Africa—just one of the destinations you'll never forget.

“Never get behind old people” warns George Clooney at the outset of Jason Reitman’s adaptation of the novel Up in the Air. He is, of course, referring to the ubiquitous line-up faced by all travellers when getting through airport security. He continues by invoking a stereotype: “Old people’s bodies are littered with hidden metal and they never seem to appreciate how little time they have left”. When told off by his companion for being so reductive, he replies: “I’m like my mother, I stereotype. It’s faster.”

In December, Amanda Williams over at A Dangerous Business, wrote a piece entitled “The Traveler vs. Tourist Debate and Why I Don’t Give a Crap”, which examined G Adventures recent You’ll Never Forget It campaign (in which I’d played a part in helping to produce). In her article, Amanda bristled at a few brash and tongue-in-cheek declarations that “tourist season was over” and that it was time to “take travel back from the cookie-cutter, socks-and-sandals tourist crowd.” In the ensuing comment stream, her piece provoked a dialogue that elicited some very strong reactions. At issue? The stereotype of the tourist.

What are they doing?

These reactions were not unexpected—stereotypes tend to do that. They are never neutral—and they are highly charged with the feelings that are attached to them, which is exactly why the crew at G Adventures believed the ‘tourist’ stereotype to be ripe for its latest campaign.

In this particular instance, the irony is more than a little pronounced. Here we have—by its own admission—a small group adventure travel company implying that one can shed the ‘tourist’ mantle by choosing to travel with it. So what the hell are we up to? With this post, I wanted to take a crack at explaining why we created this campaign.

The origin of the ‘tourist’ label

First—let’s examine why the tourist gets such a bum rap. Negative views of tourists prevail in literature and in popular writing; the pejorative tinge associated with being a ‘tourist’ is nothing new. It’s a negative perception that dates back to at least the mid-nineteenth century and was rooted in, interestingly enough, classism. Writes Nell Leiper in her article The Framework of Tourism: “In the 1800s, privileged tourists were upset by what they perceived to be an intrusion of the new middle class into a domain that was once elite.” Still, to this day, applying the ‘tourist’ label evokes a sense of travel snobbery. The implication is that the socks-with-sandal wearing crowd is unsophisticated.

As this middle class grew through the twentieth century and commercial air travel ushered in an unprecedented mobility for a greater number of people, an industry sprung up around these new tourists. Historian Daniel Boorstin contends that this fledgling industry sought to insulate its passengers from the local population through carefully planned, designed, and implemented guided package tours that restricted their freedom. Writes Boorstin: “Artifacts were gathered in museums and attractions were reproduced for their convenience. Tourists were there to confirm their expectations developed through mass media and guidebooks rather than to discover and understand. The whole experience was diluted, contrived, stripped of authenticity and passive.” In essence, Boorstin is describing what a number of people today call ‘the tourist bubble’. And here’s Boorstin’s most important point—the fault doesn’t lie with the socks-and-sandals crowd, it lies with the travel industry. It’s his contention—and one which I share—that the industry created the stereotype of the tourist—and is invested in perpetuating it.

Exit through the gift shop

The way I see it, the travel industry has embarked on a deliberate crusade to convert the tourist from the traditional values of mindful travel to a consumer. This hasn’t occured spontaneously, nor was it an inevitable by-product of a greater number of people having the means to travel. I’m probably breaking some unwritten code by revealing one of the sacred principles of the travel marketing profession here; however, the truth is the industry believes you are not interested in learning anything new or that might put at risk your preconceived view of the world. They have a vested interest in ensuring that you remain a ‘socks-and-sandals’ wearing tourist in order to contain, idealize and commodify your experience. After all, standardization increases profitability—but does little to increase the fullness and uniqueness of your travels. What they really want you to do is to confirm what you already believe by feeding it back to you under the guise of a “cultural experience”, hoping that you visit the gift shop on the way out.

Amanda over at A Dangerous Business would dismiss this as nothing more than a “narrow stereotype”—but I disagree with her assessment. I believe that it’s scope is greater than that and that it encompasses an entire travel industry. Ultimately, considering how the tourist label emerged and has been transformed by the industry is key to understanding it.

Stereotypes: A dangerous business

So why would G Adventures wade into the murky stereotype of the tourist? In order to stand out from the noise in which it finds itself, advertising must tap into the reservoirs of social and cultural knowledge shared by its audience. In order to make an impression quickly, this reliance on shared knowledge becomes even more critical. Given the few seconds that a person is likely to pay attention to an ad, advertisers pretty much have to use what exists in the imagination of the target audience—and stereotypes are ripe for the job. Like George Clooney’s character in the above-mentioned movie—we do it because it’s faster. But that’s only part of the equation.

The strategy of G Adventures take on the ‘tourist’ stereotype lies in an active resistance to the status quo in the travel industry. The campaign seeks to challenge the legitimacy of the stereotypes that define it. In short, we’re out to change the way people think about small group travel. The target of this campaign isn’t other travel companies—but instead, the public’s perception of the industry. We want to change how the world thinks about small group travel in hopes of defining an altered stereotype. G Adventures has thrown down the gauntlet to the industry to return the act of travelling to the individual—where being a tourist is less about being a consumer and more about passion and purpose. In short, the company and its people are seeking to usher in a post-tourist age.

With this campaign we sought something with an edge, that was able to communicate to the audience that the company is different than others in the space—and provide something that challenges people’s expectations in an unexpected way. In my opinion, a good advertisement needs to find and do something that is a bit edgy, that is polarizing—that provides some water-cooler conversation.

Tourist season is over

Which bring us back to the article over at A Dangerous Business, which I think misses the spirit of the campaign. I don’t take issue with Amanda’s interpretation—after all, everyone who views an ad does so based on their own agendas and preferred interpretations based on their history and experience. They arrive at an interpretation of the ad that makes sense to them, serves their needs and fits their personal history with an industry or a brand.

No, it’s not that I feel Amanda’s wrong— it’s that she casts the campaign as one predicated on travel snobbery. She does so by invoking the age-old traveller vs tourist debate—a debate that’s a popular topic among travel bloggers. (In fact, even I’ve written about it.) To wit, the campaign wasn’t concerned with the tourist vs traveller debate—it has its sights set on a different target. As outlined above, I feel it’s engaged in more of a debate between the tourist and the travel industry. When the campaign invokes the words “I’m not a tourist”, the phrase isn’t directed at the travelling community—but rather toward the industry itself, ie “I don’t fit inside the definition the industry has created for me”. The same goes for the aforementioned warning: “Tourist season is over”.

