We all probably have our own preconceived notions of what Australia is like as a destination on any sort of trip. Loads of great weather, beautiful beaches and bouncing kangaroos were definitely a few of author Brooke Schoenman’s top expectations, and to her surprise, they all turned out to be spot on. Even after a year in this country, she says she is still amazed at what is on offer for travelers. Adventure and tourist activities for one are never understaffed, but to be honest, the best of the best in Australia is pretty much provided to us naturally or culturally. More

Who needs the illegal stuff when you’ve got the whole world open for adventure?

Highs. They’re good. Much, much better than lows. It certainly can be easy to turn that frown upside down with a little bit of chemical motivation. But what about the natural highs we can experience during our travels?

This doesn’t have to be about hitting every pub in town or scoring a bag of something that is hopefully-more-than-weeds from the seedy park downtown.

In fact, this type of behavior doesn’t make for good long-term travel; you’re just exhausted after a few days.

So in the great tradition of counting down what is best in life, here are five of the best ways to get high while traveling without worrying about ending up in a foreign prison. More

You may long to visit Paris, and so you should! It’s a world capital and one of the most beautiful, vibrant cities on earth. But saying you’ve been to France because you’ve visited Paris is like saying you’ve been to the U.S. because you’ve visited New York. In other words: Not so much. Below, Christine Cantera gives her 10 reasons why France – all of France – is ready and waiting for you to discover it right this very moment. More

Matador Network’s Alex Nolette took the beefy challenge of picking 50 of the world’s best burger joints. He came through with a list of the most recommended, droolific burgers on earth. More

Spring Break 2010 might be over, but now’s the time to start getting pumped over summer vacation…and all of the splurge purchases that come along with it; from “collector” novelty cocktail glasses to sweatpants that read “Down Under” across your bum, nobody can resist the urge to return home with cheap goodies that flaunt your tropical travels in the most garish way possible.

And what’s the king of souvenirs? The T-shirt! If you remember the days of “Coed Naked this” and “I Survived that,” and even those trompe l’oeil scuba tees that, when you turned around, revealed you’re hooked up to a Corona bottle and not an air tank, then prepare to be blown away by these.

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You always hear about the distinction made between tourists and backpackers, but even among backpackers, we love to group each other into categories by who is the better traveler. Check into any hostel, and you will find a variety of different travelers wearing their distinctive tribal gear. Here are some of the more common that can be found in a hostel’s jungle  …More

photo by Cormac Mulhall

What is Busking?

Busking is the time-honored practice of performing for spare change in public – generally on the street or in a park. Most buskers are musicians, but if you have any sort of talent, you can generally make some good money by putting on an honest performance in a high traffic and relatively affluent area.

If you’re looking to get a sense of the local culture, street performance is a great way to do it. Your status as a foreigner adds to the exoticism of your act, so it can help give you a leg up on the locals.   …More

Just about every traveller who heads to the Third World ends up experiencing diarrhea. At first the whole subject is kind of embarrassing until you discover that in many countries it’s normal breakfast conversation to chat about your bowels. more>

If you’re a woman heading out to explore the world alone, or even with a few girlfriends, you’re probably pretty streetwise and independent. You want to be known as a traveler, not as a female traveler. The truth is though, girls do sometimes face different travel challenges, so here are a few tips for first-time backpackers to help make life on the road run a little more smoothly. And most of them go for the guys as well!

1.  Pack like a Man
So many times on the road I’ve seen girls struggling with rucksacks larger than they are. l’ve learned the hard way not to pack too much. The standard rule of thumb is to lay everything you need and take half of it away, but my advice is to pack like a man. One shirt can last a week, underwear can be washed in the shower and one pair of shoes will do for any occasion.

2. Take plenty of supplies
While cutting down on clothes is wise, skimping on feminine essentials would be foolish. If you’re planning on being away for months on end, you can’t really pack enough tampons to last, but if you’re traveling in developing countries, be aware that they’re tricky to find. If you take the contraceptive pill, make sure you’ve got enough to see you through your trip: it might be tough or impossible to get in some countries.

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Hair-straighteners / electric eye-lash curlers / body-hair trimmers
When you’re living out of a rucksack you’ve got every excuse to look a little rough round the edges. For God’s sake, take it. There’s a reason people put their hair in dreads on their gap years. And it’s not just so that they look more “authentic”.

Smart shoes
I love high heels as much of the next girl, but when you’re travelling you need flip-flops and hiking boots. That’s it. Same goes for guys. Look again at your budget: are you really going to be going out to enough fancy restaurants to warrant humping round those shiny leather numbers?

