Ever since posting information on Vagabonding.net about hitching rides on freighter ships, I've been getting lots of follow-up questions. Rather than try to attend to them all separately, I'll just answer them here in one FAQ sheet. How much does it cost? I've heard that the average cost for a freighter is $100 a day,...

Tourism slogans aim to lure us in. But what really influences where we travel? This is the lighthearted question at the heart of my latest Traveling Light column at Yahoo! News. Entitled Searching for the Cave of Evil , this essay uses an experience on the Greek island of Naxos to ponder just how important...

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...

In the course of her recent World Hum interview , travel editor Catherine Watson outlined a few items of her travel philosophy. I found this advice so apt for vagabonding in general that I'll reproduce it here: Go everywhere you can. Be passionately curious. Talk to everyone who’ll let you, especially the quiet people. Stay...

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...

Over at my " Ask Rolf " column at World Hum , a reader from Sweden poses a question about making money as you travel. "My boyfriend and I are planning on traveling Europe by van," she writes. "I think we should save a lot of money before we go, but he thinks we should...

I recently got an email from Jordan Mendenhall of North Carolina (who is currently living and working in Dublin), who wrote in to confirm my " Ask Rolf " advice about young vagabonders hitting the road right out of high school : "Just wanted to drop a line," Mendenhall writes, "and say that in your...

Last month, my travel advice column, " Ask Rolf ", debuted at the newly revamped World Hum website. This column is similar to the Vagabonding Q&A page I've been maintaining since the release of my book a couple years ago -- and I continue to welcome readers' questions about the intricacies of travel, and of...

Often readers write in to ask my advice about purchasing round-the-world plane tickets. I usually tell them to forgo buying RTW tickets, since your vagabonding travels will be more flexible and spontaneous (and often much cheaper) if you just make your way around the world on a series of one-way buses, boats, planes, and trains....

Over at the Vagabonding.net Q&A , Matt from Ohio wrote in with a rather esoteric query: "I read Vagabonding a year ago and have finally paid off my student loans and saved up enough money to head off for as long as my finances/stamina will allow. My only concern is this: I've played cello since...

Jen and Carl beat me to this days ago, but in case anyone missed it, I did want to point out Tim Leffel's " Seven Myths of Being a Travel Writer " article at Transitions Abroad online . Leffel references several of my RolfPotts.com travel writer interviews from past months, and his myths include such...

A recent post-tsunami USA Today article alerted me to the fact that American travelers can now register their trip itineraries with the State Department online . Registration allows you to record information that the Department of State can use to assist you in case of an emergency. Full information and online registration forms are available...

The current issue of Transitions Abroad magazine is a great reference for those seeking to integrate short-term jobs with their overseas vagabonding experience. Much of this information is available online, including a great resource page for Short-Term Jobs Abroad , as well as articles on becoming an international aid worker , joining the Peace Corps...

I am still dealing with limited online access in New Orleans, but I wanted to post a quick couple of items: 1) First off, in light of the enormous scope of the south Asian tsunami, I'd like to encourage everyone who reads my blog to donate 10% of their December earnings to tsunami relief efforts...