Rather than just putting it in the “too-hard basket”, it’s something that’s worth spending a bit of time getting familiar with before you either spend too much on a policy or don’t get one at all, and end up with astronomical expenses if – god forbid – you have an accident or some other major holiday hiccup.

Personally, I hate organizing travel insurance, and what’s more, although I nearly always have it, I’ve never needed to make a claim. But that won’t stop me getting travel insurance again on my next overseas trip, because I know plenty of people who would’ve been really stuck without it. To help you out when you’re getting ready for your trip, here are five things I didn’t know about travel insurance when I first shouldered my pack to head out into the world.

On the Move, Barcelona Airport

#1: You Don’t Always Need It

This is a tough one, but it’s where we’ve got to start. Travel insurance covers many aspects of traveling: canceled or missed flights, lost or stolen baggage, accidents and medical emergencies and, even though we don’t like to think about it, death and transporting your body home. So you have to gamble on the likelihood of needing travel insurance for your trip abroad. You can juggle the risk by taking into consideration things like your age, health and activities on the trip and the chances of solving a problem easily in the country you’re visiting.

In this respect I’m a “rather safe than sorry” traveler, and although the travel insurance I take out is usually minimal, it’s still enough to cover the more expensive disasters. Unfortunately I have known of a couple of travelers who passed away while on the road and without insurance, repatriating a body is incredibly expensive — not to mention traumatic.

On the other hand, I don’t often worry about coverage for my belongings, because they’re usually not worth much — a backpack full of well-worn and dirty clothes has a pretty low market value. And if I only travel with my cheap camera, and take good care of it, the risk is low and over the years, I would have paid more in insurance than it was worth.

#2: You Might Have Travel Insurance Already

It seems strange to think you might be unaware of having insurance, but it comes in all shapes and sizes. Either through your credit card company or through other insurance you already have, you might be covered for particular parts of your trip.

For example, if you purchase plane ticket on your credit card, the company might insure you for cancellation or even for comprehensive travel insurance — just ask them. Similarly, a homeowners insurance policy might cover you too — medical policies for one, or even home contents policies might cover your belongings when you’re traveling. Don’t pay twice — check before you buy any specific travel insurance. It rarely takes more than a phone call.

#3: Always Read the Fine Print

If you’re doing a longer trip, getting the right travel insurance is definitely a matter of digging into the fine print of the deals that various companies offer. This task is a necessary evil.

For example, I wanted to get basic coverage that continued for several years. Some companies simply don’t do that, period. Others will insure you for up to one year, and then if you happen to return to your home country, you could start the insurance again. Others really suited my backpacking lifestyle, but it’s not always easy to find them.

You also need to be clear about what a policy is actually covering. Many won’t cover flight cancellation or missed flights if you take out the policy a week after you book your flights. Stolen or lost luggage policies might only cover items up to a certain value, and may have limits for equipment like laptops or cameras, unless you specify the belongings beforehand. Or you might find a policy that’s named “comprehensive” but doesn’t include the kinds of coverage that you’re after.

© silis

#4: You Don’t Have to Buy the Insurance From the Travel Agent

In fact, I recommend against it. If you book flights from a travel agent (personally, I always do mine directly online — although even on some online booking engines they sneakily try to include insurance as an extra), their travel insurance deal is rarely the best one for you. They just want to sell it to you so they get commission.

In my opinion, you’re much better off shopping online to get the best deal. It also gives you the time and space to properly compare different policies and ensure nobody’s ripping you off.

#5: You Might Be Entitled to All Kinds of Bonuses

I used to have automatic flight insurance from a credit card. Along with that came a travelers’ assistance program which I was lucky enough to never need, but could have come in very handy. There was a toll-free number back to my home country that I could call any time for all kinds of help — names of local doctors where I was, translators or interpreters if I needed to talk to the police or someone at the hospital, you name it. I carried that little card around next to my passport for years.

Check if your travel insurance policies offer any helplines or other services and make sure you use them if necessary.

Now, Go Travel! Break a Leg!

Kidding. I just mean “Good luck” for your travels and hope that you never need to use travel insurance. I’m still of the opinion that for most of us, most of the time, we probably need some form of it. Just enough for a bit of peace of mind and to avoid getting into huge debt if anything awful happens while we’re traveling. It’s better that an accident turns into a great tale to tell later on than a financial burden.