This ain’t your typical travel company

Which is why I threw my lot in with G Adventures—it’s a different kind of travel company that sees its customers as important decision makers that aren’t just passive consumers but proactive partners. Many of the elements of travelling with them—utilizing local businesses, getting off the beaten path, etc—are at odds with the industry norms. Using small-scale lodging, local transportation, supporting locally owned businesses and incorporating community-based projects into itineraries are some ways G Adventures works with local communities to encourage and develop tourism in a sustainable manner. The company seeks to support and empower local people to become business partners by including activities, meals and overnight stays in communities in which it operates.

One last thing…

…and this is a small but important distinction. Doing touristy things does not a tourist make. I mention this because the comments that Amanda’s post elicited were more concerned with the ‘how’ of travel than the ‘why’. I believe that’s because her readers were responding more to her argument than they were to the campaign. G Adventures doesn’t advocate forgoing popular tourist attractions like the Forbidden City, the Grand Canyon or the Eiffel Tower in order to shed the ‘stigma’ of being a tourist. They do, however, offer a different way of approaching them—the freedom to do what you want while on a small group trip.

Enhance your life through travel

In my opinion, if you’re travelling to experience what a place is really like—to be active, to discover and understand in earnest—then calling yourself a ‘tourist’ is simply applying a misnomer because you are already drawing outside the lines of the travel industry’s colouring book. At the same time, one must keep in mind that the tourist (and I use this term as synonymous with the traveller) is complicit in determining how they are represented—through the choices they make about where and how they travel. While there might be no ‘right’ way or ‘wrong’ way to travel, where you stay, where you eat and what you do when abroad do matter. Indeed, they matter very much.

The truth is, like Amanda, I don’t care what ‘group’ you identify with—or if you travel independently or on a big bus tour. The aim of the campaign is to reveal a different way—one that offers a viable, more sustainable alternative to the big bus, cookie-cutter tours on offer today. The most important principle that I can leave you with today is that the power of stereotypes rests not in what others think about you, but in your own perception of yourself. No better way to close off this post than by quoting veteran vagabonder Rolf Potts when he writes: “The value of travel doesn’t come in comparison to other people, but in terms of how it enhances your own life in any number of ways.”

Disclosure: At Two Go Round-The-World, we value the conversation that exists between us and our readers—and the trust on which that relationship is based. Here we’re committed to creating an environment informed by that trust. In the interests of full disclosure, Daniel works with G Adventures. That being said, the opinion contained herein should not be construed as representing those of his employer. For more information on disclosures and relationships, please check our ‘About Us‘ page.

"The Tourist Stereotype and Why You Should Give a Crap" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

El Castillo at Chichen Itza in the Yucatan, Mexico.

El Castillo (Spanish for “castle”), also known as the Temple of Kukulkan, is a step-pyramid that dominates the centre of the Yucatan’s Chichen Itza site. Built by the pre-Columbian Maya sometime between the ninth and twelfth centuries, El Castillo served as a temple to the god Kukulkan, a Mayan deity that resembled a feathered serpent.

Consisting of a series of terraces with stairways up each of its four sides, sculptures of plumed serpents run down the sides of the the pyrimad’s northern facing side. During the spring and autumn equinoxes, the late afternoon sun illuminates the northwest corner and casts a series of shadows against the temple’s face—which creates the illusion of a feathered serpent “crawling” down the pyramid.

Recently, a theory that the ancient Mayans built their pyramids to produce strange and evocative echoes has been supported by a team of scientists. Researchers have shown that sound waves ricocheting around the tiered steps of the pyramid create sounds that mimic the chirp of a bird and the patter of raindrops. As our guide illustrated, the aforementioned ‘chirp’ can be triggered by a clap made at the base of the staircase.

Inspired by publications like Life Magazine, National Geographic and online experiences like Boston.com’s photo blog, images marked as ‘The Whole Picture’  are intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery. Kathryn and Daniel will post ‘The Whole Picture‘ irregulary.  Like all of our photos, it is an original photo not otherwise on the site—it might be fresh from our camera, a new scan of some old film, a product of our fooling around with Photoshop, or a file from the archive that we haven’t posted yet.

"The Whole Picture: El Castillo at Chichen Itza" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

The best to you and yours in 2012 from Two Go Round-The-World

Happy New Year! We hope that as you read this you’re full of all kinds of inspiration and motivation for the year ahead. To close out 2011 (and look ahead to 2012), we’re reviewing some of our blogging accomplishments, our highlights and, moreover, taking a moment to thank our readers!

We are so grateful to all of you who make up the loyal community of readers to whom we are connected. To the ones who write encouraging emails or speak to us in person on the road—your feedback means the world to us. Furthermore, we are so grateful for the bloggers who have helped us, and to think we’ve been of some help to others is humbling and deeply gratifying. Thank you! To all those who read this blog and keep up with us via Facebook and Twitter, we’re grateful for the connection. Thank you!

Average number of visitors

In our third year, Two Go Round-The-World web traffic was up 17%.

Let’s start by examining the most basic data—the average number of visitors to Two Go Round-the-World on a daily basis over the past year. These figures are the most accurate measure of our site’s activity and to that end, we have recorded a steady increase of visitors to the blog this year. Two Go Round-The-World’s traffic growth has been solid, increasing 17% year-over-year in January.

Visitors by country

Most readers of Two Go Round-the-World hail from the US

Most readers of Two Go Round-the-World hail from the US. Readers from Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Australia, Philippines, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore and Spain round out the top ten.

Top Ten Articles from Two Go Round-The-World

What about the posts that you liked most? Which posts generated the most comments and likes? What had you guys talking? These are ten of our most popular posts in terms of page views and comments from the past twelve months.

