I happened to be killing time in the Cairns airport flipping through the bookstore when I came across the travel memoir of "catching love, fish and wisdom": Robyn Catchlove's "Somewhere Down a Crazy River." I then promptly forgot about it until I received a notice from the publisher, and I gave it a read. It's...

Want to run away and live in a sustainable treehouse community? Go to Finca Bellavista in Costa Rica. You can build your own stilthouse or other "arboreal dwelling", as long as it abides by the community guidelines , which include such things as small square-footage structures, getting rid of waste through a compact biodigestor, and...

Beyond Santo Domingo and the resorts of Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic is wide open for travelers looking for outdoor adventure. On a recent trip to the country’s Samaná Peninsula and parts of the North Coast, I was able to take part in four distinctly different experiences that only scratch the surface of the great...

Looking for a surf safari on your travels but need to learn the sport first? It can be fun to take a class while you’re on vacation—but how do you find professional operators? Prices for surf classes can be affordable for vagabonders, depending on the location. Popular tourist destinations may be more expensive, but once...

As part of the research for an upcoming trip across Southeast Asia, I've been reading Rough Guide's First-Time Around the World . One of the most useful roundups in the first 50 pages is in an offset box that simply has a list of activities, such as bike touring, caving, horseback-riding, kayaking, scuba diving, and...

You know a trek is badass when it was created along a rugged coast to rescue shipwreck survivors. When its Wikipedia article is loaded with phrases like "surge channels" and "impassable headlands". When a friend of a friend sees a documentary on the trek, doesn't catch the name, and emails, "Tell me where this trek...

Aswan, Egypt One of the best things to happen to me earlier this month began in the toilet. I was staying in a super cheap hotel in Aswan, Egypt, and the shared toilet was -- well, imagine 40 people who neither aim well nor, because the flusher is broken, flush. Then imagine a front desk...

When we travel, we often scrutinize our interaction with residents of the areas we’re visiting. How do we get up close and connect in a way we might miss if we were just passing through? How can we get a local perspective on what life is like in a different place? The answer is often...

Carl Hoffman's latest book, ' The Lunatic Express: Discovering the World via its most dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes ' was the perfect reading companion during my recent trip to Haiti. As I followed Carl on a bus through the Andes to Puerto Maldonado, or a train from Kenya to Uganda, or a ferry...

It used to be that just about every advance in technology was accompanied by someone deciding to take it around the world -- bikes, cars, balloons, boats, you name it. Maybe it's technology that's changed, maybe it's us, in either case the round the world trip has become a touch routine by yesterday's standards. Sure...

Spring festivals are getting underway , bringing the promise of prime walking weather. Although it'll be a little while before Norway warms up, St. Olav's Way is a trek (and bonafide pilgrimage) to check out. The route stretches about 400 miles (643 km) northwest from Oslo to St. Olav's grave in Trondheim. It traces lakes,...

Have you ever returned from a trip and wished there were an easier way to show your friends and family the exact route you took on your journey? Check out Wikiloc , one of three winners of the 2009 Geotourism Challenge , sponsored by Ashoka’s Changemakers and the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations ....

Planes, trains, and buses. These are the modes of long-haul transportation that vagabonders are most familiar with. However, every continent save Antarctica has a great river running through it. The shortest is the Murray River in Australia at 1,476 miles, with the longest being the river at the heart of civilization, the great Nile at...

What do you get when combine CouchSurfing with sailboats? Vagabond Sailing , of course. Vagabond Sailing (a name inspired by Rolf's Vagabonding ) aims to be a way for vagabonds and travelers of all stripes to connect for a group travel experience on the high seas. Sailing might not be the first thing that pops...

First, decide you're going to go. The untraveled route is the route you haven't taken yet. Or maybe it's your old route with new eyes . Go on foot. Bike. Horse. Rollerblade, skateboard, pogo stick. Start climbing from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port or descending from Roncesvalles -- it really doesn't matter. Avoid the debate and start in Pamplona...

Kayaking is a great way to explore a place. The skinny craft is multi-faceted: It goes through churning whitewater, along lake and estuary coastlines, and can even catch a wave. But when you’re traveling, how do know which operators are truly professional and which you should avoid? Prices for kayak rentals and short, guided trips...

While maps are an indispensable tool for travel, they don't always provide enough detail to get around. A map of Marrakech doesn't show the maze of the medina. When one has to walk through a graveyard in Mexico to get to a remote beach, there isn't a signpost saying ' This Way '. If you...

As Marcus Sortijas pointed out a couple of weeks ago, interest in bicycling is on the rise. This makes sense in a number of ways. In terms of healthy living, incorporating physical exercise into activities that are themselves enjoyable is easier than avoiding going to the gym. As the cost of gas inflates and there...

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...

Apart from time, some money, and an open mind, the act of traveling doesn't really require much from the traveler. Still, there's always an incident where I find myself saying "I wish I knew how to do that". Here are some skills I wish I learned before I started traveling: Tying knots. I used to...