Right now I should be on top of Ryan Mountain in northern Vermont, but I'm home, working. The trip had been planned for a year and fell through 48 hours before departure. Open-ended work builds both the ability to travel (savings) and barriers to travel (commitments and responsibilities). When it comes to the lifetime ratio...

I regularly fly through Houston’s IAH airport when I’m returning from travel to Central and South America, and lately, I’ve been running into brochures for the Global Entry Trusted Traveler Program . Enrolling allows members to speed past those horribly long immigration lines, and check in at a kiosk instead, currently available at 20 airports...

The “pack light” mantra has been beaten into travelers who don’t have personal jets. It’s a good practice, too. Have you been following Rolf’s No Baggage Challenge ? It’s much easier to pack light when you can leave toiletries at home and just buy inexpensive replacements in your destination. It can also be simple, depending...

Rolf's latest travel project is the No Baggage Challenge -- a journey that will take him around the world without using a single piece of luggage. Every few days, we'll be updating Vagabonding with a recap of the latest to keep you up to date on the adventure. Rolf ended up staying three nights in...

Rolf's latest travel project is the No Baggage Challenge -- a journey that will take him around the world without using a single piece of luggage. Every few days, we'll be updating Vagabonding with a recap of the latest to keep you up to date on the adventure. Rolf spent a few days off the...

Rolf's latest travel project is the No Baggage Challenge -- a journey that will take him around the world without using a single piece of luggage. Every few days, we'll be updating Vagabonding with a recap of the latest to keep you up to date on the adventure. After a few hectic days in Cairo,...

After all the time and attention we devote to travel, it seems that we travelers have a good foundation for joining the travel industry. I'm curious to ask today -- do you work in travel? What do you do? How did you get started? Even if your work isn't an obvious travel gig, let us...

You’ve saved your money, packed your bags and are ready to embark on a new adventure. Through all the planning, the same image came to mind: the perfect beach. Whether rocky, sandy, tropical or wild, beaches conjure up images of vacation and relaxation. But how do we know if that perfect beach is clean? I’m...

Rolf's latest travel project is the No Baggage Challenge -- a journey that will take him around the world without using a single piece of luggage. Every few days, we'll be updating Vagabonding with a recap of the latest to keep you up to date on the adventure. After time in Chefchaouen and Fes, Rolf...

I expected that it would be excessively hot on the late August day that I’d be working on a home in New Orleans. I’d already imagined it in my mind: alternating time between standing on a ladder and collapsing under a tent to balance my body temperature. Instead, it rained steadily on the day before...

Rolf's latest travel project is the No Baggage Challenge -- a journey that will take him around the world without using a single piece of luggage. Every few days, we'll be updating Vagabonding with a recap of the latest to keep you up to date on the adventure. After experiencing Madrid through tapas -- in...

The best travel soundtrack is made of the distinct sounds of a place. A foghorn’s wail, the sizzle of cooking, a howler monkey’s roar, or an imam’s call to prayer—all can bring us back to a place as easily as seeing a photo. What about your playlists? Do they help conjure a moment on a...

Rolf's latest travel project is the No Baggage Challenge -- a journey that will take him around the world without using a single piece of luggage. Every few days, we'll be updating Vagabonding with a recap of the latest to keep you up to date on the adventure. Rolf spent 36 hours in Paris catching...

As announced last week , Rolf's latest travel project is the No Baggage Challenge -- a journey that will take him around the world without using a single piece of luggage. Rolf and cameraman Justin left New York City for London on Saturday and are now headed for Madrid. Every few days, we'll be updating...

It’s inevitable: Whether your choice places to stay when you travel are hostels or hotels, you’ll eventually end up couch surfing in the home of a friend or acquaintance. How do you know you’ll be a good guest? Lifehacker ’s recent “ Be a Perfect Guest in the 21st Century ” points out that the...

As often as possible, I try to get a window seat when I’m traveling. Certainly anything beats the dreaded middle seat, and crawling over other people when you need to stretch your legs can be a pain, but that window seat has the best thing on board—a window. A recent article by Peter Ferry on...

Everybody who loves Louis Armstrong knows his birthday was on July 4, right? It turns out that it took until the mid-1980s to learn that Satchmo’s special day wasn’t July 4, 1900, but August 4, 1901. And why do you care? Because if you’re anywhere near New Orleans the first weekend of August, you can...

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...

We’ve all wished for travel: to be able to take the time off, to afford that time off, and sometimes, that we spent more time in a particular location. But have you traveled to a destination to wish for something? Well-known wishing customs include throwing a coin into the Fountain of Trevi in Rome (which...

Looking for a surf safari on your travels but need to learn the sport first? It can be fun to take a class while you’re on vacation—but how do you find professional operators? Prices for surf classes can be affordable for vagabonders, depending on the location. Popular tourist destinations may be more expensive, but once...