I am going home to Dubai early next month for 3-weeks, to be with the family. I haven't left Europe for about 18 months and am excited, but at the same time a bit anxious and quite pensive. I know that being home will be great. But I know I have changed, and I know...

A former volunteer, recruiter, and country director for the Peace Corps, Robert Strauss knows the organization inside and out. More than anything, he knows the problems inherent in sending thousands of people-- many inexperienced, many recent college grads-- all over the world to try to "make a difference." Writing for Foreign Policy, Strauss recently dispelled...

I've posted before about my ongoing love affair with travel networking sites, and specifically with Matador Travel . Now I'm thrilled to announce the launch of the Matador Network , a series of travel blogs covering everything from gear reviews and study abroad info to global nightlife guides and volunteering opportunities. The coolest thing about...

If you're planning to stay in one place for longer than a month and want slightly more salubrious surroundings than a hostel, it is often cost effective to stay in self-catering accommodation - especially if there's several of you. This is even more important if you're a working vagabond who runs a business at the...

Maybe this has happened to you: you realize that you’re learning more about the home countries of your fellow backpackers than the place you're traveling. Or your only interaction with the town residents is limited to a ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ with the owner of the internet café around the corner. You don't have to be...

With the economies of many major countries suffering from what I'm euphemistically calling the doldrums, it's more important than ever to make sure you make the most of every bit of your travel budget. That includes, but is certainly not limited to, getting cheap airfare for your trip - no matter how long or how...

"Asia is the continent rhythm forgot. At best Asian music is off-brand American pop, like Sonny Bono in a karaoke bar. At worst Asian music sounds as if a truck full of wind chimes collided with a stack of empty oil drums during a birdcall contest." -PJ O'Rourke I like to think I have an...

A key question that you might face if you're setting up a business which allows you to travel the world permanently, is how and where to get clients. As with any business, the key to attracting new customers and clients is to build up relationships with prospects in your target market. The added challenge when...

Coming soon to online is yet another round-the-world adventure that I wish I would’ve had the foresight to apply for. " Gap Year " is not only hosted by the social networking community Bebo, it’s interactive with it. Of the six participants in the reality series, only three have been announced: from the US, Canada,...

I just got back from Prague and I may have jinxed the weather when in my last post I said I'd be sitting in the sun while you read it. Of the 5 days I was in this beautiful city, it rained long and hard for 2. "Ah it's just rain! I'm not going to...

I've never (yet, anyway) properly done the South East Asia backpacking thing. But I've heard so much about it from British gap-year veterans, American hippies and Canadian ESL teachers that I feel as though I know it well. In fact, I used to figure I'd heard about it so many times that I had lost...

One of the questions people ask when they find out that I run my business whilst travelling the world permanently is this: "Doesn't it put people off that you don't meet clients face-to-face and that you travel around all the time?" In my experience so far, no it doesn't; but then I'm particularly careful to...

You’d think it’d be easier to slow down—to take the time to connect and enjoy the things that matter the most. This is true whether you're a traveler or in the routine of daily life. An article that recently caught my eye was The Guardian 's "The Slow Way to Go" about Cittaslow —an organization...

The issue of packing for a RTW trip is one that comes up time and again, and can be one of the most difficult parts of taking a long-term journey somewhere. Most people are focused on how many pairs of underwear to bring, or whether they can justify including both a hairbrush and a comb...

As somebody who runs a business whilst travelling permanently (and blogs about it ), I keep tabs on other bloggers who do or want to do the same thing. One thing I've noticed recently is a trend towards people thinking about ditching their own laptops and instead working from USB data storage keys which have...

What can I say—I like guidebooks. You get a little history, a little culture, and when it comes down to making things happen, you get hotel and restaurant recommendations from someone who’s been there. But there’s the rub, right? When a guidebook is widely distributed, there's a good chance that lots of others will visit...

Homesickness is bound to hit you on the road, mostly in two distinct time periods: a few days into your vagabonding expedition, and another bout 6-months to a year into being on the road. Homesickness takes a different turn when you have lived in many places; you tend to miss family rather than a place....

I found this article today on Vagabondish about nasty travel diseases and I just had to share it. Why? Because when I left India and moved to Dubai, the first time I went back to Mumbai, I got Hepatitis A, and the next time I went I got Typhoid. Both these diseases kept me in...

A couple months back Alison gave us a heads-up about the various travel writing conferences and classes available in 2008 - including, of course, Rolf's annual classes at the Paris Writing Workshop , and the Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference in Corte Madera, CA, where I made some invaluable contacts last summer. But...

For the kind of lifestyle I lead, hating flying is not one of the most desirable traits to have. Fortunately as a vagabond who spends 2-3 months in each destination, at least it means I'm not commuting weekly by plane like I used to in the corporate rat race. Nevertheless I hate flying. I'm not...