1. Cruising the Galapagos: Setting Out: Kathryn and I celebrated Christmas by travelling to Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands with G Adventures, delighting in the incredible flora and fauna of one of the most unique places on earth.
2. Two Go Round Chile and Argentina:  The first post of a quick trip to Chile and Argentina. We explored the streets of Santiago, sampled Chilean wines, soaked in the natural beauty of the Lake District’s glaciers and lakes, and sampled the food, wine and sophistication of the ‘Paris of the South’, Buenos Aires.
3. The Web’s Best Travel Blog Taglines: A tagline in today’s blogging world is more than just a “line.” In fact, it can create a whole new world of engagement for a blog’s readers—if it’s done right. Kathryn and I believe a tagline is a fun way of branding what a travel blog does in the minds of its readers.
4. Beautiful Bariloche: Crossing into Argentina: After a beautiful journey through the mountains of upper Patagonia from Chile’s Puerto Varas (400km—about six hours), Kathryn and I crossed over into Argentina with our group and arrived at San Carlos de Bariloche—the entrance to northern Patagonia.
5. Hackpacking: Using Poste Restante or General Delivery: Poste Restante (dubbed ‘General Delivery in the US’ and ‘Lista de Correos’ in South America) is a service whereby the post office holds mail until the recipient picks it up. Before the advent of email, it was commonly used by backpackers who were visiting a particular location and had no need, or no way, of having mail delivered directly to them.
6. The Whole Picture: Machu Picchu Tilt Shift: The subject of course is Machu Picchu, situated above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 km northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Often referred to as “The Lost City of the Incas”, it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World. Prefer to see a non-doctored image of Machu Picchu? Click here.
7. How Many Countries Have You Visited?:  Whether you’re eagerly waiting for your first passport to be delivered or you could give the most interesting man in the world a run for his money—it’s always a good time to beef up your obituary. Since it seems that a lot of readers of Two Go Round-The-World are very well-traveled, we thought it might be fun to find out exactly how travelled everyone is! So, how many countries have you visited?
8. The Whole Picture: The Eaves of Wat Phra Kaew: This weeks’ ‘Whole Picture ’did double duty, serving also as our entry for Travel Photography Roulette. Jeremy at Living the Dream came up with the idea and got the ball rolling.
9. Hackpacking: Make a Rubber Band Travel Clothesline: If you’re like most travellers we know, you’ve given up on those laundry lines with suction cups because they never seem to stay up. Or you could pack a piece of cord—but then you’ll need some clothespins. A great solution is a multiple-strand travel clothesline. It’s great for drying as your clothing tucks between the strands so you don’t need a clothespin.
10. Dining on Curanto in Chiloé: About 180km long but only 50km wide, the Isla Grande de Chiloé (The Big Island of Chiloé) is the second-largest island in South America after Tierra del Fuego. For over 300 years, it was the world’s southernmost European settlement—and the last Spanish stronghold in Chile.

"2011: The Year in Review" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

The view from the top is very good, looking over to Santiago—which was once connected to Bartolome.

Just off Isla San Salvador’s Sullivan Bay coast, the tiny islet of Isla Bartolome is among the younger of the Galapagos Islands. With a total land area of just 1.2 sq km, this island offers some of the most beautiful landscapes in the archipelago. As a fairly recent volcano with very little vegetation, there are some great features like spatter and cinder cones, as well as some neat looking pumice rocks and ropy lava. Wooden steps lead up to the top to avoid wear on the fragile volcanic soil. This is the most visited of the Galapagos Islands, partly because of its proximity to Santa Cruz—those that don’t like a lot of open water can make a day trip from there. The view from the top was very good, looking over to Santiago which was once connected to Bartolome.

Bartolome also has the distinction of being the location of the only feature film ever to shoot in the Galapagos — Peter Weir’s Master and Commander (starring Russel Crowe). In fact, the movie’s Galapagos scenes are the only time where the men of the HMS Surprise leave their ship to touch land. According to Weir, it’s hard to overestimate the importance of the movie’s Galapagos scenes. It’s the only point in the movie you actually see land,” he points out, “making it a centerpiece of the movie. I wanted to make the Galapagos look almost like another planet to the men aboard the Surprise.”

Considering the Galapagos on your RTW trip? You will after reading these posts—check them out!

Inspired by publications like Life Magazine, National Geographic and online experiences like Boston.com’s photo blog, images marked as ‘The Whole Picture’  are intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery. Kathryn and Daniel will post ‘The Whole Picture‘ irregulary.  Like all of our photos, it is an original photo not otherwise on the site—it might be fresh from our camera, a new scan of some old film, a product of our fooling around with Photoshop, or a file from the archive that we haven’t posted yet.

"The Whole Picture: Top of Bartolome" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Just 61 sq km in size, Espanola offers great wildlife—sea lions, sea birds and the largest marine iguanas of Galapagos.

Just 61 sq km in size, Espanola is a fantastic place to go bird watching. It’s home to the Waved Albatross, considered to be among the most spectacular birds in the world. The island’s steep cliffs serve as the perfect runways for these large birds, which take off for their ocean feeding grounds near the mainland of Ecuador and Peru abandoning the island between January and March. Endemic to the island, Espanola is the waved albatross’s only nesting place. Each April, the male Albatross return to Espanola followed shortly thereafter by their mates. Young albatross do not return to Espanola until their 4th or 5th year when they return to seek a mate. It’s worth a visit between the months of late March through to December, when the Albatross rests and nests here.

Inspired by publications like Life Magazine, National Geographic and online experiences like Boston.com’s photo blog, images marked as ‘The Whole Picture’  are intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery. Kathryn and Daniel will post ‘The Whole Picture‘ irregulary.  Like all of our photos, it is an original photo not otherwise on the site—it might be fresh from our camera, a new scan of some old film, a product of our fooling around with Photoshop, or a file from the archive that we haven’t posted yet.

"The Whole Picture: Espanola’s Cliffs" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

This Ain’t Your Typical Giveaway

For the right people, however, it just may be the experience of a lifetime. Three winners will embark on an unforgettable trip (airfare included) to one of the hundreds of destinations featured in the pages of our brochures. In the company of our award-winning creative team, the winners will be joined by a personal videographer and photographer who will chronicle their adventure—which will be featured in print and online as part of the G Adventures 2013 campaign. Nope this ain’t your regular giveaway; we’re looking for the face of a movement. And it could be yours! 

This is your planet. You really should come see it sometime.

“We’re hoping to inspire people to look at travel in a different way and step outside the confines of all-inclusive resorts and big bus tours to experience the raw, rich and real beauty of our world,” says Bruce Poon Tip, G Adventures’ founder. “Increasingly consumers are seeking more meaningful and engaging experiences when vacationing—unforgettable, life-changing experiences adventure travel creates and offers.”

You’ll Never Forget It!

Beginning today and over the next couple of weeks, G Adventures will unlock a series of eight videos on www.youllneverforgetit.com. A video, along with an exclusive discount for trips in the corresponding region, will be revealed every two days. This is your chance to see the world as it was meant to be seen. From North, Central and South America to Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the series documents everyday travellers who challenge the tourist identity, as they explore and journey around the planet, uncovering many of the world’s awe-inspiring natural and manmade wonders.

Interested? We know you are! Check out  www.youllneverforgetit.com or follow G Adventures on Facebook—and, of course, follow @gadventures and hash tag #YNFI on Twitter. Feel free to share it with friends and family members. And remember—if they wear socks with sandals or think bermuda shorts are acceptable attire for any occasion, this ain’t for them.