The post 5 Things You Should Know About Travel Insurance appeared first on Vagabondish.

In fact, long term travelers like me actually have lots of plans, but they’re not the concrete itinerary that most people think is what constitutes a plan. Being spontaneous and free with where you go, what you see, and when, is great, but you often need some broad brush strokes of ideas to actually get you there.

So while for me, the most worthwhile kind of travel doesn’t involve booking too many plane and train tickets or reserving accommodation ahead of time, there is still a bit of planning involved. If you’re leaning towards an unstructured, follow-your-nose kind of trip then here are the steps I recommend you do actually plan before you go.

#1: Plan Who You’re Going to Go With

This should be the easy part, and a lot of the time the answer just comes naturally out of your decision to travel. For example, your partner really wants to travel too, and you decide to tackle the wide blue yonder together.

However, if nobody around you wants to go traveling with you, then you do need to think about whether you can handle traveling alone. I’ve already said that traveling solo has a lot of advantages, although personally I prefer to travel more often with my husband, and I’m lucky that he’s as interested in traveling as I am.

But there are down sides to traveling on your own — greater potential for loneliness for one — and you may want to look into finding a travel buddy. On the other hand, if you’re the spontaneous type, you might be happy to head off and trust that you’ll meet up with some like-minded people. That’s pretty easy to do on the road.

Hold the Sky © Mayr

#2: Plan How Long You’ll Be Away

Again, this kind of planning decision is often dictated by your circumstances. If you’re in between college semesters or using your annual vacation time, you know the maximum time you can be away.

On the other hand, you might be at a stage in life where you can travel for longer. For example if you’re a gap year traveler or if you’re at a stage where you’re prepared to quit your job, pack up and/or get rid of all your belongings and not have a planned date of return; maybe you’ll stay away a year, but if you like it, it might be longer. For me, one year turned into six.

In any case, planning the length of your trip, whether it be one month or indefinite, helps you decide what to do with your “real life” back home while you’re gone, so it’s an important plan to have.

#3: Plan Enough to Know What Your First Plane Route Should Be

Presumably you have at least a vague idea of the country or continent you’d like to visit, and whether you want to keep on traveling to other places once you’ve been there. If you have a few key destinations in mind, you might find that a round the world ticket makes sense. These days, they’re making less and less sense for long(er) term travelers, because you can get more flexibility by buying as you go, and doing so is not as prohibitively expensive as it used to be.

So if you’re not sure where you’re headed then just go sector by sector. There are budget airlines in most parts of the world these days and as long as you’re flexible with timing and exact destinations, you can pretty much get anywhere you want without breaking the bank.

Planning a departure date from home is pretty important though, so you have a date when you’ll move out of where you’re living or you can tell your boss when your final day of work will be. Without exception, I’ve always had the first plane or train segment booked ahead for every trip I’ve made.

A Fork in the Snow, Yellowknife © Northern Xander

#4: Plan How You’re Going to Pay for This Trip

Keeping in mind how long you think you’ll be away, you also need some kind of a plan for how you’re going to pay for this trip. I have to confess that making a pre-trip budget is the weakest part of my travel arsenal; in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever done this. This is not because I have oodles of money (I promise I don’t) but because I just figure out the vaguest idea of the most expensive parts, like airfares, and then just go with the flow on the rest.

Because I tend to travel on the cheap, I’ve usually been able to cover my trip with recent savings while working on the road as a teacher. A couple of times I’ve used a credit card for the odd hostel or plane ticket (but I always pay it back with my next paycheck. I’m not encouraging you to go out and travel on credit, okay?).

Bottom line: you need to plan where the money’s going to come from. Either you’ve been smart enough to save some already, or you need to start saving now (and this might affect how soon you can go). Or you might be planning to travel longer term and you can sell off some of your possessions, like your car, and use some of this cash to help finance your trips.

And finally, you might be planning to work while you’re away, like I did. In fact, I didn’t leave Australia until I had a job lined up in Japan, and never moved on to the next country until I had another job waiting, even if it was a few months away. That meant that I could work a bit and save a bit (and still take small trips while I was working), then travel for a few months before settling down to work a bit more.

#5: Plan Some Places You’d Like to Go, and Get Reading or Surfing

Spontaneous travel doesn’t mean uninformed travel. I’ve met backpackers who thought it was cool to not know anything about where they were going and to not really know where they were. Sorry, but to me their trips started to look like long beer-fests punctuated by cheap hostels where the staff spoke different languages.

