Until time travel becomes a reality, getting around the globe is going to require a long-haul flight. I can hear the groans…and share your pain. What can you do to make a 10- or 12-hour (or longer–planes can travel...
Flags of the World Quiz: How Many Can You Identify?
Can you identify the flags of the world? We all know the Stars & Stripes, Union Jack, Maple Leaf, and Rising Sun…but the others? Here’s a quiz to see how many you know. Before we start the quiz: What’s...
Ethical Travel: “Vote With Your Wings”
Ethical travel? What is THAT? And why does it matter? Ethical travel is the awareness of our impact on the planet when we go anywhere. Anywhere. From how we get to our destination to what we do when we...
How to Travel When You Don’t Speak the Language
Do you get stuck on how to travel when you don’t speak the language? For many people–especially when starting out–it can be a deal-breaker. They end up only going to places where they communicate in their native tongue. Even...
Foreign Currency: Got Extra? Here Are Some Ideas…
What to do with extra foreign currency? If you’re like me, you hate to get rid of it. First of all, it’s much glitzier than U.S. money. Second, it’s a sweet and vivid memory of my trip. Still, what...
Volunteer Tourism: Is It for You? A Few Things to Consider…
Volunteer tourism: is it for you? Also called “voluntourism,” it’s a growing travel trend. About two million people a year–spending $2 billion–go abroad and donate their time to help a favorite cause. Given the world situation, volunteering certainly seems...
Gallo Pinto: Cost Rica’s Delicious National Dish
Gallo Pinto: It’s more than rice and beans. It’s one of the best food memories of Costa Rica. Ticos–as Costa Rica citizens call themselves–have a saying: “Más tico que el gallo pinto,” which translates as “More Costa Rican than Gallo...
Cool–and Important–Things to Know about Your Passport
Got your passport? Good for you! Although the number is growing–latest estimates say that 42% of Americans have a passport–it still means that 58% have never left the country. Compare to the U.K., where 76% have a passport. In...
Airbnb: Growing Up and Scaring Hotels
Airbnb: A fairy tale come true. The only investment they could afford: Air mattresses! Once upon a time, in 2007, there were two broke guys in San Francisco. They had moved from New York, forgetting to get jobs first....
To Flush or Not to Flush…Let’s Answer That Question!
“To flush or not to flush…” Sorry Shakespeare, but sometimes this question is more urgent than pondering our existence. Americans don’t think twice about flushing toilet paper. We’re a young country and we have the sewage system to prove...