I’ve been talking a lot lately to folks who are pushing hard towards their dreams. They’re working the equivalent of two full time jobs to break free from the one they’re sick of to change their whole lives. They’re courageous folks. But then, she goes out for drinks with a sister who ends up getting...

I’ve flown alone with three kids under six, pregnant with a fourth. I’ve backpacked with a tribe. I’ve done all night bus trips with a toddler and a nursling, solo. I’ve road tripped with 11 kids under 15, tag team with a girlfriend. We’ve bicycled, RV’d, flown, road tripped, camped, walked, bused, trained, ferried... you...

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a first-timer, a travel newbie; everyone has a first time and there is a sweetness in that first trip that you’ll spend the rest of your life trying to recapture. The lessons you learn and the experiences you have will shape your life and your adventures to come and...

It has occurred to me that the internet is, perhaps, the single greatest boon to the traveling world and, simultaneously, the biggest detriment. On the one hand, the ability to keep in touch with the people who matter and are left behind, the ability to quickly search destination focused information, the ease of book tickets:...

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...

With the New Year upon us, thoughts naturally turn to new beginnings, the continuation of the adventure and living the next phase with intentionality and purpose. For those of us with tendencies toward the vagabond life, may I suggest three resolutions to guide your journey? From my family, on the fringe of the jungles of...

Christmas this year find us on the edge of the jungle in Borneo. Hiking yesterday I found a pocketful of nutmeg and remembered making a Christmas phone call years ago, with my brother who was here in the Spice Islands while I was “at home” changing diapers. He told me about the orang utan he’d...

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...

This article is the first in a series of posts explaining how to bring your music on the road and get to travel with it (Read the series’ introduction ) To be able to travel with your music, and I mean being able to get paid – even a tiny bit – to play, one...

Last week, Lindsey Rue’s post on Vagabonding inspired me to reconsider slowing down to enjoy the music from another perspective: the musician’s. I have been a punk rock guitarist for the best part of my twenties, and I have started to love travelling because of the long, inspiring van drives linking venue A to venue...

Rickshawallas on parade, ready to strike!! “This is the place where the bodies are burnt. Women cannot access because a few times some of them have jumped over their husbands’ pyres and died. If you see a white cloth, is a man. If you see a red sari, is a woman. I work here as...

Brett’s post from earlier this week, “ Everywhere is a destination ,” struck a familiar note with me. I live in a popular tourist town, and while I love where I live, I’m guilty of often avoiding “touristy” things. When we’re not as open to our surroundings at home as we are when we travel,...

I love drawing when I'm on the road. Even when I'm lugging around a decent digital camera, nothing beats recreating impressions, scenes, objects, and people with your hand. For me, drawing feels more intimate because you get to notice details that are often overlooked when taking a photograph. But carrying around a full set of...

Whether I'll be away for a week or a month, I always follow this rule: take only one bag with you. This may seem like an extreme rule, but there are just too many benefits to traveling light. The most obvious benefit is the convenience. If you'll be traveling by plane, you just have one...

The swine influenza virus is all over the news this past week. While it's not exactly a pandemic yet, the World Health Organization (WHO) claims that a pandemic is imminent . As seen in previous worldwide outbreaks such as the avian flu and SARS, travelers are becoming both worried and wary, especially if there are...

Recently, I got a travel question from a Florida reader named Justin Cecil, who wrote: I have just graduated high school and will attend college at the end of August. One of my goals in life is to travel the world -- and I plan on backpacking through Europe within the next few years. Ultimately,...

I recently got an email from Nathan, an English teacher in Hangzhou, China, who wrote: I've read your book several times and really really loved it. I was thinking the other day about you saying you took a motorcycle trip across China, and I had a one question. How did you manage to get around...

In a recent email message, a Vagabonding reader from Wisconsin named Briana writes: I am a recent high school graduate and have decided to delay going to college for a year in order to travel. I got a copy of your book as a graduation gift and have been busy planning and working ever since....

My latest Ask Rolf question at World Hum comes from reader Ty Brady, who posits the following query: I want to telecommute—not from “home” but from anywhere in the world where I can connected to the Internet. All the work I do is on a computer, and 15-20 hours per week would give me enough...

I recently got the following message in my inbox, from a reader in Pennsylvania named Vanessa. She writes: Have you ever felt like you're suffocating, living the day-to-day life that everyone lives with work and coming home and doing it all over again? I have since I began college 3 years ago. I'm taking baking...