Looking for the best of Vagabonding over the life of the blog? Take a look at the top content and people's favourite reads: Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in Rosedale, Mississippi Last month, while I was driving down the Mississippi River on a magazine assignment, I had a curious experience in Rosedale,...

If you’ve been hearing the call of the road or feeling in the back of your brain the itch to take your dream trip, now is the time to pack your bags and travel. The U.S. dollar is picking up strength, fuel prices are insanely low, and airline routes are getting cheaper. These are just...

When I was little, there were collections in my house. There were matchbox cars, Smurfs and Disney figurines. At sleep-away camp, I collected sea glass – blue was my absolute favourite. There were memories and happiness in those collections, but what I realized, was the happiness came from the experience of actually finding those things...

I love Diners, Drive-Ins and Drives® on The Food Network®. With episodes filled with a constant supply of colorful food and characters, Guy Fieri travels the country meeting people who have passions for what they do. Aside from the dishes that call to my palate and the scenes in which I remark, ‘we have got...

About five years ago, San Francisco Chronicle travel editor John Flinn published a column called " A few things I've learned in a quarter-century-plus of travel ." I enjoyed his insights so much I saved the article as a text file -- and I recently stumbled across it again on my laptop. Here are my...

Last week, my Yahoo! News "Traveling Light" column dealt with the very complicated issue of dealing with beggars on the road . From my article, here are five principles to help navigate this sadly common and difficult travel situation: 1) Spend some time in the community before you give to beggars Not only will a...

The world is a vast place filled with wondrous sites, untamed wilderness, and unlimited amounts of beauty. Even when the road gets tough the inspiration you need to keep going is never far away. Over the years, the things that keep inspiring me has shifted a little, but many of the reasons I am still...

The article, "Carrying Several Passports? It's Not Just for Spies" , discussed the benefits of carrying multiple passports from different countries. The topic of multiple nationalities and passports tends to be filled with hype and mystery, but it's really simple. Your ethnicity, birthplace, and religion can be the basis of dual citizenship. If your spouse...

I read with interest a recent study by the Trans-Global Association for Travel and Tourism Commerce, which rated the behavior of tourists from all the world's industrialized countries. Consistently ranking last in the study -- bottoming out in categories ranging from airline etiquette to podiatric hygiene -- were travelers from Great Britain. "This settles it,"...

When it comes to the ways of love and romance, no aphrodisiac is quite so potent as travel. On the road -- freed from the dull routines and restrictions of home -- you become more open, more daring, more willing to seize the moment. Away from home, the people you meet (be they locals or...

Soon after my time as a student ended, I began my career as an educator. Working at camps every summer, travel took flight over those much needed school holidays. If you were a kid in traditional school or had parents who worked in one, you may have done the same. Highest prices, hordes of crowds,...

Although I’ve assembled plenty of advice for aspiring travel writers on my websites over the years, I still get a steady stream of queries – often from college students – asking about how to land a travel writing gig. A recent inquiry comes from Maggie in Minnesota: I am an aspiring travel journalist and freshman...

I took my first trip abroad when I was 22 and I was convinced I was going to change the world. I had always wanted to leave North America and when I finally did I was fresh out of university, ready to fix everything. I signed up with an organization and jetted off to Kenya...

"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living" -Miriam Beard I still vividly remember the excitement that I had as I embarked on my first ever road trip when I was four years old. It was a long ten-hour trek,...

A few years ago, after finishing a journey in the Indian Himalayas, I traveled to the desert state of Rajasthan and visited the Hindu holy-town of Pushkar. A scenic outpost of 13,000 residents, Pushkar was famous for its Brahma Temple, its serene lake, and its annual Camel Fair. Several travelers had recommended it to me...

As travelers, we often find ourselves talking to friends and strangers alike at parties, at work, wherever, about travel and how to do it right. We evangelize for travel, extolling its opportunities and benefits. We often go on at length about the magic of our favorite places, the addictive high that comes from filling up...

Whenever anyone asks me why I still travel on a shoestring at the ripe old age of 38, I usually tell them about the time I learned how to play the bagpipes in Havana. Granted, I could probably relate a more typical story about the joys of budget travel - some tidy parable of money...

Growing up in Long Island, New York, my comfort zone was very small. I certainly never thought I’d leave that tiny suburban town for other coasts or other shores. After that first trip abroad everything changed. I had no idea then that harnessing fear of the unknown would be the thing that actually facilitated a...

Every now and then long-term travel is rough. The lifestyle of never remaining in one city or continent for more than a few months requires commitment and sacrifice. Traveling alone means experiencing days and occasionally weeks without making friends and starting over in a new place can seem tedious. When this happens, travelers often feel...

“What If” - two powerful words that potentially stop travelers with crippling fear. It is natural to worry about the possibilities of being stranded alone in a city where you don’t speak the language, having your passport stolen, or missing a train and spending the night on the street. However, to allow these “What If’s”...