like traveling and making your own videos, and earning a few bucks no longer requires going to film-school or working for the Travel Channel . Thanks to websites like Tripfilms , as long as you have a video camera and an idea on how to express something cool from your trip, voila, you...

Iceland is the world's best country to live in, according to the United Nations 2007/2008 Human Development Report . The "human development index", which determines the rankings, is judged by life expectancy, adjusted real income, and level of educational attainment. Rounding out the 10 best countries to live in: Norway, Australia, Canada, Ireland., Sweden, Switzerland,...

I always use a backpack. I prefer it to suitcases and think they are generally easier to travel with. But the one thing that always annoys me is that you have to fill the pack bottom-up and when you need to find something, you usually have to take everything out. With the number of times...

There is one thing I keep feeling guilty about, yet I don't do anything about it. I don't give enough back to the world. Blah blah blah. I do constantly keep looking out for ways to do so though, I like to think that's something. Today I came across the website of the International Institute...

"I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine." ~Caskie Stinnett "A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it." ~John Steinbeck "Travelers never think that they are the foreigners." ~Mason Cooley "I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad." ~George Bernard Shaw

By Cedar Van Tassel [ Note : The following travel-themed short story is by my nephew Cedar, who attends Southeast of Saline School in north-central Kansas. Now eight, Cedar began writing for this blog at age four, and his contributions have included metaphysical fiction , an interactive mummy poem , and a book review .]...