Category Archives: Travel Advice
Traveling Without a Plan
I’ve become a notorious last minute planner. When I first started traveling, I planned everything out. I knew where I would be on what day, where I was staying, and how I was getting there. Yet over the years, I’ve begun to travel with less of a plan….if any at all. In two weeks, I’m [...]
Don’t Have (Travel) Regrets
When I was in university, many of my friend’s did a semester abroad. They all came back with great stories and experiences. They made it sound great and it was something I always thought of doing. Being in a foreign country, learning a new language, reinventing yourself, meeting foreign girls, and being able to legally [...]
Now is the Best Time to Travel
Life is stressful. Working, bills, the economy, errands, love, family, commuting- lots of stress. It all adds to the mountain and causes us much anxiety. When people feel stress, it’s important we relieve it and one of the best ways to do that is to travel. Travel can refresh us. It is like a time [...]
Posted in Travel Advice Tagged backpacking, career break, gap year, recession, Travel Advice 36 Comments
How to Make Your Money Last
I get a lot of questions about travel in my e-mail. I usually put them up in the Ask Matt section. Sometimes though I get so many questions about one topic, I devote a whole blog post to it. Often the questions are simply “what’s the secret to traveling” and “how can I do what [...]
Staycation
There always seems to be a new term entering the travel lexicon- traveler, tourist, flashpacker, voluntourism, and staycation. Everyone always likes to define something. Then again, I guess giving it a name means you can know it. The latest word that seems to be catching on is “staycation”. O.K., the word has been around [...]
Don’t Learn a Foreign Language
A few weeks ago, I was at the Taiwan Lantern Festival. I went with my guesthouse owner’s nieces and a Korean guy who stays at the guesthouse long term. We were walking around and they were mostly speaking Chinese. They were discussing one of the niece’s boy problems. All that teenage angst and romance you [...]
The Secret to Long Term Traveling
I get a lot of emails asking me for my secret. They read the posts about how I manage to travel but still wonder. What am I leaving out? What, they ask, is my secret to escaping the cubicle and being a nomad? So sick of these email am I that I am finally going [...]
Posted in Travel Advice Tagged backpacking, bill bryson, rolf potts, travel, Travel Advice, travel secrets, Travel Tips, vagabonding 23 Comments
What to Pack on Your Trip
Lately, I have been getting a lot of questions about packing for a trip. What do I bring? What should they bring? How much stuff should you take? One backpack or two? Where do you put all your electronics? Lots of questions. Well, here is my answer: I take as little as possible. If I [...]
How to Travel the World, pt. 3: Coming Home
Now you’ve done it. Congratulations. You planned your trip, went out on the road, traveled the world, and now are home. Pretty awesome huh? But many people ask- now what? After the glow of welcome back parties fade and you tire of telling the same stories, what do you do? You are forever changed- you [...]
Posted in Travel Advice Tagged coming home, How to, motivation, travel blogs, travel the world, work 15 Comments









Important Travel Rules and Tips