I think it’s important to learn about the places you want to visit. That doesn’t mean you have to know the opening hours of every museum or get a comparison of every hostel before you arrive. But get a feel for the place, what’s important to the people there and what might be significant and meaningful places for you to visit there.

Grab your favorite guide book or get online, and read. Read critically — you can’t always trust anything you read about travel — and get a cross-section of opinions about what’s interesting or worthwhile where you’re headed.

#6: Stop Planning and Go!

Okay, enough with all this planning. We want to travel free and spontaneously! So just go. The rest of the planning will take place along the way. It might be based on info and tips you get from other travelers or new ideas you come up with along the way. Maybe it’ll depend on whether you like the teaching job you land in Korea or whether or not you can get some bar work in Glasgow. Whatever! Flexible is definitely good here. The joy of not planning is you never really know what exciting adventures await you.

Are you an obsessive planner before you travel or are you happy to get the broad idea mapped out and then hit the road? Share your preferred style in the comments below!

The post How to Plan Your Next Trip … Without Making Any Plans appeared first on Vagabondish.

Traveling somewhere new or taking a well-earned vacation is supposed to be fun. So why do so many of us turn it into such a stressful experience?

Part of that is just human nature — we’re not all that good at letting go and relaxing, even at the best of times — but part of it is probably because we forget how lucky we are. In reality, it’s just a small proportion of the world’s people who are able to travel abroad or take holidays a flight away from home. By rights, we probably shouldn’t be allowed to complain at all and we should definitely not feel stressed.

Here are a few tips to help you stress less both before and during your travels — because if there’s a time you deserve to be unstressed, it’s when you’re traveling.

Relaxation, the Maldivian Way © Ibrahim Iujaz

Do the Right Amount of Preparation for You

Some people are non-planners and are more than happy to land somewhere then figure out accommodation and sightseeing from there. Others would be stressed just by reading that sentence.

Figure out what kind of person you are when it comes to traveling and planning ahead, then make enough bookings and gather enough information so that you’re not stressed about it. This can be either extreme from booking everything and having maps and opening times for everywhere you want to go, or having nothing more than a plane ticket, but I think a happy medium somewhere in between will keep most travelers relatively relaxed.

Packing is something that stresses many people at the last minute – I must admit I’ve been guilty of frantically looking for my passport just hours before take-off — and yes, I was a little stressed! Writing a packing list at least a week or so ahead of time (longer if you think you’ll need to buy things like clothing for a particular climate) will help you slowly gather the things you need and ensure you don’t forget anything important.

I also find it handy to have a bit of a system for my packing — for example, always put your phone in one particular pocket — so that you spend less time looking for things you need (and feeling stressed because you can’t find them).

Don’t Make Your Travel Plans Too Ambitious

Delays happen. You can never control them. You can, however, plan a bit of extra time into your schedule so that if your plane or train is delayed, you minimize the times you find yourself stuck with missed connections or stressfully tight transfers.

Some people are so keen to make the most out of their travel time that they schedule flights, tours or other events so close together that one small glitch can create a domino toppling of stressful cancellations or postponements. Then they’re not really making the most out of their travel time at all.

Similarly, ditch the idea of seeing everything on a long wish list. Sprinting to the third museum of the day just to get there before closing time is not going to make you happy. And stressed-out museum-goers are unlikely to enjoy even the most captivating of exhibitions. Remember that less can be more.

Time is Free, Guam © Leland Francisco

Tough Love: Relax, You’re on Vacation!

We are so privileged to be able to travel that letting ourselves get stressed by trivial inconveniences is just not right.

Many of us are used to feeling stressed out by work, family or other everyday life “stuff” back home. It’s easy to fall into the habit of feeling stressed when something small goes wrong on the road, too.

Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, whatever goes wrong is not that bad. Sure, you might not get the swish hotel room you’d hoped for, or you’re finding that trying to communicate in a language you’ve only been learning for a few months is proving very stressful. But whenever these moments strike, think of the alternative — you could be back home, very likely stuck at work, just like so many people you know are. Keep things in perspective: we are so privileged to be able to travel that letting ourselves get stressed by trivial inconveniences is just not right.

