The Intrepid Traveler: Fear Nothing (not even bedbugs)

Last month, while I was in the UK, I stayed at two establishments (one in Edinburgh and one in London) who had a tiny, little embarrassing problem: Bedbugs (insert dramatic music here).

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Khaki-sandy Girl: Gypsy Taxis for Beginners

Khaki-sandy Girl: Gypsy Taxis for Beginners: Catching a ride in a gypsy taxi in Almaty, Kazakhstan is a bit like hitchhiking, you stand on the side of the road, face the oncoming cars traveling in the direction you want to go, and stick your right arm out with your flat palm pointing slightly down. Some people feel really uncomfortable with Gypsy Taxis but I have not had a bad experience in one.  Aside from the inevitable (and for the most part, innocent) flirtation when a driver finds out you are single, the experience is almost always entertaining and a really great place to practice Russian...

Packing List for a Lake District adventure

What do you need for your trip to the Lake District in Northwest England?  Here's a list of essentials based on my own delicious experience.

The Method, the Madness, and the Case for Traveling Without Plans

A recent conversation with my mother about how I'm conducting my current travels led me to evaluate my travel methodology.  Based on my observations of myself and my friends, I believe there are two extremes to the traveling spectrum that most people fall somewhere between.  On the one hand you have those people who read all the books and fill each minute of each day with a tour, sight, or museum.  Then there are those people who don't plan anything.  They do no research and figure it out as they go.  This summer for example, I met a young traveler in Boise who was figuring out how to get home to Pocatello, Idaho.  As it turns out, my family was driving as far as Twin Falls on Tuesday, so her plans changed to leave Boise Tuesday instead of Friday. For her, traveling was a constant process of making friends.  Need a ride? Make a friend.  Need a bed for the night, make a friend.

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