Photo: Perfecto Insecto

Alright, there are plenty of ways that traveling can make us feel like a badass. And as nice as they are, Pack and Explore recently listed five totally badass travel experiences to help you along in case you don’t know where to start.

I don’t think I’ll be heading to Cambodia to fire off some rounds anytime soon, but I started thinking about all of the truly badass travel experiences I’ve read here on Matador. Just about every story, movement, or contemplative idea makes me want to get out there and explore, once again, that which I think I know, and that which I know I don’t know.

As we head into the weekend, a perfect time to reignite the “time to take on the world” attitude, it seems like a good idea to recap some of Matadorians’ (or Badassadorians?) ways to be a kick-ass-and-take-names kind of traveler, or just a kick-ass living-lifer.

Here are some of my favorites:

Going Off the Deep End

Wanna show Sunday, and an 80ft granite cliff, who’s boss? Check out Ben Polansky’s foray into diving off a rock just a hop, skip and a jump from San Francisco.

Shake What Your Momma Gave Ya

With non-stop reminders from Mom – not to mention Pee Wee’s Big Adventure – of why we shouldn’t hitchhike, it may not seem like the smartest thing to do. Mike Szymanski busts open the myths around the oldest means of transportation in his blog, Hitchhiking Down-Under.

My favorite part is his description of the people you’ll meet while hitching:

Hippies, truck drivers, old, young, travelers, locals, women, men, grandmothers, women with children, Europeans, Americans, Asians, single women, those in love, those with hearts broken, friendly, lonely, quiet, talkative, and everything else in between.

And that’s what makes it so damn cool.

Work It, Girl

Drinking alone usually gives off an air of being a badass. Drinking alone as a female in a foreign place is a whole other ballgame of badassness. Check out Eva Holland’s guide to the gutsy gal drinking sans amis.

Single and Looking

Searching for love in the rockingest of places? Look no further than Sascha Matuszak’s Love Tour: World’s Best Cities for Singles. Though I’m not sure I agree with his assessment of the Bay Area making the list, considering all the singles there I know and love, I certainly appreciated his advice about Oakland: “Find a thug to love ya for a night.” Truly a badass thing to do.

I Will Survive

Falling into the category of badassery also includes accepting defeat, middle ground, or that fight to continue on. Sarah Menkedick recently wrote a poetic treatise to fourth place, noting:

You are human beings plunked kindly down in front of their inherent irrelevance, fourth place, you are the universe gently mocking us and our sweating fervent seriousness and at the same time, telling us, you can’t stop, can you, nice try, and good job and keepitup, the universe letting us taste that bittersweet honey that’s half-meaning and half-meaninglessness.

And so to all you badass travelers, I say don’t stop, keepitup.

What is your most badass travel experience? Share your experiences below.

Photo: lululemon athletica

Ah, those lovely muscle knots generated from being on the road for over 3 weeks—hauling the heavy back pack, walking non-stop, carrying screaming offspring, and the stress of adjusting to a new culture.

You seriously need some yoga.

If wired, you can take advantage of the free online yoga classes that cater to complete novices, Gumbies, or those in between. Travelers without internet need not miss out, as there are other ways to keep your Samadhi running smooth on the road. Your practice can be done anywhere, in your PJs or your birthday suit, and at 3am if you wish.

Here are some online yoga podcast classes that may transport you to classes back home, but without the regular crowd (and smells).

Beginners

Photo: lululemon athletica

Elsie’s Yoga Kula. Elsie, a lively Anusara instructor has a thoughtful blog and many level 1-2 classes to choose from. Live class recordings.

Hillary’s Yoga Practice. Another Anusara yoga podcast that offers one hour long classes for mixed and beginner levels.

Yoga Today. A freebie yoga class can be sent to your inbox every week if you sign up. You can also buy a class for $3.99 and choose from a huge menu, arranged by skill level/yoga style/ anatomical focus. Way cheaper than taking a drop-in class.

Intermediate

Padmani Yoga. Padmani, a Jivamukti instructor, has got the best voice in the land of yoga podcasts. There are many 45 to 75 minute classes to choose from—the 45 minute economy practice is my favorite.

Yoga Download. These 20 minute power yoga classes can be downloaded and enjoyed for a brisk quickie.

Honorable Gumbies (or those looking to scorch major calories)

Yogi Wade. Wade has many years of archived 90 minute power yoga/Ashtanga style practices on his site, ones which incorporate more uncommon asanas such as crocodile pose. The audio quality isn’t the best, but his instruction and humor make it worthwhile.

Dave Farmar. Dave’s hour-long Baptiste style power yoga class isn’t to be taken lightly. He’ll sadistically have you holding arm balances, twists, and inversions for an eternity as he talks philosophy, completely oblivious to your discomfort. You’ll no doubt get your workout, and thank him in the end for your toned muscles.

Other Options

Pack it in. Pack some portable books such as Light on Yoga or a flow chart filled with yoga sequences for different practices. If you don’t like to flip pages while balancing on your head, many companies make yoga cards that allow you to mix and match poses. For suggestions, browse Amazon.com and check out the ones that received stellar reviews.

Use the web. For the ultra-organized, go to the Yoga Journal website, print out sequences of asanas for each day of the week, and place it in a folder with color coded tabs.

DVD run. Borrow some yoga DVDs from the library at home or better yet, at your new destination—it’s a fun way to pick up the target language.

Practice with others. If you’re willing to spend some money for a real yoga class, the best way to find one is to go to Yoga Journal; they have a directory of international yoga studios. It also helps to ask locals that you meet for suggestions – many health food stores and vegetarian restaurant staff are more than likely to have suggestions in locating a studio.

Final Morsels of Advice

Toting a yoga mat can be cumbersome, but it can be used to multi-task – remember, the mat can be used for a picnic, or placed as a protective layer between you and the ground when sleeping al fresco.

Photo: lululemon athletica

If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of carrying one, buy a pair of Yoga Paws or socks—they’re meant to give enough traction so that downward facing dog is a possibility whenever the urge strikes.

If the idea of forking out an hour for yoga interferes with sight-seeing plans, go for yoga spurts instead—a head stand while your buddy is in the bathroom, yoga nidra meditation on a train ride (others will just think you’re having sweet dreams), pranayama during a walk, and standing postures done randomly throughout the day—at a park, over a castle wall, or on the beach.

Use restorative poses an alcohol-free nightcap. And if you are a gifted individual who can advanced Ashtanga, it’s a great conversation starter.

For those used to using props in their practice, be creative: the phone books in the hotel room can work as blocks, that back pack as a bolster, and the benches or chairs for a supported shoulderstand.

What are some other tips for maintaining your practice on the road? Share them below.

Painting: iamcootis

Everyone has one opinion or another about nudity in public places.

There are nudist beaches, there are nudist saunas, and there are life-drawing classes, where models pose naked.

My own opinion about public nudity was rather controversial until recently. I come from a family where modesty was a virtue, and was shocked when I moved to the Netherlands and found an open approach to public nudity. (I once saw a naked man in Amsterdam, riding his bike to work).

I felt outraged and insulted.

“Never, never in my life will I be naked in public,” I told myself. However, since then, some things have changed.

I became a nudist. My current boyfriend happens to be a nudist and on our first holiday he introduced me to the joy of being naked on the beach.

And I rather liked it.

Being naked on the beach gives you the feeling of being free and in union with nature. And it is rather natural, considering that humans only started to wear clothes 72,000 years ago. For more than half of our existence we have been nudists.

However, being natural with nature is not that easy nowadays. It is still a controversial issue. Some regard public nudity as exhibitionism. Others say that nudity sets a bad example for the children. In most states of the US, for a woman to be topless can result in a fine.

Woman are paradoxically bombarded by glossy magazines with pictures which depict thin, beautiful and mostly naked women. Even if you would like to be a nudist, you might avoid going to a nudist beach for the reason that your body doesn’t correspond to the beauty standard.

But curiously enough, what I noticed at the nudist beaches is that people there in all shapes and forms, and rarely do they resemble Kate Moss. It can be indeed a liberating experience, especially if you have some confidence issues.

I started my nudist experience when I considered myself slightly overweight, and it helped me to realize that human body is beautiful as it is. And I certainly recommend everyone try it at least once.

Here are some tips, which could come quite handy if you are ready to try it yourself.

Photo courtesy the author

Tip #1 – Lather Up

Don’t forget to put sun cream on those parts of your body about which you might otherwise forget. It’s really not pleasant to get sun burn on some vital parts of your body!

Tip #2 – Watch the bend

Don’t bend over when adjusting your towel or picking something up from the sand (unless you’re Brad Pitt, of course).

Tip #3 – Eyes to yourself

Don’t stare at other naked people!

Tip #4 – Incognito

In case you do want to stare, two best ways to do it is: (a) wearing sunglasses, (b) pretending to read a book (but then, don’t forget to turn the pages!)

Tip #5 – Ditch the camera

Be respectful to other people when you take our your camera to make some pictures of the beach. It really does make all naked people suddenly very nervous.

Tip #6 – Cold water syndrome

If you are a man, be aware that even if you are lucky to possess a giant male organ, it will shrink to tiny proportions when you emerge from the sea. Don’t feel bad about it…

Tip #7 – To shave or not to shave?

This is a difficult question, since enjoying a nudist beach is all about being very natural. However, think twice, as it’s nice to be well groomed.

Tip #8 – Avoid philosophy

Try to avoid deep philosophical conversations with you naked neighbours. It does sound (and look) rather weird, when a naked person talks about Foucault.

Tip #9 – Keep your suit handy

Take your swimming suit with you just in case. For instance, when all other nudists decide to leave the beach and you are the only naked person remaining.

Tip #10 – Top of the morning

What to do in case of erection? Quickly lie face down on the sand, but don’t forget to fill in the imprint when you stand up!

Hopefully, these tips will help you enjoy your next nudist beach with wild abandon, setting your body and your mind free.

Do you have any tips for nudist beaches or settings? Share your tips/stories in the comments!

Modena, Italy / Photo: Ian MacKenzie

It should go without saying that travel is for everyone, not just the svelte and the toned. Nevertheless, airlines such as Southwest, United and Continental, among others, are beginning to charge larger passengers.

Or, in their terms, those who can’t fit into 17-inch economy seats with the armrests down and their seatbelts buckled must pay for a second seat or upgrade to a larger, considerably more expensive one.

Struggling with one’s weight is never easy, even without the apparent discrimination that many of us either subconsciously or, in the case of certain airlines, overtly expose our larger brothers and sisters to.

But in spite of the apparent onset of restrictions facing the third-trip-to-the-buffet crowd and those who are just plain genetically predisposed to packing on pounds, budget travel can actually be a good way to lose weight.

Change Your Mindset

If money is no object, of course it’s possible, and even probable, that you’ll gain weight while traveling. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Even if you have some extra cash to play around with, travel as though you have to consider every dollar.

Most budget travelers I know would much rather cut a few dollars here and there from their food fund than cut a trip short and indulge their culinary fantasies. By no means is this statement meant to advocate self-starvation, but for people who are chronic overeaters and compulsive snackers at home, being far away from the familiar cookie jar can be a good way to cut down on between-meal indulgences.

And remember, the less you snack, the longer you’ll be able to stretch your travel dollars.

Photo: Divine in the Daily

Take Advantage of Smaller Portions

In many places, especially Asia, food portions are in general, visibly smaller than they are in the West. This means travelers there will likely be less liable to overeat. Over-drink, perhaps, but overeat? Only after over-drinking.

What’s more, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating less can, over time, actually reduce the capacity of the stomach by up to 36 percent, meaning you’ll feel fuller sooner, and eat less.

Be Conscious of Cultural Differences

In places where being overweight is the norm, such as the newly-crowned monarch of the rotund new millennium, Australia, being “drought and famine resistant,” as Homer Simpson once famously described having a spare Michelin around one’s midsection, will not likely draw any untoward comments or unwelcome stares.

However, there are places, and even whole continents, such as Asia once again, where it is far more common to see stick-thin men and women than it is to see overlapping underbellies and thighs-a-chaffing. This means the larger among us may, unfortunately, be met with the occasional seemingly socially awkward comment while abroad.

A Case Study

“My god, you’ve gotten fat.” My former roommate, a once very slender and fit Kiwi who had indeed put on a pound or two, but was by no means “fat” in the Western sense, was visibly taken aback.

After all, this was the opening remark of a woman with whom he had arranged to meet for a date in a crowded Taipei night market after they had met a few weeks previously.

But this woman was Taiwanese, and in Taiwan such remarks are not seen as malicious, but more of a sign of concern for one’s health.

Travel as a Tool of Physical Reinvention

So what does this have to do with the rest of the chunky jet set?

Simply this: If you are self-conscious about your weight, use travel as an opportunity to do something about it. Invent a healthier, slimmer new you. Explore new cities, or even your own city, on foot or by bike. You’ll save money on transport, discover muscles you never knew you had, and extend your potential travel time all at once.

Photo: echiner1

If you prefer biking to walking, but don’t want to haul your bike overseas, take advantage of the fact that more and more cities, such as Taipei, Milan, Montreal and Paris, just to name a few, are implementing free or low-cost bike share programs.

For a fat-melting one-two punch, research the top health food joints in cities you plan to visit ahead of time, type in their addresses on Google Maps, and when you arrive in said cities, make walking or biking to the restaurants from your hostel a part of your daily routine.

And if you, like my ex-roommate, find yourself in a situation similar to the one he faced, try to take it in stride and remember that it’s likely a cultural difference, not a bumptious attempt at public belittlement.

Many better men than I have pointed out how good travel can be for the mind and the spirit. Make it good for your physical well-being too.

What do you think of the traveler’s diet? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo: NessieNoodle

Guys, how can you sit idly by while guitar dude swoons all the girls? And ladies, you do know how sexy it is to see a chick pluck out and sing Me and Bobby McGee, right?

Previously, we brought you the 50 Greatest Campfire Songs of All Time (more like 100 with all our readers’ great additions).

Now it’s time to learn some yourself, and it ain’t even that hard.

Guitar lessons schmitar schmessons

Yes, you can easily go down to your local laundromat and find a handwritten ad with tear-away phone numbers for guitar lessons. And yes, you can hop on Craigslist and have someone over in a jiffy, eager to take your money and teach you Blowin’ in the Wind.

But why pay for what you can have for free? All you need is a cheap guitar and the Internet. So, assuming you now have both, let’s begin.

No need for this Photo: hermmermferm

Tablature: sheet music for dummies

Dummies like me, that is. I pretty much learned how to play guitar solely through tablature (’tab’ for short). What’s this you say?

Tablature is a graphic representation of the strings and frets of the guitar, and where your fingers go to make pleasant sounds when you strum the strings.

In this way, you don’t need to know how to read sheet music. All you need is a tiny bit of patience while you work out how to configure your fingers on the guitar.

First, some basics you should know

*Guitar strings are numbered 1 to 6. 1 being the first string from the bottom — when you’re holding the guitar in a normal position — and 6 being the top string (lowest note). When each string is plucked open (nothing pressed down) they each play a note. From top to bottom (6 to 1) the notes are: E A D G B e.

*A fret is a section of the guitar neck. When a string is pushed down inside a fret, it produces a lovely note. Frets are numbered starting at the first fret, which is at the top of the guitar. To make things easier, most guitars have little markers indicating the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th frets, so you can quickly find your way along the neck.

*For the purposes of guitar tab, your fingers are numbered: 1-index, 2-middle, 3-ring, 4-pinky (you would rarely have need for your thumb).

So, here is an example of how to make an E Minor (Em) chord — chosen for its simplicity:

Screenshot: ChordBook.com

From the above graphic, you place your 2nd (middle) finger on the 5th string/2nd fret, and your 3rd (ring) finger on the 4th string/2nd fret. Now strum all the strings. You’ve just played an Em!

A website like ChordBook.com is money when it comes to learning how to play a specific chord. Say you want to learn how to play Neil Young’s Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World. You could pop over to UltimateGuitar.com, search for the song and find that the verse is simply Em, D, and C (chuck in an A for the chorus).

Now go find those chords at ChordBook.com, take a few minutes to learn them, then play along with the song.

So where do I start?

Find artists/songs that use minimal and basic chords. For this reason, most of the first songs I learned were Bob Dylan and Neil Young; both musical geniuses. Perhaps the most genius thing is that their songs were so simple. Here are some very easy songs to get you started:

1. Bob Dylan – Knockin on Heaven’s Door (G, D, C)
2. The Wallflowers – Three Marlenas (G, D, Am)
3. Neil Young – Keep on Rockin in the Free World (Em, D, C, A)
4. Guns ‘n’ Roses – Patience (C, G, A, D)
5. Bob Dylan – Blowin in the Wind – (G, C, D, Em)

Online resources

There is no shortage of websites that teach you how to play guitar, all for free. Guitarnoise.com and Learn-Acoustic-Guitar.com both have a section for beginners with easy songs to learn.

YouTube is fantastic. Besides learning how to play guitar, you can also learn how to bake naan bread, change a tire, and unclog a drain. But you’re here to learn guitar songs, right?

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here

The Beatles – Let It Be

Pearl Jam – Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town

Lastly, don’t listen to what anyone says about Stairway to Heaven. It’s not an easy song to play, and when done right, is pretty sweet. The truth is, most guitar players know how to play it. So it’s kind of ironic that they make fun of it.

While it’s not difficult to learn to play guitar, it’s not super easy either. Don’t get frustrated and let the guitar sit in the corner gathering dust. Keep at it.

Rock on!

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

If you’re planning on traveling with a guitar — or any instrument for that matter — check out Essential Gear for the Traveling Musician. Just don’t be too surprised if United breaks your guitar.

Once you’ve got some practice and have a few songs under your belt, you might want to try your hand at busking. Here are the World’s Best Places to Busk.

The nose knows the beach is best / Photo: oblivion head

Recent studies in the world of nutrition have found that our nose knows what foods are best for us.

Our taste preferences for certain foods actually begin with how they smell, and researchers have found these preferences may be linked to the nutritional value of the food.

Not sure how McDonald’s fits into this scenario. But the idea of following your nose for the health benefits led me to ponder about what it might mean to follow your nose when it comes to travel.

No, I don’t think you can smell your way to the best locale of the moment. Yet, what connects the idea of following your nose when it comes to both food and travel is basic intuition. It’s the belief that our bodies know best, or at least a whole lot better than our brains do.

Instinct and intuition aren’t exactly the same thing, but they can both fall into the category of showing up as that first “hit.” This is the hit we often play down once we begin to think about the pros and cons of an issue.

So, what if you decided to follow the first hit you have about where you want to travel next, and stop yourself from going through the pros and cons process? You hop on Hotwire to find a last minute cheap hotel in that town you’ve been wanting to visit, or you log on to Couchsurfing and email a few people to see if they have an open spot.

Maybe Craigslist has a cheap vacation rental, or even a trade. If none of those pan out, you know it’s not meant to be. Or you throw the tent in the car, hit the supermarket to fill your cooler with food and ice, and just take off.

This may be easier to do starting with say, a day trip out of town, but who knows? That day trip may lead you to an overnight, a week away, or to becoming a complete travel vagabond.

Or you may end up back at home because you kind of have work and a family to take care of, and that’s perfectly fine, too.

Yes, it’s a bit of traveling without a plan, but it might just lead you to exactly where you are supposed to be.

Do you think follow your nose travel is a viable option? Share your thoughts below.

Community Connection

See how following her instincts led to amazing travels in Emily Hansen’s piece, Reflections From A Female Solo Traveler. Experience the taste of travel freedom in Carlo Alcos’ article, Why You Should Travel Independently on the Trans Siberian Railway.

Photo: premasagar

I’m about to take off to Nevada, wind my way up Hwy 80 to Jackson Hole, and then back down 80 to Denver.

I’m using Couchsurfing.org to make travel cheaper and to meet people along the way, but I’m also drawn to camping out in the beautiful west.

Yet, I will admit to having quite a bit of fear come up for me when I think about camping alone.

I want to be the type who forges ahead, knowing it will all work out perfectly. And the weird thing is, if there was at least one other woman coming along, I’d be fine. But there is something about being a woman alone that makes me feel like a target.

I’ve thought about getting pepper spray or mace, and there is part of me that knows this type of camping is simply a challenge. More than likely, after a few nights of camping bliss, I’ll feel totally comfortable. Yet I can also imagine many sleepless nights, or being woken up every 15 minutes by any sound made outside my tent.

Tips and Considerations

The Complete Safety Guide For Women Camping Alone has some good, common-sense tips, such as let the ranger know you are alone, and camp near a large family. Women Camping Alone – Safety Advice also notes the age-old advice to consistently keep in touch with someone back home.

Interestingly, though, as I was writing this piece, Matador Trips Editor Carlo Alcos posted the piece We’re not invincible. In it he discusses the recent brutal attack on a solo male Canadian backpacker traveling in Australia.

Maybe the safety issue isn’t just about women.

Do you think it is safe for women to camp alone? Share your thoughts below.

Community Connection

This issue isn’t just for women camping in the United States. Read 7 Must-Know Personal Safety Tips For Solo Women Travelers to get a head start on traveling alone anywhere in the world, and how to hit the pubs as a solo female in The Gutsy Girl’s Guide To Drinking Alone.

Photo: A.K. Photography / Feature: Torley

Would you give up getting your hair cut, walk or take the bus to work, or limit yourself to one happy-hour beer per week to save for vacation?

In this economy, travel has taken a beating. It is often the first thing to go when budgets must be tightened.

But a family in Charlotte thinks that getting away is priority-numero-uno. So they grow their own vegetables, use old-school rabbit ears and a digital converter box on their TV, and drop off their trash instead of paying for pick-up.

They also search out free community events, and when they travel, stay in condos instead of hotels. Condos tend to be both cheaper and allow for cooking meals on the home-away-from-home front.

Plus, once on the road, you can always go the timeshare route for a freebie, if you can handle a nice big sales pitch. And BootsnAll Travel recommends the time-honored tradition of hanging out at your local port (no, not for prostitution purposes). Apparently, boat crews are often looking for a helping hand, and you can build up those muscles in the process (hey, a two-for!).

Personally, I plan to spend a lot less while traveling than I would living in Fairfax. At $1,000 in rent a month, plus general high cost-of-living, Marin, CA certainly ain’t a cheap place to settle.

Moving out of my pad also produced quite a few articles of clothing and shoes that went for sale in the front yard, along with finding their way into consignment stores. Oh, and I can’t forget the many books I bought for school that hadn’t been touched in a year – yep, you guessed it, now on the shelves of used bookstores and Amazon.

What are some things you have cut back on so that you could continue to travel? Share your thoughts below.

Community Connection

Check out Tim Patterson’s diatribe on how to travel the world for free and Ernesto Machado’s musings on how to figure out when budget travel becomes exploitation.

Photo: AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker

This is the last post I’m writing before embarking on an adventure to places known and unknown.

Starting next week, I’ll no longer have an apartment, or a couch; my mail will only go to my PO Box and my cat Greysey will certainly be rough-housing with my best friend’s cat, (crazy) Bobby. I will bid Fairfax, CA adieu for at least a couple of months, if not longer.

My planned road trip around the US is hardly a plan at all.

I know I’ll be staying with friends in Seattle first, and I have a house-sitting gig in Santa Cruz until the middle of the month. Then, I simply have hope that my car, which has 166,000 miles on it (but hey, it’s a Honda!) will stay strong as I make my way to wherever it is that I find myself going.

Why am I doing this? Today, I asked myself that question for the first real time. Most of my trips are planned pretty well in advance, and are mostly set in stone. Set minus the mishaps that always happen, which mostly end up amusing if you have a safety net. I don’t have much of a safety net this time, but I realized that may be part of the point.

I’m banking on the universe protecting me.

So here, without further mumbo jumbo, are six reasons to travel without a plan.

Photo: wili_hybrid

1. Challenge fear.

The fear crept up on me big-time tonight. Everything that had been keeping my mind busy – gotta pack this, take that to Goodwill, file papers, fill prescriptions – came tumbling down as I related my mom’s worries to a friend.

Her biggest concern is the car, and the possibility of me being stranded, to which I have said over and over, “Of all times in history to be traveling alone around the US, this has got to be the most safe and carefree possible. We have cell coverage in almost every last square inch of this country, and roadside assistance responds day and night.”

But of course, there is the possibility of my timing belt breaking. Or my clutch giving out. Or a million other things that could happen down the street from my house but seem much more scary when alone and far from home.

I realize the car is simply a central point for my (and my mother’s) fear to land. So fear, bring it on. Come on up and out of me, so I can take my soul’s next step.

2. Believe that if you trust in your path, it will reward you in the ways you need most.

For many years, I wasn’t sure I had a path. Now, I understand that everyone does, whether or not they know what it is (and the reality is none of us know exactly what it is). Sometimes, I get scared that I’m veering off course, that what I’m doing doesn’t make any kind of logical sense.

But then I remember that anything that has made me happy in life hasn’t been logical. Writing for money is illogical. Dancing (not the table-top variety) for payment is illogical. These were things I wouldn’t have thought possible to do for a living five years ago, even though they have been a part of me my whole life. It was only once I began to trust in the illogical that things began to unfold.

Same goes for traveling. Being illogical means experiencing things beyond your current capacity of knowing. And we all want to go beyond our current capacity, right?

3. Too much restriction can hinder inspiration.

Trip plans are helpful. They are touchstones, a way to get from a. to b., and they fulfill our little pea-brain’s never-ending shouts for stability. But sometimes, making plans creates this need to well…stick to them. Stick to them no matter what.

And when we stick to them no matter what, we can stifle the very part of ourselves that told us to get a move on in the first place. You can forget your purpose, other than to check off that you saw the Eiffel Tower or the Great Wall of China or a live sex show in Amsterdam.

Yes, those live sex shows can be inspirational, but really not for longer than a few minutes.

4. Too much restriction can hinder the spirit.

Contrary to popular belief, our souls lead us through this life. Believe me. That’s why heartbreak happens, we lose jobs, we fight with loved ones – they are all opportunities to learn lessons and become stronger people.

When we attempt to confine our experiences, or to “be safe,” our soul can take offense. There it was, just trying to be in the flow, and we muck it up with our agenda. Then it decides it’s time to show us who is boss.

Photo: travellingtamas

As my friend Theresa and I say all the time, don’t mess with the Trickster. You will be sorry. Instead, be open to the good and the bad in both life and traveling, and I promise the bad won’t seem well, as bad.

5. “If you want God to laugh, tell her your plans.”

Yeah, many of us love to work out every last angle of a trip, where we’ll be at a certain time, what we’ll cover each day. Don’t forget the card with all important numbers and passwords hidden in your underwear is case of the big emergency (not sure where in your underwear, though).

Funny thing is, how often do your plans turn out the way you planned? I feel like the older I get, the more my plans decide to run off and have their own little planning party without me. So that by the time I get to the place I thought I was going, there is usually not even a semblance of what I originally thought I wanted.

Luckily, it is almost always so much better. In other words, you can plan, just don’t get attached.

6. Why not?

This one doesn’t seem to need an explanation. Ok, if you really need one: why not travel without a plan just so you can experience life without plans?

What are some other reasons to travel without a plan? Share your thoughts below.

Photo: Kyle May

Alright, you’ve been to 220 countries. You’ve ridden in the front seat of a speeding Myanmar junta’s jeep, jumped into and splashed around the Citarum river, and kissed a woman (and a man) in Antarctica.

Wait, there’s only like 195 countries.

Point is, you think highly of your well-traveled self. And although the Citarum river swim may be a slight stretch of the truth, you’ve had many crazy and amazing adventures during your world travels.

But now you are pretty much tethered to one place, be it home or expat-land, and are wondering why people sigh when you walk toward them.

Or why your friend has banned comments from you on his blog – I mean, you only called his stories about visiting museums in Italy glib and a complete waste of time twice, for pete’s sake. Can’t the guy take a little constructive criticism?

Yeeah. Here’s some desperately needed advice, even if you don’t think you need it.

Trust me, you probably do.

1. Did I Tell You About The Time…?

Just because you think it’s important to know that the national dish of Azerbaijan, yarpag dolmasi, tastes divine, because of course you’ve made it yourself in the back of a little restaurant…(and thud! your friend’s head hits the table), doesn’t mean anyone else gives a damn.

Telling people stories about your travels can be highly entertaining for both sides involved, but whenever you start dropping in little-known-facts that really are only there to show off how much you’ve seen and done, I guarantee that eye-rolling and head smashing will commence.

Photo: kwerfeldein

2. I Am Right, You Are Wrong. Therefore, I Am Better Than You.

When you read the travel postings of others, don’t tear down what they are saying because you’ve “experienced more” and “know better.” Yeech.

There is always room for noting a difference of opinion.

But there is no need to verbally abuse the author or what they have said even if you were an eyewitness to a situation that completely goes against what they are saying. Mention your experience and move on.

3. I Thrive On Adventure. Therefore, I Am Better Than You.

Don’t act as if the people in your life who are focused on driving to and from work, getting their kids to dance class/soccer camp, or who enjoy watching Survivor, but would abhor the idea of ever participating in it, are less evolved.

Yeah, this one is easy to fall into. But everyone has a purpose in this lifetime, and it may not include flying off into the sunset. We need all types to keep this world a moving and a shaking, so appreciate that you are dependent on the wifi they keep up and running, enabling you to blog about that insane wave you witnessed at Desert Point, man.

4. I Only Visit Small, Unheard-Of Towns And Provinces. Therefore, I Am Better Than You.

Don’t act as if people who call London or Sydney or New York their favorite places to visit are less evolved.

I’m glad you braved traveling through the Congo. It’s wonderful that you took part in the Nettle Eating Championship in Dorset. It doesn’t make someone else less of a human being that they don’t want to have a similar experience.

5. This Place Is Soooo 1999.

Photo: howthebodyworks

Don’t say that [insert here] is SO much better at composting/recycling/biodynamic farming, offers SO much more organic, gluten-free, raw foods, has FANTASTIC public transportation/bars/restaurants/fine looking men and/or women.

Oh, I’m hugely guilty of this one. It can be so easy to just go on and on about how much better one place is than another.

Truth is, every place has their positives and negatives, and really, any place is what you make of it. So get over your trash (even if it’s in a pleasant tone) talk, and appreciate where you’ve landed (even if that’s home).

6. I Vibrate On A Higher Plain That Doesn’t Include Alcohol.

No need to show off how spiritual you are now that you’ve visited Thailand/India/a random ashram in nowhere, Maine.

I’m all for the spiritual epiphanies – they’re fantastic. But when you meet up with some of your old friends in Rio and they are ready to head out for the evening around midnight, the last thing they want to hear is you sniff haughtily and say, “I mustn’t go because I will be getting up at 4:30am for my three hour morning meditation.”

I know it can be hard to navigate a new-found spiritual lifestyle when it collides with your old, let’s say, more social ways, but you have to figure out a happy medium that doesn’t piss everyone off.

When it comes to spirituality, I’m personally all for the seen-and-not-heard path; this way, if people are interested, they’ll ask you about it. And then there’s no need to clobber them over the head with it, or more importantly, have them clobber you in the mouth.

What other seeds of wisdom do you have for the holier-than-thou traveler? Share your thoughts below.

Sneaking extra people into the hostel? / Photo: superciliciousness / Feature photo: jungleboy

I was at the local curry shop near my office to grab some butter chicken and naan to go. Their lunch time special offered students a $1 discount.

At the cashier, the petite Indian girl asked me if I was a student. “Yes,” I replied.

Now, I am about as far away as student as you can get. There I was, 33 years old, dressed in pin striped slacks, brown dress shoes, and a collared button down (with silver cuff links no less). I was clearly lying.

Didn’t matter anyhow — she asked for my student ID and I had to back out of my master plan. “I don’t have it with me,” I said, as she rung up the regular price.

I felt somewhat ashamed. Up to now I have no idea why I even said yes. It might have been traveler’s instinct.

This got me to thinking about the ethics of travelers and our schemes to save money while on the road. Hard-bargaining aside, there is a plethora of dollar-saving tricks that are out there, and many travelers use them without a second thought.

1. Student discounts

Bypass admission? / Photo: jungleboy

This is a popular one. Almost every attraction around the world offers students of accredited schools a student discount. I have it on good authority that it is possible to acquire false student IDs to take advantage of this practice.