Look After Yourself And Your Body

It probably goes without saying that when you’re at home, you try to eat reasonably healthy food, exercise and get enough sleep. But for many of us (and I include myself here!), this standard life philosophy often goes out the window when we travel.

Suddenly the “I’m on holidays” mantra makes any kind and amount of food and drink perfectly alright, exercise is something that only happens incidentally, and staying up late despite an early morning flight the next day seems perfectly reasonable.

I’m sure you’ll see where I’m going here: just because you’re traveling, doesn’t mean you can ignore all these things. If you don’t eat well or don’t sleep enough, your body is likely to get rundown and you’re going to feel stressed, or even get ill.

Not every part of your daily routine can be thrown away just because you’re on vacation, but if you remember this and look after yourself a bit (allowing a suitable number of holiday indulgences, of course!) then you’re more likely to feel happy and relaxed on your travels.

The post How to Stress Less Before and During Your Travels appeared first on Vagabondish.

As a girl in my mid-twenties, packing all of my clothing and shoes into just one bag seems nearly impossible. Counting each one of my eyelashes would be easier and frankly more fun. When I go on a two-day getaway an hour from my house, I usually leave the door with three suitcases in hand.

Here’s the scenario: two days… that gives me four outfits. For those perfectly picked out outfits, I need shoes. And purses. Cardigans too. But what if a sudden climate change makes it impossible for me to wear outfit #1? Or I accidentally spill red wine on outfit #2? What if my friend arrives wearing a similar outfit to #3? I then bring an extra four alternate outfits. And shoes and purses to match. It’s just good sense.

Then toiletries. What about makeup? Hair dryer? Towels! Did I bring socks? Underwear? Books to read? Okay, I need my lavender eye mask. And viola, this is how I get from one small carry-on to three oversized suitcases. Instead of calling myself “high maintenance”, I prefer “well-prepared”.

© Donnie Nunley

This time, however, packing is different. I am about to embark on a six-month journey across the world, and I’ll be traveling through several different climate zones. Since bringing twenty-six bags is not exactly practical, the goal was to pack everything into one measly suitcase without being a disheveled mess and still prepared for any occasion.

Over this tedious and time-consuming process, here are nine tips that I came across that work even for a neurotic, over-packer like me.

#1: Pack Your Necessities First

Let me be clear: this means only the things you absolutely cannot live without. For example: your travel documents, money, medicine, a cell phone, camera, computer, foreign power adapters, underwear and socks. (*Please note: Your velvet jumpsuit is not part of this category.)

#2: Back to Basics

A basic T-shirt and pair of classic jeans can go a long way. You can dress them up or dress them down. Basic flats, boots and heels are a better way to go than your outlandish blue pumps or those leopard print booties that you will realistically only wear once. Be sure to pack your neutrals across all wardrobe categories.

#3: Think Practical

You can thank me later when you’re able to spend money on a cocktail instead of laundry.

It’s tempting to bring that silk shirt and white blazer but do you really want to do your dry cleaning in a foreign land? Bring clothes that you can wash easily and don’t require an iron. You can thank me later when you are able to spend your time and money on a cocktail instead of laundry.

(** By this point you should have already nixed at least 30 percent of your wardrobe. You are welcome. **)

No, you shouldn’t pack your cat © Robert Couse-Baker

#4: Don’t Bring Anything You Love Too Much

This is a hard-earned lesson I got from a trip to Ukraine. Back when I was six, I packed my favorite toy in my luggage and due to a Baggage Claim mishap … My Little Pony became some thief’s Little Pony. Never again will I pack my best friend in a suitcase.

#5: Plan for (All Types of) Weather

This is a seemingly obvious one but you won’t believe how many times my travel buddies and I have failed to bring a jacket on an unpredictably rainy adventure and got stuck spending twenty bucks on trash bag ponchos. Please avoid this fashion disaster, for everyone’s sake.

#6: Accessories

Bring ’em on! They take up little room and spice up any outfit. You know that T-shirt you wore to bed last night? Pair it with some bling and you are ready to hit the clubs. It will be very Hipster Glam.

However, remember what you learned in #4. Don’t bring anything you are afraid of losing. No expensive heirlooms from grandma and perhaps you should switch out your wedding ring for a CZ cut.

#7: Toiletries

For basics like shampoo, body wash, lotion, toothpaste etc… consider buying them abroad. The travel size bottles at your local convenience store are usually a rip-off and you end up needing more than just the three pumps they contain anyway.

