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Stephen: A Backpacker’s Tale

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.

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Read more about the article An Interview with Marek: The Indie Traveller
At the salt flats in Bolivia.

An Interview with Marek: The Indie Traveller

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.

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Lighthouse, Prince Edward Island
The Covehead Bay Lighthouse

Road Trip: Maine to Nova Scotia

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!

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Free and Cheap Rental Cars?

When I first heard about this new service I was very skeptical. How could you actually get a free rental car? Or, even more suspicious, how could you get a rental car for only a few dollars? Free might be easy to explain due to some sort of promotion, but how could a business operate by only charging a few dollars? Well, it's true, but there's a catch. Transfercar, a New Zealand-based company, is moving into the U.S. market. The idea is simple, you visit their website, book a one-way car rental for a specified date, and only pay a few dollars or nothing at all. And they are starting on the west coast with big expansion plans for the rest of the country.

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Routeburn Track
Routeburn Track by Tourism New Zealand

Hiking in New Zealand

New Zealand has long been recognized as one of the most beautiful places on earth. With stunning fjords, lakes, rivers and mountains in vast wilderness areas, there is no shortage of amazing scenery to breathe in. One of the most rewarding ways to see New Zealand is by foot, so grab your backpack and your walking boots and hit one of the many walking and hiking trails that crisscross this beautiful land. There are thousands of miles of tracks, with options to suit all levels of fitness, experience and time available.

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Pikes Winery
Pikes Winery, Clare Valley, South Australia (from the South Australian Tourism Commission)

Food and Wine in South Australia

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.

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Uluru, Australia
Photo By Tourism Australia

Experience the Indigenous Side of Australia

The Aboriginal peoples of Australia are considered one of the world’s most ancient living cultures. With a history dating back more than 50,000 years, their culture is rich with spirituality and wonder. Their deep connection to the land is showcased through their rituals, art, dance, music and Dreamtime stories - the time when their ancestral spirits created the land and all life. A trip to Australia wouldn’t be complete without experiencing at least some of the cultural activities of the Indigenous peoples. Sure, Australia has beautiful beaches, the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsunday Islands, and so on – but there’s a lot more to offer when you get a more cultural and historical perspective.

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Packing Advice from Expert Travelers

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?

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