Maybe more common is the use of an expired card. I have never owned or used one myself, but I can say I’ve claimed student status to save a few Euros.

2. Act like a local

Some countries have two-tiered pricing for attractions, which means it’s one price for citizens and an extravagant price for foreigners. In Russia, a visitor can expect to pay anywhere from two to ten times the local’s entrance fee.

The museum island of Kizhi is a tiny piece of land on Lake Onega. Once on the island, you must pay to wander around the fascinating wooden structures.

As an experiment, my wife sauntered up to the window and, in her best Russian, simply said dva (Russian for two). A silent exchange of tickets and rubles was then made. She passed the test.

We paid 1/5 what we should have. (I would have done this myself, but her German heritage was a safer bet than my Filipino background to pass as a Russian.)

3. Bypassing admission checkpoints

Word of mouth among the traveler’s circuit is a great way to spread information. You learn all sorts of things that aren’t in a guidebook.

Money saving secrets? / Photo: retrotraveler

In a cafe in Lijiang, China, while thumbing through a visitor’s diary, most entries were about the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek, which we were about to embark on. One entry caught our eye. It was a tip to save money.

The gateway town to the start of the hike is Qiaotou. As you enter the gorge you must pass through a checkpoint where a fee is collected. The tip in the diary was this:

In Qiaotou, get a taxi to take you to Jane’s Guesthouse, which is just past the checkpoint. If you and the taxi driver play it right, the guard won’t know you’re in there and hence, no fee.

We decided to give this a try. Upon our arrival we found a driver who understood what we wanted – it was clear this is a common tactic. He got us to duck down in the back as we drove through the checkpoint undetected. (An alternative to this is to go very early before the guard starts his shift.)

4. Free rides on the Eurail and other public transit

I’m not sure if this has changed at all, but when I bought a 10-trip pass back in 2004, to validate the trip all you had to do was write the date in one of the boxes on the pass. I’ve heard through the grapevine that there are some travelers who use pencil and then erase and reuse. (Or they don’t validate the ticket at all).

This also applies to other transit systems around the world. It’s a risk getting caught, but if you don’t speak the local language, the frustration experienced by the transit worker trying to book you usuallys mean you get off scot-free.

5. “Surprise” guests

A way to save money on accommodation is to spread the costs across a lot of people. Makes perfect sense. But what about when you straight up lie and book a room for two of you, then sneak three others in under the cloak of night?

Or, what about sneaking guests into your hostel and sharing a bunk with them?

6. The faux complaint

There are those who invent complaints about service in order to get upgrades or freebies. Our own Julie Schwietert even followed someone’s Twitter that shamed an airline. The person ended up with a seat upgrade and, later, a free flight, by unleashing a stream of real-time bitching about the company’s service.

The question of right and wrong

There are 1001 more ways out there that travelers can (and do) use to scrimp on some dough. While my wife and I have never considered ourselves overtly devious, at times we have taken advantage when the situation presented itself.

I would say there is a line to be drawn. Not a black and white Sharpie fine line, but a blurry, wavy, grey line that is dependent on the circumstance.

Have you ever misrepresented yourself in order to save money? And have you ever thought about its ethical and moral implications? Share your thoughts below!

Photo: One Man’s Perspective

We all need a little help reframing a situation once in a while.

Coming across Jonathan Mead’s article Seven Productivity Tips For People That Hate GTD (Getting Things Done) over at ZenHabits.net did this for me on a day where it felt like nothing I started was getting done.

His reminders include “Define Your Daily Ass-Kicking” – as in having a larger vision or goal that you are working toward and defining your reason for having this goal.

Also, he notes, “Allow Yourself To Suck,” which I always think is a good thing, ’cause man, does it take the pressure off and actually allow you to create.

I started to ponder how these great tips could be geared toward traveling. If they work in our work life, can’t they work in our travel life? Plus, as most of you know, traveling can sometimes become like a job anyway.

Here’s what I came up with based of off Mead’s seven tips:

1. Create a “to stop” list.

Mead says:

If you’re not getting the results you want, chances are you don’t care much about the things you’re doing. The best way to change this is to create a “To-Stop” list.

How many times have we set our agenda in stone either before we’ve even boarded the plane, or scour the Lonely Planet in our tent the night before a big day out, so that we will cover all the “important” spots during our trip?

Don’t get me wrong, planning is a great thing in order to have a point of reference in an unknown area, but if you aren’t enjoying those “must-see” places, cut out. It’s not worth wasting your time, money, or energy.

Piazzale Michelangelo/Photo: Eugenia_y_Julian

2. Focus on short bursts.

You’ve only got a weekend to spend in Florence.

You want to be able to visit the Duomo, the Uffizi, Accademia, Ponte Vecchio, Bobili Gardens, get at least 6 servings of stratiacella gelato and 4 pieces of tiramusa, buy a leather coat, drink at a hidden-away bar until 2am and then head to the club, and take a day trip to San Gimignano.

Guess what? NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

Plus, would you have any fun if you did all of that? Give your full attention to the museum that you are currently bustling through to make it to the next museum, and then give your full attention to a bottle of Chianti, looking at the city from above at Piazzale Michelangelo.

3. Define your daily “ass-kicking.”

What is the overall purpose of your travel escapades? To have fun? To learn about a new culture/s? To get the hell away from your family or friends, or as was the case during the Bush presidency, your government?

Whatever your personal purpose is for exploring unknown territory, remind yourself of it every day. It’ll get you through hassling with border officials, peeing on the floor of the woman’s bathroom next to the prostitutes, and being stuck for a week in Tasmania with the meanest Aussie tour guide EVER.

Photo:littledan77

4. Allow yourself to suck.

Yes, my favorite recommendation.

Each of us sucks sometimes. Everyone we travel with sucks sometimes.

This tip can be used two-fold: allow yourself to suck in the way that you to try every single thing you are moderately inclined, but deathly afraid, to do, even if you think you might fail miserably at it, and allow yourself to suck occasionally as a friend, mate, or travel companion.

You will anyway, so why fight it? It’ll only last longer that way.

5. Focus on the three C’s.

Mead’s three C’s are Create, Connect, and Consume. The key is to balance these three actions, and what better time than when we are traveling?

We have to create a way to get where we want to go, connect with the people of the place once we get there, and consume/purchase local foods and goods.

Consciously choosing where your money goes (will it benefit the people directly or a corporate/government entity?) from start to finish of a trip can help with this balancing act.

6. Stop caring about things that don’t matter.

That annoying habit of your travel buddy where he makes you ask all the questions no matter what country you are in, but then laughs at you when the locals don’t understand? Waiting for three hours in the bed of a pickup truck while six locals stare at a tire and debate the easiest way to fix the hole that was just “fixed” 10 km ago?

Not worth the energy of irritation.

And if it is, say something kindly to the person so you can get it off your chest and move on.

7. Make it stupidly simple.

Mead states, “If you’re struggling to make headway on the stuff you really care about, maybe you’re making it too complicated.” If you are struggling to get somewhere faster, get a better deal, not get taken advantage of, maybe you are making it too complicated.

Sit back, look at the situation from a different perspective, and then move forward.

Don’t miss: 5 Steps To Save Money Like The Buddha

What are some other tips on how to be a good traveler through a Zen approach? Share your thoughts below.

Feature photo by La Chiquita. Photo above by jonathan mcintosh.

It is a glorious Mexican morning. The sun is blaring down on bougainvilleas, you’re sipping a cup of coffee and strolling down a lazy cobblestone street…and then suddenly,

“Chhh, chhhhh!!! Hey, baby!!” A whistle and a wave from a passing truck remind you that you are in Latin America, machismo capital of the world.

At first, when I was traveling through South America, this was a novelty. Then it was one of those half amusing, half maddening nuances that are the very definition of “cultural differences.”

Now, it is simply infuriating.

Photo by ledpup.

I’ve heard the refrains many times: “It’s a compliment, a form of flattery,” or “It’s a cultural thing; you know, it goes back to the old days of gentlemen and romance,” and at first, I could buy it.

Now, however, with an awareness of the deeply embedded sexism in many Latin American societies, I don’t buy it any longer.

It is not flattery or romance, but rather domination, a male power trip, and one that echoes other male power trips with much more serious consequences than a pissed-off gringa tossing her mango at a passing truck.

The most serious of these consequences is rape.

Human Rights Watch women’s rights advocacy director Marianne Mollmann has stated that there are around one million rapes in Mexico per year.

Veronica Cruz, director of Las Libres, an organization that helps women who have been raped to get abortions, sums up the attitude of many Mexican men (and authorities) towards rape:

“They say the women invited the rape, that they’re easy. They say, it’s how you were dressed. They ask, did you like him or not? In Mexico, women are treated as sexual objects, not people. If a woman is walking alone in the street, anyone can insult her or touch her body.”

Perhaps most shockingly, in many Mexican states a girl under the age of 18 must prove she is “chaste and pure” in order to accuse someone of statutory rape. Such laws are indicative of what scholars describe as “marianismo”: the flip side of the machismo coin.

Marianismo refers to the idea that while men are tough and dominant protectors, women are virginal mothers. According to marianismo, the ideal woman should be a replica of the Virgin Mary.

Machismo and marianismo can not only lead to disturbing attitudes towards rape, but also to sexual, emotional, and physical abuse at home, and to the treatment of women as second-class citizens.

So how does this affect you, the traveler, walking down the street somewhere in Latin America? And what should you do when confronted with it?

The following are ideas for confronting machismo both in the immediate and physical sense (waiting for the bus, going for a walk) and in the more long-term, political and psychological sense (working to help local women gain rights and respect.)

Photo by furnstein.

Do not react

If or when you are harassed, do not shout or noticeably respond unless you feel you are in physical danger. I know firsthand how difficult this is, and I also know firsthand how grave the consequences can be.

I was punched in the face by a man after shouting back to him when he followed me down the street. I called the police; they came, and did nothing. The neighbors told me to stop “making problems.”

Men will still harass women who are walking with other men, and in this case responding can lead to harsh physical violence. As much as I hate to tell women to silence themselves, you should ignore any taunting for safety reasons unless you feel seriously threatened, in which case you should try to get as far away from the harasser as possible.

Also, as often as not men are trying to get a rise out of you, and will get a kick (to a certain point) out of your anger. It will only prove to them that they’ve dominated you. 90% of the time, ignoring them is enough to make them go away.

Not reacting also includes not smiling! Please, for the sake of women in Latin America, do not give the impression that this type of behavior is okay or is an acceptable way to interact with women.

Talk with local men and women about the issue

The benefit of being an outsider in a culture is that you can draw attention to cultural particularities both good and bad, and locals can get a glimpse of their culture through you.

In this case, having discussions with locals about how you feel and think about machismo can be enough to get people to realize that it is not something unchangeable or inherent, and that it can have widespread consequences.

You don’t have to go ranting and railing (as I sometimes admittedly do) unless you’re with a group of friends who aren’t going to be offended by you.

Mix up talk of machismo with talk of the things you really like about a place. Latin America has so many wonderful aspects-touch on them, but nudge concerns about women and machismo into the conversation as well.

Photo by lynnefeatherstone.

Volunteer with local women’s groups

There are excellent organizations throughout Latin America fighting for women’s rights and empowerment. Before traveling, check out idealist.org for volunteer opportunities, and don’t forget to take a glance at Matador’s Change site, which offers profiles of hundreds of non-profit organizations.

Set an example

Take pride in traveling as a woman. Avoid the advice to lie about a hubby back home (unless you’re in a really uncomfortable situation) and tell it like it is: “I’m traveling alone, and I like it that way.”

And even if you’re traveling with a companion, celebrate the strength it takes to travel and the way traveling can break you free of more traditional female roles.

Sometimes just the sight of me heaving my monster backpack onto my back at the bus station was enough to make groups of people gather in Peru. Hopefully, the thought flashed through one of their heads–”Damn, that woman has guts!”

Stand up for women’s rights!

This means not only supporting local women abroad-buying from women’s cooperatives, working with groups that empower women, making the case for women’s equality-but defending the rights of women everywhere.

Sadly enough, it took two years of living in Latin America to make me wake up and realize that women deal with unequal treatment at home, too, and that I’ve taken my independence and opportunities for granted.

Writing about women’s lives and rights, supporting women’s organizations, and acting as a strong, bold example of everything a woman can do (hike Patagonia! Cook! Learn 10 languages! Farm!) are all ways to counteract machismo.

Don’t let this article dissuade you from visiting Latin America. There’s a reason I seem to keep coming back here-the people are full of vibrancy and light, the landscapes will knock you out, the food is heaven.

But be prepared for that sudden shout from the back of a truck, for the hiss and the whistle—and when you feel that rush of indignation, use it to fight for change.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

Traveling alone as a woman has unique challenges in most (if not all) of the world. Read up on these Reflections from a Female Solo Traveler and join in the discussion! How do you handle harassment on your travels?

Cycling in Vietnam / Photo Shoot Into The Sun

It was eerily similar to swimming.

Water gushed through my helmet, down my hood, and into my face. My gloves and shorts were saturated, weighted sponges clutching my skin. Peeking out from worn sandals, my toes lapped up street water with each pedal stroke.

Faces plastered against the windows of passing cars to gawk at the cyclist, his bike laden with panniers, pushing through the downpour into downtown Moncton, New Brunswick.

Somewhere within this surreal montage, I lost the mental battle I’d been waging during the past three days of rain-soaked riding. The thought I’d been struggling to ignore-suppress, really-was now inescapable:

It was time to retreat. I was ready to go home.

The Unthinkable

How much do we give up for the chance to travel?

We stretch our paychecks, take time off work, spend every free moment planning or daydreaming and separate ourselves from our family and friends.

All this in eager anticipation of filling our days, weeks, months, or years on the road with potent experiences, discovering firsthand cultures and landscapes we could otherwise only imagine.

Considering this, then, it seems inconceivable that we would cut our travels short. It’s the last thing we’d ever want to do.

What in the world could even cause such an unthinkable thing to happen?

The Rationale

In reality, most travelers have faced circumstances that forced them to reevaluate, reshuffle, and inevitably retreat. Some cases are straightforward-you lose your passport, contract dengue fever, or learn of a family emergency back home.

Handlebars / Photo Faster Panda Kill Kill

Others are less cut-and-dry. Perhaps you’re having second thoughts about spending the money required to continue. Or maybe an aspect of your trip has contrasted wildly with your expectations.

And then there’s the one no traveler wants to admit to themselves-the journey has somehow ceased being fun.

Back in New Brunswick, I’d ridden through one too many rainy day, the scenery had grown dull, and work was piling up at home. Climbing on the bike each morning had become a chore, not a privilege. The idea of finishing the last week of my tour around Atlantic Canada felt forced, insincere and burdensome.

All the factors were in place. I knew it was the right decision. But still, I winced as I boarded the bus for the six-hour ride home…six hours with my face plastered against the window.

The Doubt

Was quitting really the right decision? Sitting that night at a familiar desk in a familiar apartment in a familiar town, my mind wouldn’t let the question go.

Despite the logic stacked up in my favor, I couldn’t shake the feeling of loss and guilt-the feeling of being a quitter.

What unimaginable and spectacular sights would I have seen, what people met and emotions experienced, had I pressed on? What did it say about me as a traveler-a person, even-that I didn’t finish what I set out to do?

Had I fallen from the ranks of the true globetrotters? Was I ever among them to begin with?

Resolution

Different strategies helped me cope with these nagging doubts. Compiling my photographs of the trip for possible future publication.

Reveling in the extra time I now had to fully overhaul my trusty bicycle. Planning for my next spate of travel, which happened to be just a few weeks away.

But within all of this, there was one central realization that emerged: Travel is supposed to be fun.

It is not a proving ground for membership in some elite club, not a competition to determine who can last longest or set eyes on the most destinations.

Travel is inspirational, rewarding, and fun. When it loses these qualities, the traveler in turn loses their purpose for being on the road.

All good journeys have their rough patches, those pivotal moments that make you question your plans-and yourself. But experienced travelers know the difference between a character-building bump in the road and the signal to throw in the towel.

They know when it’s better to retreat, to travel another day.

Community Connection!

Author Hal Amen isn’t the only Matador contributor to abandon a bike ride in New Brunswick. Matador editor Tim Patterson rode from Montreal to Acadia in the fall of 2007, but gave up in Bathurst, New Brunswick and took the train home. Here’s his quitting blog: “The Blue Side Of Lonely”

The Tashkent post office / Photo Daniel Noll

As travelers, we have all visited post offices abroad.

We rarely relish these visits and often avoid them until the last possible moment. However, the post office provides an unusual opportunity for cultural observation and comparison.

From almost being arrested in Kazakhstan to almost being trampled in India, I’ve had my share of post office adventures (usually mailing DVD backups of photos and videos) over the last 18 months on the road.

Twenty-five countries and countless postal queues later, here are five cultural characteristics I’ve observed during all that waiting.

1. Spirit of Entrepreneurship

Culture, education, society, economy, and government all play a role in shaping the entrepreneurial spirit of its populace.

Ironically, some of the most entrepreneurial places I have visited are communist (Vietnam and Cuba come to mind).

In Hoi An, Vietnam, tourists flock to the tailor shops. After their shopping sprees, dazed tourists lugging large bags of custom-tailored clothes are greeted by poised post office employees who, for a small fee, craft the perfect packaging from tape and makeshift boxes.

Compare this with Tashkent, Uzbekistan where our friend emptied the contents of his bag on the counter in order to have it packed and shipped. To each of his “Eto mozno?” (Is it possible?) queries, he received a defiant “Nyet” (No).

Are postal employees creative in solving unusual requests? Is there a resourcefulness in getting things done? If so, that’s a sure sign the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well.

2. Rules: Meant to be Broken?

Post office Phnom Penh / Photo sugarmelon.com

How do people view rules? Are they meant to be broken, or at least bent? Or are they blindly adhered to? The answers will tell you how society views government and authority.

Chinese society believes in the value of rules and authority to maintain order and harmony. For example, at a post office in Kunming, China, I noticed all the indicators of an international postal service, including a box and a sign that read “International Service.”

It turned out, however, that this location wasn’t the official international post office for foreigners. The postal employees reacted indignantly as I pleaded to mail my package anyway…against the rules.

In contrast, a postal employee in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan actually enlisted our help to break the rules.

She explained that since it is illegal to mail cigarettes, the customer next to us needed something inconspicuous in English to complete her customs slip. Wouldn’t we help her?

During the era of the Soviet Union, people survived by using rules to their advantage and circumventing them when they found them inconvenient. Much of this attitude towards authority and rules survives today in the newly independent states.

3. Relationship with Technology

Like entrepreneurship, some cultures embrace technology and change. Others avoid it in favour of using the past to guide their future. A quick look around a post office will tell you about the country’s relationship with technology.

Singapore’s endless delivery options and extensive computerization exhibits one side of the spectrum, while Uzbekistan’s use of the abacus marks the other.

While Tashkent’s post office did have computers (with some even turned on), the abacus was still king. Additionally, our Uzbek package was wrapped in a hand-sewn burlap bag and secured with dark red wax seals that nostalgically recalled another age.

4. Personal Space

Post office, India / Photo Nice Logo

Each culture has its unspoken rules about personal space. Nowhere is this clearer than in a post office queue.

Having spent over one year in Asia, I thought I had adjusted to the Asian sense of personal space. Still, my visits to post offices in India felt like endurance sport: people stood so close to me I could barely breathe.

Meanwhile, oodles of empty space behind them remained unoccupied. In contrast, the Austrian’s queue in spatious rows that can scarcely be called lines.

5. Paranoia and Big Brother

Wonder whether Big Brother is watching? Having a gut feeling of unease?

Here’s a paranoia litmus test: take a photograph inside the post office. (Note: Do not try this when a “no photos” sign is clearly posted. I don’t want any arrests on my head.)

When my husband photographed a series of elementary-school drawings at the main post office in Almaty, Kazakhstan, several plain-clothed policemen approached and questioned him in Russian: “Are you a journalist? Why are you doing this? You know, we don’t take photos here in our country…in Kazakhstan.”

He was eventually released without a fine, but we were cautious each time we brought out our camera afterwards.

A week later in Bishkek, Krygyzstan, postal workers laughed when we asked permission to photograph the mosaic hanging above their heads. “Of course, why wouldn’t it be allowed?”

The Upshot

Post offices are an unusual study in sociology and culture. Next time you happen to be waiting in line to mail that postcard, keep your eyes open and you’ll be surprised how effectively your postal experience illuminates the place you’re visiting.

Have you had any culturally memorable experiences in a foreign post office? Share in the comments!

The writing on the wall / Photo Daquella Manera

You’re walking down a city street. It’s late, and you just want to get to the subway station and get back to your hostel for the night.

Suddenly, a man bumps against you, reeking of beer. Seeing you’re a tourist, he asks where you’re from and enthusiastically offers a handshake.

He pulls you closer to him during the handshake and, being drunk, stumbles and leans against you in a momentary lapse of balance. He then apologizes and walks away.

Did you see when he reached into your pocket and took your wallet?

In my travels around Europe and Asia, I’ve almost been pick-pocketed, scammed, and was even once, in Beijing, held at knife point.

These incidents were what motivated me to get more familiar with the underground trade. If I was to continue my travels, I was bound to run into more of these people, and my luck would not hold out forever.

I decided to learn the skills of a pick-pocket. Through a friend, I managed to become the student of a magician specializing in prestidigitation (sleight of hand) and pick-pocketing techniques.

The following are my tips to help you better your odds on unfamiliar streets.

For the sake of this article, a “mark” indicates a victim and a “target” indicates an objective, be it a wallet, purse, jewelry or camera.

Your Attire

Avoid creepy alleys / Photo Sir Mildred Pierce

The first thing any pickpocket must master is the ability to determine the location of the target. For ladies, a handbag is the obvious choice, and for men, the inside jacket pocket or back pocket is most common, so try to avoid keeping important things in such places.

The inside jacket pocket, though more difficult to access, bulges easily and is a dead giveaway. Be careful when putting something in the jacket pocket because the weight makes it sway, giving away its location.

Baggy clothes are good for concealing lumps and bumps. Try to keep these in mind when picking your attire for a trip or a night out.

Use a Satchel

Many travelers use backpacks, especially when touring around Europe. But backpacks are super easy to access.

I recommend using a light satchel instead. A satchel is easier to be aware of, because you can position it to the side or in front of you.

Satchels are lightweight and packable; I usually pack one into my backpack and use it as a day-bag while I’m exploring, leaving my big pack in the hotel or in a locker.

Keep a thin card in your pockets

The most common pick is done by lifting the lining of the pocket to bring the target to the hand; this is called “reefing”.

Reefing keeps contact to a minimum and makes a much quicker retreat possible. Putting a semi-rigid card (a name card or a tag does nicely) in the pocket can obstruct the lift, giving you more time to notice the pick before they get away.

Walk with purpose

When traveling, it’s common to slow down and take in all the sights. You’ll want to linger in places and take your time.

While enjoyable, meandering makes you stand out to pickpockets. An easy way to solve this is by walking with purpose. Even if you don’t have a destination in mind, act like you know where you’re going – this makes you a less desirable target.

Be especially careful to walk purposefully when in a popular tourist location.

Shake Hands With Caution

Locals are often hospitable to travelers – sometimes overly so. If a stranger is quick to greet and anxious to get near you, try to keep a hand on your belongings. A theft often starts with a handshake that lasts too long, which allows the thief closer access to you.

Don’t judge by appearances

One of the most common tricks pickpockets use is to wear a uniform to gain trust. In Asian countries especially, pickpockets may dress up as police officers and become real friendly with tourists while an associate makes the lift.

Be mindful of these confrontations. Also scrutinize over-friendly children and seniors because they generate much more trust.

Confrontation

Please take this last piece of advice with a whole pile of salt because I do not want to encourage violence.

Remember that it’s very uncommon for a pickpocket to engage. The are usually unarmed. If you catch a thief in the act, you can choose to confront them directly, or just alert the police as soon as possible.

The example in the beginning of this article was not something I made up. It really happened to me.

I was in London and was heading back to my hostel at night when a man came from behind and greeted me. He acted as if he was drunk and quickly reached for a handshake which I mistakenly accepted.

Of course, he did not let go and immediately got up close and physical against my body, pressing his whole chest against mine to hide his arm that reached behind his back and into my pocket.

I was lucky enough to notice the lift with my peripheral vision. I confronted him, but he denied everything, and immediately another man came out of nowhere and walked behind the original thief, who made a pass.

I then confronted the second man, who eventually took my wallet from his back pocket, flung it down on the street and scurried off. They managed to get a few bills, but nothing large was taken.

My London experience was an extremely lucky stroke. I was defenseless. If the thieves had pulled weapons, I don’t know what I would have done.

Your life isn’t worth your wallet.

Have you been the victim of pickpockets on the road? Share your thoughts/stories in the comments!

Surveying Ulan Bataar / Photo RandomSKK

To explore beyond the well trodden path is the independent traveler’s ideal. It’s what separates the tourist from the traveler, the superficial happy snapper from the serious journey of discovery and all that.

But is getting ‘off the beaten track’ really the best thing to do?

I began to question this assumption after a recent trip to Mongolia. My experience left me with the feeling that sometimes, in certain countries, it’s best to stick to the well worn tourist paths.

My partner and I had a few days spare, and wanted to get out of the capital, Ulan Bataar. We had a few popular destinations in mind, but were unable to get flight tickets.

We returned to the map, and noticed the train tracks. There wasn’t any information about the two main cities on the track, but we figured this would add to the adventure.

All we knew for sure was that there was a monastery located near Darkhan. We’d be intrepid, potentially trail glazing, take a train up to the border, and see if we could get out to the monastery somehow.

Challenging Train

Later that day we found ourselves sitting in the train as it gradually filled up.

The first challenge was to get a train compartment that didn’t contain any creepy drunk men. Traveling as two girls, this is one of the biggest fears.

We felt relieved when we were joined by our cabin companion – an elderly Russian lady. She sat down, showed us a warm smile, and said a few words before she realized we spoke no Russian.

She lay down for a nap, and we also began reclining, feeling relaxed about the coming overnight trip to our mystery location.

Then our final companion arrived. First he stood at the doorway staring at us and muttering in broken slurred English. Then he entered the cabin and spent the rest of the night rotating between staring at us, asking us random questions, and yelling at people.

In this situation, The Lonely Planet guide suggests it’s best to ask the train staff to be moved to a different carriage. But what about the situation where the troublesome drunk males are in fact employees of the train?

Needless to say, we didn’t get much sleep.

City Of Dust

The next morning, we emerged in Darkhan. It was blisteringly hot, and we were hungry. My partner was a vegan, who for the necessity of eating anything at all, had compromised down to a very strict vegetarian.

Forgotten, dusty city / Photo Terminal Nomad

Finding vegetarian food in the capital of Mongolia is hard enough. Outside, it’s virtually impossible. The combination of this and language barrier can lead to temporary starvation.

On our walk around the empty streets we bumped into a tourism student, who was eager to practiced his English with us. With nothing better to do, we obliged, and asked him to point us in the direction of anywhere we could hire a jeep to see the monastery.

He responded by saying “Actually, there is no tourism in Durkhan.”

Not only was there no tourism in Darkhan, there was also nothing vaguely interesting. We decided to head back to the train station and get the next train out.

By this stage we felt defeated enough, and looking forward to getting back to Ulan Bataar. It was on the walk back to the train station that the dust storm hit.

I’ve never had such a strange sensation, or dust gradually covering my body, and finding its way deep into my ears, possibly never coming out. Unable to open our eyes, we wandered awkwardly around the streets, directed by the yelling voices of passing locals who apparently had better methods of dealing with the dust storm.

We desperately took shelter under some trees, before finally making it back to the station, where people stared as we emptied the dust from our shoes.

Lessons Learned

We had a four hour wait. I bought what looked like a delicious pastry. I took a bite, to reveal some kind of mutton sausage.

Some stray dog were fighting. Some drunk men were fighting even louder. Finally the train rolled up and we happily jumped on, vowing never to speak of the excursion again.

Apart from confirming my dislike of mutton, there are at least two things I learnt from this misadventure.

Firstly, some places that are off the tourist radar exist in their obscurity for a reason. While I’ve had lucky experiences of finding gems through taking risks, other times it’s obvious why no guide book ever mentioned the town you decided to explore.

Secondly, being the only foreigners in town can sometimes be a stimulating experience. It can also increase vulnerability, compromise safety and just be plain awkward.

In these foreign lands, where “off the beaten path” is quite literal, it may be better to swallow your backpackers pride, and stick to more frequented destinations.

It may not be your usual style, but you may end up having a better time.

Have you had unique experiences off the beaten path? Share your stories in the comments!

Schapelle Corby aka The Ganja Queen / Photo Jason South

In 2000 a Canadian citizen, Nguyen Thi Hiep, was executed in Vietnam by firing squad. He was caught with five kilos of heroin in 1996.

In 2005 a Singapore/Australian citizen, Nguyen Tuong Van, age 25, was hung in Singapore for drug smuggling. Kevin John Barlow and Brian Geoffrey Chambers were hung in 1986 by Malaysian officials for drug trafficking.

Michael McAuliffe was hung in Malaysia in 1993 after serving eight years in jail for heroin trafficking.

In many countries the possession of drugs imposes tough penalties including death and life imprisonment.

Asian countries that have death penalty for drug trafficking: Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Laos, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. The only other country is the world that has this penalty for large qualities is the United States.

These facts are enough to scare you into rethinking about drugs and traveling. But what if you end up wrongly convicted of a crime you didn’t commit?

The Setup

In Thailand there are dealers that have agreements with the police to inform when foreigners purchase drugs. In exchange they are allowed to continue dealing with no trouble.

Backpackers Judith Payne and James Gilligan both from England faced six years in jail for possessing half a kilo of dope. They were released from the Bangkok Hilton on bail on February 24, 2000 and made a daring escape through the jungle to flee the Thailand drug rap and crossed the border into Malaysia.

Judith had just met James (who admitted to having the drugs) the day of the raid and was charged for them being in her room.

Even coming in contact with drugs or smoking a joint in another country and then crossing the border can also land you in trouble. If your skin, clothes or bags swab with any residue you will be tested and questioned.

If drugs are found in your system you will more than likely be kept from entering the country and sent back from where you came.

What You Can Do:

The most important tip, of course, is not to knowingly cross a border with drugs. But how to avoid having drugs planted on you or your bags? Here are 5 ways you can protect yourself:

1. Lock your bag against tampering.

2. Don’t leave bags unattended.

In a few recorded cases, travelers were unaware someone had placed an item into their baggage. There are even some examples of baggage handlers from one country placing the drug into the bags, then in your destination country they take it out – or they are suppose to.

3. Don’t leave your bags in the care of anyone, even people you think you know.

An Irish woman is in a jail in Africa for coming to the rescue of a fellow church member that claimed he was having visa problems. He had sewed cocaine into the lining of a bag that he bought her.

No matter how well you know someone, it’s not worth testing that trust by having them watch your bags.

4. Never carry anything belonging to someone else in or out of a country.

Traveller Michael Loic Blanc of France is serving life in Bali for smuggling 3.8 kilos of hashish through Ngurah Rai Airport, Denpasar. He was holding a bag for a friend he met in Bali. He was a adventurer, always working his way around the world to learn and explore. Unfortunately, he made a mistake.

Backpacker Daisy Angus of England was sentenced to ten years in Mumbai, India jail for possessing and attempting to smuggle ten kilos of cannabis out of the country. She was arrested in 2002, spent four years in prison waiting for sentencing, then the case was overturned and she was released April 8, 2007.

She was doing a favour for a friend in holding a bag that she didn’t know what it contained.

5. Ensure that the medications you are bringing into the country are not illegal by contacting the embassy of the country you are traveling to before departure.

Just because your prescription may be legal in your own country, may not mean it’s allowed into another. If you’re at all unsure, it’s best to check before you’re being questioned about your heart medication in a back room of a foreign airport.

Further Resources

If stories don’t frighten you into thinking twice, watch the movie, “Midnight Express“. It shows pretty accurately the kind of conditions imposed throughout Southeast Asia for drug offenses.

