-
Travel is a Competition. How to win it.
Let’s face it: travel is a competition. The number of countries you’ve traveled to matters. The longest bus ride you’ve taken matters. The less you paid on accommodation matters. It’s what separates the real backpackers from the wannabes. Been to ten countries? OK. Been to 30? Great. Been to 60? Even better. Travel is a…
-
Ten Hostel Situations Backpackers Know All Too Well
On my gap year around the world I always stayed in hostels. There’s just no other choice. Hostels are the best place to meet other travelers and they usually offer everything a backpacker needs: beds, babes, and booze. There really is no other option for the backpacker. Staying in so many hostels around the world,…
-
Bob Marley Songs: A Soundtrack to Travel
Reggae music (especially the music of Bob Marley) is synonymous with the backpacker lifestyle. Find a beach town, find a backpacker haven, find a popular tourist spot, and you’re sure to find a reggae bar. Find a hostel, find a popular street, find a beach, and you’re sure to hear the familiar strains of a…
-
You’re Traveling Wrong: Long-Term Travel is the Right Way to Travel
Some tourists will tell you that there is no “right way to travel.” They say things like, “you can travel on a two-week-per-year vacation.” Or, “you don’t need to leave the country to be a traveler.” Or, “guided tours are OK.” Those people are wrong. They just say that to make you feel better that…
-
Five Phrases that Mean Nothing When Traveling the World
There are many differences between a “normal” life and a “travel” life. Some of those differences become obvious in every day speech. Sometimes I hear someone at school use a phrase and all I can think is, “that wouldn’t matter if I was on the road.” And sometimes when I’m abroad I hear someone use…
-
5 “Packing Essentials” You Don’t Need to Pack
The internet is full of travel blogs telling you what you should and shouldn’t pack for a ’round the world trip. The truth is there is nothing you “need” to pack. Maybe your passport. But there are even ways around needing that. There are no “packing essentials.” None. These are five of the worst items…
-
25 Life Lessons Learned From Traveling the World After High School
I didn’t want to go straight to college after I graduated high school. I actually didn’t want to go to college at all but the only way I could get my parents to pay for my gap year was to promise I’d go back to school afterwards. Traveling the world after high school, for a…
-
The Best Hostel Games to Play in Hostels
When you’re traveling long term, you’re not going to want to leave the hostel every night or every day. There will be a lot of times when you’re just too tired or hungover or over it to want to leave your dorm to go somewhere else. That’s OK — you don’t have to go out…