Disclosure: At Two Go Round-The-World, we value the conversation that exists between us and our readers—and the trust on which that relationship is based. Here we’re committed to creating an environment informed by that trust. In the interests of full disclosure, Daniel works with G Adventures. For more information on disclosures and relationships, please check our ‘About Us‘ page.

"Tourist Season Ends Today" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Tonight’s post is brought to you by the letter G. Why G? Because the things currently occupying our mind are all ‘G’ related. As you may know, Daniel works for a company called G Adventures (formerly Gap Adventures). If you’re interested about how he came to work there, check out this post. For the past few months, he’s been working hard on a number of cool initiatives — including an event called The Future of Tourism and a rebrand of the company.

As you may have heard, the US District Court ruled in favour of apparel retailer ‘The Gap’ in regards to ‘confusion’ over the use of the name Gap Adventures in the US. In truth, all of us we’re actually pretty excited by the opportunity to re-imagine the company—and the decision was made to extend the name change globally.

Everybody that works for the ‘G’ believes that a brand is defined by its culture—not by a corporate name or a logo. That’s why one of the company’s fundamental principles is to change the lives of anyone who comes into contact with it. Our business model isn’t about bottom-lines and turnover. It’s about happiness, freedom and independence.

Which brings us to the video! In celebration of the name change—and the new freedom from legal naming hassles, G Adventures has posted a lip dub video to George Michael’s Freedom and a contest to match.

For the hardcore travellers out there—you may notice that select shots in the video are numbered. There’s 18 of them and we want to know the famous site featured and the country where it can be found. Plus, our founder, Bruce Poon Tip appears 3three times in the video—each time in a different location. The first person to correctly name all 18 sites and countries along with the three countries where Bruce Poon Tip appears will win a G Adventures trip anywhere in the world. Just email all your answers to facebook@gadventures.com. Check out G Adventures on Facebook to enter the draw here!

We gave away our first two trips last week when we hit the 1000- and 5000-views mark. Don’t miss your chance to win an adventure when we hit the 10000-view milestone over the next day or two!  Be the first to send in all 21 correct answers and you can win the trip of your choice (and yes that does include Antarctica)!

Disclosure: At Two Go Round-The-World, we value the conversation that exists between us and our readers—and the trust on which that relationship is based. Here we’re committed to creating an environment informed by that trust. In the interests of full disclosure, Daniel works with G Adventures. For more information on disclosures and relationships, please check our ‘About Us‘ page.

"Ain’t Nothing But a ‘G’ Thing!" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

If the numbers seem a bit staggering, just remember: your upcoming holiday in 2012 is part of a massive global tradition that sees millions take off to incredible destinations around the globe. Enjoy your adventure!

"The Numbers Behind the Travel Industry" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

However, the survey conducted in May by Harris/Decima on behalf of Gap Adventures, also revealed that the majority (89%) feel personal development is just as or more important than professional development. Three quarters (74%) of Canadians would take a career break—a period of time off from work for travel and personal development—if nothing stood in their way, and half (51%) often think of taking one.

 Top Culprits for Travel Anxiety

First time, long-term and international travel can be daunting. According to the study, being alone, safety, security and budget are the biggest concerns about travelling during a career break, followed by culture shock, the unknown, unfamiliar, logistics and fear of getting lost.

Jeff Jung with Children in Pushkar. Photo courtesy Gap Adventures.

While many may be terrified to break free from the confines of the cubicle to explore the world, a leading career break expert believes that sabbaticals are completely attainable.  Jeff Jung, refugee of the corporate marketing world and founder of CareerBreakSecrets.com, has inspired and helped thousands to escape the rat race and embark on their own career breaks.

“Setting off to discover the world for the first time isn’t easy and certainly doesn’t come naturally to everyone. There are so many things to consider when planning a career break – it can be very overwhelming,” says Jung.

Easing into International Travel with an Organized Tour

“Starting your career break with a reputable small group tour operator like Gap Adventures is a great and affordable way to get your feet wet. Not only do you have the added security and safety of an organized tour and travelling with a group, you also enjoy group rates when it comes to accommodation and activities. Plus, organized tours allow you to pre-budget and stay on budget as you know exactly what you’re paying for,” explains Jung.

“I like Gap Adventures because they help travellers step off the beaten path to experience the real destination. Rather than limiting yourself to the confines of a beach resort or being herded around on a big coach tour, the type of travel experiences Gap Adventures create are both enriching and inspiring – ideal for the career breaker. They have more than 20 years of experience and offer tours on all seven continents, in more than 100 countries,” adds Jung.

Successful Sabbatical Secrets: DitchTheCubicle.ca

Beyond being alone, budget, safety and security, other common career break concerns include not knowing what to pack, where to go, how to get there, when to travel and how much money to bring – the nuts and bolts of travel. Even selecting the right backpack can cause headaches.

Together with Gap Adventures, Jung shares a variety of successful sabbatical secrets and practical trip planning tips on DitchTheCubicle.ca – everything from must-have gadgets and first-aid kit items, to how to save for a career break and keep in touch abroad. In addition, Canadians seeking inspiration to escape the rat race can follow Jung on the Gap Adventures Career Break Series – a collection of videos filmed in his home of Bogota, Colombia and the colourful country of India – where he reveals more sabbatical tips.

Work/Life Balance & Career Break Benefits: Recharge, Revitalize & Restore

“I towered atop the corporate ladder for many years and the impact of the overwhelming stress really affected my health. Plus, the emotionally and physically-draining cubicle wars were suffocating and stifled my personal growth. I lost sight of the big picture and was heading towards a mid-life crisis,” says Jung. “Taking a break from my career allowed me to recharge my batteries and revitalize my passion for life (and work!), to ultimately restore the much needed balance that was missing. It was the best thing I did for myself and my career.”

While a career break may not be for everyone, Jung believes there are benefits to taking one:

• Reduces stress. On a career break you leave the stress of the office behind, your time is your own to do what you want to do, or not do;
• Improves life satisfaction. Career break allows you to explore the world, see new things, meet new people and experience things you couldn’t in your “normal” life;
• Increases one’s ability to adapt to new situations. Career breakers are faced with new experiences and new challenges everyday, and constantly forced to adapt to new cultures and environments;
• Rejuvenates one’s life. Exposing yourself to new cultures, people, food and situations will offer a fresh perspective on life;
• Increases self-confidence. Travelling in foreign countries for an extended period of time having to figure out where to sleep, what to eat and how to get around (often where your native language isn’t spoken), you feel like there isn’t anything you can’t do;
• Resume builder. Your trip will give you incredible international experience. Skills can be developed through various common sabbatical activities such as volunteering, teaching ESL or starting a blog. Additionally, many career breakers return with improved soft skills acquired from being on the road: flexibility, patience, risk assessment, negotiation, and decision making.