Books not for the faint-hearted that will leave an impression:

• The Last Executioner is the story of Chavoret Janiboon who was personally responsible for executing 55 prison inmates in the Bangkok Hilton.
• Hell In Barbados is the story of Terrance Donaldson’s struggle with a drug addiction and how he landed in Glendair Prison of the Caribbean.
• Welcome to Hell is the autobiography of Irishman Colin Martin’s struggle inside the Bangkok Hilton.
• The Damage Done and 4000 Days are both written by Australian Warren Fellows telling of his twelve years inside some of Thailand’s prisons.

Your trip is all about the freedom of the road and traveling to your heart’s content. Don’t get so relaxed that you fail to guard for dangers on the road.

Do you have any further tips for avoiding arrest for drug possession? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo by carf

A traveler walks down the red-light district of Manila City, Philippines. Carrying a backpack, a distressed expression and a pack of eager street children at his heels, he is left at a crossroads — to give or not to give?

Some yield to the desperate pleas, guilt ridden for the clean beds they know are waiting for them; others stare into space, hoping that their polite dismissal really is for the best.

This is not an uncommon sight in countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, Brazil and India, wherein the divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots” is extreme. Though poverty is a global issue, the evidence of such despair is most blatantly displayed in developing nations.

There is no avoiding a child’s eyes looking up at you, an amputee holding out an empty McDonald’s cup or a mother and infant sitting in the blazing heat hoping to look “pathetic” enough to warrant the charity of a few coins.

It is an anxiety-ridden dilemma.

Knowing that these kids have not only been damaged by their homeless state, but also by the constant sexual, physical and emotional abuse, makes saying “no” a tortuous task. However, handing out a few coins results in sense of helplessness as this donation often goes to their “beggar masters,” drugs or to parents who often spend it on alcohol or illegal substances.

Therefore, how can travelers help when money is clearly not the answer? Here’s 10 things you can do:

1. Volunteer

Even if you’re not part of the Peace Corps or United Planet Quest, does not mean that you can’t reach out.

Aside from volunteer vacation programs such as Global Volunteers, you can do your part, even for just a day, with a legitimate agency. There are several directories of international outreach opportunities online, such as Idealist.org, Eyesong.org and Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree forum on volunteerism.

If you are interested in a more direct method, then head over to the local church, mosque, temple and ask if they need any help or know any local programs or schools where you can take part.

You can also peruse the internet and search for community organizations such as Hands on Manila in the Philippines, Asha.org in India or Streetfriends.org in Cambodia.

2. Give A Moment

The simplest and the most valuable thing you can give to a child is time. Rather than brushing them off to make your way to the next tourist site, spend some time to ask them their names, what they like to do, or their favorite games.

Traveler, writer and co-founder of the Ethical Traveler, Jeff Greenwald stated in an interview with the Globe and Mail that “Generosity doesn’t have to mean giving away things. Sharing a bit of yourself, opening a window into your own world, is a good place to begin.”

3. Eat Together

Photo by carf

If you’ve made a connection with a particular child, dining together is a great way to spend time with someone whilst letting them enjoy a warm meal. Try to eat together in one of the local eateries rather than a fast food chain.

Not only will it be healthier but it will also let the child feel more secure knowing that you are interested in his or her country and culture. However, remain cautious when extending the invitiation, as one may end up meaning that you’re taking the entire community out for a treat.

4. Share Your World

Giving things such as pens, candies or clothes may seem like a great alternative, but it often leads to a whole slew of problems.

Not only does it breed materialism, it also promotes unhealthy competition and makes them view begging as a “fun” possibility. Rather than learning anything from travelers, children come to view foreigners as gift dispensers.

Author and vagabonder Jeff Greenwald states in Straight.com that it becomes like “trick-or-treating” for the kids. Louis, a traveler from Ottawa says on the Journeywoman.com board that handing out pens and balloons often causes fights, pollution and “gets children used to systematically ask for things.”

In Jeff Greenwald’s article “A Fistful of Rupees: Coping with Begging on Third World Trails” he recounts an experience with some kids from Delhi and the power of an inflatable globe:

“Cornered by a troupe of 10-year-old beggars in Delhi, I pulled out a small, inflatable world globe. What started as a feeding frenzy quickly became a geography lesson. The kids immediately began matching bits of news they’d heard on the radio – about Russia, Japan and the U.S. – to the appropriate countries, and argued heatedly about why India was pink and Pakistan blue.”

5. Play With Pictures

Another great tool is your digital camera. Kids love to ham it up and in my experience, they will often burst into excited shrieks and start making funny faces, flashing “peace signs” or doing group photo ops. If you can, show them the results, and guaranteed you’ll have a ton of kids squealing with excitement and eager to do another round of wacky poses.

6. Feel the Music

If you’re musically inclined (or in denial of being tone-deaf), try singing a few lines of a global pop song like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” More often than not, you’ll have kid’s belting out the lyrics with an accompanying “moonwalk.”

7. Create a Picture

If you want to leave a part of yourself behind, then how about a postcard of your hometown or a drawing of cities you’ve visited? Not only will you be sharing a part of where you’re from or where you’ve been, but it also provides a great image of the world beyond the slums. You can make it even more personal by writing a few words or do a group drawing session on the postcard.

8. Teach Each Other

Even if you’re not the artistic type, getting the kids involved in a spontaneous ‘arts and crafts’ session is a great way to get their creative juices flowing.

Small projects such as showing them some cool Origami techniques (or paper airplanes) or making simple bracelets with some string will be a mutually inspiring activity. If you’d like to do something more in-depth, you can also check out an charity organizations that specialize in this field.

9. Learn Local Slang

Have the children teach you some of the local lingo. In turn, share some funny phrases in your language. This method beats any phrase book you can buy, as you’ll be learning the key phrases to getting around the city. In turn you’ll gain a few friends and make them feel like they’ve done something special.

10. Donate To Local Orgs

Just because the jingling coins in your pocket are rendered useless on the street, remember that there are still ways to shell out those pennies without the guilt.

You can head over to the local schools or organizations and donate books, coloring materials and other learning paraphernalia.

Do some internet sleuthing and find out how you can help out when you return home. A great read is Emma Jacobs article on helping the locals you leave behind.

Though there aren’t any clear cut answers, recognizing that poverty is a global issue and that children all over the world deserve a future is the first step in the right direction. As Dr. Loretta Scott famously said: “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”

Do you have advice on helping street children? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo by soundfromwayout

Have you ever noticed how some people come back from their travels full of tales of wonderful, serendipitous experiences?

Stories of how they were dragged off the street to an amazing wedding banquet, or swam with dolphins – for free, or ran into the Dalai Lama and had a brief chat about the meaning of life.

Are these people naturally lucky or are they doing something to attract all these amazing experiences?

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “Shallow people believe in luck… strong people believe in cause and effect.”

I’ve studied the character traits of these individuals. If you want to get lucky on your travels, you might want to try the following suggestions.

Travel with the right attitude

Some people travel with a closed mind. They harbour fear, suspicion and a reluctance to really open up and live the culture they’re experiencing.

These people will turn down an invitation to attend a local family celebration. They’ll turn down an invitation from another traveler to accompany him on a mini adventure. They’ll turn down the opportunity to see new place because they’ve heard it might not be safe.

The “lucky” travelers, on the other hand, learn to be street wise, avoid scams and don’t fall victim of crime due to their own carelessness. They don’t use fear and suspicion as an excuse to avoid all risk when on the road.

A trusting, open-minded attitude is the key to making the most of chance encounters, interactions and invitations.

Be flexible

Don’t miss out on serendipity because you’re racing to catch the next train. We can’t all have the luxury of traveling without schedules, boundaries or commitments, but try and keep as much flexibility in your travel arrangements as you can.

There will be another train, bus or plane (or maybe a sail boat or camel ride) out of there but the Dalai Lama’s path may never cross yours again.

Stockpile some good Karma

No matter what your spiritual beliefs, it’s worth putting some good out there and seeing if it comes back. More often than not, goodness comes back.

Start small. Smile at someone. Offer a positive comment. Give or lend a local or fellow traveler something you possess that they need. Spend some time and effort helping someone.

Share your food, resources and information. Do some good and then sit back and wait for the universe to repay you. Even if it doesn’t, what have you lost?

Roll with the punches

Two travelers can share the same experiences and view them completely differently. Ask a “lucky” traveler if he anything bad has happened to him. Almost without exception he’ll have a few hard luck tales to tell – stories of missed connections, rude officials and (invariably) amoebic dysentery.

If you want to encounter good luck on your travels you’ll have to take a little bad luck too. The trick is to roll with the punches. Treat the bad luck as a passing stranger and focus on the good luck.

Take responsibility for the success of your trip. If you hit a problem, find a solution. If you miss a connection, find something neat to do in the place you’re stuck, even if it’s a no-horse town on the edge of nowhere.

Long trips are like long marriages. To have a great one, you sometimes have to develop a selective memory. Ride out the bad patches in order to get to the good stuff.

Be prepared

Good luck favors those who are prepared to receive it. Before your travels think about what preparations you need to make in order to take all the opportunities that could come your way.

Do you need at least a smattering of the local language? Don’t miss out on unique experience by lacking the ability to communicate with a potential new friend.

And what about your physical fitness? It would be a shame if you had the opportunity to hike into a remote and beautiful mountain range, but didn’t have the physical strength to make the climb.

What are you prepared to encounter on your travels?

Be willing to listen and learn

We all know opportunities for unique travel experiences can’t be found in a guide book.

The lucky chances we encounter when traveling are the result of taking other people’s advice. Often it’s not presented as advice. It’s traveler’s tales, casual suggestions, careless chit-chat around a camp fire or a hostel breakfast table.

We all hear these conversations. Some of us are willing to listen. The luck often comes from being willing to learn.

Keep your ears open, but more importantly keep your mind and heart open. When you hear of another traveler’s amazing experience don’t think in terms of “Wow, he’s so lucky that happened to him,” think “If I did that, maybe something amazing would happen to me.”

Remember that law of cause and effect. Be willing to see things in a new way, to take on a new idea, to jump on that lucky chance when it’s presented to you.

There’s no better way to get lucky.

Do you know these lucky travelers? Or maybe you’re one of them! Share your advice in the comments!

Be wary of flawed logic / Photo Dimitar Marinov

Logic is about staying awake – paying attention to detail to avoid being gulled into false conclusions.

Traveling out of your element raises the risk of erroneous judgment. Though mistakes may take many forms, being aware of proper logic will allow you to learn the concept behind the flaw, and keep alert to when they pop up.

In Part I of the Kung Fu Warrior’s Guide, I discussed foils to a few typical formal fallacies – logical arguments with flawed construction.

Now we turn to informal fallacies.

To illustrate, consider this sketch from Monty Python: a pet store owner tries to distract a customer, who demands refund for the recent purchase of his pet bird. When the owner claims the Norwegian Blue has beautiful plumage, the customer insists the point is irrelevant, as the bird is stone-cold dead and had been nailed to the perch to appear alive.

Informal fallacies are essentially distractions, addressing points having little or nothing to do with the issue at hand.

More varied than formal fallacies, they are perhaps more common – especially in bickering Internet forums, hokey salesmanship and shady politics. Like the uncle who made quarters appear from your ear, informal fallacies misdirect you into thinking something’s true when it isn’t.

Here are 3 types of informal fallacies:

#1: Ad Hominem

Ad hominem (”against the man”) is a biggie. These fallacies are committed by attacking not the statement, but the person making the statement.

“Otto insists travel can be done for practically nothing. That makes him a bum/communist/thief/spoiled rich kid/mooch/all of the above/etc.”

The one has nothing to do with the other. While a conclusion may be inferred by other sources – such as Otto’s fondness for Marxist literature and naming his dog Che – nothing can be deduced from the original statement.

He could just easily be a successful capitalist who’s written a book on budget travel, or a poor kid who’s learned how to get around with less. None of this can be confirmed.

Ad hominem attacks try to render a statement invalid by discrediting the speaker, and are often abusive as well as unsubstantiated.

Here are ten examples:

1. “Obama’s no patriot. He didn’t cover his heart during the National Anthem!” (A tame example, the faulty conclusion stated first.)
2. “What a geezer. McCain’s too old to be president.” (Abusive, not necessarily true).
3. “That guy who cut me off in traffic is a crazy &*%$ who %!$$* his $&!!*© with a rusty %ö$¼&!” (Obnoxious.)
4. “What do you know about explosives? You’re a woman.” (Unwise.)
5. “He supported the invasion of Iraq. I wouldn’t trust him to tell me the sky’s blue.” (Polarizing.)
6. “Man, what a snappy dresser! Surely he’ll give me a good deal on this car!” (An inverse example.)
7. “Hitler was a fan of Nietzsche, so I refuse to read any of his works.” (Guilt by association.)
8. “Travelers are hippy scum!” (Brilliant satire.)
9. “Mom’s an honest, God-fearing woman. When she says Santa’s real…” (Hoo, boy…)
10. “Men!” (Short, tedious and… really doesn’t say a thing, does it?)

Author and antitheist Christopher Hitchens welcomes ad hominem attack as a sign he’s winning, due to lack of reasoned argument. Unfortunately, though, appeal usurps reason in many areas of life, including shooting messengers who correct mistakes.

For example, Al Gore’s correctness about global warming has nothing to do with his politics. While his political leanings may draw his interest to the issue, the argument cannot be undone based solely on his affiliations – only the legitimacy of the scientific data. Period.

EEEEE-yaaa… (Remember, it’s an informal fallacy, so take it easy.)

#2: Ambiguous Statements

A: Here’s a list of the greatest songs of the seventies.
B: Everything on this list sucks. Therefore, these aren’t the greatest songs of the seventies.

Witness a fallacy of ambiguity. What, precisely, is meant by “greatest?” Greatest selling, longest on the charts, most widely recognized, most “mind-blowing“?

In this case, “greatest” isn’t defined, and can only be taken as subjective opinion. Nothing wrong with that – but there’s no ground for argument because taste isn’t something you can prove as true or false. “I like the Beatles” or “Thailand rawwwks!” are preferences, not propositions.

But the issue isn’t in taste – it’s in the uncertain term “greatest.”

A: I rewrote my list. Now, truly, it’s the greatest songs of the seventies.
B: But you forgot The Carpenters. The. Carpenters. You. Dolt.

Still ambiguous (and partially refuted by ad hominem). Note that ambiguity can work to your advantage; some politicians are magicians of double meaning:

“I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” – Bill “Slick Willy” Clinton.

Spot the ambiguity!

Wawwww…

#3: No True Scotsman

Remain vigilant! / Photo Pakhay Oleksandr

John Q. Public sits down to read the morning paper. “Living in Sydney: Expat Tells All.” “Humph,” snorts John Q., “no American would want to leave the greatest country on earth.”

He continues reading about how much the expat enjoys her life abroad as a proud American, and clarifies his statement: “No true American…”

No True Scotsman fallacies are like moving the goalpost. A concept is set up; in this case, all Americans value being in America. Then the boundary is made fuzzy, and “American” is defined by display of patriotism.

It’s easy to see how “being American” or “patriotism” become unreliable criteria when someone refuses to stick to a definition. They both become exclusive ideas with shifting borders, usually for private gain.

In other areas, like the Tourist/Traveler Distinction, being a traveler becomes a tough-guy contest, while people who just want to take it easy for a while are made out to be ignorant and materialistic.

The problem is that the real matter of travel – meaningful experience – gets muddled by cliquish behavior. It’s easy to see how communities, even whole countries, can become polarized by a No True Scotsman fallacy.

Hehhh. Ahem ahem, cough cough cough.

Beware of distraction, grasshopper!

Informal fallacies can be subtle or glaringly obvious. But because there are so many of them, appearing so frequently, they are regularly accepted without much insight.

The key to avoiding logical trap is open-mindedness: acknowledging your preference, but allowing for another point of view. Only this will permit the pupil of logic to become enlightened to the ways of deception and move to a higher plane.

From a clear mind, the pupil becomes serene and wise; faced with human failings and logical pitfalls, the student rises from meditation, studies the peril calmly, and

KICKS SOME MAJOR LOGICAL ASS!
HWAAAAA!!!!!!

What do you think of informal fallacies? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Some local cuisine? Photo from Robin Esrock

One of the biggest reasons to travel is to expose yourself to a new culture, to see how things are done in another place.

As a traveler, you should strive to embrace cultural differences. But we are all creatures of habit and might not recognize our actions that are not appreciated in certain places.

For instance, in Japan, my friend blew his nose in public only to be met by odd stares and embarrassed looks. We later found out this no-no was considered distasteful, something Japanese only do in private. (Makes sense, actually!)

Some cultural taboos are culture-specific. Others are nearly universal. And fear of breaking cultural taboos can lead us to make the most inoffensive choices. But you can keep your travels interesting without offending anyone else.

Consider these 8 ways to make the journey a little less comfortable and a little more memorable.

DON’T Hail a Taxi

Stretch your travel budget by avoiding these gas-guzzling, wallet-draining rides as much as possible. Most cities ‘round the world have some amazing public transportation that is often clearly marked and easy to understand if you take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the system.

Traveling with the locals provides a great feeling of accomplishment as you navigate your way through the airport to the city bus or metro train.

DON’T seek the nearest McDonald’s

First of all, you can always eat at McDonald’s, KFC, or Starbucks at home. When you are somewhere different-take it all in by indulging in the many tempting treats at your fingertips.

From local food stands to gastropubs to sensory-overloading markets, trying local foods can be a cheap, fun, and a palette-expanding experience.

DON’T stick to expat bars

It’s time to immerse yourself in the culture of the city, including the people. One of the best places to meet people is at the local watering hole where the beers are cheap and the locals are (almost) always friendly.

Drinking with the locals is a way of embracing our differences and realizing how alike we all are at the same time. Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to enrich your trip tenfold.

DON’T party at your hostel the entire week

Getting cheeky. Photo by Genista

Yes, hostels are great. We all know the amazing benefits and the comfort of having other travelers and your fellow countrymen to vent, empathize and share general travel highs and lows. Get out instead. You are traveling to discover new places and people.

DON’T blather on in English

We are extremely fortunate to speak English and even more fortunate that so many people in the world speak it also. But don’t expect everyone to speak English or understand you.

Take the time to learn a few words in the mother tongue of the country you are visiting. Challenge yourself to try and speak the local dialect. Greeting someone with a smile in their language is easy and goes a long way.

DON’T keep your nose in a travel guide

There is no denying that your dog-eared, coffee-stained Lonely Planet Guide is an extremely helpful amalgamation of maps, tips, and sleep/eat suggestions. But don’t become too LP dependent.

Pick up a local paper. Ask other travelers. Query your inn-keeper where he likes go. Then leave your guidebook in the room and explore.

DON’T keep your eye in the viewfinder

Travelers tend to sightsee with one eye looking into an LCD screen. It’s great fun to take home these precious memories, but don’t forget to enjoy the moment while it lasts. Put the camera away and focus on the here and now-breathe it all in-the sights, sounds, smells-of this boundless present moment.

DON’T expect things to be how they are at home

Whether you are in Tulsa or Timbuktu or Togo, remember that each place has its own way of doing things. Open yourself up to the idea that your way is not the right or best way.

Profound travel comes down to exposing all of your senses to this amazing world. If you travel wide open, you will know that travel is about more than sightseeing and souvenir-shopping.

The greatest gifts come not from what you see or buy, but from who you meet and the experiences you share with new friends from all over the world.

Community Connection!

Matador is a community of passionate, engaged travelers. We are dedicated to building empathy worldwide. Join the conversation by checking out the people of Matador today.

Vietnam. Photo by Rhys Stacker

We’re not all lucky enough to travel all of the time.

Chances are that unless you’re a travel writer, roving salesperson, international spy or Rolf Potts, your excursions overseas are most likely to be measured in weeks or months rather than years.

So how do you keep the travel buzz going in between trips?

Whether you’re saving for your first overseas excursion, recently returned from an around the world trip or just in between travels, the below tips are to encourage you to keep traveling – at home.

Explore your own country

In this age of cheap international travel its easy to focus on overseas destinations.

How many of us have claimed that we’ll see our own country when we’re older? But older often brings with it commitments.

Now is the best time to go on that road trip, reconnect with friends in different cities or explore the the countryside.

State or federal tourist offices are a great place to start in planning a trip. While they’ll tell you about the obvious locations and activities to see and do, they’re also great sources of information about quirky museums, out of the way towns and under the radar festivals.

Take photos

Photography forces you to look at familiar objects in a new way. Even that cafe you’ve been going to for years will offer new angles when seen through the view finder.

And the best thing is that with local knowledge, you’ll know when the interesting characters will be there, or when the best afternoon light will stream through the window.

Taking photos at home also develops your skills so that when you’re standing at the entrance to somewhere like Angkor Wat you’ve got a better chance of taking a great photo.

Photo community sites like Flickr.com can show you how visitors have photographed your home town, giving you a fresh perspective.

Get to know ethnic neighbourhoods

Croatia. Photo by Rhys Stacker

I’m not talking about those slightly tacky Chinatowns that seem to have more tourists than actual Chinese.

I’m talking about real ethnic neighbourhoods with thriving markets, cosy cafes and speciality food stores selling things you’ve never seen before, let alone know how to cook.

These neighbourhoods are great places for an authentic meal in a family-run restaurant. It gives you the chance to pick up some of the language – a please and thank you can go a long way overseas – as well as the opportunity to train your palate to appreciate new tastes ready for the next destination.

Research your next trip

Travel doesn’t have to begin at the airport. It can start weeks or months earlier at home, discussing plans with your travel buddy, looking over maps and researching destinations on the internet.

But don’t obsess – a little information can go a long way. Landing in an airport in a foreign country is still the single most challenging part of travelling for many.

A reputable guide book will tell you that a bus from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport to Khao San Road is dirt cheap, but it may fail to mention it can also can take hours.

Better to spend a little extra and jump in an air conditioned taxi to give you more time to explore the city – from outside the confines of a sweaty bus.

Read travel blogs

A guidebook is good for giving you the basics. But to find out what a destination is really like you can’t go past first-hand accounts from everyday travellers.

You may not know them personally, but through their blog posts they’ll tell you about the best bus operators, recommend guest houses and warn you about scams. Best of all the information is interactive. Leaving comments is a great way to kick start a friendship with a fellow traveller.

Matador Travel has taken that a step further by encouraging people to nominate themselves as local experts, swap tips on the forum and contribute travel articles.

Host a fellow traveler

Offering your couch to a traveler for a few nights is a win-win situation, They get a roof over their heads and the chance to learn about the town from someone that knows it best – you.

In return, you get to play tour guide (who doesn’t like showing off their home town?) and have a friend in another city or country that you can stay with on your next travels.

Popular websites like Couchsurfing are a great start and have a system where users vouch for each other. But even more general social networks like Facebook and MySpace can help to connect friends of friends looking for somewhere to crash for a night or two.

What tips do you offer for keeping the travel flame alive while at home? Share your advice in the comments!

Photo by Seeding Chaos

I went to the Football Hall of Fame on a cold Tuesday in early December. As a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan I knew my favorite team would get lots of space in the Canton, Ohio landmark.

There weren’t many other people wandering about, so the security guard let me park it on the very bench Vince Lombardi sat on during the first two Super Bowls.

Sitting on that bench, I met a fellow Packer Backer and we ended up going out for drinks and reminiscences of our teams’ best games.

The love of sport is a great way to meet friendly locals and like-minded travelers. A conversation about the game can lead to more personal revelations and evolve into a mutual friendship.

Here are 6 strategies for using sports to make new friends.

1. Go For Live Action

Whether it’s a sport you’ve followed your whole life or something totally new, like the perplexing world of cricket, go see a live game.

Most towns of any size will have some sort of athletic contest going on. (Hint: Cheer for the home team).

2. Find A Sports Bar

A good second best involves parking yourself in a pub or sports bar. This may be the only option if something on a worldwide scale is going on, like the Rugby or Soccer World Cups.

Sit alone at the bar. Watch with intention. You’ll quickly be adopted by curious fans at the corner table.

3. Dress The Part

Buy a team jersey or t-shirt. Not only will you be recognized as a sincere supporter, you’ll have a cool souvenir to bring back home.

4. Knowledge Is Power

Study the sports pages. Watch the broadcasters on television. If you don’t know the basics of whatever sport you’ve selected, learn them – perhaps with an assist from a friendly local.

Be able to recognize marquee players, win-loss records, and team rivalries. I love learning new things, and I love getting the insider’s perspective.

Once you’ve done your homework, you’ll have multiple topics to banter about with that stranger sitting next to you.

5. Don’t Be Shy

Be subtly voyeuristic. A polite interjection into a sports discussion identifies you as someone who pays attention. Compliments about your grasp of the game and free adult beverages are certain to follow.

6. Don’t Skip The Post-Game

Go to any post-game functions, for either celebration or commiseration. Now is the time to segue into topics and connections of a more personal nature.

Sports With Benefits

The tips I’ve laid out work for meeting locals, but can also be a great way to spark a romantic fling if that’s what you’re looking for.

My natural tomboy affinities have bagged me some great seats and quality dates starting, but not necessarily ending, at a sports venue. If competition leads to chemistry and your new friend is a local, you’ll get the inside skinny on their home town and free accommodation.

If you are both wandering outside your home ranges, who knows, y’all may just end up planning an encore meet-up in South Africa to watch the World Cup in 2010.

What are your tips for meeting locals through sports? Share your advice in the comments!

Aussie Boys – Photo by Margaritanitz

Let’s not lie, in a line up of five travelers, you could easily pick out the nationality of each.

Socks and sandals? Hello Scandinavian. Short shorts and a platform flip flop? That would be the American. Moon tan and neatly laced sensible shoes? Let’s see, the Pom?

Painfully stylish with a permanent snooty look on their face? Clearly French. Singlet and board shorts and a pair of weather beaten thongs? That’s the Aussie, me.

We all know the myth of the Aussie. Laid-back, easy-going, perennially tanned, with a beer in hand. We take it easy, mate, have a smile for everyone and although some of us say g’day, none of us drink Fosters.

But we won’t hold it against you if you think we do. We’ll just pull your leg and tell you we ride kangaroos to school.

For a while now, Australians have enjoyed a pristine reputation as travelers.

We smile at New Yorkers on the subway, which really unnerves them. We try and drink the Germans under the table, refusing to admit defeat despite the fact that our livers simply aren’t up to the challenge. We are everybody’s friend.

The Land Down Undah

Somebody hit the lights. There is a new generation of Aussie travelers in town, tarnishing an image our predecessors worked very hard (drank liters of beer and spun millions of tall tales) to carve.

This new Aussie traveler, whilst probably sun damaged, talkative and not at all averse to having a drink with Duncan (Australian joke … anyone?) is most likely between the ages of 18-25, and sporting a long mane in an effort to rebel against the all-too-fresh memory of school rules.

The new Aussie might grin at you in the check-in line, but they’ll also keep you awake till 3am by trawling up and down the hostel corridors alternately repeating the C and F words.

You see, this is a whole new brash, obnoxious Backpacker Generation for whom world travel is more about beer bongs and swapping hostel beds than it is any sort of cultural immersion.

Look, we’re lovely people, for the most part. And we generally enjoy a good reputation.

All I’m saying is we have to be careful. Because at any minute, the tables can turn. Our larrikin persona can, in the blink of an eye, be construed as obnoxious.

The Eyes Of The Other

Photo by Chilling Soul

Of course, it is easy to forget how we are perceived globally, to step outside our own little national bubble and see ourselves through the eyes of the other few billion that are out there.

And that goes for everyone, not just the little brats of the international family. Hot pants can be too hot, comments too presumptuous and arrogance is never welcome.

In one’s own context, so much is permissible and taken for granted – phrases, manners, social norms – that it is easy to forget that it may not be the case elsewhere.

That people who function in the exact same way we do, just a few thousand miles away, may be repulsed by what we find perfectly okay.

Spitting, nose-blowing, touching – fine some places, absolutely not in others. And nor should you, as a traveler, expect what is okay in your own backyard, to be okay everywhere else (ignorance is one of the most reviled traits in travelers).

Of course, many hang ups and reputations are so deeply ingrained they are nearly impossible to reverse; we can only remedy them bit by bit.

Practice Awareness

At the end of the day, Poms look down on Australians (when they’re not roasting their skin beneath its rays) as being a country of their unwanted convicts, just as they look down on Americans for being loud and generally ignorant.

Americans, for their part, are genuinely surprised the rest of the world sees them any other way than how they see themselves, and are equally as surprised crocodiles don’t live in the backyard swimming pools of Australians.

Europeans had it all figured out a long time ago and so look on with the gentle humour of a parent.

And Asian cultures run the gamut from the Japanese, who are obsessed with anything Anglo-kitsch to the Thai (who are probably sick of all things Anglo-Kitsch).

But, it’s worth everyone’s while to just be aware. Everything you do and say in your language, with your accent (and probably your flag stitched on your backpack) is duly noted.

And whilst perhaps not commented on at the time by a polite local, the reputation you build as a result, speaks volumes.

What do you think of your own nationality abroad? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo by mcaretaker

You just landed in a foreign country after a 57 1/2 hour flight from Des Moines.

You’re tired. You’re hungry. You’re jet-lagged.

You manage to get through immigration and schlep your bags onto the metro. You emerge from the bowels of the subway into the blinding sunlight…and realize you have no idea where you are.

Sound familiar? Getting lost in a foreign city happens to the best of us, the rest of us, and the most seasoned of travelers.

We all get disoriented sometimes.What do you do when you don’t know where you are?

1. Don’t panic

First of all, you are in a city, not an Amazonian jungle. There is food and shelter (and probably a McDonalds) on every corner. Relax. Everything is going to turn out just fine.

2. Ask the locals

Not only are people almost always willing to help, asking for directions gives you a great excuse to talk to folks if you are feeling lonely.

If you’re female and feeling a bit scared, perhaps ask a local woman. This is a good way to practice your foreign language skills anyway (always learn the most important words: ‘thank you,’ ‘hello’, ‘excuse me’).

Don’t worry about a language barrier. If you are reading this article, you are fortunate enough to know a language that is spoken all over the world, and a smile is universal.

3. Look for big landmarks

In cities like Chicago, New York, and Paris there are some pretty tall, famous buildings usually visible no matter where you stand that can help you get your bearings.

Even the roughest New Yorkers sometimes emerge from the subway and need to find the Empire State Building so that they can orientate themselves and continue to the Carnegie Deli.

4. Pack a compass

Break out your trusty old compass, or go old school and seek out the sun. No matter where you are in the world, the sun will always set in the west (I’m making the assumption you aren’t lost at the North or South Pole).

If you know the general layout of the city, you can walk until you reach a river, park or major avenue.

5. Check out the tourist information office

Even if you’re not lost (yet) drop by this helpful place, if for no other reason than to get a good map. These goldmines of free maps and advice are typically located in airports and in train and bus stations.

6. Prepare in advance

If you are staying at a hotel that was recommended by your guidebook, there is often a city map in the book with the hotels marked on it.

While you are biding your time on the 10 hour train, bus, or airplane ride to your next destination, see where your lodging is on the map in relation to where you are coming into town and make a plan on how you will get from point A to point B.

7. Grab a business card

When you first check into your hostel or hotel, always take a business card (so you have the address and phone number with you at all times-to show taxi drivers, etc.) and also find the hotel on your map and mark it.

8. Retrace your steps

Always make a mental note of landmarks as you pass them, so that you can retrace your steps later if necessary.

9. Find a local pub or bar

Sit down. Take a load off. Have a drink. Repeat. You will start to feel better, I promise. And of course, you can then ask the bartender or friendly local next to you for some help.

10. Stay lost

You’re traveling! You’re in a city! How lost can you really be? Open yourself to serendipity and just wander around, taking in the sights and soaking up the vibe of the new place.

One of the best things about travel is embracing the unexpected, and being ‘lost’ is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, in most cases losing your bearings leads to a fun adventure.

Imagine you’re a contestant on the Amazing Race, even though there’s no prize money at the end.

Some final thoughts…

Figuring out a new city, its infrastructure, its transportation options, and its layout can sometimes be frustrating, but also quite rewarding once you master the system.

I always feel like entering a new country presents a fun, new challenge and if you can find your way in a place like Hanoi…well, you will feel like you can do just about anything.

Photo by Big Ben

In many countries, you simply don’t have access to all the websites you use on a daily basis.

