Travel, and travel writing, are born of curiosity. Some travelers hit the road to answer a specific question.

An example: Are Bonobos really the grooviest, most sexually liberated primate? In this edition of Tales From the Road, Ian Parker travels to the depths of the Congo to answer exactly that question.

Some travelers don’t embark with specific questions and are spurred to explore foreign lands by a vague sense of curiosity and wanderlust.

Joe Reynolds decides to bike across El Salvador on a whim; Joshua Kurlantzic wanders from the discos of Ulaan Baattar to the high steppes of Mongolia.

Together with gems of nature writing from Iraq and an interview with Pico Iyer, their stories make this one of my favorite editions of quality travel writing yet.

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Remember back in the old days, when music was actually stored on circular pieces of plastic?

This archaic technology was called a “compact disc” and seems quaint now in the time of gigabytes and iPods.

Now you can take your entire music collection (along with your neighbour’s) with you on the road. Which means there’s no excuse for not having a playlist ready for any travel situation you find yourself in.

Having the perfect playlist will ensure the camaraderie and admiration of others, and will result in immense personal satisfaction.

Here are 5 essential playlists for the most common traveler situations, along with a bonus backup playlist just in case.

The Roadtrip

There’s nothing worse than heading out for the roadtrip of a lifetime, and finding the only music on hand is a compilation of obscure Australian folk music (yes, I’ve lived through it).

Avoid this torture by pre-selecting a bevy of roadtrip tunes guaranteed to cross cultural boundaries no matter who’s in the car/bus/jeep.

Suggested Artists: Nirvana, Bryan Adams, Tom Petty

The Hammock Chillout

It’s afternoon. You spent the morning snorkeling the crystal blue ocean, darting among the rainbow coloured fish, tasting the salt water on your tongue. Lunch was a bowl of green curry, chased down with a Beer Chiang.

You’re tired, but satisfied. The sun has reached it’s zenith, draining your energy to do anything but relax in the hostel hammocks or lounge by the pool. It’s the perfect time to ask the employee behind the desk if you can hook up your MP3 player for some chillout tunes.

Suggested Artists: Coldplay, Air, Jack Johnson, Zero 7

The Hostel Pre-Party

It’s a big night tonight. You’ve just arrived in town, unpacked your bags, befriended the few others in your hostel room (or hotel) and have decided it’s time to hit the town.

You head out to the nearest liquor store, grab a six-pack, bottle of boxed wine, or a mickey of vodka, and return to your room, stocked up from some pre-party drinking.

What’s missing? The music of course. Your bring out your MP3 player, hook it up to the handy external speakers you picked up before leaving home, and proceed to get the evening started.

A few of the following artists should keep you pumped until a warm buzz fills your blood and you’re ready to head out into the night.

Suggested Artists: Franz Ferdinand, Beastie Boys, Sublime, White Stripes

The Jungle Meditation

You’re at an eco-lodge or hostel in the middle of the jungle. No electricity (or perhaps very limited solar). No urban sounds penetrate the peace of the locale. Monkeys, birds, insects, and wind in the trees all contribute to the lush cacophony of music.

Of course, the lodge has a bungalow or secluded clearing nearby for travelers looking to practice a bit of meditation, or even simple yoga.

You could listen to the natural jungle music, or you could enhance it with some Buddhist chanting or Indian sitar. Perfect time to pop in your headphones, or use your portable speakers that came in so handy at the hostel pre-party last week.

Suggested Artists: Thievery Corporation, Flunk, Deep Forest

The Recreational Sport

You’re walking down the beach, enjoying the sunshine and the sand, wondering what to do with your day. Read a book? Wander into town? Take another nap?

Suddenly you stumble upon a group of locals kicking around a soccer ball. They stop. Size you up. Then wave you over to join in.

Or perhaps you’re at a hostel with a few mates, one of whom has the motivation to borrow the volleyball from behind the check-in desk, and gather everyone for some recreational volleyball. What would enhance the moment? Some high-energy background tunes.

Suggested Artists: Chemical Brothers, Groove Armada, Daft Punk

Bonus Playlist: Bob Marley

Should you accidentally forget to cover all your playlist bases, and you find yourself without one for a certain situation – you can always fall back on the eternal Bob Marley.