For more information on career breaks, visit www.DitchTheCubicle.ca.

"Contemplating a Career Break on Labour Day?" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

While the recommendations may have changed, our appetite for great travel advice hasn’t waned. So too, our love of urban travel legends. These legends appear on the road quickly and proliferate rapidly through hostels and guesthouses. And, while they may contain some truth, they’re often based on falsehoods. But the fact remains, we all love urban legends—we all love to hear them and we all love to spread them.

This is a list of a few of the most famous urban travel legends that are still doing the rounds on the backpacker circuit. That being said, despite these cautionary tales, independent travel is nonetheless a relatively safe way of getting your kicks. Keep an eye on government advisories when planning your itinerary, get comprehensive adventure travel insurance and read up on local ‘dos and don’ts’. And you’ll be good to go!

A Bad Case of Gas

This urban travel legend has enjoyed several decades of retelling and revision. As one of the oldest and most persistent, this myth holds that thieves prowl trains in Europe and the Far East late at night, using some kind of chemical agent to incapacitate unsuspecting backpackers asleep in their cabins and rob them of their cash and documents. This urban legend usually concludes with, “I had EUR250 in my fannypack when we left—but when I woke up this morning, I only had EUR25!”

Sleep with one eye open! Muahahaha!

Regardless, in recent years, the US Department of State’s Overseas Security Advisory Council has actually issued a warning for train travellers in transit through Poland to beware of such scenarios. The US Department of State’s Overseas Security Advisory Council has warned travellers, too:

“Inter- and intra-country train travel, thieves have, in rare instances, used a variety of ‘knock-out’ sprays to incapacitate travelers and then take belongings from their person and accompanying baggage. In most cases the spray is used on sleeping passengers.

According to the Washington Post, Polish Embassy press attache Marek Purowski concedes that such incidents have occurred in recent years but that the perpetrators were not Polish citizens but “Russian gangs.” So is this a case of life imitating the art of storytelling? Perhaps — but remember, urban legends often retain, at their core, a kernel of truth.

The Disappearing Organ

Myths surrounding the theft of body organs are some of the most horrifying and popular of all urban legends about travel. Judging also from the number of movie and book plots they have inspired, this particular myth seems to be about the most popular urban travel legend yet.

A screen cap from the movie Urbania.

Featured as a major plot line on a number of TV show and movies, I first heard this one during while in a hostel in China about fifteen years ago.·It begins with a mysterious and attractive stranger seducing a backpacker. The next day, the horny and now helpless traveller awakens to discover that he was drugged and a kidney and/or other organs were removed—presumably to be sold on the black market. The folks over at About.com describe it thusly:

The backpacker is instructed by the 911 operator to very slowly and carefully reach behind them and feel if there is a tube protruding from their lower back. The business traveler finds the tube and answers, “Yes.” The 911 operator tells them to remain still, having already sent paramedics to help. The operator knows that both of the business traveler’s kidneys have been harvested.

This urban travel legend is often embellished with some amazingly gory details describing victims sporting open wounds and lying incapacitated in bathtubs full of ice. As many of these urban myths do, this one plays upon our fears of travelling alone and being the victim of a random crime. That said, you should always be careful when drinking in bars, and don’t invite strangers to your room!

Indecent Exposures

This urban legend is a classic, albeit sick, story. An acquaintance of ours in the travel industry swears this urban legend actually happened to her clients—but we simply chalk it up another friend-of-a-friend tale. It goes like this—a young couple were vacationing at a resort when their room was broken into and everything stolen, with the exception of their old-school analog film camera and their toothbrushes.

This doesn't end well.

Considering themselves fortunate to have not lost their vacation photos, they return home post-vacation and have the film developed only to discover that the presumed robber inserted their toothbrushes into a rather unsanitary orifice. We’re inclined to believe that this story plays upon our generalized distrust of strangers and strange places—emotional echos of those standard childhood insecurities. Stranger danger, anyone?

Conclusion

You’re probably familiar with most—if not all—of the stories here, demonstrating just how deep-rooted urban legends are in our collective psyche as travellers. Indeed, human beings will always be drawn in by the unsubstantiated rumour. These stories seem to have a life of their own, creeping through the travelling public one person at a time. And like a real life form, they adapt to changing conditions. It will always be the way of the traveller to tell bizarre stories, and there will always be an audience waiting to believe them. The urban legend is part of our makeup!

If you’re wondering why your favorite urban travel legend did not make the cut — let us know in the comments!

"Urban Backpacking Myths" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Window in Penang. Photo by Two Go Round-The-World.

More a mental space than physical

But the idea of liminality is not limited to physical places—it can also be applied to the thresholds we experience everywhere in life. Whether its graduation, a new career, marriage, divorce, sickness—all will disorient us for awhile. But what could be more liminal than travel—and even moreso, long-term or perpetual travel?

Santiago doorway detail. Photo by Two Go Round-The-World.

One of the very definitions of liminality is the space in between—or boundaries. And if we take these in the literal, geographical sense, then almost all travel is ‘liminal’. To see another travel bloggers take on liminality, check out Lillie’s travel blog Around the World “L”!

Doorways as metaphor

This concept can be applied to other things, too, such as the idea of a doorway or a window. When you step inside a doorway, where are you? Part of you is in one room, and part of you is in the other. For that moment as you are passing through the doorway, you’re neither here or there—you’re in between.

Knocker in India. Photo by Two Go Round-The-World.

That’s why we’ve always been fascinated with doors and windows. In our case, they’ve always elicited the essence of travel—crossing boundaries. And quite often, they are the subject of our photos when we travel. They serve as the perfect metaphor!

Conclusion

One problem we travellers face now, however, is that places are becoming more homogenized and similar, erasing the idea of boundaries. For example, if we see the same fast food restaurants in New York City and Siem Reap, the same convenience and chain stores in Tokyo and Toronto, the ‘liminality’ of travel is reduced—or sometimes eliminated altogether.

Church door in Cusco. Photo by Two Go Round-The-World.

While there are no easy answers to this dilemma, we believe that independent travellers remain dedicated to exploring possible ways to bring back a sense of adventure, discovery and newness to the experience of moving. As much of the homogenized modern world seems determined to do away with whatever is ‘in between’, it seems that travellers will always be compelled to create or discover differences for ourselves. Or celebrate them in pictures!