Sites like the BBC, Lonely Planet,YouTube, popular blogging platforms, and many social networks are blocked by pervasive censorship programs in China, Saudi Arabia, and other parts of the Middle East and Asia.

In addition to the large scale blocking campaigns present in these countries, smaller, more targeted forms of internet censorship exist in most places in the world.

Fortunately, there are a few things travelers can do to access the internet anywhere, regardless of restrictions.

1. Assess your access

The first step to circumventing internet censorship is to plan ahead. By conducting a little research in advance, you can find out if the internet is restricted in the areas you will be traveling.

More importantly, you can figure out what types of site, or even if one specific site, is banned. This is important because, if at all possible, it is best to avoid bypassing restrictions. A great source for information on internet censorship in the world is the OpenNet Initiative.

2. Bring a few tools

The easiest way to ensure your anonymity is to carry your own browser, like portable Firefox, on a portable USB flash drive.

When you step into an internet cafe, simply plug in the USB drive and open your browser from the portable drive. This is also an important step to ensuring your online security as well.

The next thing you need is the PortableTor client. Simply download the client and install it to your USB drive just like you did with Firefox. Then add the TorButton and User Agent Switcher add-ons to Firefox.

Now, whenever you open Firefox, open PortableTor along with it. You will be able to enable the Tor network with a button located at the bottom of the browser, which allows you to connect to the internet anonymously.

3. Use an online proxy

Photo by Zela

If you don’t have a USB drive, there are some internet sites that accomplish the same thing. A quick internet search for “proxy” or “anonymizer” will turn up many options, all equally suitable and insecure.

Instead of trusting an unknown site, I like to use one of the more popular online translation services like Google Translate or AltaVista Babel Fish. Simply enter your URL in the “translate site” dialog and select an option that translates into English.

4. Take An In-Direct Route

This system enables what is called “proxy browsing.” If you imagine the internet as a subway network, proxy browsing would be like taking an indirect route, changing train lines at several different stations, rather than taking the direct line.

In this analogy each station represents a different remote computer connected to the internet. It works because internet censors have trouble blocking your route once you connect through another computer.

5. Prepare To Go Slow

Just like taking the indirect route on the subway, browsing the internet in this way will be slower. Because you are connecting through several different computers, you are at the mercy of each one’s connection speed.

Another reason to be careful when proxy browsing is that the connection is not secure. Every time you connect through another computer there is a chance that the information you are transmitting could be intercepted. For this reason, proxy browsing is not for very sensitive private information like banking.

Finally, you must ask yourself if it is ethical or safe for you to access something that is baned in the country you are visiting.

While your intentions may be innocent, they may not be interpreted as such by those around you.

Anonymous internet browsing can be slow, insecure, and not totally ethical but there may be times you have no other choice. In these cases, the techniques outlined above can help you access your important data anywhere in the world.

What are your thoughts on bypassing internet censorship? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo by Jimmy Harris

Guidebooks will always have their place in the travel experience.

But it’s possible to become too reliant on them to the detriment of your trip.

Ideally, guidebooks should be viewed as the starting point of a trip and used to find the right direction rather than something to look to every time you’re unsure of your next move.

Think travel without the safety of the guidebook can be daunting? Here are some tips for traveling without it.

Stay In An Unlisted Place

Some of the best locations are exactly that because they are not listed in any guidebook. They are often more intimate and the staff may go that extra mile to make your stay a truly memorable one.

You will be supporting a local business reliant on passing trade or word-of-mouth (rather than following a long line of people traipsing a well-worn path from the point of arrival to the most highly rated hostel).

Unlisted places may also be cheaper and friendlier, as they are not resting on any laurels arising from their entry in a travel guide.

Disregard Some Guidebook Advice

I would never suggest disregarding guidebook advice where personal safety or cultural respect are concerned – wandering into a mosque wearing a bikini or flashing wads of cash in a neighborhood known for gun-toting criminals are scenarios that will never conclude favorably.

However, if you pay too much heed to every danger described, you could be too terrified to leave your room for fear of being kidnapped at gunpoint or coming down with a rare tropical disease. Get out and explore!

Nobody Likes A Miserly Know-It-All

Insisting you pay $3 per night instead of the current rate of $3.50 because “that’s what the book says” is insulting to your host and rather pathetic.

The guidebook listing will have been written well in advance of your own travels, meaning prices will inevitably be higher. I have been ashamed to hear fellow travelers complaining loudly about sums of money that actually amount to very little in the context of their own lifestyle back home.

You’ll invariably make fewer friends if you behave like this, so just relax and pay the proper rate.

Listen To The People You Meet

Photo by Burge5000

Undoubtedly the best advice I have received while traveling is from talking to other people about where to stay and what to do.

A little-known island is just the ticket when you want to escape the backpacking crowds. But, as you can imagine, a little-known island won’t be tranquil for long once it’s featured in a global publication.

Sometimes the only way to have a bit of peace and quiet is to take a risk and follow advice from people you meet along the way. Remember, they probably had the opportunity to stay for a while and were able to see things from a slightly different angle than the guidebook writer.

Leave The Guidebook In Your Accommodation

Don’t skip the iconic sights, but be open to more obscure ideas. Who knows where you might end up?

For me it was staying overnight in a tiny rural village with a new local friend and his extended family, getting drunk on home-distilled liquor, and trading Lao phrases such as “Can you starch the collars” and “Is there an ATM around here?” from our phrasebook.

I don’t remember anyone I met while visiting the Taj Mahal, but I won’t forget the laughter and warmth of the night I stayed in an unnamed village in the middle of the Lao jungle.

Take A Chance!

The advice given in guidebooks can be invaluable and will give you a birds-eye perspective on issues such as local culture, safety guidelines and an overall flavor of your destination.

However, it’s possible to lose your travel independence because of the safety net the guidebook affords. Sometimes traveling without this cushion and relying on first-hand advice from the people you meet (whether they are locals or travelers) will lead to a more rewarding experience.

By taking a chance on the unknown, you will almost certainly have a more memorable travel experience.

It could be a bumpy ride at times, and you will probably make mistakes along the way, but travel is supposed to be an adventure, right?

What are your tips for traveling without a guidebook? Share in the comments!

Photo by junku-newcleus

Recently I was talking to a female friend of mine – a friend who is incredibly gutsy when it comes to solo travel.

We were talking about my bar-hopping habit when I travel solo, and she mentioned how impressed she was by my ability to wander into a local drinking hole on the road and make myself at home.

Really? But hadn’t she survived crowds of elderly Chinese women on a Yangtze river cruise, staring at her while she peed, fascinated by her pale white butt? Hadn’t she been stranded in rural Siberia, when that famous train pulled out of the station without her?

Yes, she said. But she still found going into bars, alone and in foreign climes, pretty intimidating. I told her that for me, it was the opposite: drinking alone was the easiest part.

For anyone else who might be intimidated by hitting the bar scene solo, here are a few practical tips:

1. Find a Distraction.

It can feel awkward sitting alone at a table, staring into your pint. Writing a postcard or reading a book can work, but those options won’t help you meet people.

Pick a pub with live music playing, or a sports bar with an exciting game on the TV. This not only gives you something to stare at, AND something to talk about with all those new friends you’re about to make – it’s also a great way to learn more about the local culture.

I’ve soaked up live blues in the Mississippi Delta, watched cricket at a beachside shack in Barbados, and cheered the hometown rugby club on in northern New Zealand – all experiences that easily surpass any paid tour I’ve ever taken.

2. Sit at the Bar.

It’s a cliche image: the solo drinker, belly up to the bar, pouring out his (or her) soul to a sympathetic bartender. But most of the time, that image comes true.

Assuming the place isn’t swamped, the staffer behind the bar is likely to ask you about yourself and listen patiently to the answer. That’s her job.

If you’re alone at a table you’re completely isolated from all your fellow solo drinkers. At the bar, you’re all in it together, and you may find yourself passing the evening swapping stories, telling jokes, or – see #1 – cheering on the local team together.

3. The Early Bird Doesn’t Get Harassed.

Photo by malias

This one is especially applicable for solo females: drink in the afternoon.

Times are changing, but in many parts of the world (and even at home in North America) there can still be a stigma or a set of assumptions attached to a woman alone in a bar at night.

Some people might assume that your only reason for being there is to get picked up, and while a little flirting can be fun, I’m guessing a whole evening of propositions from random men isn’t what you had in mind.

An afternoon setting is much more casual, and less fraught with expectations. Not that I’m saying you should stay in at night! But starting early means you leave yourself plenty of time to make some new friends before the sun goes down.

The reverse is true for the guys as well: Drinking alone at night, it might be harder for you to meet people, as they may assume you are on the prowl. Fair? Not really. But hey, getting started in the afternoon is a pleasant price to pay for old stereotypes that won’t die.

4. Ask about Local Specialties.

Not every bartender is going to get chummy right away, but most often there’s one surefire way to get them to open up.

Recently I wandered into an intimidatingly local pub in Brooklyn, full of thickly-accented regulars and a classic close-mouthed New York bartender who didn’t give a f*ck.

I’d been hovering awkwardly by the bar for a few minutes when the bartender finally deigned to acknowledge me. I asked him about local microbrews, and – just like that! – he was all smiles and chitchat.

I wound up sampling a few different options before settling on a special Christmas ale, and – naturally – turning my attention to the Giants game on the screen above the bar.

5. It’s All in the Attitude.

The key to drinking alone is the vibe you give off: you want to seem friendly and approachable, but not predatory or needy. Staring at your table or your book will ensure that you stay solo – which is fine, if that’s what you’re after.

But if you’d like to meet your fellow patrons, make eye contact with people and smile. Comment out loud on the game, or clap loudly (and look around you while doing so) after a musician has finished his set.

Don’t be afraid to start a conversation with your neighbor – and don’t be surprised if he starts one with you first.

What are your tips for meeting people when drinking alone? Share in the comments!

Photo by Tom Purves

Destination weddings have become increasingly popular in recent years, and a growing number of couples say they’d like to celebrate their special day in an exotic location.

Planning a destination wedding, however, can seem overwhelming, especially when so many details are being coordinated from afar.

This guide-from someone who planned her own destination wedding-can help simplify planning so that you can have an extraordinary day that’s as memorable for your guests as it is for you and your partner.

10. Consider Your Destination

This sounds obvious enough, but choosing the best destination ultimately depends upon a variety of factors: Where do you and your partner want to get married?

Who among your friends and family do you want to attend? How long of a trip can your guests take-both in terms of distance and duration?

What kinds of accommodations (in terms of transportation, lodging, and accessibility) will be necessary in order for your guests to come, and what accommodations are available in the places you’re considering?

When my husband and I planned our wedding on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, we knew we wanted to get married in a place that was meaningful to us, but which was also not so far-flung that guests would feel the journey was cost-prohibitive.

Also, we had a number of older guests who we wanted to share in the experience, and some had physical conditions that needed to be taken into consideration.

Puerto Rico was the perfect location-and the bonus was that since it’s a commonwealth of the United States, no one needed to get a passport!

9. Put your dream, and a budget, on paper.

Weddings, regardless of whether they’re in your home town or far away, can become very expensive very fast. For destination weddings, costs you don’t expect can crop up without warning if you don’t perform due diligence during the planning phase.

What are the non-negotiables of your dream wedding and what extras are you willing to sacrifice?

Once you have those down on paper, start developing a budget, and be sure to factor in easy-to-overlook items such as local taxes in the place you’ve selected for your wedding.

If you’re planning, as my husband and I did, to get married on a beach, you’ll need to check with local officials to determine if there’s a permit required for public land use, and if so, how much it costs and how far in advance you must request it.

8. How local can you go?

My husband and I had our rings made by a local, independent jeweler who specialized in handmade jewelry. Lou etched lines from our favorite poem on the outside of our wedding bands.

We were-and still are-thrilled with our unique, and she was thrilled to have the business.

We didn’t want a cake, but our guests did, and they found a local baker who made a simple, one-tier homemade cake, which she decorated with native flowers.

Rings, reverends, and revelry makers-the more local you go, the more fun you’ll have and the more positive an impact you can make on the community.

7. Guide your guests.

Photo by The Lawleyes

The more exotic your destination, the more your guests are likely to be excited- and anxious, especially if they’re not as seasoned in travel as you.

Help build the thrill and contain the worries by providing your guests with guides every step of the way.

For our own wedding, my husband and I didn’t send out traditional invitations, but we started an e-mail list, and sent regular updates about wedding plans.

Other couples choose to build simple websites or blogs that guests can check frequently for new photos and information.

We also sent out packages with maps, biographies of our guests (so they’d know a bit about each other before the wedding), a short history of Vieques, and a card with all of our contact information, as well as information about the airport, weather, and suggested items to pack.

If you’re traveling to a place where your guests won’t know the language, you may want to include a small phrase book.

Finally, let guests know what’s expected of them. We told our guests that they could wear whatever made them comfortable to the wedding, and we were thrilled that some showed up in tank tops and shorts, while others wore dresses or shirts and ties.

Your guests will really appreciate your planning and thoughtfulness, and your preparation will make the on-the-ground experience of the wedding much smoother.

6. Make the wedding a vacation.

My husband and I invited friends and family to join us five days before the big day for fun and relaxation on the island. We rented three simple houses on the beach and let our guests know they’d be welcome to stay as little or as long as they could prior to the wedding day.

We stocked up on food, cigars, and beer, and planned at least one activity a day (besides the big evening family-style meal). Most of our guests did join us before the wedding, and some even decided to stay after the wedding for several more days.

5. Gift your guests.

What activity is the must-see/must-do experience in the locale you’ve chosen for your wedding?

For our guests, we made it clear that we didn’t want gifts, but that we wanted to give them a gift in gratitude for their friendship and their presence.

Vieques is famous for its bio-luminescent bay, so we hired an eco-tourism guide to take everyone on a night-time kayaking tour of the bay. Two years later, our friends and family still talk about this amazing experience.

4. Learn local laws.

One of the most complicated aspects of planning a destination wedding is learning what local laws govern your marriage and your ceremony. Check these out well in advance, as this may alter your destination of choice.

Puerto Rico has very stringent laws about pre-wedding details such as blood tests and certificates of matrimony, so we decided to do our formal paperwork in New York.

3. Plan transportation.

Help your guests get to and from the airport, lodging, and activities. This was the most complex detail of our own wedding, as Vieques is off the mainland of Puerto Rico and is accessible only by ferry or small plane, both of which operate on fixed schedules.

Once on the island, there are limited cars for rental, so this detail needed to be planned far in advance as well.

2. Minimize stress.

If you’ve dreamed of a flawless fairy-tale wedding, then a destination wedding probably isn’t for you. With even the best planning, there are likely to be variables you didn’t anticipate and that are beyond your control.

Realize that no destination wedding goes off exactly as planned. Keep your expectations realistic and go with the flow.

1. Create and share memories.

For many of your guests, your destination wedding will be the memory of a lifetime. Keep that good energy going after the wedding by sharing mementos of your time together.

Create a DVD of the experience and send it to your guests after the wedding. Share photos and written memories about good times you had together.

Our wedding was so memorable that people who didn’t know each other beforehand are still in touch with one another, and guests have requested that we plan annual wedding reunions!

BONUS TIP: Don’t forget your honeymoon! While many couples who have a destination wedding may choose not to take another trip after the wedding, the stress of planning a wedding–even a fun destination wedding–may leave you feeling like you need a honeymoon. If you’d rather have your guests help fund a honeymoon rather than give traditional wedding gifts, check out the Honeymoon Registry, which allows your guests to contribute to a fund for your honeymoon.

Community Connection!

There are several newly-weds in the Matador Travel community, including editor David Miller and BNT editor Ian MacKenzie.

Then there’s contributor Theodore Scott, who recently quit his job to travel around South America with his fiancee and tried, unsuccessfully, to marry her in every country they visited.

What are you tips and experiences with destination weddings? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo by Rileyroxx

When returning home from long trips abroad, I’m always surprised by how much has changed. Somehow, I seem to have a subconscious expectation that life was on pause – just waiting for me to come back and pick up where I left off.

Of course, that isn’t how it works.

I come back to find out that my circle of friends isn’t quite the same. Some people aren’t talking to each other anymore. Old couples have broken up, and new ones have formed. Old roommates have finished school and moved away.

Dealing with all this social upheaval can be confusing and emotionally draining. This is especially true when you are also readjusting in other ways, like relearning how to drive on the right side of the road.

Here are 6 ways to rekindle those friendships:

1. Work on your significant other first

If you went on your trip and left someone really important behind, you need to spend some quality time with him or her. Hopefully, you will both be overjoyed to see each other. But absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder.

If, for example, you’ve been studying abroad for the past year, things may seem awkward and distant until you get to know each other again.

Often, there can be a bit of resentment, buried and unspoken. You left! For a year!

Your friend or sweetheart won’t say it, but they might be wondering why you were the one traipsing around Europe while they kept to the routine back home. Even if you both agreed to the trip before you left, there were probably some times when they regretted letting you go.

Counteract any friction by planning small getaway trips for the two of you. A couple of weekend hiking trips can work wonders.

Check out a cultural exhibit at the museum. You can even rediscover your home town by researching it as if you were new to the area. Your friend will feel better about your travels after you include them in some smaller adventures.

2. Stay in touch with your new friends.

Make sure you get the e-mail addresses of friends who you met on the road. These are the people who will understand your reasons for traveling. Many of them have also made the choice to upset their lives and spend some time out in the world.

Send these travel buddies a message now and then. Share pictures from the trip. Find out where they are going next. Invite them to come visit you. Plan to visit them.

Even if you lost track of a few people back home while traveling, you will be busy enough keeping in touch with your new friends.

3. Don’t brag too much.

After returning from a year in Wales, I found it difficult to talk about anything other than my trip. Every conversation was an excuse to bring up another crazy story about my favorite Welsh pub.

Later, I realized that these stories didn’t matter much to my friends back home. They weren’t there. I learned to limit myself to mentioning my trip only when answering a direct question.

Unless they are travelers themselves, family and friends may not understand what your trip was all about. Some won’t want to hear about it. Some want only the one minute summary.

Some friends and family may be jealous, and others may think your journey was frivolous. Don’t worry about this too much, and don’t try to convince them to become enthusiastic about something in which they aren’t interested. Save the stories for those who really want to hear them.

4. Throw a party.

A great way to reconnect with friends back home is to invite everyone over to your place at once. This may seem like a splash of cold water, but a big party has several benefits.

A party gets you back in touch with many of your friends. This allows you to answer all
the inevitable questions at the same time instead of spread out over months. (Where is Wales anyway? Why don’t you have a British accent now?)

Plus, since the fiesta is explicitly a coming home party, you will be expected to talk about the trip and pass around photos.

This is your chance to share your enthusiasm. Get it all out of your system so that you don’t corner someone every week with an unwanted slideshow.

5. Don’t force it.

You don’t have to stay friends with everyone with whom you used to hang out. If you sense that someone isn’t very interested in spending time with you anymore, ask yourself how
much effort you honestly want to put forth.

Don’t feel bad if a few people have moved on without you. It happens. Most of us don’t socialize with all of the friends we once knew. (Think about all the high school friends who you don’t see anymore.)

Say “Hi” when you see old friends on the street, and don’t worry about growing apart. You are a different person now, and so are they.

Community Connection!

Have you just returned from a long trip? Are you dealing with reverse culture shock? You’re not the only one.

Get in touch with these travelers or join the discussion “Reverse Culture Shock Is A Bitch” in the Matador forums.

Happy Homecomings!

Photo by Tom Purves

For most of us our day to day life takes place in our homes, apartments and offices.

Each of these locations contain pretty much everything we own, need to survive and identify who we are. Somehow though, when we travel we are able to condense all these “essentials” into one or two small bags, carry them on our shoulders and hoist them onto trains.

This should tell us is that (1) We really don’t “need” all that stuff at home and (2) The condensed version is important and needs to be protected.

If you find yourself in an unfortunate situation that cannot be avoided, preparation and precautions can be taken.

Here are a few simple tips to help ensure damage and loss of your true essentials is kept to a minimum.

1. Passport preparation

Having a passport is necessary these days. With new laws being put into effect every year it is virtually impossible to travel without one. Safeguarding yourself in the event of a loss overseas is important; knowing what to do in such a situation is necessary.

Anyone who has temporarily misplaced their passport while on the road knows that feeling of panic.

How will I continue my trip? Will I be stuck in this country for weeks? Who should I call? The truth is that for many countries the process for replacement is the same.

Call the passport agency and report the document missing and then find the nearest embassy and start filling out forms. Americans can call the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) at 1-877-487-2778. Australians should notify the authorities on line and Canadians can ring 819-997-8338.

In both the initial call and the forms to follow you will be asked to provide the issue date, issuing agency, passport number and expiration date and possibly proof of citizenship (which you just lost).

Having all this info will expedite a process that can significantly cut into your travel time. According to the NPIC, “the more you know the better off you will be”.

A great way to ensure you have access to this info is to take the time before your trip to scan the front page of your Passport. Attach it to an e-mail and send it to yourself.

Now you have access to all the important info, visual proof that you, at least before your trip, had the document and best of all can get to it any time with simple internet access.

2. Bank and Credit Cards

Photo by psd

Everytime you have to call your bank or credit card company you look on the back of the card and call the toll free number printed at the bottom.

Then, when the computer at the other end of the line picks up it asks you to “say or key in your account number”.

So what are you going to do when you step off an overcrowded bus in a foreign city and realized someone just lifted your wallet out of your pocket?

Having these numbers listed somewhere can be invaluable if such a situation arises. You will be able to cancel your cards and remotely access your account in a hurry.

The toll free numbers of course can be kept pretty much anywhere you feel comfortable such as your travel journal but please don’t keep them in your wallet (see above).

Your account numbers should be kept in a secure location. Like my passport scan, I e-mail myself all these numbers so that in the event I need them I will be able to access them from pretty much anywhere.

If you’re one of those people who really don’t trust the security of your own e-mail account; leave out a reoccurring number that you can commit to memory. How about the first digit of your address or your phone number?

3. Give access to a family member

Consider allowing a parent or loved one staying behind access to the bank account you will be using.

Figure out which credit/debit card you will be using and take a trusted family member on down to the bank and have their name put onto your account. It’s quick and easy at most banks and is not hard to reverse when you get back.

In case of an emergency your contact back home can move funds around in your account or add a few bucks to get you out of a jam.

Trust me; it is much cheaper, easier and quicker to have someone put a couple hundred dollars directly into a bank account you have access to via ATM card than to have them try to wire it to you overseas.

4. Lock up your bag

There are plenty of bags around that are left unattended or thrown hastily on the overhead rack while its owner sleeps soundly below.

It doesn’t take much to deter a thief while traveling. One of the best ways to protect your bag on trains, sitting in a park or even in your hostel dorm room is to make it inconvenient for someone to snatch it up.

Purchasing and using a small travel cable and lock such as the Lewis N. Clark retractable cable lock makes your bag more of a hassle to take.

One type is a wire netting that fits around your bag to prevent criminals from easily accessing the pockets and zippers of your bag. For me, this is a pain to get on and off in a hurry as well as extra weight to carry.

There are plenty varieties out there so shop around and see what works best for you.

5. Maintain your health

You stuff is ultimately replaceable. But making sure you’re clear-headed and feeling great will keep you from making mistakes that make your prone to theft.

When you’re traveling, eating well and getting enough sleep can be a challenge.

Carry along a bottle of chewable multi vitamins. They are easy to take and can help you stay on top of a trip-ruining illness.

For a quick burst of vitamin C and other feel-better goodies toss a vial of Airborne in your backpack. These handy effervescent tablets not only can keep your immune system up but also help flavor that occasional bottle of tap water you’re stuck drinking.

Taking these few extra precautions and protecting the essentials you brought along with you can help ensure your trip doesn’t hit any unwanted bumps that you can’t deal with.

When your trips over and you’re back home, take a look around your apartment and throw out all that non-essential junk lying around. It will make packing easier next time.

What tips do you have for protesting your documents abroad? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo by Orin Optiglot

The best memories of my recent trip to Ecuador come from the family in Quito that graciously opened their home to me.

After nearly two months of traveling, home-cooked meals and real beds with clean sheets were just what I needed. Plus, my host-family had lived in Quito for decades and were eager to share their city with me.

I had a deeper travel experience from watching how they lived, and I learned a lot about the city that you won’t find in guidebooks.

Staying with a host family can be such a great experience, it’s hard to know how to thank your hosts properly.

When you thank someone for letting you stay with them, make it more than a gesture. Staying in someone’s home while traveling can give you an intimate glimpse into how others live. Let them know how much it meant to you.

1. Earn Your Keep

Doing a few chores around the house or offering to do some of the cooking will always be appreciated.

Play to your strengths. If you’re a bit of a handyman, offer to fix their leaking faucet. If you’re tech-savvy, have a look at their aging computer.

Don’t make it too obvious, or your host will probably feel bad that their guest is doing housework. Be casual about it, don’t let them think of it as payment – and don’t break anything!

2. Quid Pro Quo

Return the favor by inviting your hosts to stay with you the next time they visit your part of the world. Make sure you leave them contact information that will still be good in a few years.

Then, if they do show up on your doorstep, do everything you can to make them feel as welcome as possible. Even if they never do make it to your neck of the woods, they will probably enjoy exchanging an occasional email.

If you enjoy playing the host, and want to make it into a regular thing, visit CouchSurfing. Sign up and start building your own network of international friends.

3. Share Your Memories

Most traveler’s carry a camera. Take a few group pictures with your hosts. When you develop those photos back home, make sure you send a few copies to your host family.

With most of us using digital cameras, the easiest (and cheapest) way to share photos is by e-mailing the files. However, mailing prints will probably be more appreciated.

Either print and mail them yourself, or upload the files to a website that will send the prints. I have used Winkflash, but there are many others.

4. Bring A Gift From Home

Gifts from your own hometown always go over well. Pack some small, nonbreakable gifts before leaving home. Find something that they are not likely to have where they live. On your last day with your host, give them something to remember you by.

Little flag pins or key-chains will work, but the best choice is something more personal. If you have a creative hobby, then give them a sample. Woodworkers, crafters, and other artists have many options.

5. Do Some Research

If you’re going to buy a gift locally, find out what items are considered appropriate in the culture you’re visiting. A certain color of flower may look great to you, but giving it out of the proper cultural context can be an insult to locals.

Some seemingly harmless gift items may be associated with funerals and death. Often guidebooks can give you advice on local taboos. Better yet, ask around the neighborhood market for ideas.

There might be other local customs regarding gifts. Make the effort to know these ahead of time. For example, if you know that in some cultures it’s polite to initially refuse a gift, you won’t be worried when your host turns down your gift the customary number of times.

Research helps here, but don’t worry so much about offending someone that you freeze up and become overly formal. As a foreign guest, you won’t be expected to know every little detail about local etiquette.

6. Treat Your Hosts

Take the family to a movie. Take them to a museum. Ask them which local restaurant is their favorite, and then make reservations.

Even though they may have constant access to the sights in their city, they probably don’t take advantage of them as often as they would like.

Something as simple as going to the bar where your host is a regular gives them a chance to show you off a little to their friends. Remember, you are just as exotic to the local as they are to you.

7. Don’t Overdo It

Expensive gifts and shameless gushing will only make your host uncomfortable. They are not expecting money or jewelry, and will turn them down.

Friendship, interesting conversation and the satisfaction of being a good host are what they really want, so keep smiling and always say thank you!

What are some ideas you’ve used to say thanks? Share in the comments!

Photo by Mark Shandro

Whether sending email, uploading photos, booking flights and hotels, paying the bills back home, and checking the status of a bank account, travelers use the internet for a huge variety of tasks.

The ubiquity of internet cafes around the world has made this convenience possible.

Sitting down at an internet cafe has become so common in the life of travelers that few stop to consider the security of these very public computers.

But if we do stop to think about it, internet cafe computers (and any information you send or access from them) are clearly vulnerable. Fortunately, protecting yourself is not very difficult.

Here are some things you can do to keep your data safe:

1. Get Portable Firefox

The first step to securing your internet connection, is securing your browser. The best way to do this is to install Portable Firefox on a USB thumb drive.

When you sit down at the computer, plug in the thumb drive and start your own version of Firefox from there. As you will see, this small piece of gear is really a necessity for any traveler planning to use public computers.

2. Connect Securely

Once you have your own version of Firefox up and running on the cafe’s computer, it is time to connect to the internet. To ensure your online safety, it is imperative that you use a secure connection when accessing sensitive sites.

In most cases, when Firefox makes a secure connection a closed padlock appears in the right hand side of the address bar.

If you don’t see this icon, try retyping the address using “https” instead of “http.” In this case “s” means that you are using a special, secure, encrypted connection to the site.

If you always forget to include the “s” try bookmarking the secure site and using that link instead of typing in an address. If you are using a USB drive with your own Firefox browser, these bookmarks will be available anywhere you go.

Alternately, try using this special script with Firefox, which automatically inserts the “s” into preselected site addresses.

3. Confuse the Keyloggers

Once you have established a secure connection, it is time to log in. Thanks to the use of “https” it is significantly more difficult, if not impossible, for people ‘looking in’ on the connection from other computers to steal your data.

Photo by KingJeng.net

That said, the secure connection does not prevent a program on the computer you are using from recording everything you type. These programs, called “keyloggers” are especially dangerous when typing things like login names, passwords, and passport and credit card numbers.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do.

First, by using bookmarks saved in your portable Firefox browser to connect to sensitive sites, instead of manually typing in the addresses, you eliminate the common method keyloggers use to index data. This makes it much more difficult to assign, for example, a password with a specific email site.

A simple trick that will fool most keyloggers is to disguise your password in a sea of “dummy characters.”

To do this click the password box and type the first character of your password. Next click anywhere else on the page to deselect the password box, and type some random characters before reselecting the password box and entering the second character.

Repeat this process for each character of your password.

This works because most keylogging programs cannot distinguish random typing from typing in a specific field on a web page. For a more complete explanation of this technique, read the short PDF report of a study testing it conducted by Microsoft, and this discussion that followed.

If you frequent some really questionable internet cafes and you want the best defense against keyloggers, than PasswordMaker is the answer. This program produces passwords that are very difficult to crack and is available as a add-on for your Firefox browser.

4. Use Encryption

No matter how well you have planned your trip, sometimes there is business that cannot be done remotely. When this happens, travelers are often forced to send sensitive private information to a trusted friend or family member.

If you are in a situation where you must email credit card, pin, social security, or passport numbers, using encrypted email is a very good idea.

Email encryption codes your message so that it is indecipherable. A special key is created that can be used to unlock the coded message. The easiest way to send encrypted email is via Gmail Encryption a script that is, obviously, specific to Google’s free email service.

If you don’t like Gmail, the Encrypt This! add-on for Firefox will easily encrypt any text in your browser.

5. Don’t Get Caught by a Phisher

Phishing scams involve decoy websites or emails that mimic an official one. When you enter your information into the fraudulent site, it is sent to a third party. Carefully checking the address of websites you visit is the best defense against these scams.

Firefox also comes with some built in protection. To enable it, go to the Tools menu and select Options. Under the Security tab, check the box next to “Tell me if the site I’m visiting is a suspected forgery” and select the option to “ask Google.”

For a little extra protection, there are several add-ons for Firefox that will make you even safer against phishers.

The Internet, especially when accessed from a public computer or internet cafe, is a dangerous place for your private data.

Fortunately, with a little preparation and care we can surf along without a problem. With precautions in place, you can worry less about your time online, and focus on enjoying your travels.

What tips do you have for traveler’s internet security? Share your own tips in the comments!

Photo by elle_rigby

I’m writing from behind the reception desk here at El Diablo Tranquilo hostel in Punta del Diablo, Uruguay.

Every day a new group of travelers arrives in this chill little beach town. Some are seasoned solo travelers, like the sea captain who cleaned out a group of earnest Swedes in Texas Hold ‘Em last night, or the Alaskan mountain guide who winters in South America. Others are backpackers, traveling in groups, red-faced under their massive mochillas.

I have a blast hanging out with all the travelers who pass through Punta del Diablo, but I can’t help but notice how the travel style of the experienced vagabonds is much more simple and elegant than the “messily enthusiastic” methods of the newbie travelers.

