WORLDROMPER

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." Helen Keller


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Milk Your Trip: Pre- & Post-Travel Tips

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(Shadow Box Collage of Burning Man Mementos)

Sometimes when you return home from a big trip, it seems almost like a dream. Did that really happen? Was I really standing there, on that mountain? Did I fly across the ocean? Travel, like most pleasurable activities, flies by in a blink-span, and before you know it you are back home again.

But you can learn to make the most of your trip by milking it: squeezing every single drop of joy out of the travel experience. From the initial yearning through the serious planning stages and into the post-trip haze, you can enjoy your trip in extended ways by creating your own travel rituals. Use these pre- and post-trip tips to make the most of your trip. Milk it! Continue reading →


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How to Create a Travel Journal (that you’ll actually want to read – and write!)

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Keeping a travel journal on the road can be a pain in the ass. Skip a few days and you’ll wind up pages and pages behind, furiously trying to catch up and remember what the hell you did three mornings ago.

But creating a log of your trip is a priceless gift to someone important – your future self. Recording the highlights of a journey  forces you to identify them, and to reflect upon your trip as it is happening. When you are old and forgetful, you’re not going to remember all the poignant details of your trip – the little girl who smiled at you from the school bus window, the impossibly fresh taste of a tuna pulled right from the sea, the color of the moonlight on the glacial lake.

But keeping a trip log doesn’t have to be a drag. Use these tips to create a better travel journal – your future self will thank you. Continue reading →


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Road Trip Party Fouls: Rules for Righteous Road Tripping

2005 Seattle 088Stop clowning around and get back in the car!

You’re hitting the road with your best buds and undertaking a journey that will test your friendship, challenge your social skills and perhaps offend your musical taste. Whenever you spend an extended amount of time in a small, car-size space with anyone, issues are bound to arise.

Like party fouls, road trip fouls can damage the experience of fun and freedom, and possibly ruin your mental health. Make sure that all the members of your fantastic voyage are made aware of the road trip rules, and discover how you can combat the fetid missteps should they arise. Continue reading →


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Are You Married? Do You Have Children?

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Can you spot the married woman? (Lombok, Indonesia)

If you are a single woman or any woman who travels alone, you will undoubtedly hear these two questions more often than you ask, “where is the toilet?” Sometimes you won’t mind answering them politely; other times you just want to scream, “IT’S NONE OF YOUR GODDAMN BUSINESS!”

Rude in one country and customary in the next, these personal questions don’t need to make you squirm. If they really bother you, wear a wedding ring, smile and just lie: my husband and six children are at home, KTHXBYE. But otherwise, try the following responses to get the nosy inquirer to leave you alone. Continue reading →


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Top Ten Travel Mistakes, Errors of Enlightenment and Blunders of Wandering to Make Before You Die

Hawaii's Na Pali Coast (Kauai)

Hawaii’s Na Pali Coast (Kauai)

Life is not about sailing through our days without ever a stumble or fall, but rather it is about experiencing those mishaps with a smile, and maybe even a laugh, before picking yourself up from the dirt, dusting off your pants and moving forward to your next adventure.

The worst travel experiences sometimes make the best stories; here are ten travel mistakes that you might want to try. Continue reading →


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QUIZ: Are You Gauche or Droite? Paris, City of the Seine

AF008901_3(Place Monge)

The constant river Seine flows through the heart of Paris, a meandering muse that divides the city into two distinct halves, the rive droite (the right bank, or northern half) and the rive gauche (the left bank, or southern half). Most travelers find themselves strangely attracted to one side or the other and remain fondly enamored for the rest of their lives.

Are you gauche or droite? Answer the questions below and find out. Continue reading →