From the taxi driver in Calcutta to the scowling old man in an Albanian pub – everyone knows Bob.

So don’t be caught unawares – at the minimum have Bob Marley and the Wailers: Greatest Hits. There’s nothing quite like a good solid shoutout of “Oooo yeah!” to earn immediate kinship with other travelers and locals.

Any common travel situations I missed? Share in the comments!

It’s time to wrap up the week now with our favourite links from around the web.

Ever wanted to be a video documentary filmmaker? World Nomads is offering a full scholarship to go on assignment in Africa with professional filmmaker Trent O’Donnell. Check out the full details here.

RoadJunky has whittled down their 2007 Gonzo Travel Writing Contest to the first short-list, featuring BNT contributor Greg Rodgers.

An internet classic, if you haven’t bookmarked Perpetual Travel’s Round the World Travel Guide, I highly suggest you have a read.

10 Travel Tips From a Seasoned Traveler offers some good advice for travelers of all types.

Lighter Footstep suggests ideas for How To Take A Green Vacation, focusing more on the types of trips, rather than specific details.

Rob Meyer sparks an interesting discussion about the ethics of the voluntourism industry, in part I and part II.

Enjoy the weekend! As for me, I’m off to Toronto for a few weeks.

After nearly a year of vagabonding, I returned home for a couple of months to resupply, remind my apathetic cats that I still exist, and to sort through a precariously leaning stack of mail.

When I began to share my world adventures with friends and cubicle dwelling ex-coworkers, I either received blank stares of bewilderment or cold, hard looks of envy.

Like most things, a life of travel has been romanticized into something that unwitting people dream about whenever the going gets rough at home.

The word “backpacking” seems to conjure up images of sexy, adventurous people spending hours doing nothing in sunny and exotic places as they clink .25 cent beers together.

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As many of you probably know, there has been an ongoing genocide occuring in Darfur. It is as complex as it is horrific – though with one thing for certain: it must be stopped.

The above film was put together by an advocacy group Stop Genocide Now, who are also documenting the journey of humanitarian workers as they navigate the people and region.

I highly recommend checking out their website and joining the movement. As well, Amnesty International has a dedicated campign for Darfur with further information and action guidelines.

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Picture yourself sitting in a train station, airport, ferry dock, or somewhere similar, with hordes of people going about their business. They’re boarding, disembarking, buzzing, or like you, they’re waiting. Endlessly waiting.

One of the travel realities that’s rarely revealed is the amount of waiting that accompanies every type of journey.

I remember in Thailand, I had taken a bus from Bangkok to the southern coast, arriving in the terminal sometime around 4am. It was unbearable hot, pitch black, and nothing was open. It was too muggy to sleep and I was too hungry to read a book.

In short, it was a mildly hellish 5 hour wait until morning when the ferry arrived. If only I’d had something more effective than a book for distraction, it might have made the time more bearable.

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What makes for a quality travel story? According to Ernest Hemingway, “good writing is true writing.” Honesty is especially crucial in travel writing, but it’s sometimes difficult for writers to achieve.

When we travel, we step beyond our comfort zones, into a realm of uncertainty. For a writer trying to capture the essence of a place, it can be tempting to assume a tone of artificial confidence. Jangly nerves, upset stomachs and genuine observations are lost in favor of breezy, artificial suavity.

When that happens, as one contributor to this week’s round-up says, “the bullshit comes right through on the page.”

The stories below stand out not only for literary quality, but also as examples of true writing. One piece, Bill Simmon’s “Queasy in the the Big Easy,” was so honest it almost got him lynched in New Orleans.

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In the past, volunteer travel typically meant a significant investment of time – generally requiring people to spend several weeks or months supporting a project.

Now there are a multitude of options for people interested in mixing smaller doses of volunteering in with their holiday travel.

The question for many would-be “voluntourists” becomes, “how can I find a good volunteer travel program?”

Xola Consulting has spent the past two years working with a range of organizations providing blended adventure/volunteer experiences to travelers as well as talking with so-called “voluntourists” from age 20 to 72, and here’s how we break it down.

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