If you still feel inclined to bring them, just visualize the massacre in your bag if one of them explodes from the inevitable changes in air pressure.

Remember to pack small! © Kate Ter Haar

#8: Watch Your Weight

After you’ve managed to pack everything into just one suitcase (bravo by the way!) make sure your suitcase isn’t the size of Kim Kardashian’s booty. Weigh it before you pay it. Baggage fees are Satan’s gift to the world.

#9 … and Lastly (and Most Importantly)

Remember, you are traveling and seeing the world … who cares what you wear! Hell, you probably won’t even remember. Things are things, they’re replaceable. If you wake up tomorrow and have nothing but the clothes on your back, so be it. You’ll realize just how little you truly need when you are experiencing something new and beautiful.

Bon voyage!

The post 9 Simple Tips to Pack Your Life Into Just One Suitcase appeared first on Vagabondish.

A frustrated father took to Facebook to protest the higher prices parents pay for travel when they take a family vacation during school holidays. He did not expect that his post would be shared by 143,000 people who sympathized with his sentiments.

To underscore his misgivings about holiday pricing, Paul Cookson described his experience attempting to book a vacation with his seven-year-old daughter and finding that the price of the CenterParcs Sherwood Forest villa he was considering booking rented for 300 quid less just a week before the school break. Parents in England are forbidden from taking their children out of school to go on holiday, and therefore family travel is restricted to summer holidays and half-term breaks, making the market ripe for opportunistic pricing.

As a result of Cookson’s rant, more than 100,000 fed up parents signed a petition asking the British Parliament to consider regulating prices by putting a cap on the amount by which prices can be raised during school breaks. Any petition that garners over 100,000 signatures can be given time for debate in Parliament.

Find out more about this in The Daily Mail

The post Father’s Viral Facebook Rant May Lead British Parliament to Discuss School Holiday Price Gouging appeared first on Vagabondish.

Even if you’re a packing wiz, this task will make you feel like an indecisive worm. And to top it off, you’ll most likely be packing up your home and belongings too. I guarantee that you’ll find yourself exhausted, staring desolately at a pile of clothes and wishing your mummy would come and do it for you.

So let me give you the best advice you’ll ever get for packing for long-term travel, learned and internalized the hard way.

Commandment #1: Pack Only Enough Clothes for 1 Week

That’s all you’ll need. If you really think that’s not enough, pack for ten days. But I promise, you’ll survive with one week’s worth of clothing. Just make sure they cover a range of weather and activities: warm weather, cool weather, rain, hiking, art galleries, conservative villages and hip cities.

© Luke Ma

Commandment #2: Layer + Accessorize

Pack pieces that work with each other in multiple combinations. Pack different textures and thicknesses. Think thin tees under thicker shirts, and a big warm sweater to top it off. Layering is your best friend when it’s cold because multiple layers keep you warm. Layering is also your best friend when the days are warm and sunny, because you can wear shorts and a tee and cover up with a shirt.

Dump the matching handbags and shoes, and carry travel-friendly accessories like scarves and belts and hats that can be used functionally as well as for a bit of style.

Commandment #3: Store Your Darlings

That oh-so-perfect beaded top you got on sale? Those slinky white pants that makes you look like Halle Berry? Leave them at home. You’ll lose them, shrink them in strange laundromats, drop spicy red sauces on them, or end up sleeping in them one rainy night and they’ll be damaged forever. Besides, this will help make it easier when it comes to Commandment #4 …

Commandment #4: Use, Buy, Throw, Recycle

When you travel, you’ll be tempted to buy souvenir tee-shirts saying ”˜I climbed Mount So-and-So’ or pick up a bohemian skirt in a hippie community somewhere. Buy it, if the budget allows, but make sure you know what you’re going to throw away from your bag before you pay for the new piece.

That way, your bag is not getting bigger and bigger as you travel. That’s why you can’t be too attached to anything.

Take-off in Zurich © Matthias Rhomberg

Commandment #5: Prioritize Your Gear

Yes, our clothes are important and when we look pretty, we feel confident and blah blah blah … But it is your shoes and sweaters and jackets that will affect your life, health and happiness when you travel, so make sure you pack the right gear.

