courtesy of Rupert Taylor-Price

Taking the train in India is an experience in and of itself, and much of it can be attributed to the chaotic nature of train travel in the country. The Mumbai Suburban Railway is ridiculously crowded, with an estimated 5,000 people packed into nine cars with a total carrying capacity of only 1,700.

This means there are 14 to 16 passengers standing in every square meter of floor space. 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>

1. Play tourist in your hometown
No matter how you feel about the word staycation, there are many of reasons to vacation in your hometown. You can discover things that you may have taken for granted and see your city, town, or country with a fresh new perspective. Check with your local visitor bureau or tourism office for the “must see” destinations in your area. If nothing else, you’ll be a great tour guide the next time you’ve got out of town guests!

2. Try a new food each day
On your next vacation, add a little spice to your life by trying at least one new dish a day! Sure, it’s nice to stick with old favorites too, but varying your choices will give you new insight to other cultures and ways of life. Ask your hotel concierge, or try asking a local resident you meet during the course of the day to recommend a hot spot. Step out of your comfort zone and you might just find a new favorite!

3. Unplug and unwind
Our world is getting smaller and smaller and these days, it’s often difficult (and sometimes downright impossible!) to completely let go of the technological ties that bind us. See if you can go for a day without checking email, watching TV, or playing games on your new iPhone. Take along a good old-fashioned book if you really need distraction. If you want to really connect with your destination, why not bring along a travel journal? Challenge yourself to use all your senses in describing the way a place looks, smells, feels, and of course about the new tastes you’ve experienced! Even a digital camera can sometimes distract you from truly experiencing your destination – try using the lenses of your eyes instead!

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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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Anything’s better than seeing Borat’s junk again. Photo: alexnormand

The Lord Of The Rings

The LOTR films played non-stop in hostels in the early half of the decade and have surprising legs, especially in countries where new DVD’s are hard to come by. I’d like every copy destroyed by 2010.

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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.

Street art and graffiti are a world culture that show more what we have in common than what our differences are. Enjoy these photos of street art worldwide. more>

Now that you are living like a local in Australia with SWAP you should check out these secret local beaches:

Lady Martins Beach
A long, narrow stretch of sand tucked in Felix Bay, Lady Martins Beach is the perfect place for an exclusive dip in the harbour.
Accessible via Wolseley Rd, Point Piper 2027.

Milk Beach
This hidden gem boasts incredible views of the city, Harbour Bridge and Rose Bay – watch the seaplanes come and go from the warm shallows.
Located behind Strickland House, 52 Vaucluse Rd, Vaucluse 2030.

Little Congwong Bay Beach
You’ll find this secluded little nudist shore at Botany Bay National Park. Pack a basket for a naked beachside picnic.
Accessible via Anzac Pde, Botany Bay National Park, La Perouse 2036.

Flat Rock Beach
Flat Rock Beach is the ideal spot for cooling off after a bushwalk through Garigal or a kayak down Middle Harbour.
Walking track accessible via Killarney Dve, Garigal National Park, Killarney Heights 2087.

Obelisk Beach
On the south side of Middle Head, Obelisk Beach is another little nude pocket renowned for its peace, quiet and views of the South Head.
Access by Chowder Bay Rd, Sydney Harbour National Park, Georges Heights 2088.

This past summer, our cell phone provider wouldn’t unlock our phone so we could get a SIM card?which made us incommunicado during our month-long trip to Italy. Sure, we tried using phone cards, but they aren’t so easy to come by in some small Italian villages, and Internet access wasn’t always readily available for us to jump on Skype. And while we vowed to troll craigslist to buy an unlocked phone, we found another alternative with TravelCell rentals. more>

Madrid-Barajas airport.. comfy!

If you have ever tried to catch some sleep at the airport you know it’s usually uncomfortable. Here are some great tips on how to survive your extended stay at an airport. more>

10. Browse dating websites over the in-flight WiFi

9. Sleep on you/sleep on the floor

8. Use the main aisle as a space to do sit-ups, push-ups or change your child’s diaper

7. Read Hustler, or other “adult” magazines

6. Attempt to join the Mile High Club

5. Attempt to join the Mile High Club solo

4. Eat fried chicken

3. Tend to foot hygiene

2. Vomit into something that is not the supplied barf bag

1. Sneeze open-mouthed/neglect to wash hands after using lavatory

Have you ever experienced any of these gross things on a airplane? Are we missing anything from the list?

Are you a adventurer, spoiled or maybe sophisticated traveller? Take the quiz and find out! Start quiz>

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?

I want to go on vacation in Starkenberger, Austria. Why? Because there’s a spa there called the Starkenberger Myth of Beer Resort, and it has three 5,000 gallon swimming pools full of beer!

According to resort officials, swimming in beer can help treat skin conditions, improve blood circulation and even cure wounds.

Who cares – you get to swim in BEER! 

SWAP Austria anyone!