All Entries in the "Articles" Category
Description:Even though we regularly update our blogs, we believe it makes sense to put our thoughts into column form on a semi-regular basis. Blog posts tend to be short and, sometimes, shallow; articles tend to run 500 words. We beliieve that an article differentiates itself from a blog post in that it is especially informative and comprehensive and tries to cover a great deal of information on a travel-related subject. We also hope that continuing to write articles will help slow us down from the fast and furious pace of blogging. A little reflection now and again isn’t such a bad thing!
Hackpacking: Hacks for travellers
Occasionally, Kathryn and I come across some great travel ‘hacks’. Here are a few inexpensive solutions that might be deserving of a place in (or on) your backpack.
Is travel self-indulgent?
Travel, to paraphrase France Mayes, is a bit of a paradox. It is at once both self-indulgent and self-obliterating.
Adapting to Change on the Road
The backpacker must readily and easily be able to make quick decisions in response to changeable events and unexpected circumstances.
Rent or Sell? The Optimal Decision for Homeowners Turned Vagabonds
Can the life of a vagabond be reconciled with that of a homeowner? Even a consummate vagabond like the “good gray poet” Walt Whitman was himself a homeowner…
Inspiration without perspiration?
Recently, on Brave New Traveler, Ross Tabak asked if we could “assert that luxury and life-changing travel are generally opposite to each other?” Our answer? No.
Saving For a Round-the-World Trip
Saving for such a substantial investment in one’s self usually means making significant changes in the way one think’s about savings and the areas where one spends the most.
Constructing a savings plan for your travel fund
Not unlike planning a round-the-world itinerary, saving for travel is a dynamic process that requires regular monitoring and reevaluation.
Budgeting for the return home
How much should one budget for the return home? It’s a question often asked and the advice is disparate.
Travelling Safely: Personal Safety Products
No government, organization, or gadget can take the place of an alert, ever vigilant backpacker. Of course, no gadget can take the place of an alert, ever vigilant backpacker. And arguments can be made as to their necessity.
Travelling Safely: Tips for a Safe Night’s Sleep
Bottom line—if you know the risks before you check in, you can be prepared for any situation
Travelling Safely: Urban Bright—City Safety Tips
Violent crime rates continue to rise in the world’s largest cities, where extremes of economic inequality, organized crime and, in some cities in the world, a history of political instability, contribute to the problem. Urban crime is a social problem of great complexity and of significant importance.
Travelling Safely: Before You Go
A long-term trip abroad is always an adventure—only one thing is for sure, it will be full of surprises! A little advance planning, however, will improve the chances that all those surprises are pleasant ones.
Travelling Safely: Antidotes to Fear
Random crime and crime that targets travellers and tourists isn’t going away, but neither is it increasing. Does a flurry of high profile crimes targeting or involving backpackers put travellers in greater danger?
Declutter: All We Need To Be Happy Fits in a Backpack
We’re attempting to jettison the ballast from our lives now, so that we can fly with light luggage later. It follows that we’ve picked up a few tips along the way—from a number of ‘decluttering’ gurus.
How to Burst the Tourist Bubble
Breaking the tourist bubble requires an open mind. Included herein are some tips that will have you enjoying mind-expanding ‘interactions’ in lieu of pocket-emptying ‘transactions’.
Is CouchSurfing safe?
Couchsurfing came to fame as an online alternative to booking into hostels, an open space where a spot on the couch was offered for free. But is the site edging toward infamy as an online haven for con men looking to defraud hapless backpackers?
Why Go Round-The-World?
Travelling long-term allowed us a means to live, to paraphrase Duane Elgin, in a manner that is outwardly simpler yet inwardly richer. We believe that long-term travel is a way of surrendering to the unknown and embracing the world on its terms.
When to go: Timing your itinerary
I discovered that the start of my trip through China coincided with Golden Week. I had suddenly found myself in the midst of no fewer than 120 million Chinese on the move, filling seats in every plane, boat, train, bus and car available.
Choosing a travel rewards program
Starwood runs the Sheraton, W and Westin chains, among others, but its array of branded credit cards give you a lot more in the way of options for redeeming points than just hotel stays.
What is the best bank account for a Canadian to have on a round-the-world trip?
Citizens Bank is an online national bank; it is the first Canadian bank to offer a no-fee, easy to use account with no ATM fees worldwide. At other banks, you might be required to pay as much as C$5 per transaction when you use your ATM card outside the country. With a Citizens Bank Global Chequing Account, however, that fee is zero. Well almost.
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