"Capturing Liminal Spaces while Travelling" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Handkerchiefs held above a dancer's head symbolize feathers.

The Cueca, a unique dance form native to Chile, is credited as being the country’s national dance.  With historical roots in both African and Native American cultures, the Cueca is a parody of the courtship of a chicken and rooster. The handkerchiefs held above a dancer’s head symbolize the feathers of the bird or the rooster’s comb. The Cueca is a very complex dance, and the music is generally performed with one or two voices accompanied by guitar, piano, harp, accordion, or other instruments. Dancers move in semicircles back, turning towards the partner and then away. It starts with a promenade where the man invites the woman to join him by offering his arm. This is done while instrumental entry music is played. The couples stand facing each other about three meters apart. Before the song begins, the couple claps their hands in rhythm of the music.

Inspired by publications like Life Magazine, National Geographic and online experiences like Boston.com’s photo blog, images marked as ‘The Whole Picture’  are intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery. Kathryn and Daniel will post ‘The Whole Picture‘ irregulary.  Like all of our photos, it is an original photo not otherwise on the site—it might be fresh from our camera, a new scan of some old film, a product of our fooling around with Photoshop, or a file from the archive that we haven’t posted yet.

"The Whole Picture: Chile’s Cueca" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo. Move made us want to jump off our seats and hit the road—the catchy, life-affirming tunes don’t hurt either. Amazingly — one terabyte of footage produced just three minutes of video! But those three minutes have proved to be hugely popular. “Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement,” Mereki said on the video’s vimeo page. “The response has been phenomenal and overwhelming. We never thought this little project would reach out to so many people.”

LEARN from Rick Mereki on Vimeo. Interestingly, part of the ‘LEARN‘ sequence was filmed in a small village outside of Cuzco where women weavers are learning skills to make themselves self-sufficient and in the process, changing the tapestry of family economics. The village is sponsored in part by Planeterra, a non-profit initiative founded by Gap Adventures in 2003.Planeterra’s initiatives offer travellers the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people and communities around the world. Kathryn and I recognized it immediately—as we’ve both been there before. In fact, we visited on a trip last year with Gap Adventures—with whom I work! Check our some of our pictures here.

EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo. The videos, directed by Rick Mereki and produced by Tim White, were popular on social sharing sites like FaceBook and Reddit last week—but not everybody was impressed; some have complained the crew simply seemed “rich” and “pretentious.” What do you think? Are these videos beautiful and harmless? Or just a way to brag about the expensive “trip of a lifetime”? Let us know what you think!

11 countries in 44 days? Sure, it looks like they packed a lot into the itinerary. The problem is, these videos try to create the illusion of deep experience—but when you look at the itinerary, it looks a little shallow. At the end of the day, though — it certainly is inspiring. And that was Merek’s original intent, methinks.

"Rick Mereki’s Move, Learn, Eat" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Tilt-shift of the 'Lost City of the Incas'

This week’s photo incorporates tilt shifting. Tilt-shift style miniature photos are simply photos of real life scenes that are made to look like miniature scale models. This is done using either a special camera lens (one with tilt capability), or with software, instead of a special lens.

The subject of course is Machu Picchu, situated above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 km northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Often referred to as “The Lost City of the Incas”, it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World. Prefer to see a non-doctored image of Machu Picchu? Click here.

Inspired by publications like Life Magazine, National Geographic and online experiences like Boston.com’s photo blog, images marked as ‘The Whole Picture’  are intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery. Kathryn and Daniel will post ‘The Whole Picture‘ irregulary.  Like all of our photos, it is an original photo not otherwise on the site—it might be fresh from our camera, a new scan of some old film, a product of our fooling around with Photoshop, or a file from the archive that we haven’t posted yet.

"The Whole Picture: Machu Picchu Tilt Shift" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

The capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires is the ultimate cosmopolitan city. Almost 40 per cent of Argentina’s 33m citizens live in Greater Buenos Aires, and these ‘porteños’ are justifiably proud of their home. The city is comprised of a number of distinct neighbourhoods, some of which have become top tourist draws. For many, the highlight of their time in the capital is a visit to San Telmo for the weekend antiques market and street artist displays.

The Río de la Plata

During colonial days, Buenos Aires was the seat of the Viceroy of La Plata and is now the seat of Argentina’s government. Almost completely rebuilt since the turn of the century, the heart of the city is the Plaza de Mayo, which offers up buildings like the historic Town Hall, the Casa Rosada and the Cathedral where San Martín, the father of Argentine independence, is buried.

Obelisk of Buenos Aires

At the intersection of Avenida 9 de Julio and Corrientes Avenue stands the Obelisk of Buenos Aires, the iconic image of which is commonly used to represent Buenos Aires and Argentina abroad. The sheer magnitude of the landmark itself, as well as its location at the centre of two of the world’s largest avenues, is guaranteed to leave an impression. In fact, Avenida 9 de Julio is 140 meters wide, and is one of the world’s largest. Its name honours Argentina’s birthdate. (July 9, 1816).

Obelisk of Buenos Aires

The complete construction of the Obelisk took only 31 days back in 1936. It was built to commemorate the fourth centenary of the first foundation of the city. Where the Obelisk stands, a church dedicated to St Nicholas of Bari was previously demolished. In that church the Argentine flag was officially hoisted for the first time in Buenos Aires—in 1812. That fact is commemorated by one of the inscriptions on the north side of the monument.

The Casa Rosada

The Casa Rosada (The Pink House) is the official seat of the executive branch of the government of Argentina, and of the offices of the President. Coloured pink, it’s considered to one be of the most emblematic buildings in Buenos Aires. Its pink salmon colour is said to have come from an attempt to bring peace between the Federalists and the Unitarists parties—the Federalists were known as the ‘red’ party and the Unitarists were the ‘white’ party. After debate on what color to paint the building, a compromise was reached that the palace be painted pink, which echoed the sentiment of unity to the rest of the country.

Casa Rosada

From a porteño outside the gates, Kathryn and I learned another interesting piece of trivia. It’s said that Madonna was one of a lucky few actually allowed to visit the balcony where Eva Peron made her final farewell address to the Argentine people before she died. In fact, the Argentine government even allowed the filming of the famous ‘Don’t cry for me Argentina’ scene in the movie Evita to take place on the actual balcony.

