Backpacking
Phu Quoc, Vietnam: Visit Before It Becomes Phuket
“Like Phuket before it became Phuket.” Anyone notice how this saying is quickly becoming the de facto description to use to describe an island in Southeast Asia that is, amazingly, undeveloped and seemingly undiscovered by tourists? (I recently wrote about this article about Boracay, Philippines — an island that also got the Phuket treatment). This […]
Colombia’s Caribbean Coast
Colombia’s Caribbean coast is in the news big time this week, with article in both the Financial Times and the NY Times. Gone are the days when the region’s checkered history scared away tourists. Now, for better or worse (better if you’re a local depending on travelers), you’re more likely to run into a yacht-owning […]
How Many Days Can I Travel On $1,000? (Your Guide To The Cheapest Countries To Travel)
A few months ago I wrote about this chart on Rough Guides’ web site calculating how many days you can travel with $1,000 in various countries around the world. Ahead of the upcoming publishing phenomena, otherwise known as the book release of “The Expeditioner’s Guide to the World” (more on that to come), I decided […]
The Quest To Avoid Tourists In Vietnam Continues
If you basically draw a line between the northern and southern tips of Vietnam, then mark the exact middle, you’ll find Da Nang, the former U.S. stronghold during the Vietnam (or American, depending on which country you were living in) War, and now an increasingly popular destination for travelers looking for a getaway in the […]
What Did You Do When You Returned From Angkor Wat?
For those of you planning on visiting Angkor Wat, there may be more to the massive temple complex than you had originally expected. American researcher Kent Davis, after visiting the site back in 2005, was struck by the numerous (1,800 to be exact) female figures carved in various portions of the temples. After returning home, […]
The Road To Tibet: Crossing The Friendship Highway
Tibet’s history is a complicated story of spirituality, invasion, conquest, and persecution. Once a Buddhist nation governed by the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s religious identity was brutally stripped away in 1951 when Chinese troops forcibly occupied the region, destroying monasteries and killing thousands of civilians. In 1959 the Dalai Lama fled Lhasa and settled under the […]
Why Haven’t More Travelers Heard Of Guanajuato? Maybe That’s Good . . .
For some, global cities have lost their luster. As we travel from New York City to Paris to Tokyo to Buenos Aires, some travelers have found that each city is, as the Taiwanese that I met liked to say, “same, same, but different.” In most urban centers you can find major corporations, like Starbucks or […]
Going To Machu Picchu This Fall? See The Rest Of Peru
The high season for Machu Picchu is roughly June through September, as summer travelers use their vacation time to explore the ruins in the predictably good weather these months bring. In October the rainy season begins, not a great time to trek along narrow paths and camp outside. Oddly enough, I know several people who […]
How To Avoid Bedbugs While Traveling
Hi roomie, I brought back a [insert prized gift here] form my trip to [insert country here]. Also, for good measure I also brought the house some bedbugs! Okay, this is never good, but is becoming all to common for many travelers. But what can you do? Avoid hostels? News flash — hotels are increasingly […]
The Death Of The Gap Year?
The gap year is a foreign concept to most Americans — most high school graduates here head straight on to college. But for the British, the gap year is a hallowed institution, the year-long break before Uni (that’s university to you Yanks) where the budding minds of the best and the brightest head off into […]