A young Vagabonding reader named Austin recently emailed me to say this: I'm entirely new to the idea of vagabonding. I'm 17 years old, and I plan to hit the road around age 19. Right now I'm on the fence about what I plan to do when I get older and I don't want to...

My newest Ask Rolf column at World Hum involves a question from an American named Mike, who wonders when he should take the leap to go travel the world. He writes: I’m in the U.S. Coast Guard, and I constantly daydream about traveling throughout Southeast Asia and Australia and too many other places to name....

I recently got an email from a fellow named Chris, who will soon be moving to Korea for an expat stint. Hoping to get the most out of his overseas experience Chris wanted some pointers on how to explore Korea for the first time. Off the top of my head, here were my top-five pointers...

Following on to yesterday's post, Boston Globe travel writer Tom Haines also recently wrote a story about packing for the journey , and he points to a number of small, essential items to pack for good times: Flashlight, for finding the lamp switch or, when there isn't one, the toilet. Toilet paper, for when you...

This past weekend, San Francisco Chronicle travel editor John Flinn put together a great feature about traveling with just one carry-on bag. Some of his best pointers include: The amount of stuff you think you need is directly related to the size of your luggage. Get a smaller bag and you'll make do with fewer...

This week in my Yahoo! News travel column , I field a travel question from Stefanie in Bremerton, who asks: I am planning a trip to Europe for an undetermined amount of time. Should I bring my cell phone for emergencies? What is the protocol on that? Bringing a cell phone from the U.S. on...

Last month, San Francisco Chronicle travel editor John Flinn wrote a great column called " Idle thoughts on street food, postcards, diets and bribery ", which collected random bits of savvy travel observations and advice. Here are my ten favorite: When you're on a lean budget, one step up from rock-bottom is always worth it....

My latest Yahoo ! News column focuses on the issue of whether or not one should head off on an extended trip right after high school (as opposed to starting college immediately). I've covered this kind of ground in World Hum before, and my full advice is here -- though reader Kyla Cathey chimed in...

In my latest "Ask Rolf" column at World Hum , a reader named Ian asks a very valid and common question about volunteering overseas. "I’m planning on departing on a long-term round-the-world journey sometime in the next few years," he says, "and I was interested in volunteering throughout the journey." He continues: To learn more...

My latest Ask Rolf column at World Hum features a question from Brian of New York, who writes: I’ve enjoyed your writings for some time now and want to set out on my own travels, but I have a “limitation”: I’m a recovering alcoholic with 13 years clean and I was wondering if you could...

An interesting question I got recently from the Vagabonding.net Q&A came from a New Jersey teacher named Doug, who wrote: I am just coming off two of the greatest months of my life spent traveling in Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia. I am not 3-days returned and finding it exceedingly difficult to readjust to my old...

The latest query for my Ask Rolf column at World Hum comes from Sean in Seattle, who asks: In your book, you mention leaving room in your pack to bring gifts for people you meet along the way, such as home-stay hosts and others. What types of gifts do you recommend that are space-friendly, practical...

Some of the questions I get from travelers end up being too esoteric for my "Ask Rolf" column at World Hum , so I've taken to answering these queries (as I used to) at Vagabonding.net . A interesting recent question came from a Sean in Louisiana, who wrote: I got your book Vagabonding and am...

Over at World Hum , I have a new question up at my Ask Rolf column. "I’m interested in traveling on the Trans-Siberian Express from Moscow to Beijing," asks Geoff from Vancouver. "Have you done this? How long does it take, and would I need a visa for Russia?" I have indeed traveled the Trans-Siberian...

The relative benefits of buying air tickets en route (as opposed to buying a round-the-world ticket in advance) is often debated on travel message forums. Obviously, buy-as-you-go offers you more flexibility than a RTW ticket, but I want to illustrate how it is also very cheap, should you keep aware of air ticket prices overseas....

A reader asks: "Is it possible to buy one-way air tickets in this day and age? I ask because I've heard of people being detained or even turned back after an overseas flight that doesn't have a return. I want to go to Southeast Asia and make my way through Asia and Europe before returning...