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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 … Read more »
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 in college. … Read more »
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 hoping to make … Read more »
“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, but the excitement powerfully overtrumped the boredom. That trip to Florida was fun of course, but … Read more »
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 a mellow … Read more »
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 a passport book, and the thrill of crossing a new border and making new connections. We also find ourselves giving … Read more »
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 saved and experiences gained – but when I mention learning … Read more »
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 growth spurt for my ever so tiny comfort zone. Little by little it started to grow and although, … Read more »
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 overwhelmed with … Read more »
“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” to keep you … Read more »