It's a common traveler's dilemma: to avoid jet lag after a long-haul flight, you should really sleep on the plane. That way, you can wake up refreshed and already be on local time. The problem: you can't sleep on planes. If you've ever arrived at an airport feeling groggy like Bill Murray's character in the...

For the last year and a half that I have been living in Asia it has been a constant expensive struggle to maintain regular use of vitamins and supplements. It is a bit difficult to find bottles of vitamins here in Korea. If they are found it is little more than a basic multi-vitamin and...

Every year, as spring makes its slow way across Korea, the country is set upon by the phenomenon of "yellow dust". You might draw the curtains in the morning and find the jaundiced haze thick over the city, or leave for work in the morning to find your bike, scooter, car covered in a thin...

If you’re on the road in Asia it is definitely worth checking out a few of the treatments that Oriental Medicine has to offer that are perhaps too expensive to try out at home. Here in Korea I recently tried acupuncture for the first time. Acupuncture aims to release energy that is perhaps not flowing...

If you’re in Korea, or traveling through the region, one thing you should be sure to experience is the Korean jjimjilbang. A jjimjilbang is a Korean sauna, though referring to them as such is perhaps a little lacking, as they offer so much more. For around 5,00won, about US$4, travelers can take advantage of many...

Southeast Asia draws travelers for many reasons; for the experience of a foreign culture quite unlike one’s own, for the lush scenery, or the life experience. However, like most other areas of the world, there is an undeniable amount of party culture associated with this region that draws a certain traveler. I’ve seen photos and...

I’ve always been of the opinion that having a food allergy is a heinous lot to have drawn in life. I approach this largely from a food-lover’s standpoint, but also because seeing a food allergy being triggered is quite frightening. Seeing it happen just once is enough to make me want to carry an epipen...

Going to the doctors in another country is always an interesting experience. We can find great similarities and parallels between visiting cafés or riding public transportation in America and Europe, or between grocery stores in the US and Japan, but going to the doctor always seems to remind you that you are in a foreign...

Sometimes we feel like we don’t need as much sleep when we’re traveling, because the excitement and energy we get from our new surroundings and adventures is enough to keep us going. I’ve heard travelers romantically recount exhausting stories about traveling and, due to situation, not sleeping for days at a time. I’ve even told...

On a recent trip to Japan, I had the opportunity to experience the country’s Shinkansen train service. The Shinkansen, sometimes called the bullet train, is a network of high-speed trains that carry passengers across the country at speeds up to around 450km/h. Japan is notorious for its vast and efficient transportation system. True, tickets can...

In researching how to prepare for an around the world trip, one will surely find any number of useful checklists that mention everything from booking air travel and lodging to what to pack, registering your trip with the state department, and setting up a Skype account so that you can call home cheaply. Two of...

For those of us who don't have a permanent physical disability, it can sometimes be difficult to imagine what the world is like for those who do. Buildings that are pretty easy to navigate with two working legs become impossible in a wheelchair: my university, which prides itself on being wheelchair friendly and accessible, once...

A lot of travelers are romanced by the kind of retreat from civilization found in the pages of Henry David Thoreau and Carl G. Jung. Taking a break from our regular lives and living simply in nature is not only personally rewarding, it may be a little more essential to our well being than many...

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....

As any health conscious person may know, it’s actually pretty hard to get all of the essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs from food alone. Even for the most health conscious person, it is still a difficult task. So how do you maintain a proper intake of vitamins while traveling? While I’ve moved...

One thing you might notice rather quickly after arriving in Korea is the bounty of ginseng available seemingly everywhere. Dried ginseng leaves have found their way into many popular teas across North America and experienced quite a boom. In this form the effects of ginseng are considerably milder, and it is certainly a much watered-down...

Among expats in Asia, having access to high-quality, affordable health care is one of the biggest advantages of living overseas. For retirees, it's often the first consideration in choosing where to relocate to. Travelers are now looking outside their own borders when they need treatment. The main reason is because it's so expensive to go...

Bangkok, Thailand It is 8:00 p.m. in Cairo and I've just crawled out of bed to tend to this blog. I have a fever and am feeling pretty darn miserable. My creativity feels stunted and, given that all I want to do right now is lay back down with the blanket pulled over me, I...

Recently Rolf posted some tips on making the transition into life as ESL teacher in Korea. But what happens after you’ve been in the country for a while and you’re starting to feel worn down by the hidden demands of teaching? Here are some great ways to relax and stay healthy while getting to know...

Clean water is one of the major issues facing the developing world. As outsiders, vagabonds typically rely on bottled water in such areas, but plastic water bottles are a major contributor to disturbing things such as the Pacific's trash island , to say nothing of the strain they put on local landfills. The far better...