How To:

How to Handle Illness When Traveling Abroad

How To:
Pills scattered across a table

I had grand plans at the start of this new year – weekly blogging, 365 days of photos and more.  Of course, I only made it a few days into January before becoming really really sick.  A week of headaches led into three weeks of fatigue and a hacking cough that is only now fading [...]

See more →

Flashpacking New Zealand with Stray – Final Days & Kiakoura

Featured
Heading up to Mt. Cook on the South Island of New Zealand.

The last few days on the bus were mostly filled with scenery instead of activities.  We woke up in Dunedin and had a long drive up to the base of Mt. Cook, New Zealand’s tallest mountain.  The stops along the drive included the Moeraki Boulders, large, marble-shaped boulders on the beach, the Victorian town of [...]

See more →

HOW TO: Choose Your Travel Destination

Featured
The mural that welcomes you into Free Derry, in Derry, Ireland.

Close the guidebook and open your mind – the first step to choosing a destination is to spend some time thinking about what kind of trip you want to take.  What kind of experiences are you looking for?  What do you want to achieve from your trip?

See more →

Is there such a thing as the perfect travel partner?

Featured
Three backpackers smile into the camera while parasailing in Ibiza.

You’ve decided you’re going to travel for three months and instead of traveling solo, you’ve decided you want to travel with a partner.  Who’s it going to be and what are the most important things to take into consideration?

See more →

Are flashpackers solo creatures, or do they travel in packs?

Featured
Travis sits on the great wall overlooking a small lake far below.

Do I go it alone?  With a friend?  As part of a group? This is a question of primary importance for your trip and will determine not only how your trip is structured, but much of your experiences along the way.  Traveling solo results in a vastly different trip than one where you’re traveling with [...]

See more →

7 Reasons why it is imperative you stay in a hostel!

Featured
Backpacker Miyajima Hostel 30 minutes away from Hiroshima, Japan, and right next door to the ferry that takes you to the island across the harbor

Hostels are the ideal place for the flashpacker to lay their head.  However, instead of sleeping in a dorm room with five other people, flashpackers will put up a little more money for their own private room.  This gives them all of the benefits of staying in a hostel while eliminating one of their biggest [...]

See more →

Traveler’s Warning: Counterfeit Chinese Currency

Featured
Backpacker holding up 500 counterfeit Chinese Yuan

Backpackers, flashpackers and other long-term travelers have to be on their toes when it comes to safety and security issues on the road.  Obviously, not enough awareness and common sense can get you into trouble and too much concern will make you overly paranoid.  As a traveler, you prepare for the worst and hope for [...]

See more →

Passports, Insurance and Visas? oh my!

Featured
Traveler's passports from England, the United States, and Slovenia

Regardless of where you’re going, you’re going to need certain documents to move around, the most important of which is your passport.  Depending on which countries you’re planning on visiting, and your country of origin, you might also need visas and permits.  Optional documents include insurance paperwork, reservation information for hotels, and transportation items such [...]

See more →

Flashpacker Defined! – The evolution of the Backpacker

Featured
Two backpacks I use for my flashpacking travels around the world.

There are numerous references to the term “Flashpacker” floating around the net and it’s high time we set a solid definition to this new way of travel. After all, how can you call yourself a flashpacker if you aren’t really sure what it means?

See more →