There is nothing worse than being in a new place, raring to go, dying to explore, but hobbling along with shoe-bite. Thermal leggings and shirts are your best friend, and you will probably live in them. Raincoats and windbreakers and jackets will be your bodyguards, so pack those babies in.

Buy the best quality you can afford (doesn’t have to be designer though), and try them out at home or break them in if you can, before the trip.

Commandment #6: Stock Up on Medical + Personal Requirements

Tampons are not always available or not easily available in many countries. If you have a prescription deodorant or asthma medication, you might not be able to restock in another country. Aspirin is not called aspirin in some other countries.

Make a list of what you need, and do your research on whether you’ll find what you need where you going. It’s best to carry necessities like this with you because you’ll need them when you’re not feeling your best, and will want the comfort of the familiar.

Commandment #7: Gadgets Are a Saving Grace

When it’s been a long day, when you just want to disappear into a different world, when you need to talk to a friend back home or see your sister’s face — you’ll need your gadgets. Some travel to detach themselves from their gadgets, but if you’re going for the long term, you’ll have more detachment than you want. Take your laptop, Kindle, iPad, whatever else. And don’t forget chargers and memory cards and hard drives.

© Yosomono

Commandment #8: Be Selective, But Don’t Be a Martyr

If something is important to your comfort, just take it along. Exchange it for something else that is not necessary to you.

For instance, I would switch out a hair-dryer for an extra pair of jeans, because I live in ”˜em. Most long-term travellers advise against jeans, because they’re heavy and slow to dry. But they are comfortable, make you look fashionable everywhere, and you don’t have to wash them for days (or ”¦ shhh ”¦ weeks!). If you like ironing your hair, or won’t go out in the morning without your foundation, take your tools along.

Commandment #9: You Don’t Really Need the Fancy Stuff

Travel gear websites are awesome, and we’re all guilty of spending a little too long looking at the super-sporty models wearing fast-drying, sweat-wicking, convertible clothing and carrying all kinds of fancy travel devices. But you don’t need most of them.

What you do need to spend on first is a tough backpack, good quality boots or sneakers, and sturdy cases for your electronics. After that, it’s up to you, and the kind of travel you’ll be doing, and the weather you will be travelling in.

But we’ve done 11-mile cold weather hikes up mountains in jeans and sneakers and a two-year old day pack, and it’s been perfectly comfortable.

Commandment #10: Do a Trial Run for Your Packing

Pack everything into your bags, and tie and zip them up. You’ll be able to tell if you have too much, and you’ll have time to unpack and cut down further on your belongings.

You’ll also know if you can lift your bags by the end of it and that is critical. You may be spending a lot of time between the straps of your bag, but you gotta make sure you can manage without having your circulation cut off.

The post The 10 Commandments for Girls with Long-term Travel Plans appeared first on Vagabondish.

If you’re evaluating a more serious travel plan however – possibly giving up a home and a job – there’s just no way of knowing where it’ll lead you. A lot of people find the thought terrifying. Some love the thought of being unshackled and free, but this is a serious decision that could impact the rest of your life.

Here’s our list of pros and cons to help you out:

The Pitfalls

Missing Family + Friends

You’ll be away from everyone you love for a long time. You’ll miss family birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, hanging out with friends and tons of important events.

You won’t always be able to reach out at the right time if you don’t have an internet connection. On those days that your family is driving you crazy (yes, we all have them!), this will sound like a good thing, but when your youngest sibling celebrates a birthday without you and you can’t call him or her, you’ll question the whole point of being away.

Solitude © Vinoth Chandar

Being Alone

Being in new places will leave you feeling isolated and alone on some days, especially if you don’t speak the language. You could get to a beautiful campsite and sit under a dark blue sky speckled with stars only to feel tiny and impossibly far from home.

Packing Sucks

You probably won’t have a place to call home for longer than a few days at a time, especially if you’re backpacking or camping. Every day, you’ll have to pack up a tent, an entire kitchen, all your personal stuff, and cart it to the next location. It gets tiring after a while.

Creature Comforts

“Hmm, am I in a zingy apricot shampoo mood or a tropical coconutty shampoo mood?”

You don’t have the luxury of this anymore. No more bathroom shelf lined with ten shampoos to suit your mood, or a fridge stocked with all your regular brands. You won’t have that well-worn armchair, nor will you sleep in that bed which perfectly conforms to your body. Instead, you’ll have a host of new campsites, hostels, motels that change everyday and demand more adjustments than you expected.

