My husband and I have just arrived in Cape Town for the next 3 months after a nightmare journey leaving Dubai - I agree with Abha who despairs at Dubai's short notice announcing a public holiday with less than 24 hours notice for residents, shutting of all the main roads to the airport and those...

It's not just that I work in eco-friendly Berkeley that this bit of news interests me so much. I might have high expectations for alternative fuel sources, but even I'm surprised (and thrilled) to hear about Virgin Atlantic's plans: they're moving to biofuel. Virgin just confirmed that their first test flight —from London to Amsterdam—will...

Falling in love on your vagabonding trip is something you don't plan. Flings and hook-ups are commonplace, but when you find someone you love, your whole further plan can go for a toss. Ever since I've been on the road, my outlook to life has been different. I've been generally chilled out with a happy-go-lucky-come-what-may...

On Friday, I got the email out of the blue: Mavericks . I'd almost forgotten that I'd signed up on the surf competition's website a few years back—the big waves (and big event) never happened in 2007. The 48-hour notice for surfers (and us fans) meant being on-the-ready during the peak four months, waiting for...

Vagabonding is largely about exploring the world on your own terms, but few of us can be on the road forever. The time comes when we are forced to settle in to our lives back home, and it can often be a difficult adjustment. Sometimes we might even feel like two different people-- the free-spirited...

Budget Long Haul has an innovative concept, and not one of the "I'll only walk east today, only north tomorrow, only east the next day" variety. The site shows how a traveler can make it almost all the way around the world only on budget airlines. Departing from the Americas, a traveler could reach Europe...

It is 11 months since my husband and I left the UK to travel the world permanently with no planned end to our wanderings and no idea about where we'll eventually settle down. We run our businesses as we travel and carry less than 30kg of luggage between us (including our carry-on bags). We have...

For undergrad or grad students out there, check out STA Travel's " World Traveler Internship ." It sounds like a summer whirlwind of just the right proportions. The winner travels through 14 countries—from Croatia to Argentina to Vietnam—in 3 months. All STA Travel asks is that you share your experiences via a journal/blog, video and...

A friend once told me her secret for gauging the cost of living of a place: pricing a burrito and a beer. Frommer's monthly price index follows my friend's tactic, comparing universal staples like movie tickets, bus fare, and a cup of coffee. We all know that the American dollar is weak right now, but...

How many of you have already broken those new years resolutions you committed yourself to a few short days ago? Well, if you had resolved to take a round-the-world trip this year, you might have had an easier time sticking to it. After all, planning an RTW trip is a heck of a lot more...

In the above map, each country's area is approximately proportional to the number of indigenous languages it has produced. The map, which appears in Limits of Language by Swedish linguist Mikael Parkvall, is accompanied by the following caption: Languages are very unevenly distributed among the countries of the world. The map tries to capture this...

It’s strange, after I return from a trip it’s always the stories about mishaps and near-misses that I find myself re-telling again and again. Maybe it’s because everyone likes a funny anecdote, or maybe it’s just easier to joke about the horror of that filthy truck stop bathroom in Turkey than it is to explain...

The 100th anniversary of New York City's ball drop a few days ago seems an apropos way to start the year. 2008 is stacking up as a year of anniversaries and special events. No doubt the organizers will throw an extra handful of confetti and add extra ways to honor these special occasions—you might want...

I'm in the middle of a very important assignment...I'm trying to complete my sample brief to see if I have what it takes to become a Lonely Planet author. How did I get this chance? I applied a few months ago, sort of on a whim and out of curiosity, and a few weeks ago...

Yes, I make resolutions; yes, it's a cliché post I had no intentions of avoiding :) When you are on the road, or living abroad, with the intention of staying that way in the foreseeable future, resolutions can be quite a blur. I suppose it's because the decision to live this kind of life is...

Here's some travel writing inspiration as we head into 2008—whether it compels you to travel or to write. The North American Travel Journalists Association has announced the winners of its 2007 Awards Competition . You can check out the top winners in each of the 47 categories (including photography and PR), but worth mentioning are...

I'm sure each country has its own bizarre (or not) traditions come midnight when the clock strikes. Having said that, and having lived in 5 countries, I can't seem to remember any at this moment. Hmph. Anyway, tonight is called "Noche Vieja" (old night?) here in Spain, and the country has the tradition of eating...

Over at his always-interesting travel blog , writer Chris Elliott recently came out with his list of " The 20 most inspiring travel blogs of 2007 ." And guess what? Vagablogging is on the list! He writes, "Rolf Potts and his colleagues have created a must-read travel blog that features a nice blend of news,...

When language translation software was first being developed, it seemed as if people who spoke different languages might finally be able to communicate easily with one another-- in writing anyway. Just type in your native-language text, select the translation language, and hit "Translate." Easy, right? Well, I can tell you that if it were that...

Trendhunter points us to this list of hot new destinations for 2008: Buenos Aires - a favorite amongst "creative young vagabonds looking to get away from the US hustle and bustle". My husband and I spent a month there earlier this year and whilst we loved some of the neighbourhoods like San Telmo, Las Canitas...