San Telmo

San Telmo is the oldest barrio in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It’s a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlours and antique shops line the cobblestone streets, which are often filled with artists and dancers. This old Buenos Aires neighbourhood has resisted modernity, and its buildings have preserved a lot of vintage charm. Artists and craftsmen have made San Telmo their home—and it’s become known as the perfect place to watch (and partake in) tango, chat over a cup of coffee and get together with friends in any of the many tango joints. San Telmo and its surroundings are the perfect place to drink in bohemian life and offer a great variety of art exhibitions.

Not San Telmo—but you get the idea!

Kathryn and I had been told that to properly enjoy San Telmo, one really needs to visit on a Sunday. And luckily, that’s when we found ourselves there! On Sunday, a massive antique-market spills into a street-market which descends into a street party along Calle Defensa, the best place in town on the weekend! There are dozens if not hundreds of vendors, and lots of buskers.

Woman on balcony

San Telmo has lots of great restaurants, and we chose a restaurant called Parrilla 1880 for an early dinner—and some traditional grill. The restaurant owes its name to the year in which the house where it is located was built. The place is a sight to behold, decorated with antique items, such as gramophone records, a beautiful old radio and Buenos Aires styled iconography. Parrilla 1880 offers Argentine meat and homemade pasta, apart from typical dishes, such as puchero.

Conclusion

When we were done exploring (and eating), we settled our weary feet and enjoyed an espresso in one of San Telmo’s many sidewalk cafes. It’s here that we began to understand the contemplative Argentine way of life—and we lamented the irony that we had just a day to enjoy it.

Disclosure: At Two Go Round-The-World, we value the conversation that exists between us and our readers—and the trust on which that relationship is based. Here we’re committed to creating an environment informed by that trust. In the interests of full disclosure, we travelled with Gap Adventures, with whom Daniel works. That being said, his opinions should not be construed as representing those of his employer. For more information on disclosures and relationships, please check our ‘About Us‘ page.

"Making the Most of a Morning in Buenos Aires" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

It’s this feeling of knowing but not knowing what makes a great post that gave Katie Erica from Trip Base the idea to start an online blogging initiative dubbed ‘My 7 Links’.

The idea is simple: bloggers publish seven links from their blog to share lessons learned and create a bank of long—but not forgotten—blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again! We were nominated by another blogger to participate—none other than Abby Tegenelia of The Neon Jungle Princess blog—and we’ve gone ahead and posted our seven links below. That being said, there’s a lot to choose from — 163,501 published words in over 240 posts! Surprisingly, however, this was not a difficult exercise!

Our Most Beautiful Post: To Luang Prabang by Rail and Road

Our Most Beautiful Post

I’ve always loved this post — and felt that it came closest to describing how I felt when travelling through Luang Prabang. Despite it being dubbed “self conscious pretentious crap” in its comment stream for too much “pontificating”, I’m still probably most proud of this post and consider it ‘beautiful’. It was entered into the Grantourismo-HomeAway travel writing competition in April 2010—but didn’t win. Hmmm. Maybe I should rethink this choice? Check it out here.

Our most popular post: Is CouchSurfing Safe?

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 and the folks were friendly. But is the site edging toward infamy as an online haven for con men looking to defraud hapless backpackers? In short: No. That being said, this was by far our most popular post—continuing to drive a lot of traffic our way. We learned that this kind of evergreen content never goes out of date—and is therefore desirable for building lasting readerships with other blogs and sites. Content like this is needed over and over by the general public, creating a built-in guarantee of continued interest. Check it out here.

Our most controversial post: In Defence of Long-Term Travel

In Defence of Long-Term Travel

If controversy is measured by the number of comments, then there are other more ‘controversial’ pieces we’ve done. We’re nominating this one, however, for the fact that we waded into an interesting ‘debate’. Like we said in the piece, “we’re all here for the travel—and it’s a rare occurrence when the medium becomes more interesting than the message.” But that’s what happened on this rare occurrence in the travel blogosphere. And our post sought to help the mildly interested catch up—if only to apprise ourselves of the situation in so doing. Check it out here.

Our most helpful post: Saving For a Round-the-World Trip

Saving For a Round-the-World Trip

Our most helpful post was better yet a series of posts focusing on personal finances for a round-the-world trip. That being said, the savings and budgeting tips contained therein were of concern to anybody with an interest in personal finance! The series comprised the following articles: Constructing a savings plan for your travel fund, Saving For a Round-the-World Trip and Budgeting for the return home. Check it out here.

A post whose success surprised us: Bare Country—Canada’s Five Best Clothing Optional Beaches

Bare Country—Canada’s Five Best Clothing Optional Beaches

Okay—maybe not that surprised, seeing that it did contain the promise of nudity—and this is the internet, after all. However, we didn’t bank on the fact that this post would become our second greatest traffic generator! Extra marks for the title—which we just loved! Check it out here.

A post we feel didn’t get the attention it deserved: Inspiration Without Perspiration

Inspiration without perspiration?

I feel the comments that this post generated deserve more attention than the actual post. Some great bloggers offer some candid opinions—and that’s what we’re here doing this for. Right? To generate some great conversation! Check it out here.

The post of which we are most proud: Rare Coincidences Are Very Common on the Road

Rare Coincidences Are Very Common on the Road

I’m most proud of this post because of its sheer ridiculousness—and the fact that it is 100% true, right down to the very last detail! To read about such incredible coincidences is one thing, but to experience them is quite another. Check it out here.

Conclusion

Are there any posts of ours not mentioned here that you would have liked to see on the list? Let us know in the comment stream below!

And now it’s time for us to pass this chain-blog on. This is getting tough—because Trip Base’s ‘My 7 Links’ project has proved to be incredibly pervasive! But here are our nominations to carry on with the project, culled from our extensive blogroll! If you haven’t, be sure to check them out!

1. Nicky and Rhys at Two Nomads One Narrative
2. Monica over at A Pair of Panties and Boxers
3. Tony and Thomas over at Contemporary Nomad
4. Ren over at So Not Lost!
5. Jessica over at Hedgehogs without Borders

Keep an eye our email in your inbox, guys — instructions to follow!

"Our 7 Links: Seven Blasts from the Past" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Root Cellar, Elliston

Once a busy fishing settlement but now a quiet tourist destination, Elliston is a small community located on the Northeastern tip of the Bonavista peninsula in Newfoundland. With over 130 root cellars—small storage spaces skillfully built into the hillsides—Elliston has an unusual heritage. Important to many in rural Newfoundland, the root cellars kept vegetables cool, yet frost-free and edible during the long winter months. A tour of the town and the neighbouring community of Maberly reveals a hillside dotted with tiny doors and wooden frames, portals, perhaps, to a time when living was harder, but much simpler. The town contains many attractions including the beautiful beach at Sandy Cove, camping facilities at Elliston municipal park, puffin sites and of course many examples of traditional Newfoundland root cellars.

