Photo: Newsbie Pix

Why do we swoon over some accents and gag at others?

Carrie, an American reader desperate for advice, submitted the following question to the Non-Expert:

I recently started dating a British guy. I think he’s cute, but maybe it’s just that he has an English accent. How can I tell the difference?

Carrie did not know if she was actually physically attracted to her British beau or if she was blinded by his accent. The way a person speaks can change our opinion of him, whether it be in a negative or positive way. More

Out of these 10 countries which would best be adapted to you? Find out here!

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

Recreate your very own scene from JAWS right at home…
Measuring in at 7 feet long comes the latest in breakthrough sleeping bag technology called the ChumBuddy. Hand crafted with care using soft fleece fabric and 30 lbs of poly fill material, this bag also doubles up as a plush stuffed toy for kids. 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

Photo by rosietulips/ Written by Tom Gates

The Terimayo (Vancouver)

Japa Dog became a fast favorite with this year’s Olympic crowd, with lines routinely stretching around the block. Many have tried to infuse Japanese ingredients with dogs before but none have done it as successfully as this stand in downtown Vancouver.

Most people gravitate towards the Terimayo, a beef hot dog toped with seaweed, teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise and fried onion. Other Japa toppings include grated radish, green onion, okonomi sauce, fried cabbage and dried bonito flakes.

Photo by roboppy

The Pylsur (Iceland)

This hot dog is dressed with pylsusinnep, an Icelandic version of mustard that’s brown and sweet and looks like an infant’s diarrhea. Most often you’ll also be able to sauce things up with remoulade, a condiment made of mayonnaise mixed with capers, mustard, herbs, anchovies, and gherkins. The meat itself has a unique taste, owing to a mixture of pork, lamb and beef.

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by Teresa Gotay

With tons of backpacking lists online giving you recommendations on what to bring, getting ready for your big trip can be overwhelming. You’re trying to pack light, but you also need convenient and helpful things you won’t want to purchase abroad There are plenty of typical items we need to bring such as clothes, toiletries, and entertainment items. But, there are plenty of odd things that might come to good use.

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Photo above by ndanger

Hard won and filled with spending potential, your rupees – dollars – Euros – pounds – dinars are an essential part of any trip.

But that overloaded wallet you are carrying – with phone numbers, business cards, and photographs – is a rather insecure basket to store your cash. A few carefully stashed bills can be the insurance policy that gets you that train ticket, that hospital bed stay, that bottle of red wine, or that emergency call home.

Here are ten places you can stash some cash… more>

Solo travel has so many bonuses – you can go where you want, when you want without worrying about asking or even informing anyone else. But it can also be hellishly lonely and while the transient travel companions you meet on tours and in hostels can be a lot of fun, sometimes it’s nice to have someone a little more permanent around to share your adventures with.

Of course, travelling with your partner can be trying. We’re talking the most intensive experience a relationship could face – 24 hours a day of travel’s awesome highs and hideous lows. Nothing will bond you more than taking your first surfing lesson together, flying over Everest, or clutching each other as you glimpse your first wild elephant. But things can get a little trying when you’re stranded without a bed for the night after a 30-hour train ride from hell or making your fifteenth trip to the bathroom thanks to a questionable plate of street meat.

There’s always a chance your trip will wear holes in your relationship, but if all goes to plan, there’s no better way to get to know your partner – and travelling will provide you with something to talk about for the rest of your lives. To help ensure you end up on the latter path, here are a few tried and tested tips* for travelling with a loved one – and making sure you still love them when you head home!

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• 1. Grosvenor Hotel, Blackpool, United Kingdom
• 2. Villaggio Club Porto Ainu, Budoni, Italy
• 3. Park Hotel, London, United Kingdom
• 4. Boston Court Hotel, London, United Kingdom
• 5. Cromwell Crown, London, United Kingdom
• 6. Dam Hotel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 7. Corbigoe Hotel, London, United Kingdom
• 8. Earls Court Gardens Hotel, London, United Kingdom
• 9. Blair Victoria & Tudor Inn Hotel, London, United Kingdom
• 10. Minster Hotel, York, United Kingdom

Looks like the UK dominated this list! So have you stayed at any of these dirty hostels?

In the search for more unusual, out-of this-world travelling experiences, travellers are being lured to the ends of the earth to find the most eccentric, wacky and exciting activities, sights and venues. So if you’re fond of a tipple or two, you might want to try one of these bars. Their locations and gimmicks are enough to get pulses racing, but add alcohol to the mix and you’re in for quite a fun time. Here are 13 of the world’s most strange, exciting and different watering holes that will have you thirsty for more . more>

I’m not ashamed to admit that my travels are often planned around alcohol – trips to vineyards, distilleries and breweries are always toward the top of my travel to-do list – but I do get sick of the disparaging looks this admission generally receives. Tell someone you travel in order to taste new foods and you’re congratulated on your willingness to embrace other cultures. Tell someone you travel for booze and you’ll invariably be met with raised eyebrows and a look that suggests what a sad life you lead.

But really, a country can be understood through its alcohol just as well as its food. Top tipples tend to represent top crops, hence Russia sips vodka (potatoes), Japan knocks back the sake (rice), and Mexico downs tequila (agave). Simple things like weather dictate how a nation drinks, whether it’s escaping cool winters or dismal summers in northern Europe’s cosy pubs or soaking up the sun with an ice cold beer on an Aussie beach.

More interesting are the many rules and regulations that come with enjoying a pint or a shot in different lands. Few areas of life seem to come with as many traditions and potential cultural gaffes as going out for a drink, so here are a few rules to remember when you’re imbibing around the world.

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Eventually most of us need to settle somewhere for work and make a home for ourselves. Your travels become memories shared with our family and friends about the journey you had. Then comes the full time work, bills, and other responsibilities you had to never worry about while traveling. As more days pass by, you might get back to your old habits that you had before you traveled. There are some things though that should never be forgotten and should continued to be used in your home from your travels. more>

Backpackers aren’t always the world’s most ethical travelers. Having little money, and being in places where no one knows them, they get away with quite a bit. For the most part, it’s nothing terrible, just a few misdemeanors. Here are a few of the ones that most backpackers don’t tend to brag about:

1- Wear Dirty Underwear

Sometimes, backpackers forget to do laundry. Sometimes, it’s more of a question of money. Sometimes, they lose their clean underwear in a freak gasoline fight accident. Or whatever. It’s just not always possible to maintain a fresh supply of clean underwear on the road. The only thing worse than putting on dirty underwear, is telling other people that you’ve put on dirty underwear.

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Lets face it, it is hard to meet a good man these days. But what your local travel agent fails to tell you is that backpacker travel is not only a life-changing experience, but also a great way to meet potential suitors.

Hostels and backpacker bars actually have a long and sordid history of beginning beautiful, and not so beautiful, intra- and inter-nation relationships. If you ask around, it is likely that your parents or their friends have stories of meeting their husband on a Contiki tour, or at least of a Spanish sangria-loving mystery man they met travelling in India in the 70s. This continues today – the array of modern hostels and backpacker bars are perhaps the best places in the world to meet the opposite sex, being literally filled to the brim with young, friendly, like-minded men that are usually open to some hostel loving. more>