Here's a question for the serial vagabonds out there, or at least folks who've made two or more trips abroad: What draws you back to the road? I'm curious about the actual, specific behaviors that motivate you to buy yet another plane ticket. Call them activities, pursuits, hobbies, favorite pastimes, things to do, whatever. Please...

I got stopped by the police last night because my flashlight was at half-power. Specifically, my car had a headlight out. I couldn't see the whole road, and the road couldn't see much of me. The officer wanted to make sure I knew, because people often overlook their lack of illumination. It's easy to do....

It's a question based on the "walk a mile in someone else's moccasins" premise: To fully understand and experience travel, do you have to spend time on the hospitality side as well? Some might argue that not all travelers are customers of the hospitality industry. True, not too many vagabonds will be booking Club Med...

A non-hypothetical question: What's your relationship with tour groups? Travel blogs often debate the worth of these two, but I'm curious about the actual facts of your experience. How do tour groups factor into your travels, if at all? An Indian friend of mine who lives in New York, no stranger to the vagabonding approach...

The technology explosion of the last ten years has made the dramatic growth of vagabonding possible. For as long as we have roamed the earth, there have always been those who view the open road a little more wistfully. Great adventurers such as Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, and James Cook needed the coffers of kings...

If you believe what you read here on the Interwebs, the path to travel salvation is through a Wi-Fi connection. The Ultimate Setup is to be location independent, a digital nomad, with the freedom to go anywhere you want, at any time, while the PayPal payments roll in. Your laptop will set you free. But...

This self-printed slim volume is a series of twenty-two short vignette-y articles written by Mr. Leonard, a British visitor to San Luis Obispo, California for several months at the end of 2009. The stories are interspersed with photos -- including one of the disgusting "Chewinggum Alley", which I know from experience actually makes you dry-heave...

Just got back from India. For some reason, I thought this homecoming would be like all the rest. What I didn't expect was to wind up in a stampede of my friends' forward momentum: A graduation party two hours after arrival, an NYU commencement in Radio City Music Hall, and Facebook pictures aplenty of caps...

You can leave a place, but it doesn't leave you. Quickly, at least. Maybe you'll bring back a few jolly pounds from samosas and sweetshops. You'll have some of the country under your fingernails and clogged in your pores. Its exhaust will take a few days to clear from your lungs so your boogers might...

The RTW trip lasted about two years and three days. It started in Pokhara, Nepal, and ended while traversing a pile of ceramic teacup shards this morning in Mirzapur, India. My left sandal has called it quits. In the moment before I accepted its passing, the sandal's life flashed before my eyes. A life of...

When you move to another country, when do you begin to feel off the road? Does it take a week, a few months, a stationed apartment and a lease? Behind your apartment doors, sure, you are likely to feel less like a road-roaming warrior. But when do you begin to feel like the new life...

Not long ago I heard from a reader named Zach, who was newly married and headed to Seoul to teach English with his wife. He asked me for advice on how to make the transition to expat-teacher life in Korea. Since it's been 12 years now since I've lived in Korea, my advice to him...

Within the backpacker lexicon there is a certain unwritten assumption that everything must be done on the most severe cheap. That all corners must be cut, as one must go without as much as possible to become this Champion of Cheap. One of the first lessons we learn on the road is that travel is...

Initiation ceremony -- it conjures images of torchlight processions, Masonic robes, fratboys with paddle bruises, Navy SEALs hoisting logs. Initiation ceremonies mark a transition from one place to another, and it's often more of a psychological step than a physical one. While settling into what I'll call "India mode" over the past two weeks, I've...

Sometimes travelers get home from a trip feeling like they need a few days to physically recover from their travels. A wise traveler should cultivate a lifestyle that translates seamlessly between their time on and off the road. Here are a few health conscious habits that will help keep you in top form while traveling...

I recently got an email from a woman who suffers from a diagnosed case of social phobia and is worried that this might compromise her travels. "I am afraid that my introverted personality is going to effect the way I travel, and I won't be as opportunistic when it comes to the social aspect of...

The idea of packing light is nothing new. Henry David Thoreau famously explored simple living . Rick Steves advocates one 20-pound bag . Many airlines now penalize travelers with even one checked bag by imposing a baggage fee . And in this BootsnAll interview , Rolf suggests that a small pack keeps the traveler from...

When you’re researching a trip, it’s not always easy to determine whether your tour operator or hotel cares about sustainable travel. And when you’re paying a middleman instead of giving your money straight to a business in your destination, you may not know how much of that money goes to the local communities. Some tour...

It happens almost every time. I return home from a trip and, once the jet lag wears off, I find myself feeling a little down. The expectations I had before the trip, and the freedom and wonder I experienced on the road have been replaced with a vague feeling of sadness, a sense of "blah"....

Historically speaking, the word "vagabond" does not conjure up the best images. You might think it's cool to describe yourself as a vagabond, but how about having a V branded on your hand? Not so cool, but in fact that's just one of the many punishments meted out to vagabonds over the years. While no...