Inspired by publications like Life Magazine, National Geographic and online experiences like Boston.com’s photo blog, images marked as ‘The Whole Picture’  are intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery. Kathryn and Daniel will post ‘The Whole Picture‘ irregularly.  Like all of our photos, it is an original  not otherwise on the site—it might be fresh from our camera, a new scan of some old film, a product of our fooling around with Photoshop, or a file from an archive that we haven’t posted yet.

"The Whole Picture: Newfoundland Root Cellar" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Get yer map pins out!

Whether you’re eagerly waiting for your first passport to be delivered or you could give the most interesting man in the world a run for his money—it’s always a good time to beef up your obituary. Since it seems that a lot of readers of Two Go Round-The-World are very well-traveled, we thought it might be fun to find out exactly how travelled everyone is! So, how many countries have you visited?

The Number Two Rule

Opinions will also vary on this, but we personally do not believe a transit stop via an airport at Bahrain, Singapore, Frankfurt, Reyjkavik, should count as having visited that country. But flight layovers in a country may count as ‘visited’ — as long as you satisfy the rule established by our friend Stefan — a French Canadian we might while travelling through mainland China. You must have used the facilities in the aforementioned country in order to count it in your ‘inventory’. In short, if you didn’t ‘go’ you didn’t go.

Disclaimer

There’s no danger in quantifying here — we’re just having fun. I hope this post doesn’t devolve into a discussion surrounding the ‘best’ way to travel. Whether you’ve spent months travelling overland in a particular country, spent a week there on luxury holidays or an afternoon there during a port call on a cruise ship is immaterial — let’s just celebrate the fact that you’ve been there! Indeed, we realize that expanding one’s view of the world is paramount as is seeing how others live and learning about other cultures—but we also maintain that there’s nothing wrong with occasional luxury beach holidays, too! However, we see no harm in quantifying travel like this—it’s just a fun exercise!

The Master List

To do this right — we’ve all got to work from the same list. While no list is ever going to 100% “correct”, the list from Travel Independent is pretty darn close. This list does not include non-existent ‘territories/dependencies’ often commonly misidentified as countries—like Tasmania, Easter Island, Wales, Newfoundland, Alaska, Micronesia, Lapland, Galapagos Islands, Antarctica, etc. According to most accounts there are 195 countries. Places commonly confused as being countries include Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Greenland, Western Sahara—and even the components of the UK (such as Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England—but they’re not countries, states, or nation-states). So this is the list that we’re going to go with. Make sure countries were the only ones “claimed”, for the sake of some overall consistency.

The Century Club

If you’re into counting stamps in your passport — you may be interested in the Travellers’ Century Club–an American-based travel club. Their rules established in 1970 define 320 separate destinations as being ‘countries’—they count destinations that are politically, ethnologically or geographically different as unique entities.

Membership in the Travelers’ Century Club (TCC) is limited to those travelers who have visited one hundred or more countries of the world. It was first organized in Los Angeles in 1954 by a group of the world’s most widely traveled people. The idea has attracted the interest of the world travelers everywhere and we now have members throughout the world, as well as the United States.

So if you’ve visited over 100 of these ‘countries’ and pony up a $100 membership fee ($50–60 annually thereafter) you’ll gain the satisfaction of being accredited—and you’ll receive a newsletter to boot! Check them out here.

Our List

Since meeting, Kathryn and I have visited 15 countries.

1. South Korea
2. Japan
3. China
4. Vietnam
5. Cambodia
6. Laos
7. Thailand
8. Malaysia
9. India
10. Peru
11. Mexico
12. Ecuador
13. United States of America
14. Chile
15. Argentina

Conclusion

So, we’ve visited 15 countries — and hope to add a few more before the year is out! How many countries have you been to? Feel free to list them in the comments section below! Do you have an unusual experience to share? Spill the beans!

"How Many Countries Have You Visited?" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

The Caretaker's Hut.

On the funerary plain, overlooking Machu Picchu, stands the Caretaker’s Hut. The hut is one of the few structures in Machu Picchu that has a thatched roof. Open on one side—with three windows looking out to the Urubamba valley below—this is one of the best places in Machu Picchu to get the classic photo of the Lost City of the Incas—and Huayna Picchu looming above! The Caretaker’s Hut is one of the few buildings which has been restored with a thatched roof. As explained to us, the ceremonial rock terrace may have been used to mummify the nobility and explains the hut’s name. Not far from the Hut is a perennial spring that served as the domestic water supply for the Inca residents of Machu Picchu.

Inspired by publications like Life Magazine, National Geographic and online experiences like Boston.com’s photo blog, images marked as ‘The Whole Picture’  are intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery. Kathryn and Daniel will post ‘The Whole Picture‘ irregularly.  Like all of our photos, it is an original  not otherwise on the site—it might be fresh from our camera, a new scan of some old film, a product of our fooling around with Photoshop, or a file from an archive that we haven’t posted yet.

"The Whole Picture: Caretaker’s Hut at Machu Picchu" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

The eaves of Wat Phra Kaew

In the heart of downtown Bangkok, Wat Phra Kaew is an oasis comprised of a group of buildings profusely adorned with gold leaf, glazed coloured tiles and mirror-glass inlay. Standing guard outside the perimeter are statues of giant yakshas. This shot was taken on an old school Sony DSC-P10 on August 28, 2004—back when Kathryn and I were travelling Asia long term.

This weeks’ ‘Whole Picture’ is doing double duty, serving also as our entry for Travel Photography Roulette. Jeremy at Living the Dream came up with the idea and got the ball rolling. Sixteen weeks on and hundreds of amazing photos later—it’s still going strong. This week, Jason over at TravelJunkies is hosting. The theme he chose is ‘architecture’. Would you like to enter? Simply leave a comment at his post with a link to the image (whether Flickr, Picasa or your own site) and Jason will upload it to his post. The only caveat—you have to be a blogger to enter! Winners will be announced Sunday, May 29.

Inspired by publications like Life Magazine, National Geographic and online experiences like Boston.com’s photo blog, images marked as ‘The Whole Picture’  are intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery. Kathryn and Daniel will post ‘The Whole Picture‘ irregularly.  Like all of our photos, it is an original  not otherwise on the site—it might be fresh from our camera, a new scan of some old film, a product of our fooling around with Photoshop, or a file from an archive that we haven’t posted yet.

"The Whole Picture: The Eaves of Wat Phra Kaew" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!