While I’m still more like a naive gap-year backpacker than a world-wise traveler (the sea captain took my pesos too), I’ve learned a thing or two about travel over the years.

Deep in the BNT archives, there’s a fine article by Kirsty Henderson entitled 5 Common Mistakes Of First-Time Backpackers.

Kirsty beat me to the punch by identifying several common pitfalls, like packing too much, trying to see too much, and planning too strict an itinerary.

So, I now give you 7 MORE common mistakes made by first-time backpackers. I speak from experience, having fallen into every one of these traps at least once.

Hopefully, by reading this article, you’ll manage to avoid them.

1. Too Little Research

Doing too little research is even worse than planning too strict an itinerary. At a bare minimum, you should learn a few words of the local language, have a sense of the cultural norms and history and know the basic geography of your destination.

The more research you do in advance, the more you will enjoy your trip. Guaranteed.

2. Sticking To The Hostel Trail

Traveling from hostel to hostel in the company of other backpackers is the easiest thing in the world. Don’t get me wrong – hostel life is a lot of fun. But by sticking to the hostel you lose out on opportunities for local interaction and original experience.

Make an effort to try other lodging options, such as camping, couchsurfing, home-stays and even short term apartment rentals.

3. Flaunting Wealth

If you’re traveling the world, you’re richer than 90 percent of the people in it. If you travel in cheap destinations like Latin America, India or Southeast Asia, you may not spend a lot of money, but you are still astronomically wealthy by local standards.

Flaunting wealth in such places can be as seemingly innocuous as listening to an iPod or taking photos with a digital DSLR. Strive for discretion and modesty.

4. Getting Stuck Without Money

Having no money is a heck of a lot worse than showing off by spending too much. Be sure you have at least two ways to access money on the road. A debit card is good, but keep some traveler’s checks also, along with cash. Store your money in separate places and have a backup plan in case your belongings are stolen.

5. Drinking Too Much

Photo by Satbir

It’s easy to drink too much while traveling, not only because many travelers are in the ‘vacation’ mindset, but also because travel is stressful, and alcohol is a simple way to (temporarily) relieve stress.

Make a conscious effort to drink wisely. You will save money and energy, and lessen your chances of getting robbed or injured.

6. Checking Facebook Every Day

You will miss your friends and family while traveling. So write letters. Write blogs. Call home on Skype once in a while. But don’t get sucked into the gossip of Facebook, or check e-mail three times a day. Traveling means leaving home behind. Leave your homepage behind too.

7. Ignoring Advice

Even if you agree with all the advice I’ve just passed along, I’m sure you’ll leave for your next trip with too big a pack and too strict an itinerary. I bet you’ll be updating your Facebook status, and it wouldn’t surprise me to find you drinking too much in a hostel bar.

Why do I have so little faith in your ability to follow sound advice? Well, to be honest, I don’t follow my own advice half the time.

Traveling well demands a combination of spontaneity, confidence, humility and discipline that can be difficult to balance.

We can never hope to master the art of travel, but by learning from our mistakes and doing our best to follow the advice of others, we can avoid some common pitfalls.

What travel mistakes have you learned from? Leave a comment below!

For years I found excuses not to travel out of the country. It cost too much. I had to finish my education. I simply couldn’t go when the weather was cold.

The truth of the matter, however, was that I was afraid to fly.

This went on until my desire to explore the world overpowered my innate fear of rising above the clouds in a steel soda straw. So I had a few martinis and hopped on a flight out of the United States.

I realized I had nothing to fear after all. Since that first triumph, I’ve become an avid overseas traveler. Still, every time I fly I find myself nervous. I’ve picked up a few tricks to alleviate my fear of flying.

Here are five tips that will help those who suffer from similar anxiety.

1. Know What To Expect

Without knowing what to expect at the airport and on the flight itself, your mind tends to wander.

Familiarize yourself with the sights and sounds of flying. Understand the bumps and movements of an airplane.

Getting an idea of what flying is actually like beforehand will help you form a realistic notion of what you’re experiencing during take-off or when the plane hits turbulence.

Talk to friends who have flown. Ask them to describe the process from start to finish. Question them about turbulence. Do they have a “bad turbulence” story? Chances are that they do. Then, realize they are still here to tell you the story.

Flyingwithoutfear.com is a wonderful site that is loaded with free content. You can listen to the sounds of every aspect of flying – from engine noise at take off, to final boarding calls in the airport.

There are videos that describe exactly what you will see and help you understand what to expect. You can even find a support forum to discuss your concerns with other travelers.

2. Understand Why Flying Is Actually Safe

We have all heard the saying: “You’re more likely to die in a car accident on the way to the airport than on the plane”.

This is certainly true. Statistics show you are in fact 500-1000 times more likely to meet your end on the highway. But let’s face it; this does not really help calm your nerves. You are still not in control of the plane!

But consider: how many drivers are actually in control of what other drivers are doing on the road around them…none! I’m fairly confident that 40,000 + Americans are not dying each year in a car wreck because they have control over the situation.

Then consider that since 1970 there have been only 58 fatal events between 16 different U.S. and Canada airlines. That is an estimated total of approximately 36.6 fatal events (at least one person died) per 16 million flights.

Granted, crunching these numbers might not make you feel comfortable flying. It should however give you hope that your chances of getting to your destination on a plane are pretty darn good.

3. Sit On The Wing And Breathe The Fresh Air

Getting yourself onto the plane is only half the battle. You still have to deal with your nerves acting up while you are in your seat.

The cool air from the valve above you is a great way to chill out and relax. Open the nozzle full blast and direct it onto your face. The rush of air will not only help calm your heavy breathing, but will also keep your underarms a bit dryer. (You want to minimize the amount of sweat you will have to wear for the next few hours).

If the idea of turbulence is your nemesis, grab a seat on the wing of the plane. While the jury is still out on this one, there is a general consensus that sitting over the wing of the plane will provide the most stability.

It’s possible the turbulence you will feel in the back of the plane isn’t going to be significantly worse than in the middle.

Still, if you think of the plane like a teeter-totter or seesaw with the wings as the pivot in the middle, it makes sense that you would feel less bumpiness sitting in the center. It certainly works for me.

4. Just Pretend You’re On A Bus

It sounds too simple to work, but it does. Closing your eyes and imagining that you are just taking a bus ride can really help.

When it comes down to it, being on a plane doesn’t feel that much different from being on a Greyhound bus (once you’re in the air).

Turbulence often resembles a bumpy road. And the possibility of your neighbor being too big for their seat and nodding off onto your shoulder no matter is real, whether you’re on the highway or 35,000 feet over Alaska.

5. Sedatives Are Just A Doctor’s Appointment Away

When there is simply no way to get around your fears, and thoughts of canceling your flight flash in your head, make an appointment to see your doctor.

Explain the situation and ask for a prescription of sedatives such as Xanax (brand name) or Alprazolam. There is nothing to be ashamed of. These little pills come in .25m .5, and 1 mg doses. You and your doctor will decide what dosage is best for you.

As a 5′8″ male who weighs about 160 pounds I can say the 1mg pretty well knocks me out for a good portion of a 7 hour flight. I prefer the .5mg pill.

With one or two of these pills you may not be able to alleviate all your apprehensions, but you certainly won’t feel quite as tense. Just be sure to wait until you get to the airport to pop the pill, or have someone else drive you there.

Likewise, don’t fall asleep in the waiting area and miss your flight!

If a prescription is not an option for you, remember that most major airlines are now taking credit cards for alcohol purchases during a flight and many foreign carriers still offer complimentary booze.

One or two drinks can calm your nerves, but don’t drink too much, because alcohol hits your body much harder in flight than on the ground.

Giving into your fear of flying can cause you to miss out on the fantastic chance of traveling the world.

The confidence and sense of accomplishment you gain by visiting a distant land is only more gratifying when you arrive by conquering your fears.

Do you have tips for flying? Share in the comments!

As parents we wanted our children to experience what the world had to offer.

Our family had also been through an extremely tough time before our trip. We had experienced death and change on a profound scale, and our marriage had only just managed to survive.

I could see that as individuals we all needed time to heal.

With this in mind, everything came together for it to be ‘the right time to travel.’ The decision to hit the road with kids in tow was the right choice. Next time I won’t wait so long.

Here are 10 things I wish another parent had told me before we left on our family adventure.

1. Leaving Home Is Your Decision

Where travel is concerned, not everyone will be supportive of your decision to remove your kids from school. Some will believe you’re making a great mistake. Others may tell you to go for it.

Either way, the decision is yours and what you and your family give and can get from the experience is up to you as well.

Keep in mind that the education your children are going to gain from world travel can support and supplement the chosen direction for their education when you come home.

Gather information to gain an understanding of the subjects your children would be studying in school for the year. If you choose, you can gear the learning gained during travel to the school curriculum – or you can just go with the flow.

We found a little of the first and a lot of the second worked best.

2. Balance Structure With Flexibility

We decided on a Round the World ticket. We knew that we were going to be away for one year, so that dictated our start and finish dates.

Using a RTW ticket, we had an itinerary for our destinations from Thailand through to the United States. That itinerary provided us with an external structure we could fill in with destinations and activities.

It was only once arrived in a country that we knew whether or not we liked it, whether we wanted to stay there for a longer or shorter time, and whether that was worth paying to change the dates that we had initially booked. Some countries take payment in local currency, others in dollars or sterling, which were more expensive.

3. Staying In Touch Is Easy Online

We left England with our children aged 11 and 13, so for them and us leaving was a big adventure. How to keep in contact with family and friends back home?

No, we didn’t take a laptop.

But we did make full use of the cheap internet services that are available all around the world. This enabled the kids to be in contact with friends from home and friends they made while traveling.

It also provided my husband and I with some ‘downtime.’ While the kids were instant messaging we took time out to relax, drink coffee and enjoy some couple time.

4. Sometimes Hotels Are Cheaper Than Hostels

With just a Lonely Planet in hand we found our way round some very interesting places to stay.

Definitely investigate the hostel scene before traveling, as not all are family-friendly and some are more expensive than a guest house or hotel. For example, in Sydney staying in the YMCA was more expensive than renting a studio apartment in the heart of the city.

The plus side is that some hostels have bikes, kayaks and snorkels you can use free of charge.

5. Trust People, But Trust Your Judgment More

While traveling, our views regarding ’strangers’ were constantly challenged. Everybody was a stranger, but at the same time could also be a friend. Wondering who to trust was something that we dealt with on a daily basis, because our children are precious to us.

If something didn’t feel right or we thought a situation could be unsafe, we simply packed our bags and left. That was as much as we could do.

It was difficult at times, because our daughter did not always feel safe in the guesthouses where we stayed, especially at the start.

In Kota Buru in Malaysia we looked at a hotel which was built with very thin corridors, and at night they locked a metal gate over the front door. I noticed the emergency exit was also locked with a metal door.

“How do we get out if there is a fire?” I asked the desk clerk.

“I have the key,” he told me.

We had to trust that he would come and open the emergency exits and the front door if there was a fire. (That was not a level of trust I was willing to bet our lives on!)

6. Have Fun Trying New Things Together

There’s four of us: an 11 year old girl, a 13 year old boy, a 40 year old woman and a 40 year old man. How did we decide what to do?

In England we all like different things, but while traveling we took on new experiences together. As a family, we learned to dive, surf, snowboard, ride scooters, fish and tramp, experience nature and chill, sunbathe and snorkel.

We all did a little of what the others liked, compromise was the key, and deciding what activities to do while also keeping our budget in mind was a group process.

Some of our best times were spent just being together as a family, watching DVDs like we enjoy at home, and taking a breather from the everyday whirl.

7. Get To Know Each Other As Individuals

We knew this journey would be one of the most memorable times for us as parents to spend with our children, without the external influence of peers, society and our culture.

We all got to know each other as individuals a little better, rather than just as son, daughter, mother and husband.

I watched my son bang his foot and run bleeding to me, not bothering to clean himself up until I had seen the dolphins that were surfing the waves. I spent time teaching my daughter to kayak on a small island off Fiji, giggling together as we turned the boats upside down so that we could get used to falling out.

I enjoyed spending time with my husband, learning new things together. I learned to take time out and enjoy life.

8. Just Go For It!

As a family we discovered that the world holds many wonders.

We explored new places, new cultures, met new people, experienced strange drink and food, laughed a lot, didn’t want to be together, felt frustrated with each other and at points had no time to ourselves. We felt sad, homesick, and at times downright bored.

We also loved being together. We loved not having to get up at any particular time for any particular reason and slobbing around in bed all day to rest for another days’ adventure.

If we could give just one piece of advice to anyone else thinking of taking an extended family trip it would be this: Just go for it. What an experience to learn and grow from, whatever the outcome.

9. Coming Home Can Be The Hardest Part

The worst thing about coming home is reverse culture shock.

The best thing was sleeping in our own beds again, and for me walking down the beach and listening to the sound of the water as it laps over the shingle. I did not find that sound anywhere else we traveled.

10. The End Is Only The Beginning

The toughest thing now is setting the children back into the school system. It’s important to remember that education does not necessarily have to come through the institution of school.

Our travels have given me insight and knowledge about my ability to educate my children on an individual basis, if the schooling system does not seem to work for them. That is the greatest insight for me as a mother.

We’ve now been home for over three months. Our travels are fondly starting to fade into memories. Would we do it again? You betcha.

The best decision we ever made as a family was to take time out to savor the world with the people we love the most.

Did your parents take you traveling as a child? What do you remember about the experience? Leave a comment below!

Janice Stringer is 41, married for 19 years with two adorable kids. By day she is a Counsellor, by night, travel writing is her trade. Janice currently is writing a book about her personal journey of travel.

Can an explorer of old still teach us anything about travel?

Back in his time, Columbus struggled to talk anyone into financing his dreams. He campaigned for funding in 1485 and appealed to the courts of Portugal, England and Spain continuously until he finally set sail in August of 1492.

He made three trips before setting foot on another continent – actually died in 1506 believing that he had found a way around the world to India.

Moral of the story: No matter how many obstacles you need to overcome, if you want to travel badly enough, you can find a way.

Here are more lessons from Columbus that will help modern travelers make their own discoveries.

1. You can start from anywhere

When it came to math Columbus was a chopstick short.

He knew the earth was spherical, but miscalculated the diameter wildly, and also forgot to convert Arabic miles to Italian miles. As a result his earth was only 15,500 miles in circumference.

If he had calculated the correct measurement of around 25,000 miles he would never have attempted to sail around the world, as no 15th century ship could carry the provisions for a voyage of that magnitude!

2. Always keep a trick or two up your sleeve

Columbus had no formal education, but everywhere he went he learned a bit of the local dialect. Columbus spoke (and wrote) many kinds of “pidgin”, and the knowledge took him places.

Even if you only learn Hello, Goodbye and Thank You (never mind the dodgy accent!), doors will open for you everywhere you go.

In 1503 Columbus was beached in Jamaica and survived by correctly predicting a lunar eclipse. This display of knowledge immediately convinced the astounded locals that his use extended beyond being served as the main course for dinner.

Don’t ever pass on the opportunity to acquire a skill – no matter how obscure – as you never know when it will get you through a rough patch on the road.

3. Keep your eyes open and an ear to the ground

Columbus got word that a hurricane was heading his way, so he hid his ships in the Rio Jaina delta. The chaps who didn’t listen to the warning lost 500 lives, 29 ships and an immense cargo of gold.

Apart from paying attention to alerts about dangerous neighborhoods, travel scams and political coups, there are many other tips that savvy travelers should collect. For instance: did you know Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are the cheapest days to fly?

Or did you know you can instantly find the cheapest hotel (including current specials) by using just one website?

4. Don’t worry too much – think potential!

When the Ottoman Turks took Constantinople, cutting off safe passage to China and India, life in spice-deprived Europe headed for bland.

Columbus and his brother reacted by hatching a plot. Their proposal was for an alternative route to India, sailing directly west across the Atlantic to get silk, opiates and spices.

The two uneducated brothers might not have had such a warm reception if there had been less economic competition between developing nations for the best trade routes and the newest colonies.

In the same vein, it’s sometimes easier to travel in countries experiencing economic difficulty, especially if financing is your problem.

Look out for amazing specials, volunteer work and teaching opportunities in countries currently deemed “too unstable.”

5. Don’t communicate disease!

Columbus and his crew took various maladies to the New World with disastrous results for the people he called “Indians.” The natives’ revenge? Building scientific evidence suggests that his sailors brought syphilis back home to Europe.

When infected members of his crew later served in the army of King Charles VIII, the infection resulted in 5 million deaths across Europe. Don’t let anyone stop the payment on your reality check….be safe!

6. Follow your heart

In Europe the middle class and poor would often be rewarded with a wife upon successfully returning from a voyage – hence Columbus’s marriage to Felipa Moniz Perestrello.

Columbus’ new wife gave him his first maps of winds and currents and is said to have been the impetus behind his explorations.

Modern day travel can result in a similar match – if this fate should befall you I strongly advise you heed Christopher’s example and match yourself with relationship partners that approve of travel.

7. Pack your children

As early as 1461, at the age of ten, the young Christopher had already gone to sea, and within another decade he was traveling the oceans as a pirate.

Okay, maybe the pirate bit doesn’t do much to support my theory, but I believe that traveling with children will generally guarantee adventurous spirits and broad horizons for them (and eventually an excellent retirement home for you).

8. Write it all down

During his time on earth Christopher was thrown in jail and generally held in low regard. What turned him into an instant hero 5 centuries later? His journals!

Don’t worry about perfect prose or special kit; just get paper and pen (or a travel blog) and spend some time every day writing about your experiences.

Over time, you will have changed, the place will have changed, and eventually your memories will fade.

So whether you aim to inspire others, just remind yourself of your experience, or plan on being a phenomenon in 2508, heed the example of Columbus and the words of Paul Theroux: “Travel is only glamorous in retrospect.”

9. The Golden Rule

There is a dark side to the Columbus saga. Columbus was incarcerated during his lifetime for his barbaric treatment of his sailors and the Native Americans.

Various atrocities are documented during his governorship and he has been blamed for setting in motion the mass genocide of Native Americans by the Spanish.

In the modern world we have moved away from the general idea of colonization, but common courtesy to other cultures is always appreciated. Treat people how you want to be treated.

10. It’s about the journey

“Following the light of the sun we left the Old World behind…”

With these words Columbus departed on his journey. He would not set foot on the American mainland until his third voyage, and even then he assumed it was the eastern reaches of India.

While he failed completely in the original mission he set for himself, in the process of NOT finding one continent he discovered more than 1700 islands and became a legend.

If you have the courage to leave the old world and follow the sun, the rewards of travel will find you!

What classic adventurers inspire you with their travel tips? Share in the comments!

Suzie Jones was born into a family of aviators, and travel was fed to her along with squishy bananas. She guarantees that her own little monsters will carry the itchy feet gene for another generation. Not unlike Columbus, her husband spent his life on the seas serving in the Navy. Clearly she has a bit of a weakness for sailors…

One hundred miles into my two-hundred mile journey, I was seriously considering calling it quits.

I was tired and sore, and I had blisters on every single one of my toes. Even the thought of putting my pack on again in the morning filled me with dread.

What would be so bad, I thought, about hopping on a bus at the next town? Putting myself out of this misery?

I was hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago, a path across the north of Spain from the French border to Santiago de Compostela, where St. James the Apostle is supposedly buried.

Although I am not religious, I have always loved the idea of a pilgrimage: the singularity of purpose, the inevitable hardship and triumph over adversity, the camaraderie with other pilgrims.

And the fact that you get to call yourself a pilgrim.

Over the past millennium, thousands of people, from all over Europe and all over the world, have made the pilgrimage to Santiago. Halfway through my journey, I wasn’t sure I would be able to count myself among them.

What follows are a few lessons I learned about travel and life during my journey to Santiago.

1. Be Kind To Your Feet

The number one piece of advice I can give about taking any kind of backpacking trip is to buy good shoes.

I walked in a pair of too-small boots that I hadn’t used since high school, and although I lived to tell about it, there were times when I thought I might come back missing a toe or two.

I spent an entire day of my trip thinking only about how to describe the terrible pain – and finally came up with this: With each step, I felt like my little toes were being passed through a meat grinder.

I’m no gear head, but I will never again mess around with inadequate footwear.

It also doesn’t hurt to be prepared with a basic first aid kit just in case. On any backpacking trip, I carry medical tape to cover any spots that are rubbing (some people prefer duct tape, believe it or not), mole skin for padding, and baby powder to keep my feet dry, which also helps to stop rubbing.

As for other types of gear, there isn’t a lot that is necessary. Which brings me to my second point.

2. Travel Light

I started out with what I thought was a pretty light load, but the longer I hiked, the more I realized what I didn’t need, and how every ounce makes a difference when you’re schlepping it on your back.

Halfway through my walk, I ended up sending myself a 5 pound package general delivery to Santiago for pick-up at the end of the trip. I ended up with the following in my backpack:

• One outfit for the daytime
• one outfit for the night
• one extra pair of underwear
• basic toiletries and first aid supplies
• sunscreen, soap for washing my self and my clothes, foot care items
• water bottles
• a sleeping bag
• and a journal

That’s it.

While I was hiking, I met a man who was carrying absolutely nothing. He had one outfit that he wore day and night, and it included a large piece of fabric that he used as both a garment and a sheet. One of the most amazing things about backpacking is realizing how little it takes be happy and content.

3. Be Open To The Journey And To Other Travelers

Whether or not you set out with a religious or spiritual intention, traveling by foot can be a deeply spiritual act.

Unfortunately, it is all too common for travelers to get caught up in competition for spaces in the nicest guest houses, to obsess over how far they are able to travel in a day, to put too much emphasis on the destination without taking the time to appreciate the journey, one of the best parts of which is meeting other people.

Especially during difficult times, I found how nice it was to have other people to rely on for comfort. I also found that if I were open to it and willing to listen, people said exactly what I needed to hear when I needed to hear it.

4. Go Easy On Yourself

Part of what makes travel meaningful is dealing with difficulty. Of course, it’s easy to get discouraged, to get frustrated, and to blame ourselves for everything we have failed to do right.

Ultimately, though, what would a pilgrimage be without trials?

What’s really important is to deal with what comes up as it arises. Even the most prepared pilgrim can’t plan for everything.

One Foot In Front Of The Other

Of course, I didn’t have the benefit of this advice before I started my pilgrimage, and nursing my blisters halfway through, I really did think about quitting.

After a hot meal and half a bottle of wine (that’s how they do it in Spain, you know), I was feeling a bit more optimistic. At least, I thought, I can make it through one more day.

I continued until one morning, miraculously, my feet didn’t hurt any more. My blisters had hardened into thick calluses. By the time I made it to Santiago, I was even a little disappointed not to be able to look forward to walking again the next day.

Although I wouldn’t trade my experience on the Camino for anything, I am certain that the next time I take a pilgrimage (or even go on a weekend trip), I will be better prepared.

Inspired by the Camino de Santiago? Thinking about doing the pilgrimage yourself? Check out Walking the Camino de Santiago, a feature article in Matador’s Traverse magazine.

Laurie Pickard is a lifelong lover of travel and learning. She grew up in suburban St. Louis and currently lives in Philadelphia, where she is working on a master’s degree in geography. Laurie is passionate about languages, cultures, people, and places. She is currently planning her next trip, which will be to South America in fall 2008.

Crossing streets in foreign countries is often a daunting task. In big cities like Bangkok or Delhi, it can seem as if stop signs, red lights and crosswalks all mean GO FASTER!

“If I could change one thing about the world, it would be disabling all car horns,” my husband said to me as we were walking in downtown Cairo. Not solving world peace or world hunger – disabling car horns.

During our stroll in Cairo I was acutely more aware of the sweet smells of shisha coming from sidewalk cafes to pay much attention to the traffic, let alone the honking cars, but getting distracted by the scenery can be dangerous.

Once, I was almost annihilated by a taxi while trying to cross the street (at a crosswalk mind you) to get back to our hotel.

In a western country we are used to hearing the horn as an outburst of anger or road rage, a scream that means: “Get out of my way!,” or “Hurry up!”

This is not as true in many countries, especially in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa where a horn can simply be a taxi asking if you want a lift, or a car letting you know they are about to pass, or even just a simple, “I’m here,” from a smaller car to a bigger one.

Of course, horns can also shout out rage from time to time, but although the street can sound crazy, not every honk is an expression of anger – or danger.

Guide to Crossing The Road

Horns aside, when crossing the street look both ways. There’s a reason your parents and teachers told you this 10,000 times – it’s important.

You will probably find yourself looking both ways out of confusion anyway, at least until you get a grip on the directional change of traffic, let alone some of the other unknown traffic “laws”.

Here are 6 more practical tips will help you cross traffic and noisy streets, but also give you a sense of accomplishment at the troublesome (and often intimidating) feat:

1. Follow The Leader

Wait for a local, or better – a group of locals – to cross the street and then follow their lead. However, remember to remain several steps down traffic so that they take the first blow if the car doesn’t slow down or stop.

If you do not feel ready to make the crossing yet, simply watch the way locals go about street dodging will benefit you until you are ready to start dodging on your own.

2. The Fake Out

Hail a taxi, sounds easy enough, but here’s the catch – don’t catch it.

The cab will usually pull over for you (with a large fare in mind,) even if it means crossing three lanes. The key here is to not get into the cab, just simply cross in front of it. The cabbie will not be cross with you, more likely just confused.

Even if it only pulls over one lane, it gives you a one lane head start to the opposite curb.

3. Look Official

Hold out an ID and hand – or passport if you dare – look very important and determined and march right on through.

If the car does not stop, give the hood or trunk a nice hard rap with your knuckles. It will scare them a bit and they will often stop to make sure they didn’t hit you, but just keep on going.

A business suit or some sort of military-ish get up would increase the odds of this dodging technique. If you lack a suit or any sort of ID or badge, a strong hand and eye contact should do the trick.

4. Easy Does It

Walk slowly and at a steady pace, make eye contact with the drivers crossing one lane at a time. Having cars fly by you at a fast pace is an adventure in itself and may take some getting used to.

Just keep in mind that the drivers really don’t want to hit you. If traffic is stopped or moving slowly enough just go for it, but weave through thoughtfully.

5. The Boy (or Girl) Scout Effect

Find an elderly lady or young child to “help” across the street, whilst actually using them as a blocker/safety net; and if you both make it across the street together – congratulations, more good karma for you!

Be considerate of culture with this tip, it may not be customary for a male to touch or speak with an unknown female. To stay on the safe side, women should not approach an unknown man.

6. Scare Them Into Submission

When I was just a little girl walking to school I used to jump down off the sidewalk to “scare” the oncoming cars into thinking they would hit me. In reality I only just barely moved from the edge of the curb, but the sudden movement certainly caught the drivers attention and got me a honk or a dirty look.

This tip may or may not work abroad, and is not strongly recommended, but…I must admit – it is kind of fun.

*****

These six simple tips will hopefully help you get one step, or street, closer to seeing that museum, art gallery, church, mall, temple or shine.

Just remember to stay calm, use caution and keep your wits about you. No matter how overwhelming the traffic seems at first, crossing the road in foreign countries will become like second nature sooner than you think.

What are your tricks for crossing streets safely? Is pretending to jump into traffic really a good idea? Let’s start a conversation below!

Laura Wilcox Ambrey, from Seattle, WA, holds a Journalism degree from WSU. On May 5, 2007 she married the boy next door and left for Singapore the next day. She and her husband have been traveling ever since (with no plans yet to head stateside).

When I first arrived in Tokyo, I was sick, lost, and alone. I was also fifteen years old.

This was my first of many extended trips for work (I’m a model) and the decision to travel solo had been made at the last minute.

That evening, when I got off the bus in the wrong place after a severely delayed 13-hour flight, I had second thoughts, but ultimately traveling alone as a teenager turned out to be a seminal part of my youth.

Life in Tokyo was full of hurdles: navigating the subway, deciphering food labels and getting through the day without committing some grave faux pas. I was working, too, so rather than simply being a tourist, I actively participated in the society.

Working meant that on top of basic self-sufficiency I had to collaborate and communicate with Japanese colleagues. At an age when many can scarcely get to work at the Gap on time, I suddenly had to meet life’s challenges on my own.

Growing Up

Some travel skills I learned by trial and error, but overall I was surprised by my own competency. Travel quickly showed me just what, and how much, I was capable of doing by myself.

I became emotionally self-sufficient, too. A photographer once asked me if I missed my family, and when I replied that I did, he said “You love your family, but you need to learn to be at peace by yourself.”

At the time the comment bugged me – I didn’t want to be told how to feel. But later I realized that he was right. My homesickness never subsided, but I learned to accept that I missed my home and family, and move beyond that homesickness to become whole as an individual.

Open to Interpretation

At the same time, the vulnerability I felt being away from home for the first time made me hyper-aware of the fascinating new world around me.

I examined everything: objects, clothing, building, customs. The first thing I noticed was difference. Who knew there were so many ways to look at the same things?

I noticed that aesthetics are very important in Japan (everything from manhole covers to warning signs are made to be admired) and that almost no one wears hats.

Then I started to notice more subtle characteristics of the culture, like the avoidance of saying no: my Japanese acquaintances greatly preferred the term “maybe.” They also thanked people effusively for even the slightest favor.

I realized that everything from pace of life to social priorities to job preferences was open to interpretation.

A Global Classroom

I ran across few other Americans, but was surrounded by people from all other parts of the world, exposing me to even more alternative perspectives.

Conversations were speckled, if not centered on, comparisons of our home countries and native ways of doing things, be it sentence structure or the traditional age of marriage.

Not surprisingly, I learned a lot about the driver’s licenses, school systems, and age related legislation of various countries, and gained a whole new appreciation for the dominance of American entertainment, stores, and fads.

Following the promptings of my guidebook I frequently found myself in museums, and came to realize that I like art, in a way that has never resonated with me before. Away and alone, I strolled through the aisles, talking to no one and paying attention to nothing but the artwork. I settled into a quasi-meditative state of mind in which the artwork seemed to hit a raw nerve.

At the same time I was taking in large amounts of historical data. I absorbed the history of the Shoguns and became quite versed in the Meji Emperorship. I saw Kabuki performances, though I had no idea what the characters were saying, and visited countless shrines and temples.

Question Everything!

Unfamiliarity and solitude are a great incubator for thought. With my new exposure to such a wide variety of outlooks I had to think about and question many things which had previously seemed concrete.

I was struck by differences in public policy; how come some countries have universal health care while others do not? Why is college astronomically expensive in the U.S.? Why are bike riding and letting children walk to school alone considered so dangerous in my native New York, while both are commonplace in Tokyo?

Japanese people seemed, overall, to be high achievers, placing a heavy emphasis on academic and professional success. Life was faster here than in the States, and busier too.

Noticing such difference led me to ask myself important questions:

• What is important to me?
• How do I want to live?
• Where do I belong?

I benefited from my youthfulness in that traveling didn’t just make me think, “Wow, there are so many ways of life out there.” Instead, experiencing foreign cultures while perched at the beginning of adulthood, everything I saw was still possible for me to apply to my own life.

All too often I hear older adults lamenting time spent on dead-end tracks to supposed success; traveling in my adolescence has shown me from the start the full range of what life has to offer.

The exposure to foreign cultures that I gained early on preempted my cultural biases and “us and them” thinking, and liberated me from the notion that there is only one right way of doing things.

Discover The World…And Yourself

Traveling is about discovery and finding oneself, for people of any age. But when you travel as a young person, you’re raw material, constantly being shaped, and all that you see, hear, and do has a profound impact on the rest of your life.

At my age, people like to say, you’re naive, not yet disillusioned about the world, and think that “because it feels right” is a suitable reason for action.

Well, what better attitude to maintain as you explore the world? We teens see the world as a limitless opportunity. When you travel, that’s the way it truly is.

Are the teenage years a good time to travel? Share your experiences and opinions by leaving a comment below!

Celine Joiris writes and works as a fashion model in her native New York City. She has lived and worked in Tokyo, Paris, Sydney, London, Hamburg and Seattle between the ages of fifteen and her current eighteen, and juiced every moment of it.

Many of my best travel experiences have been shared with local people who have invited me into their lives.

