Souvenirs tend to be a big money trap for the traveler. Even if you're staying away from the tourist gift shops, buying souvenirs can be hard on your budget especially if you're traveling for a long period of time. You also have to consider the space they take up in your luggage. Also, note how...

I love drawing when I'm on the road. Even when I'm lugging around a decent digital camera, nothing beats recreating impressions, scenes, objects, and people with your hand. For me, drawing feels more intimate because you get to notice details that are often overlooked when taking a photograph. But carrying around a full set of...

Everyone brings something truly useless on their first long trip. For me it was a water filter. Great idea in theory, avoid plastic bottles, save the planet etc, etc. Then reality set in and the water filter stayed at the bottom of my bag for months until I finally sent it home with a friend....

Travel affords us a chance to see things many will only encounter in books, a chance to learn about ourselves and the world around us, but there's another thing I've started to think is equally important -- travel gives us a chance to be alone. Not only are we yanked out of our familiar culture...