A recent study asked professional photographers if they were still using film, and 45% said they had never stopped, even though they also used digital. Although digital cameras have improved now to the point where a digital photo and a film photo are pretty much comparable in dpi (you know, if you have a good...

Planning and then taking a RTW trip is often talked about in sweeping generalizations. It's all about the big picture, about embarking on an adventure of either very long or even perhaps unknown duration. But it has to start somewhere, right? BootsnAll member Skylab is hitting the road for his first RTW trip in a...

There's something satisfying about knowing that you paid a lot less to fly the exact same route as someone else. Hooray for budget airlines! It's like my recent trip on AirTran . I can't say that service or amenities were exceptional, but that's the point. Expect little, get little, and here's the best thing: pay...

When I was nineteen, I went to Morocco, by myself. It never occurred to me to go any other way, actually -- I wanted to go, nobody else I knew either wanted to travel or had the means, and I couldn't think of anyone I even *wanted* to go with me. Far from being an...

The number one thing to remember while planning to be silly in other places is that other cultures might not be so welcoming of your silliness as your own. On the other hand, finding a community of ex-pats who might be longing for some silliness can help you feel more at home, and also gives...

Anyone who spends their time traveling or dreaming of travel has no doubt heard from at least one friend or beloved (and well-meaning) family member suggesting that given the current economy it might be time to stay closer to home right now. And if you weren't brilliant enough to come up with the idea to...

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...

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...

What a great way to put social media to the test. In just a few days, Paul Smith will travel the world with little more than a computer, a Twitter account, and the goodwill of 5,000 people. All he knows is that he'll leave his home in Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) on March 1st, find...

For some people, the research they do before a trip is part of the fun of travel. Poring over piles of guidebooks, asking question after question on message boards, whiling away the hours reading travel blogs... There's no end to the places where you can find information, and no end to the time you can...

The Pattersons are out on the road again! You may remember my post last spring about Cat and Pat Patterson's first long-term trip —a bicycling tour that covered 57 countries over four years. It turns out that their two-year hiatus back home in Southern California was only a breather before their current trip through Southeast...

It's not often that you get an offer like this: a free review of your travel writing, by a respected travel writer. But that's what Mark Hodson is offering Vagablogging readers. You probably know Mark as a travel writer for the Sunday Times in London. But over his 23 years as a journalist, he's been...

We all know that it's good to know what's going on in the world, but sometimes when you're paying attention it doesn't feel like a good thing. Right now, for instance, even a cursory glance at the news is enough to turn just about anyone's stomach. But if you can manage it, this is the...

Whether you're new to travel and you want to get a sense of your…well…sensabilities, or you're up for a fun quiz, try out " What type of traveler are you? " Posted on BootsnAll , it takes stock of your travel preferences (accommodations, adventure, comfort) with eight questions. Then you find out your 'type.' Are...

While the decision to take a round-the-world trip might be the exciting culmination of a lot of hard work and deep thought on your part, it might catch some of your friends and family off-guard. And for some people, it might seem like a totally bad idea even after they've had a chance to get...

Happy New Year, travelers! I don't know about you, but I'm really excited about what's in store in 2009. If you're having a little trouble shaking off the holiday haze and getting inspired about a new year, though, then let's see if the January multi-stop airfare specials available on BootsnAll can help you with a...

When you're on the road long-term, or permanently, there are a few important details to contend with. While you may not need to pay electricity and gas bills any more, you probably still have a credit card bill, bank statements (hopefully), possibly a cell phone bill, and potentially important documents (I'm currently locked in a...

Happy New Year! Got any travel-related resolutions for 2009? If not, or if you need a few more, check out this list that the Matador Network put together. The list is broad enough to apply to just about any traveler, but also just specific enough that following it might shake up your vagabonding routine and...

When you are planning a long trip, cross continent, you can never have enough information. I remember a friend in Spain would make me see him for coffee for a year before he actually left for his RTW trip. He just wanted reassurance, support, chat, my guidebooks, website links, anything, because taking that final step...

Everyone needs to pack, no matter where you're going. And if you're anything like me, you use lots of scraps of paper, or maybe one page of your journal, criss-crossed with scribblings, and then you forget something anyway. On my last trip out of the country, I forgot earplugs; "No big deal," I thought. "I...