Last week, I wrote a lengthy tribute to guidebooks and the sad news that Frommer's guidebooks would cease publication, and many readers here and on Twitter shared in my grief. Well, it's time to remove the black armbands, because Arthur and his trusty guides are back! Don't ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Budget Travel
Arthur Frommer Will Again Publish Guidebooks
Last week, I wrote a lengthy tribute to guidebooks and the sad news that Frommer's guidebooks would cease publication, and many readers here and on Twitter shared in my grief. Well, it's time to remove the black armbands, because Arthur and his trusty guides are back! Don't ...Surviving Spring Break Madness In Washington, DC
While American college kids bake in the sun, pound tequila shooters and do things they hope won't end up on YouTube in Cancun, South Padre Island and other venues for Spring Break debauchery, their younger siblings all seem to be on class or family trips to Washington, D.C. ...International Adventure Guide 2013: Quito, Ecuador
Ecuador's capital city, Quito, has long been hailed as a great jumping off point for adventure travelers. The city is surrounded by eleven volcanoes and dozens of flowing rivers, making it an ideal locale for those looking to hike, bike, climb, kayak and more. As if ...La Paz's Urban Rush Introduces Rap Jumping To South America
Australia and New Zealand are generally accepted as having cornered the market on bizarre adventure activities, especially in urban areas. Unsurprising, then, that Alistair Matthew, the Kiwi founder of La Paz's ginormously successful, groundbreaking Gravity Assisted Mountain ...International Budget Guide 2013: Shanghai, China
Asia has long been the budget traveler's playground, and the good news is that despite its rapid modernization, Shanghai continues to offer tremendous value for the money.
As most cities around the world put the brakes on new developments because of economic woes, ...Whereaguay? First impressions Of Paraguay, South America's Most Underrated Country
Ever notice how die-hard travelers tend to compare places to other places? Like, constantly? It may be annoying, but it goes beyond mere aesthetics. It's often a reference point; a way to describe not only the feel of a destination, but the spirit of its people.
I arrived ...How To Eat Bolivian Street Food (Without Shame)
There's a certain breed of traveler who will, often to their detriment, go to extreme lengths to avoid looking like a tourist. I know, because I'm one of them. Whatever spawned this phobia is anyone's guess, but I really, really, really dislike standing out in a crowd, ...Photo Of The Day: A Woman At Work
This Photo of the Day (POTD), titled "A woman at work in the vegetable market in downtown Colombo," comes from Gadling Flickr pool member MyLifesATrip and was captured with an Apple iPhone 5.
Not normally the camera of choice for photos I find POTD-worthy, MyLifesATrip ...A Personal Lament To The Death Of Guidebooks
It was with a heavy heart that I read the news last week that Frommer's guidebooks will cease to be printed. The guidebooks were purchased by Google last summer, and as of this year, the entire future list of titles will not be released. With the takeover of digital apps, ...Odd Travel Jobs: The Taxidermied Wolf Revealer Of Azerbaijan
I first encountered Juma outside the castle in the Azerbaijani town of Sheki, a town of 60,000 people about a four-hour drive from the capital, Baku. Juma had planted himself just outside the castle gates. I didn't realize it at the time but he was waiting for me. He was ...Use Your Smartphone Abroad As You Do At Home And Have No Surprises Later
While traveling to several destinations in Europe in the last few weeks, I bumped up my calling plan for a period of time. Adding global messaging and an international data plan helped with reducing possible overage charges but it didn't solve all of my problems. Often, ...Budget Travel Strategy: Smart Travel Uses For Your Tax Refund
If a tax refund is headed your way, common recommendations include paying off debt; making a major purchase and paying cash, rather than putting it on a credit card and other assorted common sense moves. Travelers can benefit too by using some of the same thinking about ...The Beach Snob's Guide To Cancun
So you're not the Cancun type. That's no reason to pass up a cheap flight to its airport, a gateway to lots of anti-Cancun destinations. The area has more than 80 miles of white-sand Caribbean beaches, and only a few of those are confined to the cheesy place you've been ...In America's 'McFarthest' Place, Strippers And Coyote Hunting But No McDonald's
If Rebecca Bierman gets an urge for a Big Mac, she has at least four options to satisfy the craving.
"I can go to Pierre or Sturgis, here in South Dakota," says Bierman, a farmer and rancher who lives in Glad Valley, South Dakota. "Or I can go to Dickinson or Bismarck in ...Save Money And (Maybe) Time With The Right Luggage, Packed Efficiently
I am one of the lucky ones: a traveler who has never experienced the inconvenience of lost or damaged luggage. I like knowing that but have never dared talk about it out loud, for fear of jinxing the luck or angering the luggage gods. Instead, when others tell their tale ...Photo Gallery: La Paz's Mercado De Hecheria
When I left my hotel yesterday morning to go investigate La Paz's famous Mercado de Herchería (also know as the Mercado las Brujas, or Witch's Market), I didn't know what to expect. Would it be covered, dank and creepy, like the one in Quito? Would it sell freaky ...Kayak Data Analysis Brings Budget Travel Tips, Not God-Like Mantra
Kayak, the travel search giant, took a look at more than a billion search inquires throughout 2012. Crunching the numbers, they came up with some interesting information. Based on what those who visit the popular website were looking for, Kayak has some tips aimed to save ...New Map From American Airlines Shows Award Seats By Location
One of the biggest complaints with airline mileage programs is that the miles are often difficult to redeem for flights. The carriers may hand them out left and right while claiming to have low-cost awards, but in practice, those tickets can be difficult to find. As a ...The Gastrointestinal Gamble: Eating A 'Dirty Water Dog' In New York
I was feeling adventurous. After all, it had been a whole month since I'd had food poisoning. On a recent trip to India I got the infamous "Delhi belly" – not once, but twice. And here I was sitting in my West Village apartment feeling the need to play Russian roulette ...One Day In Nicaragua: Self-Deportation, An Active Volcano, A Dead Boa, A Dip In A Lagoon And An Art Deal Gone Bad
Stepping over a dead boa constrictor with flies buzzing around it wasn't what I had in mind when I hired a guy named Carlos to take us to see Volcán Masaya, a national park in Nicaragua where you can drive right up to the crater of an active volcano. But when we piled ...