Clean? Maybe. © Sean McGrath

Personal Hygiene Is Questionable

Some days there’s a spider occupying the bathroom. Some days, you forget to do your laundry and have to turn your underwear inside out, grin and bear it. Some days it’s just too damn tiring to take off all your clothes and wash your hair. Yes, you won’t always be perfectly clean and neat.

Losing Professional Connections + Opportunities

Your work network will suddenly seem lower on the priority list. They can’t help you find a motel for the night, can they? Then they don’t matter right now.

You might miss out on a job that you were perfect for. You might find that your rival at work has been promoted to that role you were eyeing. That’ll suck, and it’ll give you at least one introspective evening staring into the campfire, wondering if you chose right (if so, check out our reasons why travel is good for your resume).

The thing is, though, even as this list adds up, it’s really not that bad. Or let’s put it this way: it might be difficult but it’s worth everything because of …

Riding Horseback at Morro Strand State Beach, California © Mike Baird

The Perks

Seeing the World

Obviously, this is the biggest perk of all. You’ll see more of a country than even its locals do. As Dr.Seuss says, ”˜Oh, the places you’ll go….’ and it’s true. Huge waterfalls leading to ocean lagoons, burning sunsets over vast animal-dotted plains, forests turning from emerald green to the blazing yellow and orange of fall, winter landscapes gleaming with pristine snow — they’re all waiting for you. You’ll visit museums, art galleries, historic landmarks and more, and wander the streets of cities that most people only read about.

Stories to Tell

When you’re old & rocking in your porch chair, you’ll be able to start your stories with, “This one time when I was backpacking through Death Valley”¦”

When you’re old and rocking in that chair on the porch, you’ll be able to start your stories with, “This one time when I was backpacking through Death Valley”¦”. You’ll be the cool old guy or girl who did so much.

When you travel, stories seem to pile up and you’d never be able to build such an interesting repertoire if you don’t go out and see the world.

Exploring Petra at Sunset, Jordan © Salim Al-Harthy

The World Is Your Classroom

When you travel, you learn so much about yourself, about people, about the places you’re visiting and about humankind. It’s not always an easy lesson and sometimes you learn truths about yourself that you’d rather not admit. But you’ll come out knowing more than any self-help book or class could’ve taught you.

Make that plan, buy that ticket – get out there and see the world. You’ll only be richer for it.

You Become Fearless, Stronger + More Confident

Shy? Timid? Afraid of what’ll happen in a foreign country when you’re alone? Travel takes care of all that by forcing you to step outside of your comfort zone.

You’ll be more prepared to handle the unexpected when you’ve made ad hoc adjustments to your plans. You’ll be braver when you’ve camped in the middle of bear country. And you definitely won’t fear talking to strangers when you’ve navigated strange towns with strange languages, armed with nothing but a guide to key phrases and a confident smile. If you want to be leaner, meaner and stronger, travel is the only positive thing that can bring about this metamorphosis.

The Bottom Line

What is our verdict? Focus on the perks. You can always find ways to get around the pitfalls, but there’s hardly anything that can give you the benefits of long-term travel. So make that plan, buy that ticket, and get out there and see the world. You’ll only be richer for it.

The post Travel 101: Know the Perks and Pitfalls of Long-term Travel appeared first on Vagabondish.

Of course, I’m going to tell you that you just have to do it – step outside your comfort zone! I’ve never met anyone who regretted starting to travel and I doubt I ever will.

However, I do hear people tell me, surprisingly often, that they’re unsure about traveling to a foreign country, don’t know where to go or how to start the process. I understand that the first time can be daunting and that’s why I’ve got some tips on how to decide on the best destination for your first trip abroad.

Consider the Language

Communication (and miscommunication) when you’re traveling is something you should consider for your first trip abroad. If you’re really concerned about not being able to make yourself understood, then head somewhere where they speak your language, or where most of the locals working in the tourism industry speak your language.

However, although many people worry about this enormously before they travel, it really is true that you can make yourself understood without any common words at all. And it can be a lot of fun, too!

Take Travel Distance Into Account

If you have only a short time available for your trip, then try not to choose the most far-flung destination for your first time. Long distance travel (anything over twenty-four hours door-to-door, in my book) is exhausting and not really fun – it might be fine if you’re on a train but I don’t think anyone stuck on a plane for more than a few hours is actually really enjoying it. Don’t spoil your trip with an overtired start.