• Singing Russian drinking songs with my cabin-mates in Siberia.
• Playing cards until dawn on an overnight train across China.
• Relaxing on an isolated beach with a fisherman in Panama.

These moments, when you actually step off the tourist trail and enter into the reality of the place you are visiting, are the much talked about, yet ever elusive goals of many travelers.

At times, when you are alone in a new place, nothing seems more impenetrable then the strange culture that surrounds you. If you are feeling lonely, there is always the opportunity to make friends with your fellow travelers.

However, when you are feeling adventurous and willing to delve deeper into the world around you, there are six things to have in your bag that can help break the ice and make an introduction.

1. A Ticket On The Slow Bus

The faster, air conditioned, express bus is always tempting on a hot day, but it will not help you meet the locals.

The easiest way to meet local people when traveling is to surround yourself with them. There is no better way to do this than taking the absolute cheapest transportation option available.

When you board the overstuffed train or bus, likely you will be seated next to dozens of people eager to have a conversation. Squat down on a bag of rice, stack of rope, or anywhere you can lean, and keep a smile about the whole ordeal.

The people around you will be watching to see how you react to the situation. Staying relaxed and smiling will go a long way towards warming up your new travel companions.

2. Cassette Tapes

Bringing your own music in an MP3 player or portable CD player is a great way to block out the screeching noise of foreign cities, smooth the ride on trying bus or jeep journeys, or pass the time during long transit periods. On the other hand, there is nothing more isolating than a pair of headphones.

Instead, try traveling with one or two classic cassette mix-tapes. When you tire of the cab’s selection of “the coolest American music,” or a jeep driver’s library of Mongolian throat singing tapes, offer the driver one of your own.

You’re not the only one who may be interested in hearing something new.

3. A Deck Of Playing Cards

Every country in the world seems to have at least one game that uses playing cards. Once you claim your spot on the train or in the bus station, instead of hiding behind a book, start to lazily play a game of solitaire. Before you know it there will be a crowd of people eager to join you.

4. Pictures Of Home, Your Friends And Family

Besides being a great reminder of your friends and family when you are feeling homesick, a few pictures of home are a great way to build a connection with people you meet on the road.

When choosing pictures try to focus on images that capture the relationship you have with the people in the photograph.

Pictures of houses, apartments, cars, and other possessions can appear opulent and ostentatious in other parts of the world, regardless of their status in your hometown or city.

5. A Reservation Through The Hospitality Club.

Organizations like the Hospitality Club, CouchSurfing, the WWOOF program, and forums like the Digihitch Rideboard, are more than just places to find free lodging or a free ride.

These resources are a great way to escape the typical traveler’s circuit and spend an evening, a few days, or even a few weeks with a local, hanging out, sharing an apartment, or even working.

Remember that, in addition to rooms for lodging, the Hospitality Club and CouchSurfing have listings of local people who just want to grab a beer, do some sightseeing, or share their favorite restaurant.

6. A Phrasebook

The most useful tool for building relationships abroad is language – and if you sincerely hope to make friends the few pages at the end of your guidebook will not be enough.

A dedicated phrasebook, with two-way dictionaries and liberal use of native script, can be passed back and forth and be surprisingly useful for conveying meaning.

As a fun challenge, leave the guidebook in the hostel and spend a day navigating with only your phrasebook, or for the dedicated, try to learn a new language in only a few weeks.

Having these six things with you will not magically open a world of friendships, but they are small and light and can make a huge difference when you are trying to break into a foreign social group.

What are your favourite items to pack to share with locals? Share in the comments!

David DeFranza has studied in China, worked in Japan, and wandered all over Asia, Europe and North America. When not traveling he spends his time in New York, or the seacoast of New Hampshire, or where ever his friends offer a couch.

When I finally manage to fall asleep, it’s actually morning and time to get up again. If you also travel frequently, I imagine you know the feeling too.

Jet lag is actually a physiological condition known scientifically as desynchronosis and dysrhythmia that causes disruption to your body’s clock.

As a health enthusiast, I look for ways to reduce jet lag on long flights – and have successfully managed to do so. Now, I can travel and earn extra time at my next destination because I have next to no jet lag. It’s a fantastic feeling.

Here are 13 ways you can reduce jet lag on your next long haul flight.

1. Rest well.

Try to keep a consistent sleep pattern in the days before your journey so that your body clock is not disrupted and has a pattern to work with.

2. Get a healthy balanced diet.

Eat well before you travel. Eliminate alcohol and caffeine always. An appropriate balanced diet will keep your body in good health, your cells in working order and your rest peaceful and productive.

3. Drink lots and lots of water.

The idea is to keep really hydrated, more than you would when on the ground. Keep things simple by just having two glasses of water every hour. It’s a good antidote to the dry air in the environment.

I suggest keeping your own water bottle so you don’t have to keep asking for a drink. When it’s empty, then you can ask the flight attendant to refill it.

4. Get comfy.

The best way to reduce jet lag on long flights is simply to get comfy in whatever way you can. Take your shoes off, push your seat back and turn on the AC as you require.

5. Blindfolds or sunglasses.

I love blindfolds if it’s a long haul flight and I need to get acclimatized to the local time of my destination. If I can’t get to sleep, I’ll still use the blindfold and just close my eyes and rest. Some people prefer sunglasses. It does the same thing really – whatever you like.

6. Ear plugs.

The idea here is to get as close to your natural sleeping environment as possible. Sleeping well for me means blocking out all sounds and that’s what ear plugs are designed to do.

7. Exercise.

Most important when you’re in the air is to keep exercised. Sitting for the whole period is not good for your circulation so get up as often as possible (but not excessively). Here are some simple exercises you can do:

• (a) Shoulder shrugs – lift your arms and roll them in a wide circular movement both forward and backwards.
• (b) Knee raises – bend your knees to hip height, hold for a few seconds, release and do the same for the other knee.
• (c) Upper back stretch – lock your fingers, stretch them out front bowing your back with palms facing inwards.
• (d) Ankle swirl – move your ankles around in small circles from time to time.

8. Melatonin.

I have never taken melatonin tablets – which involve working with your body’s hormones to get your body clock changed – because research shows that if not taken at the appropriate time melatonin could actually worsen jet lag. There is a lot of controversy on the use of melatonin and other sleep aids.

9. Take a shower.

If you have a stopover in between your flights on a long journey, you might want to take a shower to wake up your body, get the circulation flowing and freshen up. Usually, I just wash my face, hair and brush my teeth rather than taking a full body shower.

10. Avoid alcohol.

Growing up flying, I’ve seen a lot of adults drink alcohol on the airplane. Research has shown that the impact of alcohol on the body is 2-3 times more potent when you’re flying. So one glass of whiskey in-flight has the impact of 3 glasses on the ground. It’s best to avoid alcohol altogether when you enter the airplane.

11. Try hypnosis.

I’m a believer in the power of hypnosis – programming your subconscious mind to achieve results you want. Get yourself a hypnosis script that’s pre-recorded so you can listen to it before, during and after your journey. I have used the one from Hypnosis Downloads.

12. Watch your back.

Sitting down for long periods always results in some kind of back pain so move around, sit in different positions if possible and try to stay flexible. For those with chronic back pain or stiff backs, I recommend checking out air-activated, self-adhesive 12-hour heat pads from Bodi Heat which provide continuous, low level warmth that relieves pain.

13. Don’t nap on landing.

When you get to your destination, stay up until at least 11pm local time, no matter what time you land. This is the most difficult way to beat jet lag, but also the best and fastest way to get your sleeping pattern in order. If you succumb to the temptation to take that 4pm nap, no one will see you for two days – no kidding!

There you have it, my 13 ways to reduce jet lag on long haul flights.

I’d love to hear your ideas too as fellow travelers so do share by leaving a comment below!

Kavit Haria travels regularly and writes about health and wellness at Wellness Junction. Also a musician and geneticist, Kavit has lived in both Nigeria and London each for at least a decade. He travels mega-light and wonders how DNA made him what he is today.

You can control how often you move from city to city and where you stay en route, and of course you can restrict the cost and number of your daytime activities as needed.

But you have to eat, and that’s not going to change no matter how much cash is left in your account.

The first time I went traveling, in Australia, I stuck to my budget religiously – which was great. But in doing so, I subsisted almost entirely on Styrofoam cups of noodles and the occasional can of soup. Not so great.

Since then, I’ve vowed to find ways to eat well while still saving money. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up along the way:

1. Book The Right Hostel

Plenty of hostels these days claim to have a “kitchen for guest use” – but sometimes that means a fully-functioning kitchen, and other times it means a hot plate on a folding table.

Poke around on the hostel’s website to see if you can find a specific list of facilities within the kitchen, or if possible, ask an employee over the phone. Fridge, stove and sink are a minimum, and microwaves and kettles are gravy. (Not to mention pots and pans to cook things in…)

The better the kitchen, the more likely you are to actually cook a decent meal.

2. Know Where To Shop

Don’t just wander into the nearest corner store and stock up on instant packaged meals. Ask around to find out where the nearest large supermarket is, or (even better) the local fresh produce market.

As well as providing variety and better prices, these places can be attractions in themselves – one of the highlights of my stay in Budapest was trying to navigate a huge grocery store where no one spoke English, and all the products were unfamiliar, labeled in Hungarian.

(Hint: If you’re looking for mayo in Budapest, it’s in the toothpaste tube with the cartoon egg on the package!)

For variety, you can also seek out the local ‘Chinese grocery’ – these are found everywhere, and range from full-on Asian specialty food shops to corner stores that happen to be run by Asian immigrants, who almost inevitably also sell products from their home country.

In Europe my standard fare was pasta and tomato sauce, beefed up with peppers, zucchini or eggplant, and cheese. So after a while it was great to stumble on an Asian food store in a back alley in Florence and treat myself to a Thai-style yellow curry!

3. Buy Items That Multi-Task

Even if you’re traveling with a friend, it can be tough to use up entire bags of rice or pasta, or whole blocks of cheese, before you move on to your next stop. Planning out your meals, using overlapping ingredients, can really help.

My typical grocery list includes bread (toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, maybe a slice with dinner), lettuce (sandwiches for lunch, a bit of salad with dinner), cheese (again, lunch and dinner), and then pasta, sauce and veggies.

The key here is to rotate through different sets of ingredients, so even if you’re eating one food for every meal in Madrid, you’re at least eating something different for every meal in Barcelona.

4. Share with others

Self-catering is one of many aspects of travel that can become easier if you’re with a buddy: costs are split, food gets used up sooner, and it’s not always your turn to do the dishes.

But even for a solo traveler, it’s easy enough to find someone to share a meal with – it’s usually as simple as walking into the hostel kitchen or common area a little before dinner time and asking.

Pooling money and ideas usually results in a more interesting meal, and makes cooking more fun, too.

5. Always Have a Back-up Plan

The times I’ve spent the most money on the least-enjoyable meals have inevitably been when something goes wrong in transit. The train breaks down, the flight gets cancelled, and, trapped somewhere with an empty stomach and few options, I find myself spending a small fortune on a damp sandwich and a cup of flat pop.

To save yourself from wasting money on entirely undesirable meals, always have a small, lightweight emergency food supply. Mine generally involves granola bars and dried fruit, and sometimes I carry small packets of powdered miso soup, too, so protein is only a kettle away.

6. Reap the Benefits

Make sure you don’t get so caught up in grocery budgeting that you forget about trying the local specialties entirely.

On your last night in a city, or after a particularly long day, put some of the money you’ve saved from all your self-catering towards a really nice meal. Ask fellow travelers where they’ve enjoyed eating, stop people on the street, hit up your hostel staff for advice – obviously, the place you pick doesn’t have to be expensive to provide a mind-blowingly memorable meal.

But thanks to all your careful self-catering, if there is a higher-end place that’s calling out to you, you can go ahead and treat yourself! You’ve earned it.

What tips do you have for self-catering in hostels? Share in the comments!

Eva Holland is a historical researcher and freelance writer based in Ottawa, Canada. She is a blogger for World Hum and for Rolf Potts’ Vagablogging, and her travel writing has appeared in The Ottawa Citizen, The Edmonton Journal, and Matador Travel.

It can open up a startling range of opportunities, ease the strain of logistics and planning, and allow you to develop a deeper connection with the place and, more importantly, the people you are visiting.

With a little advanced planning, and an introduction to the basics, it can be surprisingly easy to pick up a language on the road.

A good phrasebook, and the dedication to use it, are the first steps to mastering a new tongue. Beyond that, an organized set of study materials can make all the difference between stumbling though a few disjointed commonalities and articulately expressing your ideas and opinions.

While most travelers understand this, who wants to buy and carry around a pile of language books? Fortunately, there are a number of excellent internet sites devoted to language study, most of them providing their services for free.

1. BBC Languages

The BBC offers comprehensive online courses in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and Greek, with slightly briefer introductions to several other languages.

This incredible, totally free, service is the best option for starting a new language from the beginning as the curricula are well designed, very complete, and easy to follow; all important features of a self-study program.

2. MIT OpenCourseWare

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has made a great effort to supply all of its course materials online for the free use of MIT students and the global internet community.

The Languages and Literatures department features courses in languages such as Chinese, Japanese, French, German and Spanish in addition to many interesting literature and culture topics.

While the usefulness of the materials provided varies depending on the course, they all include a detailed study plan to aid the self-learner in structuring a home course.

3. Internet Polyglot

The Internet Polyglot provides study materials for twenty-one languages. The unit-based materials available are ideal for a student already familiar with the basics of the language and interested in practicing specific areas and applications.

4. The Open University LeaningSpace

Similar to the Internet Polyglot, the LearingSpace provides unit-based study materials with a primary emphasis in French and Spanish.

5. Language Learning Podcasts

In the last few years, there has been an explosion of podcasts devoted to learning a language. These resources provide important sound cues and practical pronunciation guides, and are an invaluable tool for a self-study program.

To find podcasts, iTunes users can navigate to the “education” category of the iTunes Music Store. Other listeners can browse popular podcast databases like Odeo or The Podcast Directory.

A highlight of some of the more popular language podcasts includes Learn Greek, The French Podcast, ChinesePod, A Taste of Russian, and the Cherokee Language Podcast.

6. Madinah Arabic Language Course

For those interested in learning Arabic, the Madinah Course is the best online course available for free. Focusing on both spoken and written Arabic, this course takes the student from the first introductions through the advanced beginner level.

7. Livemocha

Livemocha is a social networking community focused on learning foreign languages. It provides free online courses in German, Mandarin Chinese, French, Spanish, and Hindi with plans to expand to other languages in the future.

In addition to the online courses, available from introductory to intermediate levels, Livemocha provides an active community of language learners and native speakers willing to work with you and give help when needed.

This community based approach makes Livemocha one of the most useful tools for the self-study of language.

8. Something Completely Different

Travelers interested in learning a more obscure, or even endangered language, should begin their research at the Ethnologue, an online database of all of the world’s 6,912 known living languages.

For more specific study, check out the Sanskrit Self Study program, an introductory course for learning Tibetan, Yucatec Maya language study materials, the great book Introduction to Zulu, or the Comparative Bantu Languages Dictionary.

Learning a new language requires time and dedication and can be a challenge no matter how good the tools available.

Still, these online resources are accessible anywhere you can find an internet connection and will make all the difference when trying to tame that new tongue, at home or abroad.

What are some your favourite online resources for learning a new language? Please share in the comments!

Food is just as much a part of culture as language. Eating local is a big commitment for travelers, but it can serve to make any journey more memorable and unique.

Sadly, traveling can sometimes be an excuse to eat quick and easy food, to walk between those ubiquitous golden arches for just one little cheeseburger. At home, most of us would prefer a delicious, well prepared Chinese or Thai dish to a value meal monstrosity, so why do so many travelers stuff their faces with imitation Western comfort food?

Many of us, in life and especially while traveling, see eating as a chore no different from filling up the gas tank. When traveling, we’re often tired and frustrated, so just about any old crap will do to put some weight in our stomachs.

Additionally, we’re often looking for some semblance of home to soften the bombardment of culture shock, and so we opt for something bland, familiar and safe.

I’m reminded of the time my friend and I were wandering around Hanoi, and two foreigners asked us if we knew where to get “normal food, not this Vietnamese stuff.”

Well, brave new travelers can do better. Avoiding local food is just as egregious as ignoring any other aspect of the culture in which you’re ostensibly trying to immerse yourself.

Let Your Food Be Your Medicine

Staying healthy on the road is important. Dehydration gets most of the spotlight when talking about preventable health problems while traveling, but it’s very easy to load up on carbohydrates and fats while ignoring things like vitamins, protein and even salt.

If you’re only traveling for a short time, eating poorly won’t lead to long-term health problems, but it can make you feel low-energy and miserable.

Eating a wide variety of local cuisine is the best way to make sure that your body gets the nutrients it needs to function at an optimum level.

Eat Where The Locals Eat

Many guesthouses and backpacker restaurants, especially in Southeast Asia, serve local food right alongside omelettes and pizza, and for many travelers, that’s where the exposure ends.

But while the local dishes in backpacker restaurants may be somewhat authentic, they’re often altered to cater to western tastes. The people who actually live in those towns aren’t eating at tourist establishments, so you’re better off hunting down the street-cart or hole-in-the-wall where food is prepared to the local taste.

Follow The Crowd

The same general rule applies everywhere in the world: If there’s a crowd, there’s a reason.

Every town and neighborhood has its famous restaurants, but more than likely they aren’t written about in any English guidebook or magazine. The only way to find them is to cruise the streets around mealtime and ask for recommendations from locals.

Learn The Lingo

Learning a language on the road can be a rather involved proposition, but learning to read a menu only requires memorizing a few words.

Figuring out how to say basic ingredients like ‘pork’, ‘beef’, ‘chicken’ and ‘vegetables’, along with various methods of delivery like ‘barbecued’ and ‘soup’, can allow the hungry traveler to decipher at least a few entries on every menu.

A little menu-lingo can also help when shooting in the dark – if you’re looking for something new but you know you’re in the mood for chicken, you can often just ask for it and prepare to be surprised.

Go Grocery Shopping

Nearly everything you can order in a restaurant can also be found in a grocery store or market. While you might not have access to a decked out kitchen or boast the technical skills to whip up an edible soufflé, that doesn’t mean there aren’t cheap self-catering options available.

In places like Europe, Australia and New Zealand, the prevalence of kitchens in hostels is a huge boon. While this usually ends in chicken soup or canned ravioli, it can also be a great opportunity to try the local beer or wine without splurging at a bar. In France, staples like great bread and cheese are cheap, ubiquitous and require no cooking.

In Asia, a traveler is far less likely to have access to anything more than an electric tea kettle, but there are still opportunities for self-catering. Fruit is a great choice – not only is it likely to have been grown locally and taste much, much better than its western counterpart, but tropical countries tend to produce unfamiliar and delicious fruits. Prepare for a taste sensation!

In addition to fruits – and this is going to sound strange, I know – check out the instant noodle selection. In the West we’re generally used to a plastic wrapper with a flavor packet full of salt, but in Asia instant noodles are serious business. It’s not out of the ordinary for them to come with up to five flavor packets, containing such fantastic things as dehydrated vegetables, freeze-dried shrimp and chili oil to taste.

Don’t Be Afraid To Eat Alone

Markets and grocery stores are cheap, easy and authentic, but relying on them too heavily can be a mistake, because so much of local cooking depends on the preparation. Since we can’t always have the privilege of being invited into a kind local’s home, restaurants are sometimes the only viable alternative.

Many people (myself included) feel embarrassed walking into a restaurant by ourselves and eating a proper meal alone. But even when traveling in a group eating solo in a restaurant can be a necessity, as you may be the only one who is genuinely interested in trying some new sort of food.

Getting over the fear of standing out while eating alone is difficult, but the easiest way to avoid feeling awkward is to bring something to do while waiting for your meal. It’s a great time to read a book, plan your day or fill up that journal you’ve been neglecting for a week.

Try Everything…Once

This is without a doubt the most difficult hurdle when delving into foreign cuisines.

Concepts like “vegan” and even “vegetarian” have yet to catch on in most non-western countries, and even in some more conservative places in the West, so in order to truly sample local cuisine travelers may have to suspend a few of their ideas and preferences about diet.

Oftentimes, the issue that arises is not so much obvious chunks of meat as things like broth and flavoring.

“Vegetarian” soup in many places simply means no meat – not necessarily what it may mean at your local diner. Sometimes, only red meat is considered non-vegetarian, so poultry and fish are fair game.

There are arguments going every which way on this issue, but ultimately whether or not to suspend one’s dietary preferences is a very personal decision that every traveler must make for themselves.

So go, eat and be merry! Humorist Steve Almost calls good food “one of life’s most consistently attainable pleasures,” and I tend to agree.

Your trip will undoubtedly be improved by eating adventurously and often. The world is a buffet, and those who do not travel eat only one dish.

Ross Tabak is a student in Washington, DC and is continuously looking for excuses to return to Asia. When not studying, he enjoys playing guitar, riding motorcycles and making sandwiches with more than one kind of meat. After graduation, he plans to flee to the far-reaches of the globe and support himself as either a writer or traveling organ grinder.

-Tim Patterson

I always wanted to travel.

I wanted to know other places and escape the routine of everyday life. For many years I dreamed of making a trip like this, slow and independent, without a car or motorcycle.

One day a childhood friend suggested we travel by bicycle to Ushuaia, at the southern end of South America. At the beginning I thought such a trip would be very difficult, maybe impossible, but the reality of this journey is much more difficult than I ever imagined.

If my brother were to make a similar trip, this is what I would tell him:

Accept Uncertainty

Forget your ideas and plans. Total control is impossible. You must mentally prepare for unexpected situations. Keep your ultimate goal in mind, but do not become overly attached to specific outcomes along the way.

Control What You Can

There are some things you can control, such as your mindset, the mechanical condition of your bicycle and your choice of equipment. You must plan well, cultivate self-control and take great care in your preparations.

Be Patient

Patience is very important. Sometimes you will break down, no one will pick you up and you will become frustrated. You must accept this, and stay calm in difficult situations. This is especially important when traveling with a partner, because uncontrolled frustration can quickly lead to conflict.

The Story Of Two Lemons

One day, two lemons were crossing a street. A truck came along and crushed one of the lemons. The other lemon screamed in anguish – NOOOOOO!!! A passer-by came along and asked what was wrong. “I got lemon juice in my eyes,” the lemon howled.

Choose your travel partners wisely. Look for people who are not self-centered and who demonstrate empathy. Know their motivations, and be sure they are physically and mentally strong.

Study The Terrain

You must not travel blindly. Carry a good map, and study it everyday. Think hard about how much food and water you will need in order to traverse a section of road. Determine what shelter will be available along the way. The price of a mistake – like running out of water – is one that you cannot afford.

Let Off Steam

Even if you are on a strict budget, eating only rice and bananas, you must go out and have a party once in a while. You must drink, laugh and forget about your troubles for a time. Doing this will keep you sane. This is very important.

Keep Moving

You will make friends on your journey. Sometimes you will relate to people strongly, but you must realize that you are traveling. You are in your place, they are in theirs, and always you must move on.

Many times I’ve thought I could stay in Argentina, and that’s a very crazy idea.

Time moves slowly when you travel. I feel much older now. It seems like years have already passed. Sometimes, when I wake from sleep, I forget that I am traveling. I think I am only a few kilometers from home. It’s a beautiful feeling.

But then I remember where I am – 9,000 kilometers from Colombia – and I know I must prepare myself for another day, and the long road ahead.

Alvaro Galvis dreams of arriving home and eating a big meal of his mother’s lentil stew, with rice, some meat and a large glass of fruit juice.

Travel is a drug.

Travel hooks you with a mainline shot of adrenaline on that first mile of highway and takes you on a rollercoaster of mental and spiritual stimulation that reaches everything from dazzling Himalayan highs to Cambodian outhouse lows.

Finally it leaves you standing with luggage at a bus-stop and feeling strange – perhaps inspired, perhaps grateful, perhaps just suffering from a serious jet-lag hangover.

It’s no wonder so many travelers like to drink and get high. Many of us are young, liberated from authority, in search of exactly the feelings of exhilaration and supposed insight that drugs, alcohol and travel can all provide.

Should our parents worry about us? Should brave new travelers pledge abstinence before jetting off to India?

Nah.

Although alcohol and drug abuse can lead to serious problems while traveling, just like they can back home, in my experience most travelers indulge responsibly.

And while travelers have an important obligation to respect local customs, most – though far from all – countries are more tolerant of drugs and alcohol than the United States.

This isn’t to say you should throw caution to the wind and travel the world as if you were on permanent Spring Break. If you plan to indulge, here are some important points to keep in mind:

Safety First

Safe travel depends on good judgment and clear-headed awareness of your environment and your self. Alcohol and drugs can alter your perceptions and influence your judgment, making you paranoid, rash or just plain vulnerable.

Always pay close attention to your surroundings. Know your limits. Know the local laws and cultural norms.

For example, drinking beer in a city park is fine in Japan, but would get you busted for an open-container violation in Massachusetts. Likewise, marijuana use is widely tolerated in places like Spain and California, but you would be very foolish to risk lighting up in Taiwan, where laws are much more strict and pot isn’t part of the culture.

Finally, remember that your travel insurance policy probably has a clause about alcohol and drugs in the fine-print – if you do something stupid and get hurt while under the influence, they might not cover the bill.

Respect, Mon

As a traveler, you are a guest in a foreign culture. Like it or not, you are also an ambassador of your home country. This is a tremendous responsibility.

Getting tipsy with the locals can break down barriers and contribute to genuine friendship and cross-cultural empathy. Drinking alcohol is a ritual of hospitality in many parts of the world, and there really is something to the transformative power of peace, love, understanding and passing joints around a campfire.

When I worked in Japan, I soon learned that it was impolite to NOT get fall-down drunk at office parties.

However, there is a huge difference between getting fall-down drunk within the boundaries of a specific cultural ritual, and getting fall-down drunk and roaming the streets as a pack of boorish foreigners.

Pay attention to cultural norms of ritual and reciprocation. Be sincere, be considerate and have a good time.

Focus On The Journey, Not The Beer

Why are you traveling? To see the world and experience new ideas and new sensations? Well then why are you getting drunk every night at the youth hostel?

There are few things more pathetic than someone who travels around the world, but never leaves the cozy alcoholic bubble of the guesthouse bar.

Travel is a privilege, a rare and valuable opportunity to see the world – and yourself – from a new perspective. To squander such a gift is just plain sad, so always remember that although it might be fun to hang out and crack a few beers with your fellow backpackers, the world outside the bar is far more interesting.

Why not go out to a local bar, buy a beer for a stranger and start a conversation?

A Word About Moderation

At first glance, it would seem that moderation is the key to safe and respectful imbibing. True enough, limiting yourself to one or two drinks is generally a good idea in just about any situation.

But you know what? Once in a while it’s healthy to throw moderation out the window. Sometimes it’s good to take risks, to live large – to make mistakes and learn from the scars.

Get drunk. Get high. Go wild and howl at the moon. Leave the bar at daybreak with new friends and climb up a hill to smoke a joint and watch the sunrise over the ocean. Open yourself to all the passion and possibility in the world.

Just remember to be safe, be respectful, and never forget that it’s about the journey, not the parties you have along the way.

BNT contributing editor Tim Patterson travels with a sleeping bag and pup tent strapped to the back of his folding bicycle. His articles and travel guides have appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, Get Lost Magazine, Tales Of Asia and Traverse Magazine. Check out his personal site Rucksack Wanderer.

The single greatest piece of advice I heard prior to my first vagabonding excursion was to pack my bag, then remove half the stuff and leave it behind.

As with all good advice, I only admired the lesson after I had failed to heed it. Lugging a heavy pack through border crossings and train stations, only then did I ask myself two questions:

How do you pack for a trip that has no fixed itinerary? How do you hit the perfect combination of lightweight, versatile and practical?

In 2005 I began an undertaking to find the ultimate bag. I required the bag to replace four lacking alternatives:

• A laptop attaché for a 19″ wide screen Dell Inspirion 1900
• A giant, backpacker’s rucksack
• A stylish-yet-rugged messenger bag
• A Camelbak

I had carried each of these packs in previous years, with varying degrees of success.

The giant backpack held a lot, but was unwieldy when retrieving specific items. The messenger bag made me look like less of a dork and gave me rapid access to all its contents, but its single strap made it uncomfortable and it couldn’t carry an over-sized laptop-besides, my friends felt that “messenger bag” was just a fancy way to say “man-purse”.

Then there was the laptop case, which was downright worthless, lacking pockets that could fit anything useful, including my laptop.

In Search Of Perfection

I wanted to simplify my lifestyle by traveling with one perfect rucksack, so I put forth some simple requirements for my dream pack:

• It should not be a ridiculous color or bear any logos that make it a target
• It needs to be modular–when a pouch isn’t needed, I want to be able to remove it in order to lighten my load
• It must be small enough to carry on airplanes
• It needs wide, comfortable straps at both sternum and waist
• It must be able to accommodate a hydration bladder
• It should be rugged
• It needs to have a frame of some kind, preferably a removable one
• It should be cheap

I didn’t think I was asking for too much; a cheap, tough bag that could take me from the client downtown to the mountaintop in a single weekend. My wife thought I was high–who the hell brings a CamelBak to a business meeting? Or a laptop to the back trail?

Ignoring such pessimists, I set out to learn something about the perfect pack.

Cheap, Tough, Practical

Color alone excluded most “civilian” backpacks. There seems to be some unwritten rule that says bright colors are cheap. None of the brand names seemed to carry a “black” bag and, if they did, it was their “mountain trekker elite IV”, which retails for only $572; straps sold separately.

My search began to focus on the “government” market.

The kinds of business meetings and hikes that I need my pack for have different goals than those of, say, a U.S. Army Ranger on patrol in Afghanistan.

While it’s great to think that I can easily accommodate a SINCGARS radio, a cell phone pocket would do just fine. Jump riggings would sooner choke me than enable my safe, airborne assault on corporate America. Despite those extraneous features, however, I found the liberal use of 1050 denier “ballistic” nylon, quiet chain zippers, and subdued (when not militant) colors to be consistent and practical. It seemed I was on the right track.

After an exhaustive search (mostly at the expense of my employer), I was down to two bags. With little else to guide me, I turned to an age-old tool: the spreadsheet. I analyzed cubic space against price and came to a definitive conclusion.

Perfection Found?

The Blackhawk Three-Day Assault Pack is the perfect backpack (unfortunately, neither myself nor BNT is getting ad revenue for this…shucks). The Assault Pack is cheap, tough, and can fit in carry-on. With a cinch sack, accessory packs, hydration bladders and internal frame, I can adapt it to any use. Best of all, it is a single, simple shade of flat black.

That’s the end of it. You’re welcome. Go out, buy your assault pack–or similar–and be done with this question in your vagabonding life.

If you want further proof that soft corners, kidney and sternum straps, durable fabrics and wide shoulder strap are the tops, I recommend doing you own research on a plethora of sites, such as www.backpacker.com.

Wait! There’s More!

That’s not really the end of it, is it?

In light of this search, and the euphoric, bag-toting years that have followed, I’ve begun to stare at other peoples’ bags. The laptop cases with wheels going to conventions, faux “Alice packs”-purchased from Old Navy–climbing mountains, frayed messenger bags on the way to the library, and even saddle bags on an aging motorcycle. All these rucksacks tell me a story. I wonder if the people who own them obsessed the way I did.

Was the pack a gift? Have they had it long? Is it comfortable? What’s in it and why does it go there?

I begin to find that people’s bags–and the way they carry them-are like a signature, a unique thumb print of where we’ve been, where we’re going, and how we plan on getting there. I wondered if anyone noticed my bag and wondered the same.

Fellow Seekers, Deeper Questions

I found that I was not the only one obsessed with the perfect pack. Another gentleman, more traveled than myself, has begun to work with a Filipino bag maker to concoct the ultimate backpack.

His name is “Andy” of Hobotraveler.com. Perhaps he can put the formula to work and give us the perfect backpack.

Then there are the other, countless questions that arose during my quest. Can a backpack make us move faster, love travel more, and even help us remember not to leave our contact lens case on the hostel sink?

Is it possible to make Kevlar fabrics and solar panels “fashionable”? Do we decide what to put into the bag or does the bag demand to be filled?

