Let's dispel one myth right away: that you can't travel with your baby. When I announced my pregnancy, the second thing people said after "congratulations" was, "better get all your traveling out of the way now. Once your baby comes, you won't be able to go on so many trips." That's a viewpoint based entirely...

Merino wool has been touted as an ideal travel clothing material thanks especially to its breathability, odor resistance and fast-drying abilities. I stocked up on a few lightweight merino wool items before leaving for my trip two months ago, and I quickly gained a favorite among the brands and also learned some other benefits of...

A good backpack can make or break a trip. Drenching rain, language barriers, delayed flights -- you can weather all with humor and go-get-'em attitude. But a good backpack is the foundation upon which your trip rests. It holds your entire life in one place. It protects it. Sometimes you wear it so often it...

Our flat-bottomed boat hit another large ocean swell. I was hung onto the seats in front of me, my knees cushioning each bone-shattering impact. The boat was air-borne for a split second. I was flying, anchored only by my white-knuckled hands gripping the seats. The boat hit the bottom of the next swell flat-on and...

The seat belts sign flashed off. Immediately the aisle filled with people, reaching overhead for bags, hauling suitcases from the ceiling. Slowly the plane emptied. Finally, it was my turn to step into the aisle to freedom. I reached below the seat in front of me, pulled free my bag, slung it over a shoulder...

I opened my backpack, reached a hand into its dark depths and frowned. It was going to take forever to find the black shirt I was looking for. The clock next to the bed said I had to leave in five minutes. My hand fished, searching for the black shirt. It kept coming up grasping...

You're standing in a train station, staring at two signs. Back and forth your head swivels. Likely the words on these signs are the end destination points of the train line. But they could be anything. The language printed on the signs is complete gibberish to your eyes. In fact, it doesn't even look like...

Christmas is right around the corner. But what do you get someone who loves travel's intangible thrill, feeling of a plane taking flight, or adventuring into distant worlds and getting to know themselves deeper? How do you shop for someone like that? Answer: you give them gifts to further their travels. Or remove some pesky...

Packing for long-term travel is unique because you have to consider what you may need over a long period of time rather than what you can do without for a few weeks. Questions arise, like Will I need allergy meds? How many books should I bring? How many tank tops do I really need? Is...

What if you could filter water in 15 seconds or less by simply pressing down? What if that motion also purified your water so it was delicious enough to drink? Water's a big deal when you're traveling. In a matter of a few gulps, you could jeopardize your health. That's why purifying water on the...

Next to shoes, choosing the right jacket for a trip is my hardest decision. It's more difficult when you're spanning several cities, leap-frogging continents, or criss-crossing the equator in both directions. How can you choose a jacket lightweight enough for a cool fall night but warm enough for a snowy trek through the city? And...

Water is a huge deal when you're traveling. Drinking contaminated water is the quickest way to sabotage your health. But water quality can vary greatly outside the United States, especially in developing countries. You could stick exclusively to bottled water. But your budget (and the environment) would hate you. But don't worry -- there's a...

Travel with its long flights and sitting in transport can wreck havoc on your health. But how can you avoid both while traveling? The answer is simple: give yourself a challenge. The challenge is in the form of a fitness tracker. As Peter Drucker, an Austrian-born American management consultant, says, "What gets measured, gets managed."...

Patrick was eating at a Olive Garden in Buffalo, New York when he should have been enjoying fresh pizza at a sun-baked cafe in Rome. A few days earlier on Friday in Charlotte, he had been leaving on a two week trip with his girlfriend to Europe. He couldn't wait to see Cinque Terre's famed...

It's the worst part of traveling: being so tired that you miss the amazing sights you traveled miles to see. Instead, you spend your first few days of your trip, curled up in your bed, sound asleep. Have you ever landed in the new country only to feel bone-tired, pounding headache, and an overwhelming apathy?...

There's something to be said for getting lost. I rather like it, actually. Taking off with no destination, exploring a city by braille, and the serendipity that inevitably arises as a result are intoxicating. There are days in which the last thing I want is a map, or directions, or to "get there" in the...

Engineers at UCLA are working on converting an iPhone into a small laboratory. Weighting less than 2 ounces, the iTube attaches to your phone and analyzes a food sample in about 20 minutes using a colorimetric assay test. The user grinds up a small sample of food with hot water and places it in the...

Business travelers, also known as "road warriors," are some of the most experienced trip hackers around. Although here at Vagabonding we espouse slower wandering, these hard-core types have streamlined the process to a science. Their advice appeared in this New York Times article: How the tough get going: Silicon Valley travel tips . Prominently featured...

“The travel pillow for people who hate travel pillows!”~ thetravelhalo.com Booking overnight transportation can reduce the number of nights one stays in hostels or hotels; but adequate rest in the upright position is challenging. And honestly, most travel pillows out there aren’t worth the space and effort to bring along. I’ve field tested a number...

Warning for men: if talk about female cycles makes you uncomfortable or queasy I’d suggest you skip this post! ************* Ladies, we can’t all live in the remaining hunter-gatherer cultures where ones menstrual cycle is a sacred celebration. Nor are we still band from our own households for three days like the old laws in...