archives: Life
The Surprising Wisdom Of Will Smith
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A fan-compiled video shares the collected wisdom of Will Smith, revealing the secret to his remarkable success in Hollywood...and life. More »
Fear and Loathing: How Risk of Injury Can Inhibit Travel Plans
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Megan Hill suffered an injury while traveling abroad in Vancouver, BC. The experience made her wonder if her dream to travel to remote places was fini More »
Are Long-Term Travelers Avoiding “Real” Life?
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Long term traveler Nomadic Matt wonders why he is constantly met with the question, "What are you running away from?" BNT writers have searched for th More »
My Big Fat Greek Wedding On Religious Steroids
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A couple from Los Angeles goes to great religious lengths for their Greek wedding ceremony. More »
Can Life-Changing Travel And Luxury Coexist?
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While the "tourist/traveler" debate is a dead-end, can we assert that luxury and life-changing travel are generally opposite to each other? Ross Tabak More »
Live Long And Prosper: Deconstructing The Happy Planet Index
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The Happy Planet Index ranks the happiest countries in the world - Shelly Seale explores what can we learn from studying their cultures. More »
Not Just Another 9/11 Post
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Memorializing tragic history is important. So is looking at the happy times that have occurred since. More »
Beyond Limits: How Travel Pushes Your Personal Boundaries
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If you don’t push yourself into new and uncomfortable experiences, it’s unlikely you’ll ever discover how adaptable you really are. More »
Choose Risk: How A Travel Bug Conquered Her Fear Of Flying
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The known is safe while the unknown is a mystery. This causes fear. What you do with the fear makes all the difference. More »
Victims Abroad: How To Regain Your Trust Of Travel
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Negative cultural experiences can sour our joy of people. But it's these critical moments of uncertainty that determine whether or not we cling rigidl More »
5 Key Ingredients in the Search for Happiness
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Do you want to be happy? Of course you do. These five ingredients may help you along your quest. More »
Healing a Broken Heart through Travel
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Travel can open your mind, help you connect to other cultures, and give you a deeper understanding of life. It can also help to heal your heart. More »
Missed Chances: How To Travel Without Regrets
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Travel constantly presents us with unique opportunities to experience life. But you can't help wonder about the ones that got away. More »
Mind Over Matter: Travel Starts With You
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Your mental state plays a surprisingly strong role in your perception of place, as revealed in the personal experience of Ekaterina Petrovna. More »
The First Timer’s Guide to Seeing a Psychic
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Ever wondered what it might be like to look into your future? Here are five recommendations on how to approach this sometimes tricky area. More »
The Myth Of The True Traveler
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Is vacation the enemy of travel? Not so, reveals the author in a provocative exploration of the tourist/traveler debate. More »
Classic Tales: Life Lessons From Gulliver’s Travels
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Classic works often contain surprising relevance to our own life and travels. More »
What Will The World’s Population Look Like In 2025?
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Huge population shifts have occurred over the last century, including the doubling in the world's population. Christine Garvin takes a look at what th More »
Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good Travelers?
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From Bali to Mumbai, terror is forever lurking around the corner. Or is it? Here's how to make peace with danger on the road. More »
How to Reinvent Yourself While Traveling Abroad
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Leaving our mental baggage behind gives us the opportunity to escape ourselves when immersed in a new culture. Here's how it's done. More »
Response: Would You Be A Perpetual Traveler Or World Citizen?
