Inspired by family trips as a child, Michelle has found a way to balance a full time job with frequent international and domestic trips. After following her passion for travel as a flight attendant, she eventually changed careers, but still manages to spend plenty of time on the road. By allocating much of her vacation time to trips, she's able to see the world but not empty her bank account.
Katherine Belarmino and her husband Romeo are part-time travelers who travel as much as possible with limited vacation time. Through careful planning they're able to efficiently see the world while holding down full time jobs. Their travel style, which includes shorter, action-packed trips, allows them to make the most of the limited time they have. By specifically allocating their vacation time for travel, they're able to maximize a traditional employment vacation schedule and still follow their passion for travel.
Sometimes the desire to travel grabs you and never lets go. That's exactly what happened to Stephen after he took his first journey to a foreign country. His trip to Ireland sparked that flame inside that all travelers are familiar with. After that, he just didn't want to go home. So he took off again and started a travel blog and made his passion a priority. We asked Stephen to fill us in on some of the details about his life, how he travels, where he's been, and what motivates him to keep on going after so much time on the road.
During his two years on the road, Marek has traveled extensively through Southeast Asia and Latin America. What started as a few months spread into several years of travel, during which he made countless friends, experienced dozens of countries and cultures, and learned to live spontaneously. You can learn more about his trip and future trips by visiting his blog, IndieTraveller where he discusses long term travel and backpacking in Asia and Latin America.
Summer vacation, at least for our family, is synonymous with road trips. We, Bryan and Laurie, the founders of Budget Your Trip, decided it was time to step away for a couple of weeks and take the newest member of the family (our four month old daughter) on a driving adventure from Boston to Nova Scotia. Yes, it's quite a long drive. And yes, everyone says it's a challenge to travel with a baby. But we went anyway, because traveling is in our blood, and also because we're a little crazy. To add to the reasons, believe it or not, this was our first time in Canada. We've trekked through the Sahara and the Gobi, swam in the Mekong and the Nile, but we have never visited our friendly neighbors to the North. Well, it was time to fix that!
Did you know that Australia’s food and wine scene is bursting with creative chefs, skilled purveyors and exciting winemakers producing fresh and innovative flavors that are the envy of the world? With a rich and varied landscape capable of supporting a variety of fresh and tantalizing produce coupled with a long immigrant history, Australia’s fusion food really sets itself apart. Multicultural diversity influences each producer’s enthusiasm, passion and experimentation in a different fashion allowing for a uniquely Australian style to unfold.
I asked a group of experienced travelers how to go about packing for a trip. When I reached out to this intrepid group of travelers for their advice, one key theme emerged: take only what you really need. Also, I asked them about the common concept of "packing light." I asked these travelers if they pack light, and most said they do, but many still struggle with the concept. So how do we pack light and what does that really mean? What have these expert travelers learned over the years, and how can we benefit from their advice?
I can't fully explain why we wanted to go to Mongolia. Of all the places in the world, most people would rather visit another country. Many of our family members were amongst those that politely asked why, and our answer was something vague, such as "It just looks interesting." Our trip would take us on a two month journey through China and Mongolia, of which we spent almost three weeks in Mongolia. Most of that time was spent on a 15-day tour of the Mongolian countryside in an old beat-up Russian army van, now re-purposed to carry tourists across the rugged terrain. We would spend most of our journey in this old nearly broken-down van while camping in the countryside, eating very fresh meat, and meeting the locals.
In our opinion, if you are going to visit another country to get an authentic experience, you must learn about the country’s culture. And the best way to learn about a country’s culture is to understand their past. If you are interested in learning about history and ancient cultures, Peru is the perfect place for you! Not only do they have a rich history, they also have modern attractions and world class outdoor activities as well.
Costa Rica is such a place where the art of “being” rather than "being busy" takes on a whole new meaning. You might even discover another side of who you are. So hang your hammock, grab a pina colada, kick back and discover Costa Rica's Pura Vida.