My bag recently took me up the Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala. What was expected to be a light jaunt through a National Park, turned out to be a grueling hike through a jagged, unprotected landscape.

Our guide moved at a calf-taxing pace with little effort. As the day wore on, I found myself ill prepared for the terrain and ensuing precipitation. Feigning toughness, I acted as if I just loved the rain.

Our guide danced across volcanic rock and up steep slopes with the deftness of a mountain goat and finally came to rest at my side. I couldn’t understand his Spanish, but understood his message–here, moron, take this rain jacket.

As he turned I saw the bag from which this gift had come-a small, vinyl, Winnie the Pooh backpack. I was using my bag to carry cheese sandwiches and photography equipment.

One Life, One Love, One Bag

A gentleman by the name of Doug Dyment has been running an ad-free page called www.onebag.com (previously “The Compleat Carry-on Traveler”) for years.

His simple and effective compendium of bag-carrying knowledge corresponded to the qualities of the bag I had purchased. His recommendations for soft corners, subdued appearance and a list of other tips could’ve been plucked straight from my own skull.

It seems the perfect bag truly is a well-balanced formula. In spite of all this knowledge, I found the most wisdom in a line under the heading Choosing a Bag:

“Traveling light is not about figuring out how big a bag you can take, or even what kind of bag provides the most storage; rather it’s about determining the minimum amount of stuff you truly need to cart around with you, and finding the smallest bag that will comfortably hold it.”

Jacob Bielanski is a Technical College dropout from the boonies who drinks too much. His one-eyed cat “Spudnick”, travel-sized dog “Norm” and sexy photographer wife do most of the work. You can find his ramblings on his blog and his “real” writing at any place that ponies up the dough.

Every day, thousands of engaged couples and newlyweds find themselves in a predicament: They have all the cutlery, bath towels, photo frames, and kitchen gadgets they need.

Wedding guests, however, are stubbornly addicted to gift registries. They love the safety of registries, knowing that they’re giving the happy couple something that suits their tastes. Guests also appreciate the convenience of shopping online.

The problem becomes: how to provide guests with a registry, without inviting a flood of unwanted stuff.

The Gift Of Travel

Many engaged couples are solving this dilemma by turning to online honeymoon registries, where guests can contribute to the expenses and activities of a post-wedding trip.

My husband and I were thrilled to discover the endless possibilities of a honeymoon registry. We’ve always connected with each other through travel and outdoor activities, and our guests were, for the most part, like-minded souls.

In fact, creating the honeymoon registry was by far the most enjoyable part of planning the wedding. After months of deliberation, mind-changing, and scanning discount airline websites for good deals, we finally decided to spend our honeymoon traveling through the National Parks and monuments of Southern Utah.

After we chose our destination, the next step was to find a registry that would enable our guests to contribute to our adventure.

Setup Your Registry

There are many options for online honeymoon registries, and they all offer slightly different services. Do your homework to find a reputable site; these are usually designated as members of the “Better Business Bureau’s Online Reliability Program,” meaning that they are accountable to an outside agency and are therefore less likely to disappear with your guests’ donations.

Most services allow you to set up a honeymoon webpage for your guests to visit, send out registry announcements by email or regular mail, and keep the donations in an insured bank account until you’re ready to “cash in.” They make their money by charging either you or your guests a service fee, usually a fixed percentage of each gift, though some depend on advertising revenue.

Other sites also offer travel agency services, allowing you to book hotels, airlines, and tours through their agents.

Popular services include HoneyLuna, Traveler’s Joy, Honeyfund and The Big Day.

Sites like Honeyfund are free, stripped-down services which allow you to create a basic registry, while those like HoneyLuna will research your destination, write descriptions of your items and activities, and book your travel.

Each is a slightly different service, so be sure to read the fine print to find the one that best meets your needs.

We chose Traveler’s Joy because we wanted to book the travel ourselves, and the service fee they charged (7.5%) was smaller than many others.

The fee was also not visible to gift givers at checkout – it was subtracted from the final check sent to us before we departed on our trip, so there was no charge to our guests beyond the item they selected.

We were also careful to look at a number of registries other couples had already created on the site, and to see what kinds of items or experiences were fulfilled and what had not been purchased.

What Works?

We noticed that the most successful registries were those that included a wide variety of price points, so guests on any budget could find a gift that suited them.

The less successful registries tended to be either too frivolous or too boring. One couple, to my amazement, registered “100 margaritas” for a five-day trip to Cancun (an astonishing 10 margaritas each per day), which guests did not purchase.

Another oft-ignored item was airfare, which suffers from a lack of romantic appeal. An airline ticket isn’t as exciting or unique as a night in a luxury rain-forest bungalow or dinner at a romantic restaurant.

The type of gifts most popular with guests were experiences that the couple would remember: a hot-air balloon ride, a guided kayaking trip, a sunrise picnic, or a bottle of wine to share on the beach at sunset.

These types of concrete experiences help guests feel like they are giving you a truly memorable gift, rather than just giving you money.

The Bounty Of Experience and Memories

We tailored our registry to suit the friends and family who generously contributed to our trip. Our more adventurous guests gave us a guided day of rock-climbing near St. George, Utah, a scenic mule ride in the Grand Canyon, and a power boat rental to cruise the sparkling waters of Lake Powell.

More traditional guests provided a post-hike massage at a spa in Zion National Park, handcrafted Navajo pottery from a shop in Moab, Utah, and a gourmet picnic dinner to share at Cedar Breaks National Monument.

Guests on a budget were able to help out with campfire s’mores, a hearty pancake breakfast, and a collection of National Park postcards. The registry was so popular that we received all but three of the items we requested, and we thanked our guests by enclosing photos of our adventures in thank you cards.

Trapped By Tradition?

Some guests might balk at first at the idea of a travel registry, thinking that it’s not traditional enough. However, I think our honeymoon registry allowed our guests to become a part of our trip.

To combat the mentality that frowns at a honeymoon registry, be sure to discreetly spread the word about why you’ve chosen this unconventional option. While it’s true that a china place setting is more permanent than a night at a Grand Canyon lodge, the memories you create on a honeymoon will last for a lifetime.

After all, once you’re back in the 9 to 5 routine and the confines of cubicles, you will daydream about the hike to Delicate Arch or the snorkeling in Hanauma Bay, not about silver napkin rings. Make the case in these terms, and even Grandma will soon be won over.

Haley January Eckels studied history and English literature at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, graduating in 2004. She is based in Manchester, New Hampshire, and works as a writer and editor. Her overseas adventures have included a 750-kilometer pilgrimage in Northern Spain and a volunteer teaching position on Kili Island in the Marshall Islands. When she’s not reading, writing, or traveling you can find her climbing the local cliff or hiking in the White Mountains.

With a few precautions one can travel around the globe without having to pay bribes – or spend time in some rat-infested jail in the middle of nowhere. There are countless travel guides and books that tell you the do’s and dont’s of safe border crossing, and explain how to deal with authorities in general.

Most of the advice in these guides is good, and you should read them. But what if you do find yourself in a sticky situation at a border crossing? How do you get out of it?

First of all, let’s go over the things that can create a potentially bad situation.

Mocking Religion

Mocking any religion, no matter where you are, can lead to serious problems. Most wars around the globe are about religion.

Packing Drugs

Getting caught with drugs or an unlicensed firearm are obvious “mistakes.” In these cases you WILL spend time in jail, without anybody knowing that you are there.

In most cases, you will find that your embassy will be very reluctant to assist you. Diplomatic relations are far more important than a nice plate of food and a warm bed for someone who has broken the rules.

You will need a very good lawyer and a very big pile of cash, if and when you are allowed to make a phone call. Basically, if you are stupid enough to get into trouble with the aforementioned items, you will get little sympathy with what is coming to you.

Flaunting Luxury

Then there are seemingly innocent things that can attract unwanted attention: money, cameras, sunglasses, fancy clothes or a luxury car, and expensive electronics like laptop computers or iPods.

Make sure to pack these items out of sight, and only carry enough money for the things that you need to buy, like visas or bus tickets.

If you have a thick wad of cash in your wallet, the officials might be tempted to “create” a problem. The key is to stay as inconspicuous as possible.

Bribes And Fake Policemen – Oh My!

Now that you more or less know what gets you into trouble, how do you get out of it, without having to blow your travel budget?

The officials that you will be dealing with at border crossings in poor countries do not earn a lot of money. They are always looking for some extra cash, and if you have it, they will often try to get it.

I have spoken to a “policeman” who told me that he was actually renting the uniform from the real cop for the weekend!

He had a “radar” speed checking device, which actually turned out to be a hairdryer with a calculator glued to the back. I insisted to see his certificate of employment, which he did not have. I wanted to see the calibration certificate for the “radar gun” which was going to be a problem for him, but he still did not want to let me go.

He threatened me with going to court, and I took him up on it. When he realized that I’d called his bluff, we had a friendly chat about the whole situation. (He did ask me for a donation, and I politely said no).

Know When To Fold’em

Most of the time a tricky situation is just a bluff. The officials know that travelers are scared to go to jail, and that their uniform is a good intimidation tool. Stand your ground. If you did not break any obvious laws, then you do have rights.

Nine times out of ten, if you insist on sorting the matter out at the nearest police station, they will let you go. After all, they don’t want to get in to trouble with their boss; work is scarce in many impoverished areas.

Refuse with a Smile

Make jokes, have a friendly chat and be polite. Never shout at police, do not be rude, and do not insult them. If you belittle them in front of their peers, you will dig yourself a deep hole.

Learn a few words in their language, or ask them to teach you a few words. Doing so makes them feel important, makes them feel good about themselves. I know this sounds bad, but patronizing them works.

If all else isn’t working, play the time-game and wait it out. The day is only so long, and while you play for time, the officials are losing out on easier targets.

Any tips of your own in crossing borders and avoiding trouble? Share in the comments!

Cedric Pieterse was born and raised in South Africa, and always had a passion for traveling. He eventually got fed-up with climbing the corporate ladder and decided to pack his bags and hit the road. After four years of criss-crossing Africa, Cedric is currently living in Sweden.

The first time I rode a motorcycle, it took only five minutes for me to burn a hole the size of a grapefruit in my right calf. Mom drove me to the hospital. “Please, please don’t hitchhike,” she said.

But of course I did.

My first time was in the bed of a dusty pickup truck on a mountain road outside Vail, Colorado. “This sure beats pedaling uphill,” I thought, leaning against the frame of my mountain bike and watching the aspen trees breeze by.

The driver let me out at the trailhead and I sailed back to the valley on twisting loops of single-track. At the bottom, I stuck my thumb out again. I was hooked.

Since then, I’ve hitched rides with French hippies up the west coast of Japan, with Thai road engineers in the jungles of Cambodia and with park rangers across the Chic Choc mountains of Quebec.

Once, on the highway to Osaka, a taciturn man suddenly turned off on a mountainous back road and drove me into an abandoned gravel pit. I was praying for my mother to forgive me when he beckoned me out of the car and asked me to admire the beautiful sunset.

To Hitch Or Not To Hitch?

Hitching has always worked out fine, and led to memorable travel experiences. But am I pressing my luck? Are my mother’s fears justified? Is it really a good idea to stick your thumb in the air?

There are times when hitch-hiking is an appropriate means of transportation, and there are times when it would be extremely foolhardy to travel by thumb.

For strapping young males like me, hitching is fairly safe under most circumstances, but there is still a checklist of factors that are important to consider before soliciting rides from strangers.

Consider Your Location

In countries like Japan and New Zealand, where crime rates are low, people are hospitable and the standard of living is generally high, hitching is a very low risk activity. Just yesterday I met a young woman from Germany who told me all about her experiences hitching solo around New Zealand.

“Everyone couldn’t have been nicer,” she said. “Sometimes I would worry when the driver looked a little strange, but the oddest people were always the friendliest!”

Then there are countries like Cambodia, where most people live in poverty and the vehicles are often overcrowded and unsafe. It’s possible to hitch in the 3rd World – indeed, this is how many locals get around – but you should expect to pay for the ride, and only flag down vehicles that are relatively uncrowded and appear in good repair.

Even better, wait at a crossroads where vehicles tend to stop and approach the driver of your choice while he is getting gasoline or having a bite to eat.

Finally, there are countries like the United States, where hitching is safe in some places, but not in others. If you’re in a laidback mountain town, hitching is fairly normal, but the outskirts of larger cities can be dangerous, and trying to hitch in an expensive suburb will likely land you a ride in the back of a police car.

Are You Alone?

I do most of my hitching alone, but like I said, I’m a hunk of pure masculinity. Women can also hitch solo, and they’re likely to get picked up quickly, but they need to exude confidence.

Be mentally prepared to turn down sketchy rides and perhaps keep a bottle of pepper-spray handy, just in case.

In general, it’s a good idea to hitch with one – and only one – other person. A group of more than two people are unlikely to get picked up by anything except a public bus or Woodstock style hippie van.

With a trusted friend along for the ride you have backup in case things turn sour, and don’t need to bear the whole burden of interacting with the driver.

Why Do You Want To Hitch?

The act of hitching embodies many of my favorite elements of travel – going with the flow, adapting to situations on the fly and taking whatever comes with a smile and a laugh. The best reasons to hitchhike are to meet locals, get off the beaten track and give yourself up to the whims of the travel gods.

Ask yourself honestly why you are thinking about hitching. Do you want to save money? Do you want to chat with a stranger? Did the last bus of the week leave yesterday?

I find that hitching is rarely a good way to save money. Most of the time, I chip in for gas and often buy the driver a meal.

The best attitude is one of total openness – hitching for the experience, without a fixed goal in mind. If you aim for a specific city, or hope for a certain kind of ride you will be disappointed more often than not.

This is why it’s rarely a good idea to write your destination on a piece of cardboard – if you do so, only drivers bound for that place will stop, and you’ll miss out on potential adventures.

Thumbs Up!

So, was my mother right? When it comes to motorcycles, she knew what she was talking about. As for hitching, I’m not so sure. It’s a wonderful thing to talk with strangers, and it’s often rewarding to bum rides with them as well.

Hitching is a green way to travel – you’re creating an instant carpool. It also enables you to inject a little piece of spontaneous wonder into a stranger’s routine, fulfilling one of the most noble of a traveler’s roles.

The world isn’t such a scary place, and most people are friendly, generous and kind. Use common sense, trust your instincts, open yourself to the horizon of possibility and – if all seems right – raise your thumb up high.

You never know where it might take you. (Also be sure to check out this useful video on hitchiking techniques).

Have you ever hitched a ride? Is Tim’s Mom right to worry? Leave a comment

Travel is one of the rare circumstances in life that reveals something new about the traveler with each journey.

Often, we begin with a preconceived notion of how we want to approach new experiences; how we want to encounter new places; how we expect to see the unexpected.

Fortunately, travel rarely complies with our terms.

Earlier this year, I was called to “The Land of the Long White Cloud” by chance. Instead of visiting friends and staying in the bustling metropolis of Sydney, I flew 9,292 miles to rent a campervan and drive around New Zealand’s South Island.

I knew it was going to be a different kind of journey for me when all the gear had been packed into the van and we set off down the road, heading toward a general area a few hours away that had been recommended by a local barber just the day before.

Herein lies the eternal struggle: whether to fight for control of a trip or let the destination determine your course. Follow the pre-planned route and make the right turn to the next big thing, or decide to take the longer road through a smaller town, known among locals for its artisans?

Illusion of Control

On the surface, it seems an easy decision to make. Many of us prefer planning for logical, practical reasons. Usually we’re only in a destination for a finite period of time, so it makes sense to maximize the time visiting the best an area has to offer and minimize the time making decisions or getting lost.

But by its very design, planning doesn’t account for the things that could – and inevitably do – go wrong: transit strikes, flash floods, airport delays, and the like. Even more infuriating than a wrench suddenly being thrown into the plan is the fact that there’s no way that anyone could control it.

After all, daily life in most of the Western world is all about personal control – what size latte we order, what clothes we wear, what decisions we make at work, what activities we choose during our spare time.

From programming the TiVo to ordering dinner, the outcome of our choices serve as a constant reminder that we are ultimately in control of what we receive and that goods, services, and experiences should cater to our needs and expectations.

But even though it’s easy to stay in that state of mind, travel often presents opportunities to relinquish control and see the world as it is, rather than how we assume it to be.

Planning = Intended Reality

“I like having an idea of the things I want to do so I don’t miss something,” says Kelly St. Hilaire, 27, a human resources generalist who takes more frequent, smaller trips. “But I think when you plan too much it’s more stressful. I don’t want to have to be somewhere because my schedule says I have to.”

When it comes down to it, what’s there to lose by pulling over for an impromptu pit stop? What’s wrong with backtracking and heading to a town that’s not on the itinerary? What’s to be missed by further exploring a great location rather than racing off to the next must-see?

“Some people want to know exactly what to expect. I would hate to travel that way because it takes all the fun out of it,” said Sara Kriegel, 29, who most recently visited India earlier this year.

“What’s to be gained is actually experiencing another place and learning more about how other people live; seeing something you might’ve missed if you were just walking around with your nose in a guidebook. I would rather experience something I can’t just read about.”

The key is realizing that if you approach a location with an open mind and good company, the trip most certainly won’t be filled with regrets. Sure, being logical and prepared is basic common sense, especially when visiting a culture vastly different than your own.

No Set Plans

Allowing for more freedom during traveling, however, also allows for opportunities that couldn’t be planned.

Within a few days of driving around the South Island, my yearning to grab the guidebooks calmed to an appreciation of what was being seen and done at each moment.

So although this meant being unable to find a open pub in Greymouth on a Tuesday evening (who knew the city shut down at 8 pm?), it also meant spontaneously hiking, fishing, glacier climbing, skydiving, and horseback riding – as well as sleeping in almost every morning.

It meant deciding where to go based on the weather and picking up hitchhikers who were wandering in our general direction. It meant being ready for all that couldn’t possibly be penciled into any schedule.

How long would you allot for gazing at mountains or wandering into a ravine on the side of the road? Talking to a farmer at the local outdoor market? Taking the metro a stop too far and discovering a new neighborhood?

Probably nowhere near enough.

Kim Greene has written for several publications, most recently the New York Resident. She works at a publishing house in New York and her travel plans for the next year include jaunts to Ireland and Canada.

Sometimes, a lengthy trip just isn’t possible. For various reasons (such as family commitments, financial priorities and other responsibilities), you may end up working the 9 to 5 gig. This means you are given a few fleeting vacation days off a year, often amounting to just two weeks. That’s 14 days out of 365 you can dedicate to venturing into the unknown.

Deciding how to use those days can be quite the challenge for those who equally love their careers and also love to travel. Having dealt with that situation numerous times myself, I’ve managed to figure out the best ways to stretch your vacation days into a full-blown adventure:

1. First decide how to spend those 14 days

Do you want to take two (2) longer stints or four (4) short city breaks? Do you want to travel halfway across the world, or just hop over the Atlantic?

Choosing how you want to allocate those days is based on your individual travel style and travel goals for the year. A reasonable travel goal could be this: You want to volunteer in Nicaragua, experience San Fermin (Running of the Bulls) in Pamplona, and take a city break to Krakow, Poland before the end of the year.

Remember: You may also want to save a few days for when you are summoned by family for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

2. Yes, do travel around holidays

Planning your trips around holidays means you can save vacation days.

For example, if you want to travel to Spain and spend 9-10 days, leaving on a Friday evening and returning the following weekend, with Monday being a holiday in-between means that you will travel for 10 days but only take four (4) work vacation days. This leaves you with a balance of eight (8) vacation days.

By traveling around holidays twice or thrice a year, it allows you to make the most out of your allocated days.

3. Have flexible travel plans

You can argue that airfare prices might be higher around holidays. By picking holidays that fall around or flank the international travel off-season (for example, Memorial Day weekend in May or Labor Day weekend in September), you will find reasonable prices.

This means watching for low fares and being able to travel on a whim. Airlines such as United and Delta always send out weekly or bi-weekly emails with lots of international airfare sales.

4. For short city breaks, use budget airlines to cut costs.

Four or five day city breaks mean leaving mid-week (for example, on a Wednesday evening) and returning on a Sunday (or Monday if it is a holiday). This means you take only 2 vacation days off (Thursday and Friday), but use up your weekend as well.

For example, if you want to travel to Dublin or Edinburgh for a short break, flying to a larger hub like London will be much cheaper than directly to your destination. From London, you can hop on one of the many budget airlines like Easy Jet and Ryan Air which run roundtrip fares as low as 20 pounds ($40).

These budget airlines also fly to many cities in Europe such as Sofia, Bulgaria and Poznan, Poland so your city break options are limitless. (But don’t forget: offset your carbon).

5. Traveling to farther destinations like Asia or South America on only 12 days

A short break to Buenos Aires or Tokyo seems very unrealistic; however, don’t strike them off your list just yet. Try focusing on one activity, event, or festival when traveling to farther destinations.

If your goal is to go hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, you can take a 10 day longer stint (weekends included of course!), and visit Peru for this specific purpose. You can also visit Cuzco or nearby cities as a daytrip.

6. Use time differences to your advantage

If you travel eastwards to Europe from the US, you will move ahead a couple hours. If you travel westwards to Central and South America, you will fall behind a few hours. So returning from Europe on a holiday Monday means you arrive on the same day. This does not count towards your vacation days. When traveling to South America, you will arrive on the same day you depart, which means you will not lose any additional days.

7. Volunteer internationally

You can still get to off-beaten locations and paths by volunteering for 7-12 days (including weekends) with international organizations that operate in less touristy locations. You can work at an orphanage in a remote part of Central America or work with school children in Cambodia.

GlobeAware offers short-term (one week) volunteer opportunities that focus on cultural awareness and sustainability. This will focus your trip by allowing you to interact with the locals, and give you a real insight into their way of life and customs.

Note: be sure to read BNT’s volunteer tourism archives as well.

8. Explore your own backyard

Whether it is visiting Chinatown in San Francisco, or learning more about Native American culture in the Southwest, you can still immerse yourself in culture without leaving the country.

Note: Tim Patterson wrote an excellent article on the topic of local travel.

Overall, nothing beats extended travel and total immersion. As an avid traveler myself, I operate under that school of thought. Until you get to that point personally, you can still work with what you have.

Lola Akinmade is a GIS consultant who moonlights as a photojournalist. She has contributed to many online travel resources such as Matador Travel, Common Language Project, Black Travels as well as magazines. She can be reached via her personal site.

Call it a delayed reaction, but after months and months of planning my trip, the fear and trepidation of traipsing across a continent all by myself occurred only at the last minute.

Although this solo European adventure was not my first excursion outside my home country, it was the first time I would be traveling alone.

Why did I decide to go solo? During my previous travels, there was always a part of me that longed to separate from the group. I wanted to take in every sight, sound and smell like a greedy child. With a travel buddy, the journey felt too safe. I felt as if I had cheated and taken the sterile route.

The goal for this trip was to escape the four corners of my cubicle, the frightening comfortability of a daily routine, and my approaching quarter-life crisis. I thought of the comments and protests made by my family and friends, who told me that my plans were impossible and unsafe, and that I was “only a girl.”

Determined to prove them wrong, I reminded myself why I decided to travel solo:

1. Enjoy Complete Freedom

Traveling alone allows you to be the “Captain Of Your Own Destiny.” It is an experience of ultimate freedom. You can choose to satisfy your every desire or indulgence.

You can taste-test an array of cuisines from the local market without someone crinkling their nose in disgust; and alternatively you won’t have anyone forcing you to eat anything you would rather not try.

The time you lay your head on the pillow or decide to rise is your prerogative. You can wander the streets of Madrid at 3 a.m. without a travel partner pouting in annoyance. There is no need to sacrifice any plan for the sake of compromise.

2. Challenge Yourself

With only a backpack for company, traveling alone is one of the greatest yet most rewarding challenges you can choose to take on. It forces you to be confident in your choices. Every decision is based upon your own sense of self-belief.

There is no one to seek counsel or rely upon, and so trusting your own instincts becomes a necessary survival skill. If the first step of travel is to take the plunge into the unknown, then walking the road alone requires leaping headfirst off an 80-foot cliff.

It is precisely these challenges that make you stronger. You are responsible to no one but yourself. Thus, every wrong turn or misstep is yours – and yours alone.

3. Attain Deeper Insights

Risk is always a factor when traveling. However, oftentimes there is greater danger to a group of unprepared travelers than a single prepared one.

Loneliness is inevitable. Even so, I have found that the quiet solitude of solo travel has led to my deepest insights about my own nature and the realities of others. The sensation of being connected in a world so vast and varied leaves you humbled and filled with gratitude.

The solo traveler can revel in the the long-lost freedom of becoming ‘one’ with the landscape. There is no need to fill the empty gaps of time with desperate, painful dialogue; rather you can retreat into the deepest recesses of your mind and imagination.

Everything taste better, shines brighter, and seeps deeper into your bones when all you have are your thoughts and a notebook. You become a sponge, absorbing every detail and sensation of a new location. The intensity of your aloneness magnifies this privilege.

4. Leave Home (And Travel Companions) Behind

Taking the road with a companion (or a hoard of them) often means that you’re packing remnants of home along with your guidebook.

As a solitary traveler, observation became my main means of entertainment. I observed people traveling as a couple or in a group who, rather than noticing the windmills of Don Quixote’s Spain, or the different characters that boarded the train in Malaysia, all too often were lost in conversation about the latest gossip from back home.

Thus, they often failed to see the flashing landscape of a country and the habits that made its people unique.

Another tendency that I noticed by observing packs and pairs of backpackers was that they seemed to be surrounded by an “invisible shield” – a force field that appeared impenetrable and intimidating to fellow travelers and locals. It was as though they had a sign stating Do Not Approach in bold, neon lights.

5. Meet The Locals

As a lone traveler, you become more curious and active in your new environment.

I remember wandering down the beach in Asilah, Morocco, encountering a kif-smoking goat-herder. Despite the language barrier, we struck up a friendship. He took hold of my guidebook and started pointing out places on the map and gave me their names in Arabic, while I stated the county names in English.

Though most of our conversation was dominated by clumsy hand movements and mutual laughter, it was an interaction that I will never forget.

It was also an encounter that I highly doubt I would have experienced if I had been with a partner or a collection of friends.

6. See With Clear Eyes

Whether or not you travel with others can also affect the “eyes” with which you view the journey. The desire to please and be accepted, most especially by those whom we consider our peers, is an innate and almost inescapable social need.

Thus, a traveler may often see the world through his partner’s eyes and censor her opinions for the sake of “peace” or “agreement.”

The travel writer Alain de Botton elucidates this point in his 2002 book “The Art of Travel,” stating:

It seemed an advantage to be traveling alone. Our responses to the world are crucially molded by the company we keep, for we temper our curiosity to fit in with the expectations of others. They may have particular visions of who we are and hence may subtly prevent certain sides of us from emerging… Being closely observed by a companion can also inhibit our observation of others; then, too, we may become caught up in adjusting ourselves to the companions questions and remarks, or feel the need to make ourselves seem more normal than is good for our curiosity.

Traveling with others may not only hinder us from being truly ourselves, but also thwart the spiritual growth that comes with a journey. The partner or group serves the function of preserving the identity we constructed for ourselves before the trip.

Shedding the shell that one has built over time becomes an unlikely possibility when fellow travelers are there to constantly remind you of who you were – and who they think you still should be.

The Road Back…or Forward

We return home from travel with a transformed view of the world. People often say that ‘you are not the same person you were in your twenties when you are in your thirties,’ and travel accelerates this metamorphosis. Every trip enriches you in ways that can never be recreated or reproduced.

A traveler who sets out alone is like a bird pushed out of the nest and obliged to take flight on its own. Travel solo, spread your wings, and soar above and beyond your greatest hopes and dreams.

It all began with a volcanic eruption. Caught in a storm of ashen rain and almost walking into the ocean, Michaela Lola realized at the tender age of eight that life was meant to be an adventure. Her escapades include riding the midnight train to Marrakesh, partying with the katoys in Thailand and sampling insects in China.

Yet lo and behold, you’re in country no more than six hours before being invited out to a popping new night club and realizing you have absolutely nothing to wear.

No sexy dress, no dazzling disco shirt – just chunky hiking boots or ratty flip flops and a pair of zip-up pants to go with your bland Patagonia fleece.

In my last two years as a tour leader in Latin America, this is a situation I’ve encountered an incalculable number of times.

Travelers around the world love to go out, and there is no better place to meet a local or mix with other vagabonds than in a bar or club. Even if you’re planning a culturally rich, ecologically sound trip, you will invariably end up at a night club more often than expected.

Nightlife is a major component of traveling that is often overlooked when gearing up for a tropical excursion, so make sure you are prepared. There are a few key articles you should pack to make sure you are truly ready for whatever the road may throw your way.

How To Blend In

I blend well in Latin America due to my darker complexion and penchant for facial hair, but I feel like a shriveled little troll in Scandinavian countries.

You can’t help what the lord has blessed you with, but you can make allowances in your clothing of choice. Take note of what the locals wear during the first few days after you arrive and see if you can find something similar in the local market.

If, as sometimes happens to blonds, you’re getting an inordinate amount of attention, think about dying your hair. It’s a big step, but may make you feel loads more comfortable during your nightly excursions.

Hot Pants

Quick-dry, zip up pants are great for the bus or jungle, but look absolutely ridiculous when you’re trying out salsa moves on a Latin dance floor.

Make sure to pack at least ONE pair of pants you feel comfortable wearing out, be it jeans or something a little more risqué. Remember to take cultural norms into account, as spray-on tights might be alright in New York, but will stand out in certain countries.

If in doubt, err on the conservative side, since the last thing you want to do is offend your host nation.

Generally speaking though, in the era of globalization, most places have experienced the Levi’s phenomenon and jeans are a standard garment around the globe. There is no more ubiquitous article of clothing than a good, light-weight pair of jeans to help you blend into the local scene.

Stylin’ Shirts

When packing, you do need to pick your clothes sparingly, so make sure most choices are multi-purpose.

That said, you want to feel comfortable in swanky discos, so for men, bring something long-sleeved with a collar. This type of shirt can be used to ward off harsh rays or petulant mosquitoes, or help your chances with local vixens at the club.

For women, you normally have stretchy, easily condensable tops, so allow some space for one or two at the bottom of your rucksack. Forget the heels; you can find them abroad – and will probably come back with more than you wanted.

Don’t Forget Your Dancing Shoes!

In my opinion, shoes are the most important accoutrement of your entire ensemble. Too often, travelers are stuck choosing between the hiking boot and the flip-flop. Nothing shouts out ‘tourist’ more than a cumbersome walking shoe at a disco, because the locals normally come ready to play.

Bring your dancing shoes. Make sure you have a slim pair of comfortable shoes that don’t take up too much space and are ready to tango.

Even if you think you won’t dance, depending on where you go, dancing is the best way to interact with virtually everyone.

Regardless of how ‘festive’ you may feel, it is never a great idea to shed your flip-flops on a sticky dance floor just because you may have found your soul-mate. Bring suitable shoes.

The Whole Package

Cutting edge style from back home will probably make you stick out like a canker sore at a wedding. Bring durable, dark and demure clothes that you can sweat into and hand-wash to your hearts content. A solid black t-shirt can work marvels. It can be dressy-casual, and fits in virtually every setting.

You don’t have to agonize over your outfits, but make a conscious effort to prepare for a night out on the town. Most times you can put something together with what you have, but a good pair of pants, a sharp looking shirt and some versatile shoes will go a long way.

Who knows, they might just be the difference between the one who got away and an evening you’ll never forget.

Ben Younkman dabbles in freelance journalism when bouncing from country to country, vainly struggling to lose the travel bug. His last two years have been spent leading tours all over Central and South American as a professional Tour Guide. He currently resides in Washington D.C., giving just one bed a chance for a while.

“You’re vegan? What do you eat? Can you eat rice?”

I try to imagine a universe where rice isn’t grown, but hunted – the wild rice beast, a dangerous prey…

“Of course I eat rice. It’s a plant.”

“And ketchup? Can you eat ketchup?”

There are a lot of people in the world who have absolutely no idea what being vegetarian or vegan really means. Some people think it means you don’t eat rice or ketchup. Some people think it means you DO eat fish and chicken. And there are people who think you’re a lunatic hell-bent on starving yourself to death.