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Joel Falconer at Lifehack asks a fascinating question. F. Daniel Harbecke responds. More »
Sweet Dreams: An Epic Story About A Traveling Cupcake
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The story of a cupcake who dreams of the open sea. More »
The Parable Of The Fisherman
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A businessman was at the pier of a small coastal village when a tiny boat with just one fisherman docked... More »
Albert Einstein: “I Am Truly A Lone Traveler”
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Excerpts from a classic essay by the rad scientist himself, on life, traveling, and how to be a good person. More »
Finding a Travel Blues Antidote at the Burning Pig
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You could travel no farther than your hometown, but if you’re with people who challenge and inspires you…well then, you’ve seen th More »
What Tyler Durden’s Philosophy Teaches Us About Travel
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"You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. . . " More »
Now Boarding: Why the Airport is a Metaphor for Life
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The airport provides the most interesting of backdrops for someone who enjoys imagining other people’s stories. More »
Interview: Jason Silva on How Science Will Make You Live Forever
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Is death simply another problem that can be solved by science? More »
Witnessing The Divine In The Darkness
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From the Yogis to the Romantics, many have sought to live on the edge of society. More »
Holy War: How Conflict Shapes The Culture Of Israel
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An agnostic's visit to the homeland of her family. More »
The True Confessions Of A Language-aholic
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While most are content with knowing one language, others seek to learn much more. More »
Not Everyone Will Become A Surf Goddess (And Why That’s Okay)
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Nothing wrong with having dreams. Just make sure they're the right ones for you. More »
The (Next) 50 Most Inspiring Travel Quotes Of All Time
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Good travel quotes are markers on the path of life. More »
Graveyard Travel: How To Celebrate Life By Visiting The Dead
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They're not just for dead people anymore. More »
Why Some Travelers Have All The Luck (And How To Join Them)
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And how to join their ranks. More »
How Travel Challenges The Acceptance Of Inequality
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Pondering life through a surf experience in Peru. More »
Why Travel Is Most Valuable When Shared
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What comes after your long-awaited journey? More »
5 Unique Ways To Avoid Depression On The Road
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Every traveler gets a little down sometimes. Here's how to get your groove back. More »
Why Travelers Should Spend Time Instead Of Money
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Forget dropping wads of cash. Make sure you stay longer. More »
Discovering The Hidden Nation Of Soul-Seekers
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Where there's no place to call home. More »
How To Understand (And Beat) Your Homecoming Hangover
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Because there's no place like home. More »
Travel Is About Who You Meet, Not Where You Go
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We all dream of meeting that person who has the key to the city's door and is willing to open it. More »
Warning: Do You Practice These Travel Superstitions?
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Don't worry, we won't tell anyone. More »
The Most Valuable Thing You Can Pack On The Journey
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And it won't fit in your backpack either. More »
What Would You Give For Your Traveler’s Moment?
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Your moment is out there - you just have to find it. More »
Lessons Of Hope From “The Kid” Of Saigon
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Grace Kim finds sorrow and hope abroad, in the guise of Charlie Chaplin's Tramp and The Kid. More »
Does The Internet Cheapen Your Travel Experience?
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Jacob Bielanski asks, "Does the internet cheapen your travel experience?" More »
The 50 Most Inspiring Travel Quotes Of All Time
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Stuck in a travel rut? Jumpstart your lust with these inspiring travel quotes. More »
Does The World Discriminate Against Disabled Travelers?
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Being a disabled traveler involves challenges many others don’t have to face. But is movement getting easier or harder for disabled travelers t More »
Found In Translation: Why Travel As A Teenager Is The Best Education
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Travel when you’re young provides an invaluable opportunity for growth.
When I first arrived in Tokyo, I was sick, lost, and alone. I was also More »
5 Dreams You Could Experience While Traveling (And What They Mean)
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Your dreams on the road can offer insight into yourself and your journey. Tim Patterson shares his own experiences.
I press my tongue against a too More »
4 Lessons Learned From The Vagabond Life
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I struggled to define myself. Was I a vagabond? An unemployed 20-something with no future?
The last 16 months of my life have been spent wandering.
A More »
Divine Inspiration: How Travel Teaches Us To Appreciate Humanity
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Knowing ourselves and our communities, and seeing them in unison, is the first step in fostering the divine world spirit.
A wise Indian man once said More »
The 7 Enigmas of Travel
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Travel produces a special feeling – one that can’t be replicated by any other means. When a person anticipates traveling or is en-route, More »
Does Amazon’s “Kindle” Signal The Death Of The Traveling Paperback?