Relate the Trip to Your Hobby or Passion

A great focus for a trip abroad can be tying it in to a hobby or passion you have, as this should guarantee you’ll be interested in what you see and do.

For example, if you’re a motor racing fan, plan a trip to coincide with a Formula 1 race in Spain or Singapore; if history’s your thing, head for a country with fantastic museums like France or England.

I Want to Be Free © Scarleth White

Choose a Country You Have a Connection with

Similarly, if there’s an obvious destination that you have some connection with – perhaps one of your parents or grandparents was born there, or you have a friend who’s moved there – then choosing that as a destination for your first trip abroad makes a lot of sense.

If you can travel someplace where you have friends or family to stay with, or at least to give you some tips and show you around, it’ll put a lot of your doubts behind you.

Don’t Go Overboard with a Big Budget

I’m sometimes frightened when I see people who haven’t traveled much planning trips – they seem to think they need to spend a whole lot of money to guarantee a good trip. Not true!

Perhaps your company puts you up in a five-star hotel when you travel to the next city for business, but that doesn’t mean you have to pay those kind of rates when you travel for pleasure. You can get a lot more out of staying at a three-star, locally-run hotel – better value for money, more contact with the local culture and more.

Choose Your Seasons Wisely

If you’re not used to either extremely hot or extremely cold weather, then try to avoid destinations with a really different climate to yours, just for your first trip. You’ll want to feel comfortable to get used to the idea of traveling and having to deal with extreme temperatures just won’t help.

It took me a few years to master the idea of cold winters (having grown up in Australia) and I gradually visited colder and colder climes as I learnt that surviving cold weather is all about having the right clothes.

© Ibrahim Iujaz

Don’t Be Overly Ambitious

If you’re not too experienced and are feeling a bit nervous, then deciding on a round-the-world extravaganza for your first trip is probably not a good idea. Test the waters first with a smaller trip and learn more about what you like and dislike about travel, and what your preferences are – this will help you plan a more successful bigger trip later.

Book Ahead If You’re Concerned

While a lot of my travels have been spontaneous, it doesn’t suit everyone to show up somewhere and start looking for somewhere to stay, and it can be a bit stressful at times.

For your first big trip abroad, choose a destination where booking your accommodation ahead of time is both practical and easily done. But leave some free days to be spontaneous, at least with your daily sightseeing.

Don’t Judge All Travel By This Trip

And finally, whether your trip goes perfectly or somewhat haphazardly, don’t expect every future trip you make to turn out the same. Some trips go better than others although in my case I can definitely say that I’ve enjoyed every single one of them – what could be better than having time off work and seeing new and interesting things every day?

For me, nothing! But I understand that not everybody naturally loves traveling as much as I do. All I ask is you give it a try, following these tips if you need, and see how you enjoy it.

The post Travel Planning: How to Pick the Right Destination for Your First Trip Abroad appeared first on Vagabondish.

This comes in response to the company seeing so many users attempt to hack together bucketlists of trips and destinations. According to the Pinteresting peeps (get it?) at Pinterest, the goal of this new feature is to make it “even easier to plan a vacation with friends, create a collection of memorable places or plot out any of your interests by location.”

One notable thing we like about this is the capability to plan your upcoming trips collaboratively with friends and family. Everyone can share a single board and add their own places and must-do experiences.

If you’re not sure how this’ll actually work, the company offers a series of examples from heavy hitter travel brands like Four Seasons and National Graphic for “inspiration”.

The new feature is available to all Pinterest users immediately.

(Oh … and, if you haven’t already, join us on Pinterest, won’t you?)

The post Pinterest Launches ‘Place Pins’: A Map Overlay for Your Travel Pins appeared first on Vagabondish.

Preparing for a long flight or prepping for a long layover can leave a traveler frustrated. There are only a handful of options if you’re trying to get some shuteye or a quick nap in, before boarding.

AUH, Abu Dhabi’s airport, has the answer to this conundrum with their new sleeping pods. “GoSleep” pods are chairs that convert into a private flat bed. Ten pods have been installed at AUH with 35 more on order for later this year. Chair rental is about $12 USD per hour.

Read more from Skift.com.

The post Abu Dhabi Airport Introduces Sleeping Pods appeared first on Vagabondish.