Piles of books
Many hostels have facilities for book-swapping, and most tourist hubs will have cheap second-hand book shops. Sure, take a book or two, but don’t feel like you have to carry your own personal library around on your back.

Pillows
Use a sweater instead!

Multiple tins of baked beans
Unless you’re hiking in the Himalayas, everywhere you go there’ll be ample opportunities to sample the local food. Do you really want to spend your trip abroad eating your way through the contents of your kitchen cupboards?

Water purifier/emergency flare/blood transfusion kits
Camping shops are thrilling places, but unless you’re going somewhere really adventurous, you probably don’t need to stock up on survival gear. See what your guidebook recommends, but don’t be too bowled over by all the shiny gadgets. A decent first-aid kit and a torch is really all you need in many places.

Guide to Travelling the World on a Shoe-string (when you’re just heading to Prague for the weekend)
It’s always annoying to have to carry around a huge tome when you’re only actually using a few pages. If  you’re going on a short break, invest in a country or city guide, or else download the chapters you need from the Lonely Planet website.

Your laptop
As a general rule, try not to take anything travelling that you can’t afford to lose. There’s now apparently an internet cafe atop Table Mountain, so you really don’t have to worry about being out of contact with the folks back home. And if you were thinking of getting some work done, see no. 2.

Illegal substances
Hate to be a party-pooper, but for some reasons many governments don’t take kindly to you crossing into their country with a joint or two in your wash bag. A decade in the clink will almost certainly kill your buzz.

What is Airbnb?
Called the “Ebay for space” by Time Magazine, Airbnb is an online marketplace allowing anyone from private residents to commercial properties to rent out their extra space. The reputation-based site allows for user reviews, verification, and secure online transactions. Listings include vacation rentals, private rooms, entire apartments, bed and breakfasts, boutique hotels, castles, treehouses, and many other traditional and non-traditional accommodations.

How it works
The open platform allows users to post listings of their space. Prospective travelers can search by city or country, utilizing filters such as price and room type to find exactly what suits their needs. Travelers contact hosts directly through the web site, which includes user profiles and friend recommendations. Dates are confirmed through on-site messaging, and the traveler books directly online using their credit card or PayPal account. Hosts receive a reservation request which they can accept or decline. Both parties then receive an itinerary on accepted reservations, and are set to go.

Would you use this service? Would you rent a room, house, bungalow, mattress? Do you like the way these kinds of services are changing travel?

When you first head off to places in the world that are a lot different from where you live, a number of things change. You have to learn to adapt.

I still make a lot of mistakes everywhere I go, but I try to learn from each of them. Here’s a short list of things I wish I’d known before I started my routine of extensive overseas travel, especially in countries in Africa, South Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America that are not part of the tourist circuit.

Health Care

1. You can legally buy safe medicine, including prescription drugs, for very little money overseas. When in Africa or Asia, I stock up on anti-malarials that cost $5 a day in Seattle. On location, it’s more like $1 for a 10-day supply.

2. The best health care is not in the U.S., Canada, or the U.K. The best healthcare is in places like Thailand and Costa Rica; that’s why the practice of medical tourism will continue to surge as both travel and overseas healthcare become more accessible.

Money

3. Take a lot of cash with you, and make sure the bills are new and have no writing on them …more>

There are two, shall we say, ‘secrets’ to packing a successful, compact toiletry/beauty case for traveling. The first is obvious: pack travel sized products. more>

If you had just $10 (or £6.75 ish) in your pocket, what would you spend it on? We asked travellers in London for their ideas… more>

The three items on nearly every backpacker’s list: fleece, poncho, Bandanna. Which just happen to be three things that would cause you to destroy every photo from your trip. So throw out the old packing list and learn what rules to break and what items you absolutely do need to take with this more fashion-friendly guide. more>

Want a memorable pay-by-the-hour experience? more>

Yes, New Zealanders do speak English. But they speak their very own English, commonly referred to as Kiwi English. It’s been the subject of lectures, investigations, documentaries and never-ending mockery, and, as with any other aspect of language, it’s a reflection of their culture. more>

Here are some tips of what to avoid and what to do while in Japan. more>

Not all backpackers are alike. We all have the mentality to travel and save money along the way, but we are all unique in our own distinct way. Sometimes, when you think of a backpacker, what comes to mind? A sweaty grungy 20 something year old with a big orange backpack? A group of young ladies with matching North Face  jackets and no makeup on? Sometimes people don’t have a good idea what a backpacker is. There are not many movies about backpacking or television shows that give us some ideas for those not familiar with it. Well my fellow backpackers, I would never call any backpacker the same. more>

Which type of backpacker are you?