A good backpack can make or break a trip. Drenching rain, language barriers, delayed flights -- you can weather all with humor and go-get-'em attitude. But a good backpack is the foundation upon which your trip rests. It holds your entire life in one place. It protects it. Sometimes you wear it so often it...

Alana Morgan of Paper Planes Blog Age : 28 Hometown : Seattle Quote :“Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.” – Alan Keightley How did you find out about Vagabonding, and how did you find it useful before...

Rhoni Speed of Living Our Life Age : 51 Hometown : Ottawa Quote : “When there is a will, there is a way How long were you on the road? 18 months and going Where did you go? Bali, Thailand, Siem Reap Cambodia, New York, Peru, Easter Island, Galapagos, France, United Kingdom What was your...

Warm sunshine and the open road never fail to ignite wanderlust. Long days stretch ahead, beckoning to be filled with adventure and explorations. Distant points on the map are ripe with possibility. Before you, the entire world opens up. And it's waiting for you to find it -- to "tramp a perpetual journey" as Walt...

"Rather than lament the fact that trips would have been better in some golden age of travel, we might as well celebrate the fact that we are enjoying the tail-end of an era in which a certain kind of off-the-beaten-track adventure is still possible." --Nicholas Danforth, World travel can be all about timing , San...

I’m a big advocate of getting off the beaten path, but I would agree that there’s nothing wrong with the attractions of the “tourist trail.” These standard attractions—from Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat right on down to small-town museums and curiosities—are part of what inspires people to travel in the first place. So why do...

We turned the corner on the path and my heart immediately dropped. We had seen this man before. He passed us a while back, while we were taking pictures of our idyllic setting. Now here he was, standing amongst the corn, looking out over the lake, and waiting- for us. I knew something wasn't right...

I admit it, I have been lacking a few posts and overall been bogged down with work ( yes, work, because even to sustain a life abroad we need some, in a form or the other ), and I beg your pardon. To start off the New Year right, I believe you might love reading...

In the past few months, I have complained several times about the current status of travel writing and how it does not satisfy my needs. In this sense, it would have been too easy to just sit there and complain without actually doing something about it. And that's exactly what I did by joining forces...

A young friend of mine is posting elated pictures from Amsterdam, and two days later, from Dubai. She’s just graduated from Berklee School of Music in Boston, no slouch accomplishment, and she’s treating herself to a couple of weeks of travel. The joy in her journey is palpable in the photos she’s posting. Of course...

Cost: $20 a day What's the strangest thing you've seen recently? Volcano boarding down the slopes of Cerro Negro, outside of León, Nicaragua has become a popular activity with travelers, especially since making number two on CNN Go's Thrill Seeker's Bucket List . Ignorant as to what was involved in this new sport I had...

Cost: $50-60 a day What's the strangest thing you've seen recently? Immediately after learning to scuba dive in Utila, I hopped on over to nearby Cayos Cochinos (Hog Islands). Some of the small islands and cayes that make up Cayos Cochinos resemble one of those 'paradise island' posters that bored office workers paste on their...

During my recent adventures in the Indian Subcontinent, I tried to steer off the beaten tourist trail as much as I could. Thanks to some contacts and friendships I cultivated in other parts of the world – very often a great key for successful connections in other places – I was fortunate enough to venture...

Cost: $50/day What is the strangest thing you have seen recently? The South Kaibab trail winds its way from the south rim of the Grand Canyon to the canyon floor, roughly 5000 feet (1525 metres) below. It is extraordinarily beautiful and offers spectacular vistas at various points over its seven miles. Because of the brilliant...

If you had asked me any time in the last couple of years what word I associated with San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua—I’d have said surfing . With waves on my mind, the region was the highlight of the surf trip I was planning with my husband. Sure, I wanted to see more of the...

A friend of mine has a very specific definition of adventure: It must involve danger to life and limb. Mountain climbing? Check. Diving with sharks? Check. Taking on a new assignment at work? Nothing doing. For me, adventure has always included all of the above. Even taking a walk through my neighborhood has an air...

You have a good start. Anyone who's even considered taking a long-term travel break, or even several shorter ones, has to have an adventurous spirit. But how do you stack up against other folks looking for adventure? A post on Gadling this week discussed a recent survey commissioned by Intrepid Travel , which found that...

Beyond Santo Domingo and the resorts of Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic is wide open for travelers looking for outdoor adventure. On a recent trip to the country’s Samaná Peninsula and parts of the North Coast, I was able to take part in four distinctly different experiences that only scratch the surface of the great...

When we travel, we often scrutinize our interaction with residents of the areas we’re visiting. How do we get up close and connect in a way we might miss if we were just passing through? How can we get a local perspective on what life is like in a different place? The answer is often...

Have you ever returned from a trip and wished there were an easier way to show your friends and family the exact route you took on your journey? Check out Wikiloc , one of three winners of the 2009 Geotourism Challenge , sponsored by Ashoka’s Changemakers and the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations ....