Merry Christmas from TheExpeditioner.com

As a follow-up to Monday’s article about proper hostel etiquette — a must-read for first-time travelers — BootsnAll has this list of the “7 Deadly Sins of Travel,” which, I guarantee, even the most seasoned travelers have partaken in the past. (Given to any beggars during your trips?)

Regarding #1, “Taking budget travel too seriously” — something I definitely tend to do (bread for dinner anyone?) — the article points out that the little extra you spend is helping to go into a local economy that likely depends on travelers like yourself.

I like #5 too, “Getting carried away with the culture,” an affliction that happens all too-often in Asia. “You know the type – they don kimonos, saris or robes to go about their daily affairs, would never dream of eating a hamburger and cringe at the very notion of socializing with one of their countrymen.”

I’m a little mixed about #7, “Judging other travelers.” I understand there’s no need for travel snobbery by someone who’s lucky enough to be in their 9-month around-the-world voyage, or who has discovered the perfect off-the-beaten-path destination. But isn’t it kind of fun (and somewhat justified) to be able to look down your nose at the fanny pack-wearing, tour-bus cramming, unfolded map in the middle of a busy sidewalk gazing tourist?

A traveler’s thoughts on the strangest and most unfamiliar part of any trip: coming home.

By Alexandra Bregman

A Traveler’s Guise

Outside my hometown, Connecticut was a dirty word. I never wanted to tell anyone I was from Westport, Connecticut, the original location of the “Martha Stewart Show,” of the original film “The Stepford Wives,” the stuff of headbands and sailboats. To me, telling a New Yorker of my Connecticut origins was like stamping a “spoiled” sign on my forehead and trying to explain to foreigners where Connecticut was usually boiled down to a brief “it’s near New York.” Admitting the truth conjured images of pastels and cold blondes, not of a welcoming home.

It’s important to note that despite my connotations, I always knew Connecticut was not exactly Dante’s “Inferno.” The contradiction, whether I admitted it or not, was that I resented having so much to appreciate as a rambunctious adventurer. Connecticut may be lovely, but my great fear was of getting too comfortable, without ever seeing the world.

A Traveler’s Eyes

Like many angst-ridden suburban youths eager to renounce a Lexus-packed hometown, I went to Europe for a year. The exercise of fleeing to a more cultured continent is an age-old ritual. Before I left, every PTA mom and college student was spilling stories of their big trips, recollecting everything from a few weeks in Spain or a questionable fling with some Swedish girls in a tent. Every story, every “Europe will change your life” comment, all felt just as false as my disillusionment with Connecticut. I had the idea that if I went to Europe, I could sincerely define myself and escape the mundane clichés for good.

I stayed with a very kind host family in Paris for a year, and with a traditionally light French academic schedule — fraught with university strikes — I traveled extensively, profiting from all that Europe had to offer. I ate baguettes and fancy cheese, I took long walks along the Seine, I went to museums for free. Basically, I lived the glamor I’d always aspired to. It was wonderful. (more…)

LuggagePoint has this great visual chart of the world’s 50 most popular tourist destinations. Sadly enough, a quick glance at the graphic shows how popular the Disney parks are, not only in the U.S., but in Europe and Asia as well.

Is there any way to describe the horror that Disneyland Paris beats out the Louvre by over 3 million people a year? (Or that Disneyland Tokyo beats out the Great Wall of China.) Sorry Disney enthusiasts, I just don’t get you.

What happens when you hire six of some of the best travel writers in the world to go on assignment, anywhere they want, to write about anything they want? Try donkeys in Morocco, treks to the Punjab, and, could this be, Frances Mayes of “Under the Tuscan Sky” waxing poetic about . . . Poland?

Smithsonian mag’s got all six stories, including dispatches from Paul Theroux, Susan Orlean, Frances Mayes, Geoffrey C. Ward and others.

And please, remember this next time you read any blog or article from a travel writer complaining about how difficult their job is, what with all the hassle of transport, homesickness, and illness. When’s the last time your boss waddled into your cubicle and said, “Could you do me a favor, pick anywhere in the world and go there next week and write about it. Oh yeah, we’ll pay you for it, and we’ll guarantee publication. See you in a few weeks.”

Let’s see, where would I go and why. I think I’d choose South India. It’s getting cold here in New York. It’s been a while since I’ve had some really good food. And India’s easily in my top-5 spots for future travel.

Future TheExpeditioner.com contributor (more on that later this week) Jon Wick takes a look at the ups and downs of packing up your bags and heading abroad to teach ESL (English as a Second Language), an unforgettable experience full of heightened expectations, numerous frustrations, and personal rewards you’re unlikely to encounter anywhere else.

Oh yeah, you’re also forced to travel to a new and exciting location where free time is spent learning the local culture and exploring the region. When’s the last time your cubicle did that for you?

This topic has actually been on my mind recently as a result of my concern that my now going on two-and-a-half-year-old pair of New Balances (that I bought used, mind you) may not quite hack it in the bush of Southern Africa, where I will be (barring any unforeseen impediments) in less than two weeks from now (much, much more on that in the next couple weeks).

Do you go for comfort, style, size, aridity, durability, elasticity, tenacity? As the NYT’s Matt Gross argues, the real trick is finding a pair that does all of the above, something that ideally all your items of clothing in your suitcase would have.

So what did he settle on? After starting off with the Merrell Chameleons, then switching to the Salomon’s XA Pro 3D, he’s officially committed to the unfortunately colored SkyRace OT trail, a pair of kicks that passed the test of being suited for oyster hunting and fine dining all in one day.

As for me, I’ll probably check out a few camping stores next week, but like a great fighter, never count out the Newbies. They may have one more trip in them.

Which are you? The Tourist? The History Buff? The Free Spirit? Read on to find out what kind of traveler you are.

By Rachel Pollack

It was not until my parents came to visit me one year in Holland that I became aware of the various types of travelers that exist. Much like an astrological sign (if you believe in that kind of thing), every traveler has their own distinct traveling personality that represents which type of traveler they are, as well as helps predict whom they should travel with.

For example, my family members each represent three distinct types of traveler. My father was a map guy. He needed every minute of every day planned out. To be lost in a foreign country would be pure mayhem. He walked in quick, decisive strides and did not stop to admire scenery or to talk with the locals. My mother would have preferred a tour group where things were planned out in advance. If she was alone, she resorted to asking directions from every single person she encountered, oftentimes nodding her head while the person would spout off directions in their native tongue. Me, I’m a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl. My favorite thing to do while traveling is to get lost. I often stumble upon random, extraordinary places and meet all sorts of interesting people. I don’t understand maps and certainly would never ask directions.

That said, I give you the traveler’s zodiac chart. (more…)

Do you ever get that sinking feeling while you’re looking over your pictures after you’ve come back from a trip and realize that your photos are woefully lacking in any interesting shots of exotic and notable bathrooms?

Yeah, I think it happens to everyone. But to fill in those gaps, check out T+L’s top 10 bathrooms in the world, from New Zealand’s artfully designed roadside “temples” to Shanghai’s 1,388-foot-high loos, you’ll finally have the chance to prepare for that day when your grandchild is sitting on your knee and you say, “Did I ever tell you about that bathroom I saw while I was traveling back in 2009 . . . ?”

Allright, perhaps not the best places to travel with the greenback, but at least the places that are far more affordable now than they were a year ago when your Benjamins were worth their worst, as listed by Forbes (whose basement dwelling number-crunchers looked at all countries where the USD gained 15% over the past year and figured out where the dollar now goes the furthest and where cheap flights can still be had).

Hungary comes in at number one, with the dollar gaining 30% and airfare coming in under $600; Sweden and Poland came in at number two and three respectively with the dollar gaining 31% in Sweden and a whopping 50% in Poland (airfare around $700 each). For the full list of 15 click through here.

I know I’ve written about this topic quite a bit in the past, so it’s always good to see others reinforcing my views (as they should, of course). Mary, over at The Lost Girls, has listed her own five reasons why you should travel alone.

Beside the somewhat selfish reasons we think but don’t necessarily tell others (get to do what you want, when you want to; the chance to spend some time away from everyone you know), my favorite is #3: Meet New People Constantly.

It’s true. Think you’re shy, reclusive, bad at meeting new people, or have no interest in making random friends? Try plopping yourself 5,000 miles away from home without knowing a soul and I guarantee you’ll be striking up conversations with everyone from the panhandler on the corner to that 80-year-old backpacker from Austria who naps in the hostel lounge. Probably not happening when your buddy from back home is constantly by your side.

The Chicago Tribune shook down a travel expert from American Express and uncovered ten dirty little secrets to getting deals from the airlines. Some highlights:

• Ever flown first-class? Me neither, but there are plenty of ways to do so without paying more. Last-minute tickets (especially international) as well as booking through travel agents are a couple ways where you won’t pay a penny more for the upgrade.

• Book over the holidays and save up to 20%. I guess the airlines are in a festive mood? Or they’re just trying to make up for the inevitable drop in sales post-holiday.

• Check out round-trip prices even if you’re flying one-way. Airlines hate booking one-way, so oftentimes you’ll slash the price by over half even if you’re not using the return ticket.

Graham Hughes, a Liverpudlian, is attempting to set a world record by visiting all 192 countries that are UN member states (sorry Kosovo) in just one year without either flying, hitching or driving. (Although, inexplicably, he hops on a plane after missing his bus shortly after arriving in Brazil to begin his trip.) Why, you may ask? To quote Mallory, because it is there. Or perhaps more accurately, because they are everywhere. And because who wouldn’t want to do this?

Of course, he has a website, and you too can follow along his madcap adventures, including his arrest back in early June while in Cape Verde on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant (but seriously, who hasn’t this happened to at least once on their travels?) And for our non-U.S. readers, there will also be a show on the National Geographic Channel everywhere but the States coming out next year.

And anticipating the initial reaction many travelers have when they hear about his trip, Graham addresses the thorny question of why bothering doing this if you don’t have time to really experience where you’re going (my initial thought as well). Graham’s actually doing this to help raise money for the charity WaterAid, where he’s already wrangled up 2,413.00 pounds. Looks like he may need to raise money for legal fees too.

Granted, there are situations when procrastination may be a bad course of action. Non-elective surgery, paying taxes, ending bad relationships, and fire drills are a few that come to mind. Buying plane tickets? Perhaps not so much. After putting it off for weeks/months, I snagged myself a flight to South Africa at a price 30% lower than I had ever seen it since I started looking!

TheExpeditioner.com to Africa: August 28th to September 12th. Four continents down, three to go.

Also, my staff and film crew will all be wrapped up during the length of the trip, so we are looking for guest editors for those two weeks. Payment will be nil, but who can put a price on infamy and altruism? If interested, contact us at the above link and introduce yourself. Experience, enthusiasm, and unsolicited platitudes are all encouraged.

Glasgow’s own Camera Obscura has this new travel-themed music video out (remember those?), which features the bearded-nerdy-guy-and-model-girlfriend-travel-Europe motif (see “2 Days In Paris“). Nice shots of Paris, Barcelona, and Rome. The only part that made me cringe was the “Where The Hell Is Matt” reference at 2:08. Sigh.