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I work in the publishing industry, and I’m also an avid reader – so it’s no wonder I’ve been knee deep in Kindle speculation f More »
Punk To Police: Globalization From The Eyes Of A Chinese Expat
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I once had a university professor who I will describe as “mentally diverse.”
She was my favorite professor, although you never knew when More »
Christmas Compassion: Reflections From the Holidays
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The holiday season. It arrives with festivities and departs with similar flair. Goodbye…and please do not return until next year.
Christmas ha More »
Handup Or Handout? The Case Against Micro-Loans
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Is the principal effect of micro-lending to further hook people into dependence upon the money economy? Josh Kearns explains.
I want to urge caution i More »
Reflections From A Female Solo Traveler
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Should women travel alone? Emily Hansen addresses the most common concerns and lays the fears to rest.
Ever since I began traveling solo at age 19, I More »
From Traveler To Tourist In 5 Easy Steps
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A good mate of mine is a travel snob. I don’t mean he only flies first class and only stays in five star hotels – quite the opposite. His More »
How To Handle The Guilt Of Your Over-Consumptive Culture
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Everything takes getting used to.
Whether it’s sleeping on the street with your family, saying ‘no’ to beggars, fasting for days, f More »
Do You Know What’s Crawling In Your Hostel Shower?
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There are few things in the world that are universal. You might think showering is one of them. How many variations could there be?
The answer R More »
6 Simple Ways To Beat The Post-Travel Blues
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Several years ago I spent seven months living in France. The country of baguettes, berets and brie became my new home.
One day however, I was forced More »
Beauty Is In The Ride Of The Beholder
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My idea of camping is staying in a hotel room without room service and a wall-mounted blow dryer. Give me a clean hotel room with 400 thread count she More »
How To Decide What To Be When You Grow Up
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So it’s here – the time of your life when you’re being steered towards ‘the big decision.’ Namely, “what More »
How To Pick Your Perfect Profession
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In German class recently we covered how to talk about what you do for a living. There’s an expression that means, roughly, by profession – More »
The Mysterious Origins of the Travel Bug
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Where did the first person get their inspiration to head out into the unknown? It’s likely the sheer impossibility of the act provoked their cur More »
Don’t Judge An Experience Until You’ve Surfed It
Photos by Evan Welo
I wasn’t sure that I would be able to recognize him; but his Volkswagen hippie van was unmistakable.
It sputtered up to us More »
The Hardest Part Of A Journey Is Coming Home
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Leaving home inevitably means you must return…someday.
After a 10 month long trip around the world, my wife and I are back in the United States More »
Top 10 Things I Miss About Traveling (But Hated At The Time)
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On the road, it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day troubles while missing the bigger picture…until the trip is over.
When you trav More »
A Newbie’s Guide To Surfing
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Surfing isn’t just an activity – it’s a life philosophy.
At one time or another, everyone has visions of becoming a beach bum. Th More »
Matt Harding’s Moral Dilemma
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In the vast desert ruins of Morroco, Matt ponders the mirage of his own motivations.
By now everyone knows Matt and his dancing videos. But I’ More »
The Secret To Avoiding Beggars
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You too, can avoid beggars with this simple, effective technique. The question is…will you?
On a sidewalk in Delhi, I passed a man with no han More »
Real Travel: In Search Of Authenticity
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In an age of commodified culture and globalization, does true authenticity even exist?
Authenticity. It’s the buzzword of the enlightened trave More »
Greatest. Roadtrip Soundtrack. Ever.
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Austalia in the spring of 2002.
Somewhere on the Great Ocean Road, sitting on a bus with other like-minded backpackers as part of the Oz Experience More »
How To Escape An Undesirable Travel Mate
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Traveling is all about meeting people on the road. But what happens if you want to get rid of one?
guest post by Travmonkey
Say you meet someone w More »
We Are All Tourists Now
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In the spring of 2002, I spent two weeks trekking through the Australian Outback. Our party included myself, a retired naval officer for a guide, an More »
What You Think Probably Won’t Kill You
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How many people stop themselves from heading out into "unknown" lands for fear of real or imagined threats? More »
