This caught my attention: money back from airlines. Airfarewatchdog.com's recent post sheds light on the hidden gem. Did you know that anyone on delayed/cancelled flights within or leaving Europe could be entitled up to 600 Euros (US$880)? Funny—after all of these years with the meager compensation (if you're lucky) in the US, it didn't occur...

My last rant here was an anti-tourist-pro-traveler shpeal. And, as much as I think there is so much more value in being a so-called 'contrarian traveler', there are some times that you must stick to the book and not go against the tide, for your sanity and the sanity of the people you are traveling...

"The main feeling the visitor has in Pyongyang is one of pity at the pathos of the place—its hopeless, helpless overestimate of its own power and importance, the deluded ignorance of millions of people carefully protected from any inrush of truth about themselves, their country, and their rulers." -Peter Hitchens, "Prisoners in Camp Kim" Journalists...

In one of his stories, humorist David Sedaris describes how, as a child, he looks forward to a trip to Greece because it is his chance to prove to his friends at home that he is worldly and continental. He imagines his classmates saying, "Did you hear? David has a passport now. Hurry, let's run...

Andrew Skurka has logged his share of time on the road—most recently seven months worth, across 6,875 miles of the western US, consistently hiking an amazing 35 miles per day. The 26-year-old just finished hiking the Great Western Loop, which covers 12 National Parks, 75 Wilderness Areas, five major mountain ranges, and nine states. The...

Speaking from my own personal experience, traveling has always been a way to escape the monotony and routine of my day-to-day life. Whether it has been a 2 week holiday, a charity bike ride across Vietnam or a longer round-the-world trip - the excitement of breaking out of the daily routine, seeing new sights and...

If you watch “Amazing Race” you know the drill: on certain segments the last team can still continue the race, but without the benefit of money. Apparently one of the previous contestants decided to embrace that worst-case-scenario throughout his 5-month trip around the world. Now in Santiago, Chile on its 70th day, “ Around the...

Unfortunately this is not a review. I live in Madrid and it's not showing here yet, I doubt it ever will! But it has been a long time since a movie has really called my attention, so I thought I might alert those who can watch it, to check it out! For those who are...

The holiday shopping season is upon us, and that means only one thing: it's time to express our love for others by giving them stuff. If you're searching for the perfect gift for a fellow traveler, however, your shopping this year should be easy. Order Brook Silva-Braga's round-the-world documentary A Map for Saturday . If...

The inside cover of this recent Rough Guides release includes a brief disclaimer: “ First-Time Africa is not a guidebook: it’s a book to read before you go, a planning handbook.” Fair enough. But even without including specific guidebook-type recommendations for an entire continent, author Jens Finke still had a big job ahead: inspiring the...

If you've always had a yearning to visit a particular country and you haven't yet been, then this is probably a moot question...as soon as you can, you'll be winging your way there, eyes gleaming with the excitement of adventure to come. If, on the other hand, you've already traveled to many of the places...

I already trust Zagat Guides for their restaurant reviews—what difference does it make if the food is served in an airplane? Just released on Tuesday, Zagat’s 2007 Global Airline Survey covers 20 US airlines and 64 international airlines, as well as 46 international airports. Each carrier is judged on its comfort, food, service, and website—scored...

Have you ever set off on a trip without a specific purpose? Simply packed your backpack, bought some tickets to a major hub and just wandered wherever the mood took you? I haven't. I'm a planner by nature. I'd far rather have at least a vague idea of where I might be going on my...

Being on the road for an extended period of time, be it traveling/living/working abroad, can often leave you not knowing where to call home. When I was 3, we moved to the UK; at 10 we went back to India. I did my highschool from India, then my folks moved to Dubai. After a year...

The Sydney Morning Herald’s recent blog made me cringe—“When you’re too old to be a backpacker.” Maybe it’s just the reminder of the growing number of years that've passed since I first backpacked, but my first instinct was to get defensive. So okay, the facts are I do feel older than some travelers at the...

Haven't you heard? Sixty is the new forty. Big is the new small. Poverty is the new black . (huh?) And Krakow is the new Prague. Before I lived in Prague, I had already heard countless times that other cities further east were "the new Prague," places like Bratislava, Budapest, Kiev, and Tallinn. By the...

It's great - and necessary - to think about how you're going to save for a long-term trip, but what about planning for how you're going to manage your money while you're away from home? One BootsnAll member who's leaving in December has been trying to determine the best ways to do that , and...

I've been a big fan of the Olympics since they started way back in 776 B.C. (Well, not quite since then. I was born a year later.) I particularly enjoy seeing sports like the luge and the bobsled, where athletes are judged not for being the most athletic, but for being the most aerodynamic. I...

The fact that my husband and I have no home to go back to, nor do we currently consider any particular country our home (although we are originally from the UK), generates interesting responses from most of the people we meet on our travels. One of questions which sits right on the tip of the...

Okay, nobody wants to anticipate that her laptop might get stolen on the road, or that she'll misplace her passport the night before her return flight. But it happens. That’s what luggage tags and address labels are for, right? Or for the more tech-savvy, there’s StuffBak , Trackitback , and Boomerangit . They’re designed to:...