It can be difficult to be vegan on your own turf, but at least at home you know the ropes-where you can shop, which ingredients to watch out for, and which restaurants can accommodate you.

But when you travel to another country, being vegan is suddenly a lot more complicated. You have to scout out new restaurants. When you explain to impatient waiters that you don’t eat chicken or fish, you have to do so in another language.

This is an intimidating challenge, but it’s not impossible. Here are some tips for finding your food on the road:

Scour the Web

There are literally hundreds of vegan and vegetarian hotel and restaurant guides on the web. Cozy up with Google for a night or two and search for websites and blogs specific to your destination.

A good place to start is happycow.net, where you’ll find hundreds of veggie-friendly restaurant listings from all over the world. If you discover a new place on your journey, you can add it to their archive.

Get the Right Guidebook

These days, most commercial guidebooks mention whether or not their restaurant listings include vegetarian options. If this isn’t enough, vegetarianguides.co.uk puts out a line of exclusively vegetarian guidebooks. They don’t cover any exotic destinations, but they do have a few standard locations available.

Call Ahead

It’s easy to forget that a staple food you eat every day isn’t necessarily the norm elsewhere, and may not even be available. Think about your diet and ask yourself how it will translate to a foreign setting.

Call your hotel or hostel and find out if there will be anything you can eat at the continental breakfast. If you are heading somewhere where the prospect of finding a veggie-friendly restaurant is low, find out if your accommodation includes a common kitchen area.

If you are staying with a host family, warn them of your dietary restrictions in advance, and be specific.

In most major cities, finding something to eat won’t be a problem. All of the same ethnic cuisine that caters to vegetarians at home-Chinese and Indian, for example-tend to be available. And in major European cities, you are never far from falafel.

Prepare Your Own

Organic food stores are becoming more and more popular in Europe, where you’ll find everything from vegan Nutella to faux Wurst.

Ingredient lists on packaged foods are hard to decipher overseas, and without a thorough understanding of the language, you could easily miss something.

If you’re planning on doing some serious grocery shopping while away, try to shop with a native speaker or contact a local animal rights organization for an animal ingredients list in the language of your destination.

Into the Wild

The further into the countryside you go-and this is true worldwide-the harder it becomes to find vegetarian options. But there isn’t a single country in the world that doesn’t have a market with a few grains and vegetables that you can prepare.

Speak Their Language

There are a lot of people in the world who speak English, but it’s not smart, or particularly polite, to rely on it exclusively – especially when doing so could mean the difference between eating a delicious vegan pasta sauce and losing your appetite because a piece of chicken flesh found its way to your mouth.

What people understand as vegetarian and vegan varies from person to person and from culture to culture. Some people will know all about it, and some people will say “OK, no problem!” and serve you beef.

Look up a few phrases before you venture abroad. “I have a dairy allergy” and “I don’t eat meat, chicken, fish, cheese or eggs,” are good phrases to master for starters. Perhaps advanced learners can supplement their vocabulary with “No, I don’t eat any f$%$ing cheese.”

The International Vegetarian Union has a pretty extensive phrase list to get you started.

Fly Vegan

There’s one last detail to consider: your in-flight meal. Most airlines have several veggie options, but ordering a vegetarian meal when you book your flight is often not enough.

Call the airline 72 hours in advance to confirm that you will in fact require a vegan meal. Shortly after boarding, a steward or stewardess should come around to confirm your meal choice one last time.

If this doesn’t happen, find someone and make sure everything is still in order. In any case, bring snacks – lots and lots of snacks – because vegan or not, airplane food is never particularly appetizing.

There’s no country in the world that doesn’t have some kind of vegetarian options-whether it’s a handful of restaurants, a farmer’s market, or a corner falafel stand.

With enough planning and a little flexibility you won’t go hungry anywhere. Just remember to tuck a few protein bars into your suitcase in case the locals have had trouble hunting the wild rice beast this season.

Nicolette Stewart lit her computer on fire in 2005, ran screaming out of an office building, and has been marauding around Europe ever since. She specializes in vegetarian travel, underground tunnels, buried treasure, and dark, narrow alleys. You can read about her further misadventures at www.clickclackgorilla.com

I am a sucker for train travel. What other transportation alternative offers ample leg room, no security lines and no traffic jams?

In fact, the mere mention of the word “rail” evokes romantic thoughts of long afternoons spent gazing at gorgeous scenery while happily chatting with the person in the next seat.

Unfortunately, I have also had my share of nightmare train experiences. I’ve spent hours sitting on cold station floors, I’ve been stuck in a cramped fetal position in Eastern Europe because I thought the cheaper ticket was the better deal, and I have dealt with my share of screaming babies.

Fortunately I have learned that although things like screaming babies are impossible to plan for, there are a whole lot of other variables you can control to ensure a pleasant trip by train.

Here are some key-pointers for keeping your train ride enjoyable, convenient and inexpensive:

Plan Ahead

It may sound obvious, but the more you know, the better prepared you’ll be.

Check out the train traveler’s bible at www.seat61.com. With everything from timetables to train photos, the website offers just about everything you can know without boarding the train itself. Grab your spiral bound notebook and start taking notes.

First Class Can Be Cheap

When purchased in advance, many train companies, especially in Europe, have promotional offers that sometimes include the luxury wagons. If you know your travel dates and can commit to booking in advance, you may have a chance at a first class ticket for just a little over the regular price. Just remember to freshen up before taking your seat next to a local businessman.

Turn Long Trips Into Overnight Trips

If several train journeys are on your itinerary, consider making the longer ones overnighters. Even the best of travelers can get antsy during long train rides and unless you are devoted to enjoying the scenery, save your travel energy and book a night ticket.

Trains are often calmer during the night hours and if on a budget, you will end up saving one night’s accommodation. On top of it all, what can be better than falling asleep in one city and waking up the next morning in a whole new one?

Get Up And Move Around

Train rides, especially long ones, are more enjoyable if your body feels fresh and energetic. Stretching your legs every hour will give your blood a chance to circulate and perk you up. Not only will you feel better, but walking around the train can often lead to interesting conversations with the locals, giving you lots of juicy bits for your travel blog.

Keep Track Of Your Luggage

Even in the safest of countries, always keep a good eye on your luggage. As any mindful traveler knows, money, passport and other valuables should be kept on your body. In regards to your backpack or suitcase, try to stow it as close to your seat as possible.

If forced to place it at the end of a wagon, or out of your view, get up every once in awhile to go and stand by it for a few minutes – this way people know that you are keeping it under surveillance.

Pack Essential Food

Remember the days of packing a school lunch? Train travel is no different. Depending on the country, train food can be one of three things: Expensive, Unappetizing, Non-existent.

Don’t take the risk; before boarding your next train, go to the local market or grocery store and pack your own lunch. Stock it full of high energy food like fruit and nuts, which will keep you feeling healthy throughout the ride.

And don’t forget to stay hydrated!

Anna Brones has a love of culture, foreign languages and good food. When she is not on an adventure she spends quality time in her native Pacific Northwest. Her writing has appeared in Transitions Abroad, A Woman’s World Again and Matador Travel. Her personal travel writing endeavors can be found at Intercrossings.

Do you have any train travel stories or tips of your own? Share in the comments!

“I was with a guided tour and didn’t get a chance to meet anyone” or “I don’t speak their language” or “I was on the beach the whole time“.

But how does one expect to learn about a new culture if one doesn’t mingle with the locals? In order to really get a sense of a foreign culture, it’s essential.

True, meeting locals can be intimidating and difficult, since you are in the country for a very limited time; however, that should not stop you from getting out and exploring everyday life. Museums and historic sites will teach you about history, but present-day culture can only be understood by observing the daily routines of the local inhabitants.

Traveling should be about immersing yourself in the unexpected – it’s about meeting new friends, speaking new tongues, leaving your comfort zone behind and opening up to a new world.

It’s the local people who will give you true insight into their culture, accompany you to authentic entertainment venues and point out the best restaurants (local restaurants that is – not overpriced places that cater to tourists).

Here are a few useful pointers that will help you interact with locals and open up to a foreign country.

Learn Language Basics Before You Leave

It’s a wise idea to learn a few basic phrases in the language of your destination. Pick up a self study guide at least two weeks prior to your departure and practice some essential conversation phrases. You will boost your confidence, and the knowledge will help you better interact with the locals.

The “Teach Yourself” series offers beginner to advanced books in various languages. They taught me the basics of Italian and Spanish, and I found them to be very simple, clear and straight to the point.

Pursue Your Hobbies Abroad

What hobbies do you have? Get involved in activities that you enjoy while you’re in a foreign country. Find out if they are offered at your destination.

For example, if you like photography, get in touch with a photo club in the place you plan to visit. If you regularly hit the gym, research where the fitness centers are located. This way you will still be involved in an activity you enjoy and have a chance to meet some like-minded locals.

Take Some Lessons

Each country specializes in something they call their own. They offer lessons to locals and tourists to introduce a specific art or sport.

For example, you could attend an origami class in Tokyo, or, if in Spain, take a flamenco lesson. If you’re in France (and have deep pockets) go skiing with a personal teacher. In Argentina find a tango school, because when the night falls, you need to put your passion on display.

Find out what the hot new trend is, and study along with the locals.

Avoid Tourist Traps

Once you are at your destination, do as the locals do. Avoid restaurants with menus translated into three different languages. In fact, avoid anything that is presented in English, unless you are in an Anglophone country.

Eat where the locals eat. Find an unfamiliar place, leave your comfort zone behind, and dive into the local bar and restaurant scene. This is where your basic language skills will shine. Extra Tip: Stop a local pedestrian and ask where you can find a great meal.

Skip The Guided Bus Tours

Take public transportation to get to your destination – this will help you mingle with locals or sit back and observe their everyday life and interactions.

Relying on public transport gives you more time and freedom to explore the city at your own pace. It will save you money and force you to strike up conversations, since you will have to buy your own train/bus ticket, find your way to the station and figure out where to get off.

It’s not always easy to step out of your comfort zone and hop on a public bus in a foreign country, but if you make the effort to interact with locals, you open the door to a truly memorable experience.

Lusine Stepanian obtained her BA in Communications before deciding to explore Europe. Living, working and studying in France, England, Italy, Spain and Germany taught her not only about the culture and beauty of Europe, but also some seven languages. Lusine currently works as a travel agent and writes regularly for Voice Magazine and for her travel blog.

We come out of curiosity about another country’s religious traditions, or to see the incredible artistic and architectural creations, or simply to soak in that solemn, reverential vibe so strikingly absent from almost all other aspects of modern life.

And therein lies the dilemma: if enough of us stampede into holy places, won’t it be destroyed by our chit-chatting, camera-clicking presence? Well, not necessarily. Or at least, not entirely.

Here are a few reminders to help you minimize your impact – to reduce your tourist footprint – while you travel to the holy places of the world.

Before You Go

If you’re heading to a predominantly Hindu country, why not brush up on the basic tenets of the religion? I’m not suggesting that you memorize all the various deities involved, or learn to recite the Ramayana, but some basic background shouldn’t be hard to acquire.

Knowing what’s going on around you will not only enhance your experience; it will make you much less likely to spoil someone else’s visit, or worse, offend a local worshiper. And it will save you the embarrassment of showing up in Prague’s historic Jewish district on a Saturday, because you’ll already know that the synagogues are closed to the public then.

This applies not only to those “exotic” eastern religions like Daoism or Buddhism, but also to those that may be more familiar to you. Isn’t it about time you found out why the Eastern Orthodox churches broke with Rome almost a millennium ago? Or brushed up on the major points of disagreement between the Church of England and Scottish Presbyterianism?

Religious history, all too often, is not much different from political history, and it’s worth knowing a bit about it before you start your trip.

What To Wear, What Not To Wear

One thing every major religion has in common is an aversion to scantily-clad mortals in its houses of worship. For guys, shorts are almost always a no-no, and for girls, short skirts and cleavage are equally taboo.

Visible shoulders and under-arms are often frowned upon also, so regardless of your gender, always travel with at least one pair of long pants (or a long, loose-fitting skirt) and a shirt that covers at least your upper arms.

Beyond those general rules, each religion has its own strictures, whether it be a ban on leather in a Jain temple, or a woman’s hair being covered in a mosque. These specifics are normally clearly signed, and most places that require extra covering (such as a headscarf) will provide them.

Even if there is no one physically enforcing the dress code, always observe it. You are visiting by choice; if you have a personal or philosophical objection to clothing restrictions you are more than welcome to boycott the institution in question.

The Big Issue: Photography

Of course, as tourists we always want to take photos. (What’s the point of visiting a famous landmark if you can’t take a million photos to post on Facebook later, right?) Often, though, the caretakers of the church or temple you are visiting will have decided that clicking, flashing cameras – and the contortions involved in getting that perfect shot – are not suitable for a holy building.

Most often, the places that allow photography are the same places that charge admission, while those that do not allow photography allow anyone to visit for free.

Photography, along with ticket booths, can detract from the spiritual nature of a place, so in these latter cases, the caretakers are attempting to preserve the original purpose of the building even at the expense of some lost revenue. Respect their decision by treating the building as what it is – a spiritual haven for many people – and not as a made-for-tourists hotspot.

If there is no sign, don’t assume photography is allowed – ask someone. Even if it is allowed, they will appreciate your concern.

Additional charges for photography, in places that already charge for admission, may seem like a money grab. But I’ve seen these additional charges in the poorer areas of Asia or Eastern Europe – which means they add up to a few extra pennies for the average visitor. Pay up. After all, how much support do you think the government of India can really afford to give its thousands (or millions) of temples?

Leave Your Politics At Home, But Pack Your Common Sense

Got a beef with the Catholic Church because of their stance on condom use in an HIV-positive era? Fine. Write a letter, attend a rally, post a video on YouTube, but don’t take your anger out on your fellow visitors to St. Peters or the Vatican Museums.

There is a time and a place for political gestures – and frankly, just by paying admission you’re undermining any point you may be trying to make once you’re inside. Dress codes vary, photography rules come and go, but the bottom line when you are visiting these holy places is to remember that they are very, very important to some of your fellow human beings.

You may not share their faith, you may even disagree with it strongly, but if you are going to visit a house of worship the least you can do is show respect. That means not hopping the barrier to strike a faux-pious pose next to the altar. It means turning your cell phone off, and keeping your voice down while you’re admiring the artwork. It means staying in your seat if you’ve decided to save a few dollars by attending a service instead of visiting as a tourist.

Most of all, it means opening your eyes, reading the signs, asking questions, and doing your best to make your visit as unobtrusive as possible.

Eva Holland is a historical researcher and freelance writer based in Ottawa, Canada. She is a blogger for World Hum and for Rolf Potts’ Vagablogging, and her travel writing has appeared in The Ottawa Citizen, The Edmonton Journal, and Matador Travel.

Were these tips helpful? Leave a comment below!

In previous articles I’ve given advice about what to look for in a perfect travel laptop, essential items to have in your pack to go with it, and how to keep it from getting lost, stolen or broken along the way.

But do you even need to bring it in the first place? Here are 3 questions to consider when you’re unsure of packing your laptop.

1. What, specifically, do you plan on doing with your laptop?

If you cannot answer this question with anything other than, “because it might be helpful,” or, “I might want to use it,” then perhaps you don’t need it. Increased responsibility can be a real bummer when you’re traveling, so if you don’t need something, why bring it along?

Write down a list of the specific ways you intend to use it. Typical travelers may come up with something like this:

• Internet, email, Skype
• Back up, edit, and manage photos
• Maintain a travel blog or website

A laptop will handle all of these with ease, along with the added bonus of saving you money on Internet fees in cafes. Plus, you can find free wireless at airports, hotels, and cafes, and watch the odd DVD movie. But you still haven’t convinced yourself you need your laptop yet.

Taking your list from above, answer the following question:

2. Can you do any of that without the laptop?

Chances are the answer is yes. Thanks to the abundance of Internet cafes in areas frequented by travelers, you are usually never far away from a connection. As well, plenty of computers at cafes today have Skype installed with headsets.

Many cafes will also be more than happy to burn your digital photos from a memory card to a CD (for a small fee, of course). If you get CDs burned and upload your photos to a photo sharing site like Flickr, you don’t have to worry about losing any of your amazing travel shots.

With a special adapter you can even download your digital pictures to your iPod and store them there, or back them up on a USB thumb drive. And most blogging platforms have easy to use interfaces that don’t require any special software.

One excellent laptop alternative is an iPod or USB storage device loaded up with portable apps. They are applications that can run without being installed on the computer you use them on, so you never have to worry about what programs are installed on the Internet café machines.

The range of applications available is pretty amazing: everything from Firefox to Thunderbird, FTP and photo editing programs. The best part is they’re free. And if you’re worried about online security, using Portable Firefox keeps sensitive data stored on your iPod or USB drive, not the computer you use it on.

If you still have some tasks that can’t be achieved without your own computer, such as video and intensive photo editing, special software for business, or anything else, then you have a compelling reason to bring your laptop.

But hang on: there’s just one final question to ask yourself before you go:

3. Do you really need to be doing that stuff while you’re traveling?

I’m not one to talk; I brought my laptop, video camera, audio recording equipment, and everything that goes along with it on my journey around the world. It was worth it, but at times I questioned my decision to have a travelogue with so many multimedia trimmings.

To keep you from regretting your decision, just make sure you can confidently answer these three questions before setting off.

Of course once you are out there with your laptop, you can enjoy the benefits of having it with you: working on your photos and emails in your hostel (or at a street café) sipping a cold beer is much more enjoyable than a busy Internet café on an ancient computer.

To sum it all up, packing a laptop can be a great idea if done for the right reasons. Just keep in mind that unless you have very specific or heavy use requirements, you might want to leave it at home.

Between Internet cafes and portable apps, you could get by without the extra responsibility and liability that comes with the decision to bring your laptop traveling with you.

Kevin Allgood and his girlfriend Valerie Marhsall are currently traveling around the world and blogging about it via Big Trip Blog. Their site also features some great vodcasts, travel tips and more.

But this image of sudden shock isn’t quite accurate.

In reality, culture shock is a much more nuanced phenomenon that can take months to develop and overcome. Culture shock will flip your emotions topsy-turvy. It will effect you in completely unexpected ways.

More than simply being surprised at unfamiliar social norms, weird new food or foreign modes of conversation, culture shock will impact you long after you become familiar and comfortable with the day-to-day customs of a new culture.

Culture shock tends to move through four different phases: wonder, frustration, depression and acceptance.

Of course, like all things that happen in our complicated little brains, it’s never really that simple or easy. Each of these stages take time to run their course, and how deeply one effects you is never set in stone. Even the order of these 4 stages can be unpredictable.

Jet-Lag and Wonder

The first stage of culture shock is often overwhelmingly positive and far from bewildering. This is often called the “honeymoon phase” – when you’re so fascinated with the language, the people and the food that the trip seems like the greatest thing you’ve ever done. You’re having an adventure!

On shorter trips this honeymoon period can be a huge boon, as the rush of foreign stimulation makes a vacation all the better, and having a set return date can ward off the less enjoyable aspects of culture shock.

Anyone who’s visited another continent has felt this rush of excitement the minute they got off the plane, and will no doubt never forget it.

Guidebooks about Southeast Asia play on this fairly often, inevitably starting with a vivid description of Bangkok – the overwhelming smell of fish sauce, the muggy tropical air, the traffic straight out of hell – all things that contribute to the sense of having touched down on another planet.

Settling In…To Frustration?!

This is a difficult stage of culture shock, familiar to anyone who has lived abroad or traveled for a long time. You don’t understand gestures. You get laughed at, you horribly offend a little old lady without knowing why.

The usual response is anger. I often tell people that culture shock is is walking out the door, being greeted by a neighbor and wanting nothing more than to shout obscenities at them.

It is a visceral reaction that permeates every part of the experience, from misunderstanding shopkeepers, to losing your keys or missing the bus. Frustration comes and goes, disillusion comes on like a monsoon and the pangs of homesickness can become debilitating.

The first time I went to Asia I got it bad. After a month and a half of backpacking and two months teaching in Saigon, I was ready to go home.

The city began to weigh on me in ways I couldn’t have forseen. Struggling against the smog and noise felt like trying to keep my head above water while wearing lead boots. The food, the people, the language – nothing was exotic anymore. I just wanted a hamburger.

Depression: Feeling Stuck

Ah, the big one. We’ve all felt a little down before, but rarely when we’re so far from home.

Depression on the road is a feeling of hopelessness and longing, like nothing will ever be OK again until you hop on that plane home.

The worst part about this brand of moping is that it’s difficult to see the link to culture shock – the feeling can sometimes seems disconnected from travel, and often even homesickness. It can take the form of simple, implacable malaise.

It’s hard to be so far away, especially if you’re all by yourself. Frustration can bring on homesickness, but depression adds the dimension of feeling like you just have to get out.

Acceptance: Home Away From Home

After weeks and months of blindly struggling through a thousand different emotional states every hour, acceptance finally arrives like a warm bath at the end of a hard day.

Acceptance does not necessarily entail total understanding – it’s nearly impossible to ever claim complete understanding of another culture – but instead involves the realization that you don’t have to “get” it all. You find what makes you happy and content in your new surroundings.

For me, this realization happened a few months after I moved to Saigon a second time. I began to find my place in the motorbike horns, cigarette smoke and other expats floating through the fray. When Vietnamese started sounding more like a language than a fax tone and I ceased getting hopelessly lost on the potholed roads, the whole experience began to feel like a coherent whole instead of a random collection of aimless madness.

And there lies the crux of culture shock: the bad stuff, like feeling lost, hopeless and out of place, will run its course no matter what happens.

Going The Distance

Even though you can’t avoid culture shock entirely, there are things you can do to make it easier on yourself.

The first step, of course, is to recognize that what you’re going through is culture shock. If you can come to terms with wild mood swings and sad times, and recognize they’re part of the inevitable process, it’s a lot easier to convince yourself that the bad feelings will pass. And they will.

Secondly, it’s crucial to learn the language as you go. Culture shock, at its simplest, is an inability to integrate, and the biggest barrier to that is generally language. The more able a traveler is to laugh, cry and seek solace with the locals, the easier it is to deal with ups and downs.

Though it can be one of the toughest parts of traveling, culture shock is just as integral to the experience as food, people and scenery. By recognizing it for what it is and doing your best to cope, you can easily prevent culture shock from ruining an otherwise fantastic journey.

Ross Tabak is a student in Washington, DC and is continuously looking for excuses to return to Asia. When not studying, he enjoys playing guitar, riding motorcycles and making sandwiches with more than one kind of meat. After graduation, he plans to flee to the far-reaches of the globe and support himself as either a writer or traveling organ grinder.

He recently flew back from Guatemala and looks forward to a bit of a rest before his next journey. Right now, he is sniffing a cat’s butt.

The first question many people ask about Norm is how we manage to travel with him. Certainly his size assists in this process, but many people are curious as to how to prepare to take a pet on the road. There seems to be a self-defeatist attitude about traveling with pets, whether it is the cost of care or the bureaucracy involved with crossing borders.

On the road, I’ve found people seemed more eager to share stories of the furry “baby” they left behind, then of their children or grandchildren. Deep down, I think this proves that the average person would rather take their dog traveling than their kids.

Here are some tips, facts, and myths about getting from point ‘A’, to point ‘B’ with your pet.

Befriend Your Veterinarian

Everything you do with regard to travel and your pet will begin with a licensed veterinarian. Your life will be much easier if you know this person and they know your pet. Get them a Christmas card and include a picture of your animal. The better they know your pet, the faster they’ll be able to find the records.

Trains, Planes or Automobiles

Within the U.S., personal automobile is your best bet. Amtrak and Greyhound have a zero-tolerance policy on non-service animals. New York public transportation – in quite a break from their oft draconian bylaws – allows animals to ride, provided they are muzzled or riding in a carrier. Norm rode the Staten Island Ferry with no problem. Dogfriendly.com has an excellent list of U.S. public transportation systems that are pet-friendly.

Airlines often accept pets, but vary as to how much they charge and what regulations govern their accommodations. Norm rides in the cabin because he weighs 7 lbs (soaking wet, with his carrier). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) leaves it up to the airlines as to whether or not to allow pets.

If the airline does allow pets, standard FAA carry-on baggage policies apply. Delta recently upped their pet fee to $75, per itinerary ($150 round trip). United Airlines charges $100. TACA charges nothing, provided the animal is your only carry-on. Spirit Air charges $75 and only allows pets in carry-on. Check with your carrier for price and – if you make your reservation online – call to reserve a slot for your pet.

Health Forms

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Form 7001 is a 30-day, USDA-approved, sextuplicated certificate of health and is the cornerstone of any international and interstate travel for your pet. The form itself costs the vet $15, so keep an eye on how much overhead the vet is adding. It should be accompanied by an actual checkup and certifies that your pet is free of major diseases.

Rabies and/or Vaccination Record

This is something the vet should be maintaining anyway. There is no direct charge for this, but the USDA needs to corroborate this with the Health Certificate. This document is longer lasting, so as long as your pet’s vaccinations are up to date, you don’t need anything more than the original copy.

Microchips

As a computer technician and sci-fi fan, I delight at the thought of turning Norm into a cyborg. Unfortunately, “micro chipping” is not nearly so grand, and is merely a common-sense way of tracking your dog via a chip implanted between their shoulder blades. It does not, in any way, enhance their crime-fighting abilities.

Many countries and states, in fact, require proof that the animal is micro-chipped. Make the one time investment of $35-60 (it varies depending on the vet, chip type, and organization) to avoid any complications.

Crossing Borders

As of 1994, all 7001 forms have to be approved by Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), a division of the USDA. It costs $24 and at least one office is available in every state, but don’t waste your time checking with the USDA to find them. Instead, go straight to the APHIS website to locate the nearest office. Some consulates require their own stamp as well – the Guatemalan Consulate did, and charged $10.

One would think the people at the arrival point would be more interested in your (potentially) diseased pet than your country of origin. The reality on Norm’s trip proved quite to the contrary; USDA and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) demanded the above forms for him to leave, while the Guatemala City Airport didn’t even look at him.

One heavily-armed Guatemalan police officer even peeked in his cage, smiled, and wished us a good day as we awaited the arrival of our baggage. When we crossed into Canada, neither the American nor Canadian authorities gave Norm a second look.

Does this mean that these forms are complete bollocks? Not so fast. A nice old American woman told me an anecdote about her dog requiring more analysis to get into Canada than their whole family. Even within the United States, Norm’s flights have had varied results.

Sometimes, the airline itself is more concerned than either country. In the end, simply having a valid health certificate, rabies vaccination record, and the after-hours emergency number for your vet should be enough to get you across any border.

Worst-Case Scenario

Under the worst of circumstances, your pet will be quarantined. This is a particularly serious issue on smaller islands such as Hawaii and Guam, where minimum five-day quarantine is mandatory. When traveling to such locations, its best to check with the consulate or tourism board prior to the trip in order to avoid complications that arise from incomplete information.

The United States Military provides a great checklist for the most extreme circumstances–Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. I stumbled across this checklist. Each country will have certain concerns – identify those concerns and talk to your vet about how best to address them.

Be sure you have up-to-date information. It is important to note that quarantine is rapidly becoming an antiquated thing, with changes made to the system regularly.

Is My Pet Ready for Travel?

As I write this, Norm is sitting 15 feet away from me. We intermittently feed him beef jerky and cat food, but he’s partial to bread and Doritos. He knows his name, but only views calls of “Norm! Come!” as a general suggestion. Despite our cries, he still enjoys chasing the chickens around the yard. In short, Norm is not exactly a world-class show dog in training.

Traveling with a pet, you will have to address a few things. Lodging will be restricted to only those places that allow pets (a bigger problem in the U.S. than abroad). If you want to occasionally “step out” without said quadruped, you’ll want to mitigate any risk of separation anxiety. Being housebroken is essential, as some instances – such as long bus rides in a cargo hold – will put the pet in positions where their bodily functions may be compromised.

Of course, one of the most valuable things we did to aid Norm’s travels was to crate train him. If your pet is small, like Norm, look for an FAA carry-on approved crate. Contrary to its popular usage, Norm has come to find his crate a safe place – he goes there when he’s scared.

Final Thoughts

There was only one restaurant in Guatemala that refused us entry because of Norm: McDonald’s. At every other restaurant and bar, our polite questions about Norm’s attendance were met with a matter-of-fact attitude. It would seem fitting that the only institutions to reject him would be United States based.

Why are we so afraid, as Americans, to have dogs around us? In my search for the answer, I have found no argument that could not be made the same for children under five. They’re filthy and if not trained properly, can wreak havoc on other patrons and even lose control of key bodily functions.

In fact, children have one extra strike against them–communicable diseases. While dogs could potentially carry bacteria and other pathogens (just the same as children) their viruses do not often translate to our physiologies. In my humble opinion, restaurant’s who ban pets for “Health Reasons” should ban children for the same.

The United States is not going to change any time soon. Its formative years have been spent in a world that knew the realities of penicillin and germs and has been raised–generally speaking–on the belief that we can stave off all illness and other gross miscellany through antibacterial soap. There is, however, a growing underground.

In New Orleans, bars such as Fahy’s Irish Pub embrace the presence of Canines-a typical Friday night will feature as many dogs as patrons. Restaurants like A.W. Schuck’s in Charleston, SC go out of their way to provide pet-friendly outdoor seating. Search hard and you’ll find the modern day rebels in the States, taking a stand against an anti-Dog and -Cat America.

The old western world, meanwhile, has been raised in the generation of existentialism; whatever will be, will be. Bringing your dog or cat into other countries-particularly in Western Europe-can be a rewarding and eye opening experience, one that will have you wondering why “Man’s Best Friend” is a social pariah in his own hometown.

Be careful to check the regulations in India and other eastern lands-while dogs may not be restricted, culture may view them in a way that makes it best to leave your dog, cat, or ferret behind.

In the end, planning your trip with your pet in mind is the key to a smooth journey. If the animal is an afterthought, you’ll run into trouble with document deadlines and airline policies. Be cognizant of who you’re booking tickets with, know the animal policies where you’re going, and keep up with your pets inoculations.

Working your pet into an itinerary will always be harder than developing an itinerary with your pet in mind.

Jacob Bielanski is a Technical College dropout from the boonies who drinks too much. His one-eyed cat “Spudnick”, travel-sized dog “Norm” and sexy photographer wife do most of the work. You can find his ramblings on his blog and his “real” writing at any place that ponies up the dough.

For some, this can be overwhelming. Here are some tips I’ve discovered from traveling with a laptop for the last seven months. While many of these are laptop specific, some will be useful even if you only visit an internet cafe occasionally.

1. Web based email

If you are reading this, odds are you already have some sort of web based email account. If you don’t, you should get one.

I prefer Gmail, but Yahoo, Hotmail and many other services exist. The reason web based e-mail is better is that you can access your email from any computer in the world. If you have a normal POP mail account that you access with Outlook, Thunderbird, or other email program, you may have difficulty accessing it from a computer which isn’t yours.

Here’s how to set it up:

Forward all your email accounts to your web mail account. Let’s say you have an email address at superawesometravelblog.com. You can have all email sent to traveler@superawesometravelblog.com forwarded to your Gmail account and be able to reply to it as if it were coming from the same account it was sent to.

I have 5 different email addresses and manage them all through Gmail. You’d never know it if you sent me an email because all my replies are from my main address. Using Gmail as my single repository for email makes it easy and convenient to access all your accounts from anywhere. Check out a tutorial for using Gmail as your universal email program.

2. Scan all important receipts and documents, and email them to yourself

What good is an insurance policy for your gear if you don’t have the documentation to process the claim should the need arise? Before your trip, ensure you scan all your important receipts (go to a Kinko’s if necessary) and email them to your web email account.

Just archive the messages and hope you never need them. If you lose your laptop, you can always get the info at an internet cafe. You can also email yourself credit card and bank account information.

If you feel leery about emailing yourself such private info, break the account numbers up across several messages and add some bogus numbers that only you would know (like your old phone number). If you lose everything, you still can get all the information you need if you can get to a computer.

3. Web based IM

Let’s say you have a lot of friends on IM that you talk to, but you can’t install the program at the internet cafe. If you use any major instant m