The philanthropic community might consider changing its approach to fundraising by making people feel good, rather than guilty if they don’t help, according to author and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in his December article in Outside magazine: “ Nicholas Kristof’s Advice for Saving the World .” Frustrated by the lack of major public...

I’ve been accused of always finishing a destination-related book with the comment, “I want to go to … (the name of the destination).” Fiction or nonfiction, it doesn’t really matter. If it’s a good book, the text allows me to conjure in my mind what the place is like. If it’s not so great, I...

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,...

OK, I’ll say it. I actually like packing for a trip. From figuring out which bag to use, to cracking open my closet, to deciding if the laptop comes along or gets to rest—it helps me kind of warm up for travel. I don’t always need warming up. Sometimes, the suitcase never gets fully unpacked,...

It’s widely acknowledged that travel widens your perspective. The more you open yourself to the world, the more of a chance that you may meet somebody who will change how you think about things for the rest of your life. A couple of years ago, my husband and I visited the island of Hvar, part...

While maps are an indispensable tool for travel, they don't always provide enough detail to get around. A map of Marrakech doesn't show the maze of the medina. When one has to walk through a graveyard in Mexico to get to a remote beach, there isn't a signpost saying ' This Way '. If you...

A recent post at Matt Gross's Frugal Traveler blog sparked a heated debate among readers. The post, entitled "Making Vacation Last for Months" , discussed the experiences of two long term travelers - Emerson Breneman and Sean Wallace. To my surprise, the article elicited the following comments: Oh. I usually just called these people bums....

As constant travelers, you may find yourself stumped with how to answer not only the question "Where are you from?" (I was born on the East Coast of Canada, lived two hours from Niagara Falls until I was was 18, then lived in Pittsburgh, PA and now I live in Los Angeles...but I'm often COMING...

Online social networking has revolutionized the way people communicate via the internet. Even travelers can benefit from this by using Facebook , one of the leading social networking sites out there. Here are some ways you can use Facebook as part of your travel experience: Find people who have been to your destination. One thing...