Over the last decade, I have traveled with both, friends and tour groups; however, the majority of my travels have been solo. Solo traveling is exciting . There is no greater buzz than standing in an airport preparing to board a plane to a far off country all by yourself. The thrill of adventure and...

As travelers, we often find ourselves talking to friends and strangers alike at parties, at work, wherever, about travel and how to do it right. We evangelize for travel, extolling its opportunities and benefits. We often go on at length about the magic of our favorite places, the addictive high that comes from filling up...

Traveling slowly with my husband across Southeast Asia has been a great way to leave our jobs and lives in Canada behind to explore the world on a small budget. It also means we spend a lot of time together. Every meal, every walk, every bus ride to a new city, is together. Where once...

(Lost in a Crowd - photo by Keoni Cabral) This week I'm in San Francisco, after riding my motorcycle from Washington. First, I have to say - the ride down the PCH was in-damn-credible! Thanks to a friend's suggestions, I got off the PCH near Fortuna and took the Avenue of the Giants scenic route....

(Riding past the Guadalupe Mountains) I was planning to write about learning to throw axes during my last trip to Toronto. About how it reminded me to get out of my head and flow in the moment. That the moment I started laughing, that's exactly what would happen and my throws became more accurate. I'll...

Starting from Minneapolis, Minnesota, I spent 30 days exploring the United States (traveling to 37 states) and documenting the faces and places I saw on the Greyhound Bus system with photographs and short stories. I showered rarely, slept infrequently, ate poorly, and I loved every uncomfortable minute of it. My fascination with the culture of...

Last weekend, on a sunny Saturday morning at a local Seattle-area library, I kicked off the first of several ninety-minute “Travel talks” I plan to give this year. The seminar-style presentations, which I call “Traveling The Best of Europe Independently & On A Budget” will be free, presented at assorted libraries in the Seattle metro...

One of the great things about Europe is its magnificent Christmases, when the frosty air is infused with a spirit of joy and celebration. From Scotland to Slovakia, a smorgasbord of culture is on display as each country celebrates with its own unique traditions. This is the second in a series about the Continent’s various...

Flying with your Service Dog takes a bit of pre-planning. Most airlines require 48 hours advance notice about your canine partner. Initially tickets can be booked online through a collective search website like CheapOair . Before purchasing tickets, check out the Airlines direct website for Service Animal rules. Under Federal Law airlines are required to...

Recently I’ve been reading, “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed . When the author was in her mid-twenties she solo hiked the Pacific Crest Trail . Her book unfolds as she treks north, nursing her blistered feet and cumbersome heavy pack along a majority of the 2,663mi (4,286km) trail. It initially begins at the Mexican border, passes...

Cost/day: $200 Chartering a boat isn’t cheap. If you are lucky and know the right people you could however, get a job as crew, stewarding, cooking or being a deck hand if you don’t have sailing qualifications. If you are not working then watch out for hidden costs such as moorings, docking, water and tips...

This article is the fifth in a series of posts explaining how to bring your music on the road and get to travel with it. Read the series’ introduction , Post#1 , Post # 2 , Post #3 , Post #4 , Post #5 and Post #6 . After a few posts explaining and suggesting...

Cost/day: $10 The Caribbean isn’t really that cheap. However, if you’re creative and have some skills, anything is possible. Most of my money went on beer and bus tickets. What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen lately? Three men waving a live lobster, barracuda pizza and and an Ugly Man competition. A recent day typical of...

Cost/day: $35/day This includes $27/day for rusbank.net living and exploring, plus an additional $8/day to maintain full connectivity with my business remotely. What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen lately? Dozens of giant statues and chapels made completely out of salt. Yes, I licked one. And yes, it was salty. The Wieliczka (pronounced Viel-eech-ka) Salt Mine,...

Cost: £20 per day. It's not cheap here and a bad case of inflation means that prices can change weekly, but it's defiitely possible to live on a budget. I'm renting a room in an apartment shared with an Argentinian girl in Palermo for £250 a month. You can find cheaper options further out of...

Cost/day: $0.8/day Guyana isn’t really that cheap. However, if you’re creative and have some skills, anything is possible. I worked at Dadanawa Cattle Ranch for two and a half months in exchange for food and board. Most of my money went towards toiletries, insect repellant and beer. Being frugal was easy because the nearest town...

In my routine travels around the 'net, I came across this absolutely fascinating article called "Women of the World." As well-researched news articles go, it's certainly not comprehensive (besides, everything we read on the internet is true, right? RIGHT??), but it sure gives some fascinating names for future research. My favorite is Maud Parris, a...

There's a lot of you-go-grrl-empowerment articles on the web and in travel magazines about women traveling on their own, toting their own backpacks and having exciting adventures. The general themes of these articles usually has to do with being brave and feeling safe walking the streets at night, making friends with locals, avoiding singles supplements...

Latourex, short for Laboratoire de Tourisme Experimental, is a couple of French charmers who developed their experimental travel techniques to make their trips more interesting. Instead of just doing the same old same old -- go to a place, look at its museums, drink coffee at coffeeshops, attempt to blend in while suavely writing in...

One of the side effects of all those fun romantic flings you have with fun romantic locals wherever it is that you settle for a while, is the exciting, abnormal, and exhausting condition called love. Love can spin your tailfeathers and put your travel plans at risk. We're told from a very early age that...