On the 7th of June, 37 year old Andy Campbell and his team set out from The Royal Geographic Society in London. Over the next two years he’s making his way around the world without a distinctively planned route. Eight years ago, Andy fell while rock climbing and became paralyzed from the waist down. As...

Let’s face it: travelling is much less stressful when you do not need to get yourself a visa. And if you never had such a thought before, believe me, you are either lucky - because you are the holder of a “valuable” nationality passport -, or you have never tried to get to many “off...

“The travel pillow for people who hate travel pillows!”~ thetravelhalo.com Booking overnight transportation can reduce the number of nights one stays in hostels or hotels; but adequate rest in the upright position is challenging. And honestly, most travel pillows out there aren’t worth the space and effort to bring along. I’ve field tested a number...

When it comes to films about travel, there are more bad movies than good ones. Case in point: " The Way " (2010), which stars Martin Sheen as a doctor who treks the Camino de Santiago (in Spain and France) following the death of his son. There wasn't a bead of sweat on the characters...

The thought of writing a book seems esoteric. Many people I’ve encountered tell me they’re going to write a book someday. (Which I think is a fabulous idea!) The actual process, however, is often unglamorous and tedious. Writing, editing, rewriting, and did I mention rewriting. But writing is only the first step. If you’re following...

(CP> I'm preparing for my next trip overseas, so this month I decided to share a trip I took in 2010, as part of the Mongol Rally . If you're looking for an irreverent race that is challenging, yet incredibly fun, check it out.) Cost/day: ~$40/day (food / gas) What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen...

Gone are the days of flipping through a phrasebook, frantically trying to find the words to communicate. Today it's all about the apps, especially if you're traveling to a country where Internet connections are widespread (and where the spoken language is not an obscure dialect). A new voice translation app has been riding high on...

Through the travel website World Hum I discovered an essay that begins with a unique question: “Could geeking out over a mutually beloved novel surpass even alcohol as the ultimate social icebreaker?” What do you think? Have you bonded with someone because of a novel? I have! Bryan Basamanowicz then continues to say, “Quite like...

AT&T this week rolled out new international data packages with prices cut nearly in half, a change that comes six weeks after Verizon announced a new international data package. Although these options are still more expensive than using an international SIM card, the changes signify progress toward making smartphone internet use more affordable and accessible...

What kind of traveler are you? One style certainly isn't better than another. You may be a tell-all traveler, posting religious updates and photos to a blog and tweeting every hour on the hour. Maybe you're a personal diary keeper, writing not only to capture the experience but also to work through the roller coaster...

I "discovered" the New York Times Borderlines blog last week, when a piece about Transnistria -- a territory east of Moldova -- caught my eye. I rarely come across any mention of Transnistria, so it was especially unusual to see it on the New York Times homepage. Turns out that Frank Jacobs, the author of...

The past few posts in the “summer work abroad” series have dealt with teaching ESL and work-stays as avenues to make a buck abroad in the summer months (or any month, really). This third entry will be a bit different. In the rare case that you don’t need to make cash while spending a month...

Warning for men: if talk about female cycles makes you uncomfortable or queasy I’d suggest you skip this post! ************* Ladies, we can’t all live in the remaining hunter-gatherer cultures where ones menstrual cycle is a sacred celebration. Nor are we still band from our own households for three days like the old laws in...

A 500-mile hike. Sound like a dream? Or a nightmare? Or maybe you think you would love to do it, but can’t? Think again. If I’ve learned anything from riding a bike from Alaska to Argentina, it’s that I can do most things. The impossible might take a bit longer, but I can do it....

Cost/day: $175/day loans-cash.net . It isn’t the cheapest place to travel to and there were too many fun activities (that cost money) to not spend money, but it can be done reasonably and you only really need a few days to get a good experience. What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen lately? Dubai brings a...

Cost/day: £25 (this has increased since my last post because my lease ran out and I moved to an AirBnB apartment). What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen lately? Yesterday, my boyfriend Steve and I went to Recoleta cemetery, which was one of the most elaborate monuments to the dead we have ever seen. It's a...

Eola is a 67-year old grandmother who I met while trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. Conchi Rios is a 20-year old female matador that I didn’t meet, at least not in person. I watched her from a distance of 50 feet or so as she fought two frothing-at-the-mouth bulls in the famous Las Ventas...

Can you imagine being woken up at a hostel at 7:30am to chop fire wood or complete your chores before breakfast? Chore detail had fizzled-out before 2009 when I hostel hopped for several months; spending anywhere from three nights to two weeks at various places. Personally, I enjoyed seeking out the odd ones, like old...

After 8 months of calling Bangkok home, I moved on and set off for Madrid to embark on a month-long brother-sister adventure through Western Europe. As I walk the city streets today I think about what defines this culture. I think of sangria and tapas, of late dinners and long nights, of Picasso and Goya,...

“You and your husband are made of a different cloth,” a friend told me a few hours ago. “To take your kids and head out for a 500-mile hike… I don’t know how you do it.” And yet really, we aren’t made of a different cloth at all. We’re just normal people just like him....